Shafted [ONC 2022]

Mutually Awkward

Kadin wasn't sure what to expect when he breezed into Hapton over a week ago. The city had seemed intimidating from the outside, buildings that brushed the clouds, lights that glared down on him and a sea of people that ebb and flowed to a rhythm only they knew. It was a far cry from his suburban life back in Ohio.

But the longer he stayed, the more he felt the city's charm sinking into him. In the daunting shadows of the skyscrapers were corner stores with some of the best sandwiches he'd ever had, and people with hopes and dreams who weren't that different from him.

And, of course, just when he'd fallen a little bit in love with the place, he gets trapped in a goddamn elevator.

Kadin pushed the emergency button one last time and the silence that followed was like a knife to his heart. He rubbed his forehead and took a moment to rein in his annoyance. His companion had sunk to the floor, defeated, and he couldn't blame her. The last place he wanted to spend his Friday night was trapped in an elevator with a stranger. Even if she was pretty.

"I'm gonna call 911." He brought up the dialer on his phone. And the line immediately went busy. "Are you kidding me?"

"They're probably tied up because of the fire. On top of all the other emergencies they usually get," the woman said. She was tapping away at her own phone. "This building's gonna close soon. Most everyone will be leaving now."

He breathed a sigh through his nose. The only person he knew so far in this city was his roommate, whom he doubted could help, but it still wouldn't hurt to call him. At this hour, Tobias was probably in the middle of a stream. Well, his audience would get a kick out of this.

"You know what happens when you call me during stream K," Tobias said when he picked up. "Say hi to chat."

Kadin rolled his eyes. "I'm sure your chat will love this. I'm stuck in an elevator at Greyland Tower."

"What? Jesus H. How long have you been stuck?"

"Couple of minutes. The call button isn't working, the emergency button isn't working. 911 is ringing busy." Kadin tried the emergency button again, as though speaking its uselessness aloud would magically make it work again.

Tobias blew out a long breath. "Alright uh, chat, remind me after every game to dial 911. Kadin, I'll call you back if I get through. Hang tight, my man."

"Yeah, thanks." He hung up and dialed 911 again. It rang busy again. A scoffing noise came from the other side of the elevator, and he looked up in time to see Rukiya put her phone to her ear.

"Yes?"

Yapping came from her phone, similar to one of those small, annoying dogs.

"I'm stuck in the elevator," she said simply, but it sounded more like: eat shit and die. Her voice was calm, but he could hear the anger simmering underneath. More yapping noises filled the elevator.

"I don't know. Maybe try getting in contact with building maintenance or emergency services. Or doing something more useful than complaining for once." She tapped the end call button as though it could end the life of whoever was on the line.

Awkward. He shrugged off his backpack and sat on the opposite side of the elevator. "So uh... I didn't get your name."

She lifted her dark gaze to his. "Well, I usually don't go around giving my name to strangers in an elevator." She extended a hand. "Rukiya."

"Kadin." Her palm was soft and cool, the umber tone of her skin a stark contrast to the pale brown of his. She dressed better than the people who worked in this building. He'd seen enough ill-fitting suits to keep a good tailor in business for years, but she out-shined them all in her orange sweater dress.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Kadin." Rukiya tucked an errant braid behind her ear and turned her attention back to her phone. "I tried calling the office downstairs. No one's picking up. Building maintenance is going straight to voicemail."

Kadin frowned.He wouldn't be surprised if everyone left early on account of the storm. Heck, he was supposed to be out of here hours ago, but stopped by the cafe to draw away his post interview jitters. He'd gotten lost in his tablet and the next thing he knew, it was dark outside the Cafe. This was the last time he'd draw in public.

"We should keep trying 911. I don't think anyone in the building's gonna help us at this point." Even if the few people left in the building saw the elevator was not working, they'd just take the other one and call maintenance–who definitely wouldn't come to fix it until after the storm.

They lapsed into silence, each dialing and redialing emergency services. Kadin's scowl deepened each time a busy signal came through the line. Time ticked by, stretched long by the quietness of the elevator—seconds felt like minutes and minutes like hours. He couldn't tell if the constant buzz in his ears was the lights or his tinnitus. The metal wall of the elevator was cold against his back.

Just as he was about to mindlessly hit the call button again, a call came through, and his mother's smiling face popped up on the screen. His stomach sank, and he debated letting the call go to voicemail, but it would be nice to hear a familiar voice.

"Hey ma. How are you?" he asked. He didn't bother keeping his voice low. It wouldn't matter in this tiny elevator, and he may as well return the awkwardness in kind.

"Kadin. I'm doing alright. How is your vacation going?" His mother's voice was like a ray of sunshine cutting through the cold. Even after thirty-five years of living in the states, it hadn't lost its musical lilt.

He just hated that he had to lie to her. If he told her he was stuck in an elevator, she'd demand to know his exact location and then send in the national guard to rescue him. "It's great. I'm uh, having a lot of fun. How's dad?"

"He's fine. I was just telling him we should wait until you get back to replace our old computer, but he insists he can set it up just fine without you. Speaking of, you never told us when you're coming back. We can pick you up from the airport."

Kadin resisted the urge to groan. "I bought an open ticket, so I don't really have a set date. But you'll be the first to know, I promise. Listen, ma," he interjected before she could speak again. "Can I call you back tomorrow? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"Okay son. I'll talk to you later. Love you!"

"Love you too, mom." He hung up and hazarded a glance at Rukiya. Her attention was still on her phone, but he could tell by the bemused smile on her full lips that she'd been listening.

Kadin leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes briefly. Perhaps this was an omen, warning him that coming to the city was a bad idea. That he'd be crushed under the heel of these daunting colossi masquerading as buildings.

Then he thought of the many hours he'd pumped into developing software—the all-nighters he pulled to make sure launches went smoothly, becoming more and more dead inside each time he punched the metaphorical clock—and bile rose in his throat.

He couldn't go back to that. Hapton would have to kill him first.