Four strangers are trapped in an elevator and forced to reveal details about their most malicious deeds within the hour to prevent a fall to their death. But as secrets are exposed, tension escalates, leading to a reality no one is prepared for.
***...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
We all stared at the credit card sized note Mr. Macho pulled from Ms. Cardigan's purse and held up to the light.
The mousy man's interest piqued as he took a step closer to see. "What does it say?"
"It says, 'Wednesday. 7pm. First elevator.'" Mr. Macho pulled a similar card from his pocket. "What the hell?" He turned to Mouse. "Let's see what you got."
Mouse drew it from his pocket, just above the jagged hole in his pants. "Mine has the address to this place, and it says, 'A solution to your most pressing issue. Elevator one. Floor seventeen.'"
They both looked at me, waiting. I reached into my bag to find my note, hoping I brought it with me. As I dug around the pockets, I debated if I should be honest about who I thought had given it to me or if I should pretend to not have it on me to avoid explaining.
Being fully transparent hasn't gotten me anywhere so far, but if I didn't want to be caught in a lie later, I would have to be open and honest now. "Mine looks like a message from my boyfriend asking me to meet him here, but now I know I was mistaken."
"Who's your boyfriend?" Mr. Macho lifted his chin, locking his eyes on me as if gauging and assessing every minute reaction.
"Yeah, what's his name?" Mouse urged, giving me the same strange look.
"Seb," I confessed. "Sebastian Hugh." But before they could chime in, I had to reassure them that Seb was not involved. "But he wouldn't do something like this to me or anyone else. He would do nothing to hurt me. He loved me."
"Loved?" Mouse probed, giving Mr. Macho the eye. "So, he used to love you? I'm guessing he doesn't love you anymore?"
My underarms prickled with sweat. "I mean, we recently broke up. But we still love each other. He wouldn't do this. Trust me."
"Trust is a strong word." Mr. Macho's stare lingered on me, making sure I perceived the skepticism in his eyes. "Who's Sebastian? Where is he now?"
"I was coming to meet him in his apartment on the thirteenth floor." I reached for the strap of my overnight bag across my shoulder before realizing the bag sat safely on the floor. So, I hugged myself for comfort instead. "I thought he wanted to apologize, to make up. So, here I am, planning to stay the night."
The big guy nodded to the mousy man. "What about you? You know anybody called Sebastian?"
"Never heard of the name," Mouse said with an accent I couldn't quite make out. "Someone dropped this card in my cup last week when I was out there asking for a bit of change."
Suddenly, his rugged attire and unavoidable body odor made sense. He had been going through hard times like I had originally guessed, but worse than I thought. The streets were most likely very familiar to him.
Mr. Macho lifted his handwritten note with smears of his own blood coating its corner. "I found this on the windshield of my car, telling me to be on the nineteenth floor at this location at seven o'clock."
