Behove

2. Emily Pierson

When the lights went out I didn't panic, not at first, the emergency generators would kick in soon. But that didn't happen, the two exit lights left a weird green glow over the room but only because they had batteries within them.

It had taken me an hour to realise it was something more serious, a glance at my watch telling me it was half past one and no power meant no way of making contact, both the intercom and wired phones were not working and mobile phone signal, this deep in the building was non existent. If I wasn't found soon, there would be no power to run the filtering system and so no air but that was hours away from being a problem.

I had to face it, the lab was sealed off from the rest of the building and something huge must have happened 'up top' for this sort of breakdown to occur. I was stuck here until the power came back on, I just had to hope people remembered I was down here.

Settling back in the desk chair, I propped my feet up on my desk and thought about life, my gaze flicking up regularly to see the clock above the door , the time resolutely marching on.

I had worked for the Brooke-Bennett's for two years since leaving university early, at first it had seemed like the ideal job but then I had blindly followed instructions and had implicated myself, I had done exactly what they wanted and they used me for it. I even tried to leave but they had become my wardens, demanding more and threatening to implicate me in their schemes if I did not perform... I shook my head, I had been stupid, naïve and they had taken fully advantage.

I had heard mutterings yesterday that there was trouble ahead, a take over was coming and one that wouldn't favour the Brooke-Bennetts. I was glad, they were toxic people and I had naively been taken in by them. I wondered what would happen to me if then takeover went ahead. I hadn't been involved in the companies front facing work, no... they had used my skills to suit their own agenda.

I glanced again at the clock, my mind racing through the mental calculations, the offices upstairs should be in full flow now, power should be back. whilst I had come in yesterday and worked all day and through the night, trying to catch up with my workloads, I knew the day started at 7 for most normal labs staff, 8 for admin and there were usually a dozen meetings happening on any one day by 9am. They would need power for that, but there was none. The feeling of unease grew, the air was still good or the alarm would sound, I knew it would work as it was battery powered, I had tested it last month.

Lunchtime came and went, I ate the apple I had in my desk and drank half of the bottle of water I had left, then I pulled on the extra cardigan I had on the back of my chair, the coldness of the basement no longer held at bay by the buildings heating systems

By four I was glad I had a private bathroom within the lab boundary, my stomach now in knots as my mind started to run through the what ifs...

What if no-one knows I'm down here...

What if the air runs out...

What if I freeze...

What If...

What...

At five I jump as an alarm noise sounds, the sensor on the ceiling showing a red flashing light, the air...

I curl myself into a ball within my chair and tried to control my breathing, the blood racing through my veins pulsing loud through my ears as I try to stop the alarm noise. My cheeks were wet with silent tears, there was no point in crying out, in shouting, there was no way in without power and no one would hear me.

As the black dots swirled in my mind I realised, this was it, this was how I was going to die, cold, alone and forgotten.