Stella tapped her foot again and again on the black marbled floor, producing faint clicking sounds. She was standing close to the elevator door so that she could rush out as soon as they opened. Her eyes were fixed on the changing numbers as the elevator ascended to their destination.
Taylor was leaning against the back of the elevator as he looked her fidgeting self, his lips curling up into a devilish smirk.
'What is wrong with this elevator today?' She cursed inwardly. She couldn't comprehend why, but sharing the same space as him was freaking her out. She could feel his eyes on herself, sending chills down her spine.
She almost heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that they were on the 21st floor.
'Just four more floors Stella.' She thought inwardly, trying to calm her nerves down. But fate definitely had other plans for her.
On the 22nd floor, the elevator stopped with a jerk. The lights switched off after fluctuating for a few seconds, making the small space eerily dark.
Around 15 seconds, later the emergency lights switched on.
Stella kept on pressing the emergency button, again and again, but it wasn't working.
She was beginning to freak out. It wasn't that she was claustrophobic, but her fear was rather related to a bad childhood memory.
---------------------
*FLASHBACK*
Stella was eight years old when it happened. She went to a friend's birthday party with her parents, which was held on the rooftop of a five star hotel.
Everyone was having fun and so was Stella. The parents were busy talking to each other while the children ran here and there.
Stella was with Karen, the birthday girl, and two other girls who were friends with Karen. They were chatting happily when one of the other two girls suggested that they should go and have a look at the huge swimming pool which was two floors below from where the party was being held.
Karen and the other girl agreed happily with her, so Stella had no choice but to tag along. What she didn't know was that those two girls had something else in their minds.
There were two elevators which opened on the rooftop, one of which was out of order. There was a sign board placed before it, but someone took it and hid it behind the potted plants.
When they arrived before the elevator, the two girls asked Stella to get in first to which she complied. Before Karen could step in, they stopped her and started talking about random things.
Stella was busy looking at her reflection in the mirror, running her fingers through her hairs as she tried to fix them. She didn't notice the elevator doors closing and only turned around when she heard the ping sound.
She was about to say something but her words got stuck in her throat when she didn't see anyone else.
She tried to open the door but it didn't work. She was trapped in there, all alone.
The elevator started to move down with jerks and soon stopped in the middle of the 15th and 14th floors.
Stella was stuck in there for more than an hour and that too in complete darkness before she was rescued. She just sat in the corner and cried, calling for her Mom and Dad. And to add to the shock of an eight year old girl, the elevator started to shake when they were pulling her out.
Just as they guards pulled her out, it started to descend down and crashed into the ground floor, making a loud crashing sound.
Stella saw it all with her own eyes and still remembered it vividly.
The two girls were scolded badly by their parents for pulling out such a girl. They just wanted to scare Stella a bit. They were jealous of her as she was always so perfect in everything, whether it was studies or co-curricular activities, she used to ace them.
----------------------
*PRESENT*
Stella was beginning to feel suffocated in the closed space. She tried to take deep breaths but it didn't help her out.
Taylor, who was still standing in the same position, sensed that something was wrong with her.
"Hey! You okay?" He asked her, taking a few steps towards her.
It was then that he noticed her pale face. She was trying to take deep breaths. But it didn't look like that it was helping her. She was continuously pressing the emergency button, even though it wasn't working.
"Relax!" He continued, placing a hand on her back. "They will come and fetch us." He tried to reassure her as he slowly patted her back.
He took his phone out to call his secretary, but there were no signals. He gritted his teeth in annoyance.
"Just breathe slowly. There's no need to get worried. I am sure they know about the situation by now. They will come to get us. It's just a matter of a few minutes." He spoke up, keeping his voice soft and mellow. Seeing her like this was breaking his heart.