Open Case File [COMPLETED]

Elevator

The walls around him were still the same distance apart. They were not moving closer. They were not shrinking in on him. He was fine.

Carter raised her pant leg and pulled out a blade, flicking it open.

"They will know who did it if they watch the security cameras," Mason said.

His voice was not shaky, it sounded as it always did. Completely calm and in control.

Carter glanced at him and then back at the elevator doors. She stuck the edge of the blade into the seam and created a tiny gap in which she fit her fingers. She didn't need Mason's help, she was capable of doing it on her own. If she asked for help he could easily let go of the handrail and help her. He could. He could easily let go. He only held on because he felt a little unstable from hitting his head. But he didn't need it, not really. Not at all.

Carter managed to open the doors but only a slab of wall and barely a foot of the doorway to the next floor was visible. Made sense the probability of stopping between floors was equal and so they'd had a fifty-fifty chance of being able to get out. But they couldn't and Mason wasn't concerned about that. Not at all.

The elevator would be fixed in a few minutes and it would be fine. He was fine. Completely fine. The true horror of it all was having to be stuck in an enclosed space with Owens for longer than necessary. That was what unsettled Mason. That was why his heart would stop beating so frantically.

Owens was unstable and unstable people were dangerous to be around. He hoped she remained calm and didn't start panicking, that would not end well. Especially since she had a knife. He needed to remain calm... She needed to remain calm.

"No getting out that way," Carter said, evenly.

The speaker crackled. "Whoever is in the elevator, we know you are there. We are trying to get the system back online. Be patient."

Carter pressed the call button. "Okay."

Then as easily as if it were her home, Carter set her satchel on the ground and dropped down. She rested her head on her pack and closed her eyes. She seemed completely unperturbed.

Mason found this a good sign. Again he didn't want her panicking. He didn't know how he'd handle it if she started breathing too hard, clutching something, and sweating. He wouldn't know how to calm her down. She would be impossible to talk to.

"You know," Carter said. "Of all the people I get stuck in an elevator with you are about the worst option."

"You should see this from my viewpoint, you're unstable and are carrying a knife."

"You can't forget the handgun as well," Carter said.

"Thank you. That's what I needed to know, a second way you could kill me."

"At least one is faster than the other. Do you know how exhausting it would be to stab you to death?"

"I can imagine someone with your violent nature would find it therapeutic."

"Oh, how lowly you think of me. Only wish it was lower than you'd realize I'm too lazy to put the work in to deal with your body. Also, I hear prison food sucks."

"And there'd be no way for you to get away with it."

"Exactly, at least give me the credit of having some intelligence to know the results."

"I still think you're crazy enough to do it," Mason said, crossing his arms.

Despite the insult, Carter smiled at him. Mason frowned, thrown by the action.