Lizzie And The Deadly Sins

5- Elevator

Lizzie POV

Almost three hours into my first shift and I'm still not an official employee.

When Miss Johnson arrived at six she was surprised to find I was already waiting. I said my goodbyes to the security team and followed her through to the mail room.

She explained that HR wouldn't be in until nine to register my details and get my employee ID so I could go up there to deliver their mail then and register. Apparently the company is big on efficiency. Until then she would walk me through what my duties were.

Due to the company's size mail would arrive from different shipping companies from eight til eight most days. The first duty was to sort any mail or parcels that arrived after five the previous day. Which is when the last office delivery is made.

The mail is divided into trolleys for each department, with a large corresponding number for its destination as each department has its own floor with nine floors in total.

Front desk, security and mail room on the ground floor
First floor Sales,
Second floor legal
Third floor finance
Fourth floor R&D and planning
Fifth floor marketing
Sixth floor IT services
Seventh floor Human resources
And the eighth floor CEO and meeting rooms.

Miss Johnson makes small talk with me as we work dividing the mail, occasionally I ask for the department if it is missed from the address but I mainly let her fill the silence. Apparently someone else will start at ten doing the ten til eight shift but I am yet to meet them.

I learn that Miss Johnson, or Chianti, is a little older than my apparent age. She's worked here for three years and is the longest serving in the department because in her own words, she's the most determined. So when the time came she got made department manager.

We're the smallest department in the company but we are always busy as we take in and distribute all the mail and parcels with the exception of consumables. We also collect and prepare all of the outgoing mail ready for collection. With different trolleys around the room having various distribution logos ready for collection.

Just before eight royal mail arrives with a few parcels and burlap sacks of post. All the arrival's are put through a machine similar to an airport scanner for safety before they are sorted. Once we have finished emptying the bags into the trays, disposing of obvious spam or advertising. So it's ready to scan. Chianti suggests I start distributing the sorted mail. Taking the Trolley marked one for sales we head towards the elevators.

Chianti shows me where specific bundles of mail are distributed, most belonging in pigeon holes beside the staff break room with the exception of mail addressed to the two heads of sales 'A. Mode' and 'D. Seus' who appear to share an office. Their mail is left in a tray on their secretary's desk.

The system is similar on every floor, so once we finish the sales floor Chianti starts scanning the new deliveries while I deliver the biggest trolley of mail to legal services. Distributing the packages in the same method I've been shown.

The legal department has at least twice the mail of the sales department and the employee's have started arriving before I finish emptying the trolley. Once I am done I make my way back to the empty elevator heading to the ground floor.

Once the doors open I have to force my way through the throng of employees arriving. Each trying to push past the last until the elevator is uncomfortably full. I'm glad I was leaving it.

I find Chianti separating trays as new ones are being processed by the machine. Fed ex had made a delivery while I was gone so her pile hasn't decreased at all.

"It's just after nine. You take HR's mail up to eight and get yourself registered then meet me back here. I'll finish this tray and deliver finances ok?" Chianti instructs me.

I arrange the more precariously balanced mail on the trolley knowing that I am about to join the morning's elevator rush and add my bag containing the papers I completed yesterday and 'my birth certificate' to take with me.

The crowd at the elevator seems to have grown with more people joining as we wait for an elevator with space. This isn't helped by one of the three elevators being closed for maintenance.

When I'm finally at the front I push the trolley in to press against the back wall, the handle digging uncomfortably into my side as more people squeeze in. Some occasionally shooting dirty looks at the trolley which is occupying their space.

My hopes that it will be a quick ride are dashed when I see a tall man impress every button, making the doors close and the elevator come to life.

I'm not usually claustrophobic but as soon as the doors close I start to feel strange.

A sensation washes over me like the rush of heat when you enter a store on a cold day. My stomach clenches with a strange anxiety that I can't place the cause for.

A bizarre feeling that I can only compare to feeling aroused.

This obviously makes no sense, I'm in an elevator at work. All I can currently see are the backs of the people now blocking my view of the door and I've never even...

I unconsciously squeeze my legs together in some vain attempt to calm my suddenly raging hormones.

Is this what happens when I have had too much caffeine?

The elevator stops, the doors opening for a few people to alight on the first floor. My brow creases at the thought of being confined here for six more floors.

I'm grateful for the small increase in space, the idea of my body brushing against someone right now making me anxious.

My breathing starts to become shallow and I decide I should get off at the next floor, afraid if I stay I might pass out.

The moment the elevator pings it's arrival I try to make my way through with my trolley. Squeaking apologies as I move, using the trolley to avoid touching anyone.

As I reach the doors my arm brushes against something giving me what feels like a static shock up my arm and through my body.

I'm so distracted I almost run the trolley right into a woman waiting for the elevator before I drop to my knees panting for breath, my vision blurring.