𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐂, 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧 | 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

chapter nine; the truth

꒰꒰・┄┄・𓆩♡𓆪・┄┄・꒱꒱

"WE'RE OKAY," Steve whispers into Summer's ear as the couple crouch together, trying to get a good look through the grate as two Russian men dressed in a set of matching blue suits enter the elevator beneath them.

They speak with thick menacing accents, a cigarette hanging from one of their lips as they start loading all of the boxes into their small truck. Steve places a finger in front of his lips as he slowly creeps back from his position, gesturing everyone to remain quiet as they wait it out when his eyes land on Erica and the green vile she was holding in her lap, an idea popping into his head.

Minutes go by and eventually the Russian men had finished taking what they needed, emptying the room completely, before driving away. Steve waited with anticipation until they had gone far enough not to hear anything before setting his plan in motion. Without any hesitation he jumps to the floor and shoves the vile underneath the elevator door, stopping it just in time before it could fully shut.

"Let's go." He instructs, catching Erica's bag and throwing it under before ushering everyone else down one by one.

Erica and Dustin squeeze under, followed by Robin and once they're in the clear both Summer and Steve drop on their stomachs and start shuffling through the gap as fast as they can. Though the vile held no competition for the heavy-duty door and began to buckle within seconds, the glass cracking in a web-like fashion as the weight becomes too much for it to handle.

From opposite sides of the vile, the couple quickly shares a frightened expression, worried that they weren't going to make it out in time or perhaps be crushed to death. Steve gets out just as the glass begins to give way under the pressure and Summer, whose arm was still beneath the door, moves to push herself out when her shirt gets caught on a loose screw in the floor.

"Shit!" She panics as the others yell at her to hurry, her throat tightening as she struggles to free the material.

"Grab her legs!" She hears Dustin yell, though she's too distracted to comprehend it, and before she knows it two hands are wrapped around her feet.

The vile cracks even more and she clenches her eyes shut, bracing herself for the impact, but... it never comes. The door had closed, the loud bang had confirmed that, but there was no sign of pain or a loss of limbs. In fact, she felt fine.

Opening her eyes, she turns over onto her back to see both Steve and Dustin sitting on the ground, chests heaving with her legs sprawled across their laps. Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn't even noticed them pulling her out, she heard the words and felt their hands around her ankles but she was so panicked about losing an arm that she hadn't really processed it.

"Holy shit." She lets out a relieved sigh and lies her head down on the floor for a second, her hand meeting her forehead as the now ripped sleeve of her shirt dangles in her face.