bringing my hands to my hips, as I rolled my eyes. “Maddox, can you help me with the cord, please?”
“Good girl,” he praised.
He pushed the door wide open, holding it against the wall, and stared at it for a second, waiting. “It’s not going to close. Hurry,” I called out.
When Maddox was sure the door wasn’t going to close and lock us into the storage room, he sauntered inside. He looked behind him once, staring at the open door for a second longer, before coming to stand beside me.
“Move aside,” he demanded.
I rolled my eyes, again, but still did as I was told. Maddox reached behind the shelf, trying to find the cord. “Damn it, what is this?”
“Exactly. It’s all tangled up with the others.” There were four TVs in all, and they were pushed together into a tiny corner. We hadn’t used them in the longest time, since we got the new projector screens, so they had been sitting here, collecting dust.
He let out a frustrated groan before starting to untangle the cords, which would take a lot of patience to do. The space between the rack and the wall was too tight, and I could see he was having trouble. “Here, let me get my flashlight. That might help,” I suggested.
I fished out my phone from my pocket, but before I could turn it on, a loud banging sound echoed through the room. We both flinched, and Maddox lifted his head in surprise, hitting the top shelf in the process. He let out a string of curses.
Before I knew what was happening, we were surrounded by complete and utter darkness.
Shit, the door closed.
And… double shit, we were locked inside; the note had said that the handle was broken.
“No…no… No!” Maddox bellowed, rushing for the door through the dark. Huh? Was he scared of the dark? Who would have known Maddox Coulter, with his cocky smirk and eyes that could melt you on the spot, was scared of a little darkness?
I successfully turned the flashlight on, already thinking of teasing him like he would have done to me. My gaze slid to Maddox just in time to see him bumping against a shelf in his hasty attempt to reach for the door. The metal rack crashed to the floor with a loud, booming sound, and Maddox fell to his knees before he scrambled up again. He slipped over the broken shards and fallen liquid, crawling toward his escape.
No, wait. No… he wasn’t just scared of the dark. This was something more.
A heavy weight settled on my chest, my throat closed and my breath stuck in my throat. Shocked, I stayed rooted on the spot as Maddox came completely undone.
Cool, collected and flirty Maddox was replaced by a stranger. He blindly reached for the door, grabbing the broken handle and pulling himself to his feet. Maddox hit the heavy door with his palm. “No, no! Please! No, no, no. Please,” he repeated under his breath. “Don’t do this, please Let me out of here! Don’t leave me here. Don’t do this. No, no, please! Don’t.”
He repeatedly hit the door, his open palm connecting with the surface with such hard slaps that it should have hurt him. “Help me, help. Please, don’t leave me here.”
Maddox scratched at the door, as if he was trying to rip it free from its hinges. He was trying to break through. His fingers clenched into tights fist as he started banging on the door, violently. His screams echoed through my ears, and my heart thudded hard against my ribcage, I felt his pain. His agony was a reminder of my own silent suffering.
“I can’t… I can’t breathe. I can’t,” he whimpered, his voice cracking.
Thump – thump – thump.
“This is what death feels like, and you’re going to die alone,” a voice whispered in my ears.
My lips parted with a silent cry as I fought to breathe, but I couldn’t. I really couldn’t.
My breath came out in sharp, hallow panting, and my vision grew darker and blurred. I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed down on my eyelids. A kaleidoscopic of stars fluttered behind my closed eyes. Help me, help. Please, help me.
I thought maybe I was having a heart attack; yet, there was no physical pain. But my whole body vibrated, my skin crawled like I was picking apart my flesh and trying to jump out of my skin.