Trials of the Heart: A Story of Love and Loss

The Flayed

Angela POV

Amid chaos and panic, I clung to it with every ounce of strength I possessed, while Robin's piercing screams echoed in my ear. The situation was dire, as Steve exclaimed, "Shit! Shit! We're going down! We're going down!" His words were filled with fear and urgency, reflecting the gravity of our predicament.

Robin, never one to mince words, responded sharply, "Yeah, no shit, Harrington!" Her tone conveyed a mix of frustration and resignation, acknowledging the obviousness of our descent. As the tension escalated, Dustin and Erica found themselves engaged in a heated dispute over the buttons that controlled our fate. However, before their argument could reach a boiling point, everything abruptly came to a halt.

The sudden cessation of movement caused us to lose our balance. Robin tumbled towards me, her weight crashing into my body. In the process, my head collided with a nearby shelf, resulting in a jarring impact. The reverberations left my ears ringing momentarily, but fortunately, I emerged from the collision unscathed.

Meanwhile, amidst the chaos and commotion, a box plummeted from above and landed squarely on Steve's groin. The excruciating pain left him trapped beneath its weight. In his agony, he managed to utter through gritted teeth, "My groin. It fell on my groin. Dustin!" Desperate for assistance, he called out to Dustin who turned his attention towards Steve's plight. "Get this off of me!" Steve pleaded urgently.

Dustin removed the box that was resting on top of Steve, allowing him to get up. Meanwhile, I extended a helping hand to Robin and she responded with a slight smile.

 Steve, struggling with discomfort, let out a strained grunt and uttered the words, "I can't move," 

Concerned for everyone's well-being after the dangerous fall, I inquired, "Is everyone okay?" 

Steve, still filled with anger and fear, sarcastically remarked, "Yeah, I'm great, now that I know that Russians can't design elevators!" He then proceeded to make another attempt at pressing the buttons in hopes of getting the elevator to function properly.

Realizing that the buttons were clearly malfunctioning, I pointed out, "I think we've established that those buttons don't work," 

Steve stubbornly insisted, "They're buttons. They have to do something."

Robin chimed in, suggesting, "Yeah, if we had a keycard," Robin said.

Steve, clearly perplexed, inquired, "A what?"

I responded, "It's an electronic lock."

Robin chimed in, explaining, "Same as the loading dock door. If we don't have a keycard, it won't operate, meaning --" 

"We're stuck in here," I interjected, completing Robin's thought.

Robin concurred with a somber tone, saying, "Yeah."

Feeling defeated, I slumped down onto the floor and glanced at the rest of the group.

Erica, in a somewhat confrontational manner, informed us, "Just so you nerds are aware, I'm supposed to be spending the night at Tina's, and Tina always covers for me. But if I'm not home for Uncle Jack's party tomorrow and my mom finds out you four are responsible, she's gonna hunt you down, one by one, and slit your throat." As she pointed at each person in the group one by one, I couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief and incredulity towards her statement.

"Do you think it matters now?" I asked, my voice filled with disbelief.

"I don't care about Tina! Or Uncle Jack's party! Your mom's not gonna be able to find us if we're dead in a Russian elevator!" Steve exclaimed, his tone filled with panic.