At Death's Elevator

Jenna pressed the button for the elevator and waited. She checked her watch and took note of the time. 6:30 p.m. She had to quickly go up to her apartment to change before she had to meet with her book club. Why her book club was at night, she did not know. But what she did know was that she could not be late. Not only would she miss out on the best treats, but Sierra Clever, the leader of the book club, would hold it over her that she was late. Something that Jenna always claimed to never be.

         The elevator door opened and she stepped in. She vaguely noticed that a man was also in the elevator. She pressed her floor number, 14, and watched the doors close. The elevator went up past floor two, three, and four, when it suddenly stopped and the lights went off.

         She froze. She waited for the lights to return, thinking it was just a slight malfunction, but they lights did not return and the elevator stayed still. Her heart quickened. She tried to push open the doors, but it did not work.

         She turned to the man even though she could not see him. “What’s happening?”

         He spoke, “It appears to be a power outage.”

         “A power outage?!”

         The panic must have shown in her voice, because he said, “Don’t worry. I am sure the power will return momentarily.”

         She nodded, once again remembering that they could not see each other. “I sure hope it comes back on quickly, or someone comes to check the elevators at least.”

         She fumbled around in her purse until she found her phone. She grabbed it and turned on the flashlight. She was momentarily blinded by the light, but her eyes soon focused. The man, she noticed, also pulled out his phone and did the same thing.

         She turned towards him and looked at him for the first time since getting on the elevator. She froze again. He looked slight familiar. But from where? She was positive that she did not know him personally, so maybe he was someone she saw in her apartment building.

         He turned to look back at her and she suddenly realized who he was. Her eyes widened. It was Marshall Neal Layton. She knew that she had seen him before, but she had not realized that she had seen him on the news. It had been on a morning, a few weeks ago. She had turned on the tv, looking for the weather, but she had stopped when she saw one of the news stories. The story had gone something like this:

         “A young man last Friday was found dead last night. His family had called the police to report their missing son. After two long days of looking for the young man by the name of John Kenip, he was found lifeless in an alley. Reports say, that it was no accident and was in fact a murder. Our main suspect is a well-known killer by the name of Marshall Neal Layton. Police are still actively searching for him…”

         She had tuned out after that, but now it all came back with full force. She, Jenna Attaway, book club member and resident of this apartment building, was trapped in an elevator with the infamous killer, Marshall Layton. She scooted back against the elevator wall and turned off her flashlight.

         She felt herself growing hot and sweaty, but it wasn’t the product of being trapped in an elevator. What should she do? She could not call the police. Not now? He would know that she was on to him. Plus, she would probably make herself his next victim. She could not escape the elevator either, not with the power outage. So, all she could do was wait and pretend that she wasn’t trapped in an elevator with a killer.

         He spoke again, startling her. “Did your phone die?”

         She took a deep breath to calm her rushing heart. She tried to speak calmly, but her words came out as a squeak. “N-no, sorry.” She quickly turned her light back on, but aimed it at the ground, so he could not see her face. If he did, he would surely see the discovery written there.

         She heard a sound and tried to inch back, even though there was no where to go. She peeked over at him and noticed that he was now sitting down. With him sitting down on the floor of the elevator, he looked so relaxed and almost boyish, so much so that she questioned herself. What if he was not the killer, but just was unfortunate enough to look like Marshall?

         “I think we should get to know each other since we will be stuck here for some time. My name is…” She waited, hoping that he would say it was Bob or Shawn, anything but Marshall. “Marshall Layton.”

         She groaned inwardly. But maybe it was a coincidence. It was a thin hope, but she grasped on it with all her might.

         He ended that hope really quickly. “My middle name is Neal. My mother wanted me to be named after my grandfather, but my father wanted my first name to be Marshall, so she made it my middle name.”

         She would have laughed at this and the fact that she of all people was trapped in an elevator with a killer no less, if she had not been in an elevator with a killer. Trapped.

         “So,” he asked, “what’s your name?”

         She stiffened. What should she say? She could not say her real name. What if he tried to find her once they were free? “Um, i-it’s, um, my name is…” Her mind blanked.

         He laughed, a rusty sound. Like laughing was not something that he did often. But what would you expect from a killer? “You don’t know your own name?”

         She bit her nail anxiously and glanced at the door, why wouldn’t the power return. But if it returned, he would know what floor she was own and what room she was in. Her hands started trembling and she sunk to the floor. “It’s Jenna.” She realized belatedly that she had given her real name. She started rocking.

         He glanced at her and she turned her face away. “Are you alright? You look unwell.”

         For a moment, she was glad for the power outage because it gave her an excuse for her obvious discomfort. “I do not like confined spaces.” She decided to try to get him talking. Perhaps it would take his mind away from the possibility of killing her. “Tell me about your family? I-it will help me to get my mind off the confinement.”

         He nodded, but kept him dark eyes fixed on her. “My family is all gone. Dead.”

         Her eyes widened and she rocked harder. His words sounded so ominous. Had he killed all his family? The thought was too much to bear. If he had no qualms about killing his own family, then he would have no problem getting rid of her. The tears came, fast and salty. She was going to die, in an elevator. Or maybe, he would follow her once they were free. And what could she do? She had no weapon, lived alone, and no plan.

         He stood suddenly and she gasped. He turned to her and reached into his pocket. This was it; he was going to kill her. And no one would know what had happened to her. It would take days before anyone realized she was missing and by then, it would be too late.

         He pulled something from his pocket and…

         The light suddenly turned on and the elevator began moving. Marshall put the unknown object back into his pocket and looked at her. “It looks as if our time together is at an end.” He looked at her with a strange look in his eyes. Then the elevator door opened and he was gone. She followed him with her eyes until the doors closed again and headed up to her floor.

         All the way up, her mind and heart raced. What should she do now? She knew that she had to call the police and tell them where Marshall was? But what if he found out that she called somehow? But no, she had to call. If she did not, he could still find her. He knew what apartment building she lived in after all. She rushed out of the elevator once the elevator arrived on to her floor and darted to her room, checking over her shoulder every so often to make sure that he was not there.

         She rushed to her door and put in her key, her hands shaking so bad that she barely got the key in. Then she entered and locked the door behind her.

         She opened her phone again and dialed 9-1-1. When her called was picked up, she spoke, “I need help…”