The Elevator | A Horror Story

-9-

"Laura?"

Big hands grab my arms and jolt me awake.

I inhale sharply – a scream catching in my throat.

"Laura. It's me, Chad."

I exhale as my eyes focus on the face in front of me.

I think under other circumstances he might be handsome, but he looks scared and tired. His fair hair is brown with dirt and grease. He has dark bags under his grey eyes, and the grey T-shirt he wears sticks to his skin with sweat.

There's something familiar about him.

I reach forwards – touching his shoulders; making sure he is really there.

"How did you get in here?" I whimper.

I've never been so happy to see another person in my life.

"I saw you," he says. "Out there. And I jumped."

He slides into the spot of floor next to me, and I feel the warm comfort of his body shuffled beside mine.

"What. . .what was that out there?" I whisper.

Chad shakes his head.

"I don't know," he says softly.

"All those elevators. . ." I swallow hard. "Where are they going? Where are we going? How can this be real?"

Chad stares blankly ahead.

"You don't think - ?" he starts. "You don't think that we're -?"

I look at him.

"What?"

"It feels like. . . " he says.

"What?" I repeat.

He doesn't reply. He doesn't need to. I know what he's thinking.

Hell.