A Night Spent at the Museum of Natural History (Completed✔️)

Trapped After Closing Time

It was about ten minutes until closing time at the museum, my date hadn't exactly been going well. It was the second one that I had with Max and he'd done nothing but annoy me today... I had really wanted to come here and he kept being sour about how bored he was. Apparently he was one of those people who wouldn't even give things a chance if he thought they were uncool... So I had pretty much decided we were incompatible, but wondered if I should give him one last chance. Maybe he genuinely didn't like the place and that was why. Whilst I was working through these thoughts in my head, I realised we probably would have some distance to go in the cab so I told him I was going to use the restroom.
He sighed and reminded me the museum was closing, but I'd had enough of his negativity and went anyway. He told me he'd wait outside in the hall.

Everything was going well... until I went to open the cubicle from the inside and the handle broke off in my hand. Sometimes I didn't even know my own strength. Shit I thought, trying not to panic. The latch itself was enclosed in a plastic cover so I couldn't even push the bolt with my fingers to get the door open. In frustration I kicked the door, it barely budged.

"What the hell am I going to do now?" I asked aloud, to no one in particular.

I started to frantically bang both hands against the door, kicking shouting and almost in tears hoping that Max would hear me and get help. There was no way I could make more noise and he should have heard me by now. There was still no response. I got more and more desperate and beat against the door louder and louder, with so much force that my hands felt more and more painful as I started to bruise them. I paused panting for breath from my screaming and shouting. Where was that stupid boy? Why hadn't he heard me by now?

I suddenly remembered my phone. Frantically searching through my pockets and bag I finally found it. It was already twenty minutes past closing time, and in the middle of winter, it would not be long before it got dark. I had a very weak reception. I tried to call Max's phone. He picked up.

"Max, oh my god. Thank you for picking up, i'm stuck in the museum. The cubicle lock broke off and I can't-"
Before I could finish he interrupted me.
"Hey, look i'm really sorry, i know it was a bad thing to do but I already spent a whole day in the museum and I got tired of waiting for you so I left to wait outside. But then I thought about how this thing we have going on, and well y'know it's really not working is it? And I figured you'd be fine to hail a cab to get yourself home so I decided to just hail a cab and go home."
"Wha-what? Max did you even listen to me, i'm locked in the museum! I think it's not working out too... but really, you're choosing to break up right this second? I can't get out, i'll be stuck here until someone finds me."
He let out a pained sigh of frustration and there was a pause as this information finally registered.
"Well, i'm really sorry I can't come get you, but the security guard will most likely find you, and if not... you love the museum, you should be happy you're stuck there of all places, right?"
"Why the fuck are you joking about this? You're being such an asshole all of a sudden, why can't you come back and help me? Not as my date but as a decent human being?" I demanded, getting angrier by the second.
"Well, the problem is I just got a cab and i'm already like twenty minutes drive away so I can't turn back now, I don't have enough money on me to pay for a longer journey... Sorry Rebecca."
"Oh my god! I can't believe this! Why won't you help me, why did you just leave me here anyway? Who does that?"
I was well aware by now that I was panicking, I had bombarded him with so many questions but I was so desperate for help and on the verge of crying.
"Because I never knew this would happen, i'm really sorry but I have to go... See you in class I guess." He muttered apologetically before hanging up.

"No" I said, in disbelief.
"No, no ,no, no, no!" I yelled before gritting my teeth and beating the door once more and ignoring my throbbing hands.
I sat there looking at my phone in disbelief for god knows how long. I didn't even know who else to call and the signal was very weak so instead I used it to play games for a while. It helped me to calm down a little.

After Getting bored, I looked up carefully trying to judge the height of the cubicle. I was taller than the average girl, especially in my docs, but not exactly athletic. There was no way I could squeeze under the tiny gap near the floor so it was my only option. Climbing was worth a try, therefore. I clambered on the closed lid of the toilet and desperately tried to pull myself over to the left, if I could drop into that cubicle then I could get out of the restroom at least. When I fell back the fifth time, I glanced at my phone again, i'd been in here for nearly an hour by now. I kept trying, in vain, to escape. My hands were battered and had blue and black tinges all over where I had beat them against the door.

I felt like crying but I managed to hold back the tears, I needed to stay calm. I looked for other people I could try to call. Useless piece of crap that it was, my phone was on a mere 9% battery already. If I was going to call anyonene, it needed to be now but I didn't know who. My parents lived way out of the city and almost all my small group of friends were out tonight getting too drunk to even answer their phones most likely. I decided to call my parents to see if they could call the museum. It rang out twice. I tried a third time but my phone went to the 'black screen of death', as one of my best friends always refereed to it, having suddenly died on me yet again. I shouted and shook the door again in anger and the vague hope that security would hear me, despite them not expecting anyone to be trapped in this particular ladies restroom in such a huge museum... I sighed in total defeat; there was no way they would hear me, not for ages at least.