JULIET
I freeze.The office is plunged into darkness, and every nerve in my body is screaming at me to get the hell out of here.
But what if I’m not alone?
I stand there, in the black, shivering and wondering what to do.
Then I hear a noise nearby. Or do I? I spin around, my heart pounding so loudly that it’s hard to hear over the thump. But I swear I can hear someone breathing. “David?” I whisper, hopefully.
There’s no answer.
It’s just your imagination, Juliet. Calm down. I try to reassure myself, but my body doesn’t listen.
“David?” I ask again, louder.
Nothing.
I blink until my eyes adjust to the darkness. Lights from neighboring buildings flood through the windows, and it illuminates the office around me.
Think.
I grab the phone on my desk to dial security, but when I lift the handset, there’s no dial tone.
I find the base of the phone and press the buttons; but hear nothing.
The line is dead.
I gulp.
OK, time for plan B.
I grab my bag and jacket and use the flashlight on my phone to guide my way back to the elevators.
But as I head down the hall, I hear a muffled noise.
Footsteps. They’re coming up, steadily, behind me.
Oh God!
I break into a run, dashing to the elevators. Finding the panel, I frantically jab at the DOWN button.
But nothing happens.
Of course, I realize: If the power is out, the elevators would be dead.
Fuck.
I pause a beat, listening for the footsteps. I can’t tell if it’s footsteps, but I hear something.
I have to get out of here.
I race down the hall, and find the door to
the stairwell. Pushing it open, shining my beam on the steps, I hurry down as quickly as I can. My footsteps echo on the concrete, my heart is in my throat.
Please, let me get out of here.
I’m about three flights down when I hear the click of a door opening somewhere above me.