The First Flight ❀ COLIFER

Chapter 8 ❀ Atlanta (part 2)

Ten seconds.

That's how long it would normally take to get to the second floor. I only realized how stupid it was not to use the stairs for such a ridiculously small distance when the elevator still hadn't moved yet, and it had been twenty seconds.

"I think we have a little problem."

His voice came from right next to me, but I couldn't see a thing. We were standing there in complete darkness; the lights in the elevator had gone out when it came to a stop.

I am so taking the stairs next time.

"Isn't there supposed to be an emergency light or something?" I said, frowning as I looked for a light source. There wasn't one.

I stuck out my hands and fumbled around me, but I pulled back immediately when I felt his arm.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Do you have your phone with you?"

"I... I don't even know."

Okay, that wasn't like me. I really didn't know if I brought it with me to the restaurant, which I would normally do, but I remembered putting it on the bedside table... and leaving it there.

"Crap."

"What?"

"I left it in my room."

"Okay..." He felt inside his pockets. When he started grinning, I already knew what was coming next.

"You got it?" I asked.

"Luckily, one of us was the responsible adult and didn't forget their phone in the hotel room." The screen of his phone lit up and illuminated his face, showing the smirk that was playing on his lips.

I rolled my eyes at him when he pointed the light of his phone directly at me, blinding me entirely. "Don't claim to be an adult when you're acting like a two-year-old. Let's try to get this thing moving again."

"Try pushing the buttons," he cleverly suggested, aiming the light at the button panel. When I reached forward he leaned into me until his mouth was right next to my ear. "I would try the emergency one first."

I had to shove him aside so I could reach the panel. "No coffee for you next time."

"Hey! What are you tal-"

"It's not working."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not working." I took a step aside so he could look, because I knew he wouldn't believe me if he didn't try it himself. And I was right: he pushed the emergency button, looked around to see if anything changed, and then proceeded to smash all of the other buttons.

"Colin, I don't think that's going to-"

"Do you have a better idea?" He turned around, but so did the light. I was blinded again and I squinted as I looked away.

"No, but whacking those buttons isn't going to help us get out of here."

He continued to blind me with his phone, but eventually he turned around and sighed. "Okay. I'm going to call Julio."

"Julio?"

"The guy at the reception."

"Do you have his phone number?"

"Obviously."

"How did you get it?"

"I asked him."