AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter One
Lower
“Fuck,whatareyoudoing, man?” I barely hear the words, my ears still ringing from the rushing wind and my head slamming against the cement staircase.
“Hello,” I croak out. I’m wedged in the corridor, facedown. A man rushes past me, not stopping to help or even glancing in my direction. Two voices bite at one another, and leave me in a contorted pile, struggling to untwist my limbs.
“We were under strict orders!” I hear one seethe as they get closer to me.
The crash of the metal door interrupts any response, followed by the wind rushing down the steps. It slams into my body, lifting me with its force and knocking me against the side of the stairwell. Either the locks didn’t hold or the men arguing didn’t secure them. Either way, it’s let the storm inside, and I flail my arms toward anything I can hold on to, clawing and scratching to keep from flying back through that door - back to the figure outside.
My limbs are weak despite my mind’s protests, and they falter, failing to keep me in place. This storm wants me back, but I keep my grip on the railing, refusing to go. One man screams, and I see his legs lift behind him through the flashes of lightning while he clutches onto the handrail.
We need to get further down.
Torrential rain spits down on us, slapping my face and choking my lungs. I force myself to stand on weak legs while I’m threatened to be yanked back outside. Searing pain bites every part of my body, begging me to stop trying, but I know we aren’t safe yet.
One step - and then another.
Lower.
Safer.
I can’t help but turn back to check on the men. I need to get to my family, but one of them saved my life. That is… if I survive this.
The flashes of the weather blind me, and I can only make out their outlines. One man reaches for his friend while the metal door bangs open and closed, slamming against its frame from the perilous wind.
“Lower!” I scream.
My words might as well be whispers, spoken from miles away. I doubt if anyone can hear me, but any steps toward that opening mean death. They need to find their way deeper into the earth.
The gusts pause, and both men tumble down a few steps. Released by a break in the storm, they struggle to get to their feet.
“Run down!” I scream again. Limping my way, each step too slow, I move lower to safety as fast as my broken body allows.
Both men scramble down and follow, using their hands and feet to find their way down the slick steps. I’m not sure where I’m headed or how far will this tunnel lead, but anything is better than outside.
When they catch up to me, one wraps his arm around my waist, making me flinch from the ache. We stagger further down together, my fingernails digging into his side from pain and fear.
We’re low enough when the gusts pick up again that this time we don’t lose our footing. There’s a glimmer of hope that safety is within reach.
“We’re dead,” one hisses.
The glimmer flickers out.
We reach a shut door, my hands gliding along the edges, methodical but frantic. It’s a door, not a prison. Someone will open it on the other side. “We’re not dead yet. This is fine. This is far enough,” I tell them.
The man points behind him at the raging storm. “Not because of that,” he seethes. He then shoves a shaking finger in my face. “Because of you.”
It’s dark, but I feel his eyes bearing down on me with hate.
I don’t bother asking what he means, although I can imagine.
Someone ordered them to let me die out there, and there’ll be a price to pay for disobeying.
One man punches codes into the door, ignoring the other’s protests. Lightning flickers while we wait, illuminating his face, and I recognize him as the one from outside. The man I guessed was in charge and said he didn’t want to leave me there. He couldn’t convince them, but he saved my life, anyway.
“Thank you,” I tell him as he enters the last number.
