Hum.

“Ok, Benny, shut up,” I snarled, finally losing my patience with his constant word vomit. I know I probably hurt his feelings, but I really didn’t care, I had a very, very, very important job.

The other girl in the elevator glared at me, but I really didn’t care, I had a very, very, very important project.

I blinked three times then closed my eyes, making it much easier to think without the distraction of sight. Three fingers drummed impatiently on the file I held in my hand—a very, very, very important file, one that I needed to deliver. 

“Sorry, geez,” I know Benny aimed for his voice to be indifferent, but I could hear the traces of hurt I had inflicted upon him. 

I really, really, really couldn't care, I had a very important envelope. 

The elevator chugged on, moving downward ever so slowly. Time seemed to drag. 

“Any day now,” I caught myself whispering aloud, “Any day now, any day now,”  

“Are you still obsessing over that paper?” Benny scoffed, for vengeance I assumed. 

“Envelope,” I corrected. Envelope, envelope I managed not to say the words out loud, but I needed to think about it nonetheless. 

He muttered something under his breath. I really didn’t care. 

I really didn't care.

I really didn’t care.

I couldn’t help but peek at my watch, tapping it a number of times. 3:13, I still had twenty minutes before my meeting, a very, very, very important meeting. 

Impatient, my foot started to tap in pattern with the gentle hum of the elevator beneath me.

Hum, hum, hum.

Tap, tap tap.

Hum, hum-

Tap, tap-

My foot hesitated to wait for the next hum. 

I heard a gasp. I ignored it, the elevator needed to hum again because I needed to tap again. 

I waited. 

I didn't let myself open my eyes.

“Martha,” My eyes twitched at the sound of my own name, but did not open, I was waiting for the hum. For my tap. For my necessity. 

“Martha,” Benny murmured again, “I think the elevator broke,” 

It was then that I realized my eyes were not closed, it was just dark. Very, very, very dark. 

"Oh," oh, oh. 

I heard a faint whimper, and my eyes flickered to it instinctively, but there was no single break in the curtain of darkness. 

"W-what's happening?" Someone breathed. I recognized it as the other girl on the elevator. 

Elevator.

Elevator.

My meeting. My anxiety spiked. Why was it so dark? 

And more importantly, where was my third hum? 

"I think the power went out," Benny breathed. I could feel his panic, though it was not as overwhelming as the girls. 

Her breathing accelerated. Ben raced to calm her.

“Hey, don’t worry! I’ll just push the button and someone will help us,” I heard the sound of feet, a stumble, and a muttered curse before a tone filled the air. I itched to press it again, and another time. 

“See?”

Her breathing faltered but didn't slow. 

My body had not moved an inch, my foot still paused over the steel floor. I still waited. Waited. Waited. 

"Why is this….what is this?" Her voice was barely a whisper. 

"I'm...not sure," Benny admitted. I could tell he could also sense her panic because he added, "it will pass in time,"

Time.

Time.

My wrist flashed upward and the faint glow of light from the digital clock read 3:20 as I tapped it three times, I had 13 minutes, then I was going to be late. 

I didn't want to be late.

I wasn't going to be late.

I ignored her gasps of relief at the tiny fraction of light my watch provided and with my foot still propped up above the floor, I scooted backward until my hand found the smooth wall backing. I pressed three of my fingers against it. 

“What are you doing?” She asked, voice breaking. I doubted she could see me, but the sound of my one lopsided foot scraping across the floor probably sounded ominous in the dark enclosed box. 

“Who knows,” Ben spits. 

Another whimper.

“Don’t worry Claudia, I pressed the button, someone will come soon,” 

Claudia? So Ben knew her then? From where? 

Feeling with my fingers I found the edge of one panel, I knew it was wishful thinking, but I attempted to pry it off three times. 

“Hey! Stop!” I heard Ben’s voice before I felt his hand grasp mine and yank it away from the wall. 

“Why?” Why, why?

“Just wait! We pressed the button, maintenance is alerted, they will come to get us,” His tone suggested that I wasn’t the only one he was trying to convince.

My hand yearned to continue to claw at the panel, I needed my third hum. My third tap.

I felt Ban’s hands along my wrist as his finger came in contact with the strap of my watch. He yanks it off and taps the button. A faint glow lights up the air touching him for a moment before we are plunged in darkness once again. I want to push it again, and then one more time.

“3:22,” He says. 11 minutes until my meeting. I frowned, three did not go into that.

My meeting. My envelope. My job. 

I watched Ben toss the watch into a dark corner. Then, a pale hand shot out and grabbed it. I watched the soft features of a face unveil in front of me as Claudia held the watch under her chin. Her face was ghostly pale, curtained by frizzy dirty-blond hair and thick lashes hiding chocolate brown eyes wide with panic.

She’s scared of the dark? Or is she scared of being alone? Or not? 

“We are not scared of being alone in the dark, we are scared of not being alone in the dark,” I purred. 

I could feel their confusion.

“But you're not alone Claudia,” Ben reassured, trying to get a message out of my quote that didn't exist.  

She gulped and clawed at the watch desperately when it shut off. I watched as Ben tapped it aggressively. It bugged me. 

“Tap it twice more, Ben,” I commanded. 

His confusion was brief before he decided not to be bothered by it. He tapped it twice more. Twice more.

I tottered unbalanced on my one foot, my only other support my three fingers. I swayed forward and backward and then forward again. 

“What are we going to do?” Claudia whisper-asks again. I wonder idly why everyone is whispering, was it the silence that felt like an ominous cloud? The fact that Claudia, the first person to break the silence, talking in such a hushed tone we all followed her lead? Or was it that we feared someone else could hear it? 

“Wait,” Ben said. 

Claudia did not like that idea very much, neither did Ben, I most certainly did not. 

“I have a meeting, and an envelope to deliver, and I have places to be,” 

He glared at me pointedly in the dim light of the watch. “You’ll survive,” There was more he wanted to say, that much was obvious, but I didn’t let him. 

“Help! Help! Help!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. 

“That’s not going to help!” Ben yowled over my voice. 

“Who the hell cares? It sure makes me feel better, besides I don’t see you doing anything!” My sudden rage surprised me. 

Claudia soon joined it, our screams bounced off the walls and rang in my ears many seconds after we both gave up. 

The amount of silence that followed lengthened as no one dared to break it. Seconds stretched into minutes, Ben must have gotten sick of it.

“Time,” He commanded. 

“3:17,” 

My nostrils flared a few times, five minutes left. 

A sudden noise sent Claudia to hysterics. 

A grumble, groan, a flicker, and the jerking of the floor under us.

The elevator roared to life. 

Another sound, quiet yet powerful. 

My third hum.

Tap.

It was almost involuntary.