that’s blown up to the size of a swollen thumb (which Dan
looks away from in embarrassment), and finally grab my phone. The digital clock on the screen reads: <00:36>. There’s no message, but both of us watch as the numbers count backwards:
<00.32>, <00.31>, <00.30>.
‘What the hell do you think happens at zero?’ Dan says.
‘I really don’t want to know,’ I say.
From the end of the corridor there’s the sound of an enormous slap, as if a bloody side of beef has been splatted from a great height onto a metal table.
In unison we both press the buttons. The number 10 glows red, then 9, 8, 7…
I look around the area for some sort of weapon, but there’s nothing – just plain walls and porcelain tiles. I fumble in my pockets again, trying to locate the knife, but I
can’t seem to find it. Fuck! What if I lost it in the water?
We smell it before we hear it, that same rotten-meat, engineoil stench, followed by a low inhuman howl.
‘Come on!’ Dan screams at the door, lashing out at it with his foot.
<00.05>, <00.04>.
Ping!
The door hisses open and we throw ourselves inside.
‘Press the close button!’ I scream.
Dan whacks the control panel with his fist, and the door slides shut with infuriating slowness. There’s a brief pause and then something slams into the door. The entire lift rocks, and I
throw myself over to Dan’s side and whack my palm on the buttons, hitting them at random.
With a screech of grinding machinery the lift begins to move, shuddering and creaking. We cling to the greasy metal rail stuck onto the side of the walls.
‘Are we going up or down?’ Dan says, his voice sounding remarkably normal, although his eyes are glassy with shock.
‘I don’t know.’ I don’t. The motion is disorienting; one second I’m certain we’re travelling upwards, the next I’m convinced we’re headed
downwards.
‘Fuck. That was close,’ I say.
Dan starts to shake violently, and it’s only when I run my hand over my face that I realise that I’m shaking too. I tell myself it’s just the cold water.
The lift’s gears screech again, and it judders and seems to slow down.
My phone beeps again and both of us jump. It’s another message. I click it open.
Oh fuck.
Dan’s staring straight at me. I look down. ‘What?’
‘Nothing. Can’t understand it. Just gibberish.’ I press delete, praying that it disappears off the screen.
Dan opens his mouth to insist, and then his phone vibrates and beeps.
‘Shit,’ he says, reading the message. He passes it to me.
‘What the fuck does that mean?’ I say.
Then the lights go out and the lift drops sickeningly two or three floors before slamming to a rocking halt.
‘Oh fuck,’ Dan says, in the dark. ‘What now?’
There’s the sound of gears screaming again, and then, bizarrely, piped music starts wafting out of the roof.
chapter 10
DANIEL
The only lights are the lift’s buttons, three rows of ten. 1 to 25, B for basement, G for ground, door open, door close and the emergency bell. I know it’s a waste
of my time to try that one, even as I thumb it. Dead. Of course.
Nothing to show which level we’re on.
Rhoda is pacing around the lift, oddly keeping time with the muzak piping out from somewhere. ‘I’ve got to get out of here, Dan, I’m serious. I’m going to suffocate. Give
me a foot up.’
‘Where?’
‘ Do it! ’ she hisses.
‘Fine.’ I offer her my cupped hands to who-knows-where she wants to climb. She scrabbles at the ceiling. She’s jerking around, almost falling off the platform I’m making
for her, punching at the ceiling. For the second time today, I notice just how light she is. She shouldn’t be this light. It’s like if she relaxed all those tight sinews she’d
break into
looks away from in embarrassment), and finally grab my phone. The digital clock on the screen reads: <00:36>. There’s no message, but both of us watch as the numbers count backwards:
<00.32>, <00.31>, <00.30>.
‘What the hell do you think happens at zero?’ Dan says.
‘I really don’t want to know,’ I say.
From the end of the corridor there’s the sound of an enormous slap, as if a bloody side of beef has been splatted from a great height onto a metal table.
In unison we both press the buttons. The number 10 glows red, then 9, 8, 7…
I look around the area for some sort of weapon, but there’s nothing – just plain walls and porcelain tiles. I fumble in my pockets again, trying to locate the knife, but I
can’t seem to find it. Fuck! What if I lost it in the water?
We smell it before we hear it, that same rotten-meat, engineoil stench, followed by a low inhuman howl.
‘Come on!’ Dan screams at the door, lashing out at it with his foot.
<00.05>, <00.04>.
Ping!
The door hisses open and we throw ourselves inside.
‘Press the close button!’ I scream.
Dan whacks the control panel with his fist, and the door slides shut with infuriating slowness. There’s a brief pause and then something slams into the door. The entire lift rocks, and I
throw myself over to Dan’s side and whack my palm on the buttons, hitting them at random.
With a screech of grinding machinery the lift begins to move, shuddering and creaking. We cling to the greasy metal rail stuck onto the side of the walls.
‘Are we going up or down?’ Dan says, his voice sounding remarkably normal, although his eyes are glassy with shock.
‘I don’t know.’ I don’t. The motion is disorienting; one second I’m certain we’re travelling upwards, the next I’m convinced we’re headed
downwards.
‘Fuck. That was close,’ I say.
Dan starts to shake violently, and it’s only when I run my hand over my face that I realise that I’m shaking too. I tell myself it’s just the cold water.
The lift’s gears screech again, and it judders and seems to slow down.
My phone beeps again and both of us jump. It’s another message. I click it open.
Oh fuck.
Dan’s staring straight at me. I look down. ‘What?’
‘Nothing. Can’t understand it. Just gibberish.’ I press delete, praying that it disappears off the screen.
Dan opens his mouth to insist, and then his phone vibrates and beeps.
‘Shit,’ he says, reading the message. He passes it to me.
‘What the fuck does that mean?’ I say.
Then the lights go out and the lift drops sickeningly two or three floors before slamming to a rocking halt.
‘Oh fuck,’ Dan says, in the dark. ‘What now?’
There’s the sound of gears screaming again, and then, bizarrely, piped music starts wafting out of the roof.
chapter 10
DANIEL
The only lights are the lift’s buttons, three rows of ten. 1 to 25, B for basement, G for ground, door open, door close and the emergency bell. I know it’s a waste
of my time to try that one, even as I thumb it. Dead. Of course.
Nothing to show which level we’re on.
Rhoda is pacing around the lift, oddly keeping time with the muzak piping out from somewhere. ‘I’ve got to get out of here, Dan, I’m serious. I’m going to suffocate. Give
me a foot up.’
‘Where?’
‘ Do it! ’ she hisses.
‘Fine.’ I offer her my cupped hands to who-knows-where she wants to climb. She scrabbles at the ceiling. She’s jerking around, almost falling off the platform I’m making
for her, punching at the ceiling. For the second time today, I notice just how light she is. She shouldn’t be this light. It’s like if she relaxed all those tight sinews she’d
break into
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