Distractions

Traffic this morning was particularly bad. The moment Ollie hit the interstate, she could tell there must be some sort of sporting event or conference happening in the city this week. Her normally clear drive to work was instead clustered with cars, vans, busses, and ever present road workers. She took her car out of cruise control and slowed the vehicle, falling into pace behind a beat up white pick-up truck. 

The morning radio show featured three personalities that helped distract her mind on the way to work every morning, and she turned up the volume this morning, enjoying the opportunity to listen to the whole segment before she had to park and begin her walk to her office. 

The segment was non-sensical, and it made her laugh. Something about broken hearts and game shows, then leading into the top pop song of the country. It was pleasant chatter to her, just enough to allow her the freedom to let her mind wander from engaged to disengaged comfortably. 

The parking garage sat about a five minute walk from her building. It was usually a walk she enjoyed very much, however this morning the cold in the air was sharp. She walked briskly and hoped it wouldn’t turn into rain later in the day. She forgot her umbrella in the car. 

Once through the double doors to her building, the smell of the coffee cart greeted her and she glanced down at the her watch: 8:14am. 

“Ollie!” Waved the barista. She hadn’t even noticed Ben working the cart this morning. Old Ben was her favorite person on campus. The friendly, grandfather type who was always happy to see her and always grateful for every day. She grew warmer as she approached. 

“Happy Tuesday, Ben,” she greeted. 

“It is a happy Tuesday, Ollie. The sunrise was beautiful this morning,” he smiled. “Coffee?” 

“I’ve got to catch it one of these mornings,” she laughed, “and I can’t, I’ve got to run, I’m late,” she walked backwards towards the elevator doors. 

“Here, here, honey,” he said. Moving quickly he snapped on a plastic lid to a new cup he had just poured. “Take it and go, I got a feeling you’ll need it today my girl.” 

Ollie pushed the elevator call button and ran back to Old Ben, taking the cup gratefully. “Bless you,” she said. The elevator doors dinged, and she rushed back entering alone. She waved goodbye to him as the doors closed before her. Then she sighed and pushed the round “6” button. It took a moment for the elevator to move, but then it ascended. 

1.....2.....3....4....5.....

A huge lurch made Ollie almost drop her full cup of coffee all over the floor. Just her luck, someone getting on at floor 5 would make her even later this morning. She stared too long at the doors, waiting for them to open. They didn’t. She pushed the “door open” button on the panel. 

No change. 

Great, she thought, just great. She pushed it again. No change. 

Letting out a heavy sigh she pushed the “call for help” button. 

She heard ringing for a few brief moments and then a bored voice. “Hello,” it said. 

“Hi,” said Ollie, “this elevator isn’t moving. I don’t know what happened.” 

“Mhmmm,” came the voice. “What floor are you on?” 

“It says floor 5.” 

“Alright,” he said. “We apologize for the inconvenience. We’re sending our technicians now. Sit tight for the next 30 minutes or so.” 

“Alright...thank you.” She responded, discouraged. 30 minutes? At least I have a good excuse for being late to work now, she thought. 

She put her bag on the ground and sat down, leaning against the back wall. Count your blessings, she thought, no one else is in here with you and you have coffee. Thank goodness for Old Ben. 

She sipped and grabbed her cell phone. Of course, she had no service. With no social media to scroll through, there was nothing much else to do than stare up at the ceiling and think. Exactly what she’d been avoiding. 

She took a few deep breaths and tried to think back to the radio show. What were they saying? Some woman complaining about being stood up on a date, she wanted to know the truth. Truthfully it was because she was obnoxious, and anyone in their right mind wouldn’t show. Probably taught her a valuable lesson about not being so obnoxious. 

I hope I’m not that way...I hope that isn’t why he he left...he said he just wasn’t ready. Would he lie to me? Of course he would. No, no he wouldn’t. 

She opened her eyes. Well she thought she had opened her eyes. Were her eyes open? She blinked and realized the lights had gone out. How long had she been sitting in the dark? 

Fumbling for her phone, she used her flashlight to hit the “call for help” button again. It rang. It kept ringing. She hit the button a few more times. 

“Hello?!” She yelled at the speaker. “Hello, the lights have shut off. Is that normal?” 

No response. 

She couldn’t count her blessings in the dark. She suddenly felt suffocated. “Hello!” She yelled at the speaker. “Someone help please!” She tried to keep herself from panicking, but instead resorted to banging on the elevator doors. 

Bang, bang, bang. “Hello!” Bang, bang, bang. 

The elevator was so quiet it hurt her ears. She sat on the ground cross-legged and tried breathing deeply. It would be horrifying for the technicians to open the door and find her passed out. 

“Hello?” Came a voice from behind the doors. Had she imagined it?

“Hello! Yes I’m stuck in here!” Ollie yelled. 

“Stuck?” Asked the voice. It was a female voice. She sounded confused, probably someone trying to use the elevator. 

Ollie stood up. “Yes, it stopped a few minutes ago and I’m waiting for the technicians! Can you call them!” She yelled through the doors as close as possible. 

“...where are you?” Came the voice. 

You’ve got to be kidding me, she thought. “The elevator!” 

“Are you sure?” The voice replied. 

What is wrong with this girl.“Yes,” s!he said loudly. “Please call the technicians!” 

“Well, what do you see around you?” Came the voice. 

Hot anger ran through Ollie as she stood in the dark. What was the girl getting at? Was she crazy? 

“I am in the elevator. The lights turned off. I cannot see anything!” She tried explaining slowly and clearly. Maybe this girl was a lot younger than she sounded. 

“Well then, how do you know you’re in an elevator?” Came the voice. 

This girl was messing with her now. What kind of joke was this? 

“What do you mean? I walked onto this elevator and it stopped. I need to get out! Please contact the technicians!” And she banged on the metal doors again. 

Bang, bang, bang! 

“I don’t think I can help you,” came the voice. 

“Why?” She questioned. 

“You have to get yourself out, Ollie. You put yourself in there. Now you have to get yourself out.” 

Ollie’s blood ran cold. She never told her, her name. She couldn’t speak, her throat felt too dry. She moved forward trying to lean on the door, but it wasn’t there. She walked forward a few more steps, far past where the doors to the elevator should have been. There was nothing around her and everything was still pitch dark. She tried grasping for her phone, needing the flashlight again, but her phone wasn’t in her hand. 

Just her. Alone. In the dark. 

Then she did all she could think of - she ran - fearing suddenly that something terrifying was chasing her. She was certain she could hear heavy footsteps behind her speeding up. 

She couldn’t tell how far she ran, but she ran until she couldn’t catch her breath and had to stop. She bent low the ground and felt what she guessed was cotton beneath her hands. 

But the footsteps were still coming, catching up to her, growing louder and louder. 

If I lay down maybe it won’t find me. 

She leaned back and felt her head hit something soft. A pillow? 

She turned on her side and rolled herself into the soft cotton ground, curling into a ball, trying to make herself as small as possible. 

The footsteps approached and stopped right behind her. 

“Wake up,” said that same voice from before. 

She opened her eyes and found herself in her bed. Her sheets sprawled all over the place, like she had been kicking. She was in her bedroom. In her home. The early morning light barely streamed through her blinds. 

A dream? 

Then she lifted herself out of the bed, ran to the switch on the wall, and flipped on the light.