So High School

You know how scared I am of elevators

TW

"You almost ready Taylor?" Travis called from the other room.
"Five minutes!" Came the shout back and Travis tutted, shaking his head fondly.

They were in a hotel, about to go out for a casual dinner. Travis was dressed in a shirt and a pair of shorts, as it was the peak of summer and swelteringly hot.

Taylor hurried out of the bedroom, her sandals in one hand and her purse in the other. She was wearing a beautiful summer dress which flowed around her mid shin, white with little blue flowers. The sleeves were off the shoulder and frilly, matching the hem. Her hair was up in a messy updo, held with a beautiful flower clip as free pieces of curly hair framed her face, which was covered in a light layer of makeup.

"You're beautiful" Travis whispered, pulling her in and giving her a quick peck on her glossy lips.
"You're pretty handsome too" Taylor blushed, pulling away to slip on her sandals.

The pair left the hotel room hand in hand. They were being met by security downstairs, and so they stepped into the lift, just the two of them. Travis pressed the right buttons and it descended slowly. Taylor was scared of lifts, no particular reason why, but they had always been one of her biggest fears. Travis knew this, and as they went down he gripped her hand tightly.

Suddenly it stopped with a big jolt, sending both of them tumbling to the floor. The lights in the lift flickered before going out completely and the pair were left in complete darkness, apart from the flashing numbers on a screen above the door.

Taylor scrambled into the corner, hugging her knees up to her chest as she tried to ducks her her breathing. Not only was she scared of elevators but also of the dark, a perfect combination in a situation like this.

Her eyes closed, breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, breathe out.

"Taylor? You okay?" Travis called, squinting around the dark area, trying to make her out. However it was too dark, and he couldn't see her at all. He could hear her quiet sobs coming from somewhere, and that was when he remembered he had his phone. He pulled it out, switching on the torch. It immediately cast a glow around the tiny box, illuminating all the nooks and crannies.

"Oh baby" Travis sighed, coming over to her and sitting next to her. He pulled his shaking girlfriend into his arms and she clutched onto his shirt, lavishing in his comfort.
"It's okay, they'll come get us soon, yeah? I'll message security right now. Just focus on your breathing, deep breaths" leaving the torch on he navigated to Drews number, sending him a quick text. Taylor grabbed her phone from her purse, turning on her torch too. She was starting to feel a bit better, getting more used to the idea of being stuck and the darkness around them, the initial feeling of panic wearing off.

Not long after Travis got a message back they heard some banging above them, making Taylor flinch and curl into Travis again.
"It's okay, it's just them coming to help us" Travis told her, and she nodded.

Just then, Travis got another message from Drew.

Drew: the doors up here are open, you are a bit further down in between floors. You will need to open the panel at the top and climb onto the top of the elevator, we have harnesses up here.

Travis typed back a quick reply, showing the message to Taylor. She nodded nervously, and rose to her feet.
"It's okay, I'm here to help you" Travis smiled at her reassuringly.

He stood on his tip toes, trying to reach the panel on the roof of the lift but he wasn't quite tall enough.
"Tay? If I lift you up on my shoulders would you be able to undo that latch and open it?" He asked her.
"Um, I think so" Taylor nodded, setting her phone down so it was lighting up the room.

Travis crouched down and Taylor climbed onto his shoulders, gripping onto his head. Travis held her thighs as he slowly stood up, careful not to hit Taylor's head on the ceiling. She reached up, undoing the latch with a bit of difficulty as it was slightly rusty. Once she had done that she opened the hatch and the elevator flooded with light from the open doors above them. She looked up and saw Drew peering down the shaft, along with a couple of other men she didn't recognize.

Travis set Taylor down and readjusted himself before putting out his hands for her to step on to. That's what she did, stabilising herself with his shoulders as he lifted her higher. Eventually she could reach the gap, and she hooked her fingers over the top. Travis helped push her up and she pulled herself over, eventually managing to get up.

She leant down, one hand holding the metal chain behind her and one out for Travis. He held onto it, jumping and grabbing the lip of the roof. He made sure not to put too much weight on Taylor because he didn't want to pull her down, and he hauled himself up, crawling over the top.

Once they where both up, Drew yelled down to them.
"We've got a harness! Attach one of you to it and we'll pull you up!" He shouted, and the pair both nodded.
"You go first" Travis told Taylor as the harness was being lowered.
"But I don't want to leave you down here by yourself. What if something happens? What if the lift falls? What if-" Travis cut her off with his hands on her shoulders.
"That's not going to happen, you're just being paranoid. I'll be fine" He smiled at her reassuringly and she forced a smile back.

The harness was almost fully lowered when there was suddenly a massive creak, echoing up the shaft. Taylor flinched, looking at Travis with wide eyes. Travis and Taylor both grabbed onto the harness and as Travis was about to start clipping Taylor in there was a massive groan and the metal cable snapped.

It was a loud crack, echoing throughout the building as the chain fell, narrowly missing Travis's head. The lift fell with it and they both screamed as it gave way, leaving the pair clinging onto the harness, dangling in mid air.

"We're bringing you up!" Drew yelled, panic evident in his voice. Taylor's arms were staring to ache as they were pulled up slowly. Her hands were sweating as they slipped down the rope, unable to keep grip. Travis let go of the rope with one of his hands, hooking it round Taylor and grabbing back onto the harness again. Taylor bit her lip as she held on as tight as she could, Travis's arm under hers offering comfort and motivation.

Eventually they were up high enough and Drew reached down, grabbing Taylor's arms and lifting her up. He reached out to Travis who held out his hand and he helped him climb up too.

Once the pair were on safe ground, Taylor fell into Travis's arms, shaking. He held her tight, and although he didn't show it, he was terrified.

"Are either of you hurt?" Drew asked the pair, scanning down both their bodies. Taylor shook her head.
"No, just a bit shaken up I think" Travis admitted.
"I don't really want to go out to dinner anymore" Taylor murmered quietly, and despite the situation Travis chuckled.
"Yeah, let's go back to our room, watch a movie and order takeout. How does that sound?" Travis offered.
Taylor nodded. "But no elevators"

A/N update: my wifi is still not working 😔 and I've got a cold again

I just realised I kept switching between lift and elevator this chapter but I cba to change it sorryy