It Happened One Night [COMPLETED]

Chapter 8 - "We can't risk it."

Their excited energy came to a dead halt when they peered over the edge of the railing down at the sixty flights of stairs. Just the thought of climbing down and back up again had Liv's legs threatening to give out on her. Somehow, her legs had managed to keep moving this far, but she was certain that wouldn't be the case if she put them through another thirty-floor climb.

She bit back her concern and looked at Ezra, hoping he had enough strength to get them down and back up. She wasn't reassured when she found a worried crease between his eyes.

"We can't go down there," he said softly.

"But..." she began to argue even when she knew she didn't have a counter-argument.

"The men were taking Tommy to the thirty-first floor. Our office floor. We have no idea if they are still there," he said. "We can't risk it."

"Oh," she breathed out.

She had forgotten that piece of information. He was right. It would be insane to go there. It had been pure luck they had been able to take down the man who had found them in the kitchen.

"Okay..."

She turned away from the railing and took the few steps to the door and then walked back to Ezra, thinking. Her body was relieved going down to the thirty-first floor wasn't an option, but her mind wasn't ready to give up.

She repeated the small rotation and stopped at the door.

"We can search the top floors," she said. "There is no way Matt is the only person who has a baseball in his cubicle."

Ezra nodded along as he listened. "And it doesn't have to be a baseball. I can use anything that is heavy and round."

She could feel her hope returning. "Alright."

They were quiet as they climbed down the stairs to the door and when they opened it and listened. Their steps were hesitant as they crept through the office. The floor plan was similar to their own floor, with private offices along the boarder and cubicles in the middle. They made a quick pass through the whole floor together, and when they didn't find anyone else, they split up.

"I'll take the cubicles," she whispered.

"I'll take the offices," he said. "Remember, grab anything that has a good weight and is round."

Liv started her search with the surfaces of the cubicles, the desk, the file cabinets, the shelves, then she moved directly to the bottom drawer of the desk. In her own desk, the bottom drawer was where she stored all her non-office supplies, her extra shirt and shoes, snacks, bottles of water, and hair-ties.

In the bottom drawers is where she found the most interesting stuff, and in the third cubicle she found a baseball. She didn't stop her search there and by the time she had searched every cubicle she had collected a magic eight ball, a large ball of rubber-bands and a grapefruit.

She even managed to find a pair of slippers that were close enough to her size for her to wear. She cradled her treasures in her arms as she headed towards the hallway leading to the offices, the slippers making it feel like she was walking on clouds.

She found Ezra in the far corner office with his own pile of objects. He had had more luck; finding three autographed baseballs in glass containers and a signed football.

"Look," she said, holding up one of her feet. He stared at it blankly. "I found shoes, sort of."

When he continued to stare she felt the need to keep talking.

"I haven't had shoes all night. Remember, I left my heels by the broken down elevator?"

"Right..." he said like a question, making it clear he still wasn't exactly sure what she was talking about, he just wanted to end the conversation.