CLAUSTROPHOBIC

REIGN

I walked into SUN INDUSTRIES with a smile on my face and a bouquet of roses to see Lisa, my girlfriend. Our mothers were best friends and had been so since their youth. Both families were so close that Lisa and I practically grew up together.

She was the closest person to me and when we both got into college, I confessed my feelings to her and she accepted to be my girlfriend. Our families were so happy about it and our marriage was inevitable.

One of the things I loved about Lisa was her drive. She was so passionate about work, yet reserved and hardworking. She took over SUN INDUSTRIES from her blood father, Williams Sun, who was released from prison years ago, and in no time, she took the company to much greater heights.

The excitement on my face died when I arrived at her office and learned she wasn't around. We had agreed to meet at three and I was a very punctual person.

I dialed her number and when she answered the call, she said, "I am so sorry, Reign. Something important came up and I had to quickly dash out to take care of it."

"Is it more important than me?" I asked. "I have been out of the country for a few months and back for a week but haven't seen you. Don't you miss me?"

She chuckled, "Come on, Reign, be understanding. I'll be there soon."

I had really missed her so I waited for over an hour. However, I had put aside a lot of work to be there and could not wait anymore. I dumped the bouquet in the trash as I walked away.

I took the elevator from the twentieth floor down to the ground floor. The moment it opened, I saw a young lady in a blue dress. I could see the fear in her eyes when a man grabbed her arm.

She pushed him away and for some reason I could not explain, I pulled her into the elevator and hit the button for the twentieth floor.

As the elevator doors closed, I stared at the lady whose height stopped almost at my chest. But then again, I was tall like my dad so she could be considered average. I was tempted to ask her who that man was and what he wanted but we weren't close, so I kept silent.

She seemed surprised when she looked up and saw my face. She gasped and called out my name, causing me to say, "You seem to know me. Have we met before?"

She shook her head and replied, "Who doesn't know you, Mr. Fletcher? Thank you for helping me just now."

I nodded, "You're welcome. I hit the button for the twentieth floor earlier, where would you like to get off so I can send you there?"

My question had just left my mouth when some of the elevator wires suddenly snapped and the elevator went into a free fall. The lady screamed and we each held onto a part of the elevator as it plunged down.

But the elevator stopped abruptly when we got to the tenth floor. I quickly pressed the buttons to open the door but they had stopped functioning.

I tried several times but nothing worked. We were trapped in the elevator and it wasn't how I planned for my day to go. I hit the emergency button to call for help and I had no idea if it worked. Unfortunately, there was no emergency phone, which I also found strange.

I turned my attention to the lady with me and noticed she had moved to a corner of the elevator.

Her fingers were crossed, her face as white as a sheet as she shivered while muttering, "This can not be happening, no, no, no, why me?"

Her teeth began to chatter and I walked closer, took off my jacket, and covered her body with it, "Don't get too frightened. I'm sure help is coming. Everything will be fine soon."

I folded the hands of my long-sleeved shirt because the elevator began to get a little hot.

"I am claustrophobic," She cried. "I won't make it if I remain here. Why me of all people?"

I stared at her for a while, as though I was seeing a movie, and suddenly had an idea. I took out my phone to make a call, which was something I ought to have done from the very beginning. However, my phone was out of service, making it impossible for me to speak to anyone on the outside.

"Try calling someone with your phone," I suggested to her. She nodded and tried to dip her hand into her pocket but could not. I noticed her struggling until her hand finally went to her chest.

She held on to her dress at her chest as she gasped for air and struggled to get up but then, she slumped and lost consciousness. It was my first time to experience something like this in an elevator, so I became a little shaken up.

Kneeling beside her, I tapped her cheek repeatedly, saying, "Open your eyes, young lady. You have to survive this."

However, she remained unconscious. I checked her pulse and realized it was very weak. Deciding to revive her, I began to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her but did not get any results.

I wiped the beads of sweat that had formed on my forehead and continued applying compressions to her chest, however, she still did not wake up.

As a measure of last resort, I tilted her head, opened her mouth, and bent over her face as I gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. I continued putting air into her mouth until she finally opened her eyes and inhaled.

Relief washed over me and I smiled, feeling relieved, but then our eyes met, and she gazed at me as though she was peering into my soul.

She had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen and for a second, I got lost in them. What captivated me the most was the certainty I felt at that moment that it wasn't the first time I was meeting her.

I regained my senses and moved my face away, helping her to stand on her feet. She continued to stare at me, her eyes filled with surprise as she said, "You revived me. Thank you, Mr. Fletcher."

"Just call me Reign," I replied. "Are you okay?"

My question seemed to suddenly make her aware of our plight. She looked around the elevator and shook her head, "No I am not okay."

Sitting down once again, she covered her face and began to cry, "I'm going to die. Why am I always unfortunate? If I had just remained in bed all day today, none of this would have happened to me.

A day I thought would be my happiest, turned out to be my worst."

"Stay strong, okay? I'm sure help will come soon. Just hang in there." I assured her.

She smiled bitterly and stretched out her arm to give me my jacket, "Thanks for this but you can have it. As it is, it's already very hot in here and we're running out of air."

"No, we're not," I told her. "We're over breathing due to anxiety and your claustrophobia makes you think we are losing air. Elevators are not airtight so trust me, we will not be dying due to lack of oxygen here. Try to be calm."

She shook her head and I could tell she doubted my words. She lifted her hand and stared at the wedding ring seated on one of her pretty fingers.

She took off the ring and let it fall on the floor. Wiping her eyes, she said, "You know, I got married today. I was so happy until I got home and learned I was merely a stand-in bride.

My younger sister is the one he loves and they have been dating. He needed to get married to claim his inheritance and my sister is pursuing her dreams in Paris. Everyone came together and said, 'Hey let's ruin Cora's life,' without thinking about my feelings.

How could they not have told me? My dad, and everyone else I trusted betrayed me. I resigned from the job I painstakingly got two years ago because I was told doing such a job would be an embarrassment to my husband's family but I was merely a joke in their eyes.

How could I not walk away after finding out everything? But no, that became a crime and he sent his goons after me. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. I hate them all and I'm so tired of everything. I just want to die...I don't want to live anymore, I'd rather just die."

Seeing the lady break down in front of me made me feel sorry for her. I reached out my hand to her and said, "Come on, it's safer to be on your feet."

She looked up at me and hesitated. After a minute passed, she wiped her tears and took hold of my hand. Right at that moment, a loud explosion from beneath us shook the elevator, and the part where she was sitting broke open.

I quickly grabbed onto a part of the elevator again as I held onto her hand. She screamed in fright as her legs dangled dangerously while she stayed suspended in the air, ten floors above the ground.

"Please don't let go," she cried. "I don't want to die, I don't want to die. Please save me."