39

My head’s pounding. Chest is aching. My whole body is drenched in sweat.

I thump on the elevator doors again.

I feel weak, and I hate it. Must fight. Can’t let this be the end. Cannot let that happen. I have to get back to my daughter.

‘I’ve seen plans … for a lot of places like this,’ says Mikey. ‘All plans submitted to City Hall. I’m on … new-development committee.’

I turn towards him, find him in the beam of my flashlight. Otis is sitting on the floor beside Mikey, his head in his hands. Mikey himself looks shit – skin flushed and sweaty, body trembling, eyes bloodshot and unfocused – but he’s conscious again.

‘You got any suggestions?’ I ask.

He nods. ‘Maybe there’s another way to get it open.’

‘I’m listening.’

‘This elevator is state of the art – no buttons inside – all controlled by the touchpad.’

‘Yeah.’ I look at the touchpad on the wall to the right of the doors. I press at the screen but nothing happens – just like before, it’s dead from lack of power. Has been since the blackout began, and stayed that way even when the back-up generator kicked in. ‘The touchpad isn’t working.’

‘That … doesn’t matter,’ says Mikey, forcing out the words. ‘Should be … safety feature to open. In case of malfunction.’

With my flashlight I scan the doors and the touchpad. There’s nothing obvious. ‘So how do I access it?’

Mikey opens his mouth to speak, but the words catch in his mouth and he starts coughing, wheezing. Sounds real bad.

‘Tell her,’ says Cabressa, pointing the gun at Mikey.

‘Put the damn thing down,’ I say. ‘It isn’t helping none.’

Cabressa ignores me.

Mikey stops coughing and gets his breathing under control. He uses his non-injured hand to gesture weakly towards the left side of the elevator. ‘There should be a failsafe button recessed into the frame.’

I shake my head. ‘I checked the frame earlier.’

‘The outside of the frame … against the wall – did you check there?’ Mikey asks.

‘No,’ I say, spinning back to the elevator doors. Pressing my fingers tight against the outside of the metal frame where it joins with the wall, I run them down from top to bottom. I feel lightheaded, my balance off-kilter, so I put my cellphone with the flashlight app onto the floor and use just my sense of touch.

A half-yard from the bottom I stop. In the darkness I feel a slight ridge under my fingertips. Moving more to my left, I peer at the spot on the frame. There’s a small, round circle within the frame, barely the size of a penny. ‘I see it.’

Cabressa crowds closer. Shines his cellphone flashlight at the frame. I can feel the warmth of his breath against the skin on my shoulder. I shudder. Try to stay focused.

‘Press it,’ says Mikey.

Heart pounding, I do as he says.