Kimberley's POV
My laughter echoed in the small elevator, the only sound breaking the silence. I couldn't seem to stop. It was just so ridiculous. I had been stuck in what was supposed to be paradise with a horrible roomie and a hurricane. Now? Now I was trapped in an elevator with a stranger. I must have racked up some sort of hellish karma to have this happen to me.
"I'm glad you find this funny," the woman behind me said in a cold, biting tone. "I assure you that I do not.
"It's funny because it's so awful," I said between giggles. "This is the worst day ever."
"I don't laugh when I'm in a life-threatening situation."
"I do," I replied, and burst into more giggles. They were part hysteria, of course, and part anxiety. Not exactly endearing myself to the manager I was currently stuck with. "Sorry," I apologised, but it came out wobbly, as I suppressed more laughter. "I'm what you would call a nervous laugher. I'll try to stop."
"Good."
I giggled again and then clapped a hand over my mouth.
The woman said nothing. I wished we had the lights in the elevator however I wasn't sure I wanted to look over at her and judge her expression. Probably just as well that I couldn't. The woman was probably glaring hatefully at me. I guess I couldn't really blame her for that. I was kind of being an ass. A hysterical ass.
Silence fell, almost oppressive in the darkness. Neither said anything, and I found myself silently wishing that the blaring monotone of the loudspeaker with the hurricane warning chimes could be heard. Just to break up the silence. Something. Anything.
Then it hit me My phone. Of course. I felt stupid for forgetting about it. I could call Sarah and tell her that I was stuck in the elevator. Fishing around in my purse, locating it with my fingertips and pulled it out, clicking it on. Bluish light flooded my end of the elevator, nearly blinding me with its brilliance. One bar left-that was what I got for reading books on my phone, Not that it mattered. The screen was lit up with a message-"Area out of service." Shit.
Across the elevator, another light flared to life, and I glanced over at the woman in the dress, her features illuminated by the phone's light. Good-looking. The woman immediately clicked her phone off again. "No service." She sounded disgusted.
Thrown back into darkness again, I blinked at the red spots in my vision. reaching out into the darkness, I was trying to recall exactly how big the elevator was. Fifteen feet across? Less? More? I hadn't really paid attention. I suspected that if I took a step forward, my outstretched arm would smack into the stranger, though.
Cozy. A little too cozy, considering they were trapped.
Exactly how long could they be trapped here before someone would notice? What if the ferry had already left the island for the mainland? I tried not to think about that, or the hurricane heading our way. Someone would be coming to get us. I waited for the inevitable sound of voices, of rescuers.
And waited . . .
And waited . . . The darkness was stifling, the only sounds in the elevator was of my accelerated breathing. and the manager's.
When the power didn't appear to be coming back on, not wanting to stand any longer I slid down to the floor of the elevator. It felt cool against my legs, a welcome change considering that the air in the elevator was becoming a little stuffy. How long had we been sitting here in the darkness? Ten minutes? Twenty? How long did we have before the hurricane hit? I clutched my purse close.
Air brushed past me as if the woman was moving forward, and I clung to the wall. "What are you doing?"
Buttons clicked. The stranger seemed to be ignoring me.
