Cadence's neck was craned over her phone, her thumbs bouncing over the screen, though for once they weren't typing out an Instagram caption or scrolling through social media.

"Yeah, this is it. Huh. I can't believe this is really it."

Lucas had just pulled up outside of what was supposed to be our weekend Airbnb. With the four of us finishing exams a week early, we'd bet the rush of impending college-finishers swarming into the isolated beachfront town and booked our own little West-coast getaway ahead of time.

Only, from its pictures and price range we didn't expect it to be sitting on the literal beachfront, the small apartment building isolated on the edge of the cliff. Even though it was currently blocking ours, I could already tell it had a million-dollar view of the ocean. And, like we'd hoped, there wasn't a single other car in the block's parking lot.

Annie in the front seat—the skeptic of our group—reached over to squeeze Lucas' hand. "And here I was thinking Cadence had booked us a dungeon."

Lucas put the car into park and the four of us piled out. I'd been quiet the entire journey from our town, a combination of motion-sickness and the post-cramming energy deprivation brought on by the end of semester. But, the cold sea breeze slapping my cheeks seemed to inject me with a fresh dose of energy.

"Sierra, please tell me you packed your camera," Cadence said as she pulled her duffle over her shoulder. "This is going to be a bitching backdrop."

I did bring my camera. I adjusted its strap over my shoulder and shot her a reassuring grin. "I've got it."

Sometimes I suspected one of the few traits keeping me at the side of the incredibly popular Cadence was my ability to take a photo and my DSLR.

As the house-owner had instructed, Cadence found a combination lock in one of the safe boxes by the door, holding a key to the penthouse apartment.

I took a deep breath and rolled my shoulders, trying to relieve the last of the anxiety tightening my body. I was finally with my favorite people, miles away from the many stress sources of my life. But, even so, there was a knot misplaced in my stomach I couldn't untie, a heavy weight keeping me on edge.

The door opened to a darkened foyer. It took a few moments for automated lights to flick on. Granted, its communal interior was bare, but its small details were edged with golden flourishes and intricate designs.

"Cute," Cadence said, her tone granting approval as her hand found the bannister, her sandals slapping on the wood as she strutted upwards to the fourth floor.

If the other apartments were occupied, no sounds indicated it. Each numbered door was closed. A small window on each floor showed stellar views of the ocean, and I paused on the third to take it in, an endless carpet of blue leading to the horizon.

Annie and Lucas, as typical, were holding hands, their eyes hiding jokes between one another and conveying a language that only existed in their disgustingly affectionate world. I smiled to myself, despite the pang of jealousy. They were probably the only two people I knew who genuinely loved each other.

"Honey, we're home!" Cadence said dramatically as she flung open the door on the top floor. She gave a long, dramatic sigh and started dancing around the living room.

It was huge, decorated with modern furniture. A large living area opened up to a window consuming the entire far wall, the sea framing the apartment.

"Amazing," Lucas said, dropping his backpack at his feet.

"This is insane," I said in wonder. I kicked off my shoes and began pacing around, my feet sinking into thick carpet.

"Can we move in?" Annie added.

"Of course," Cadence said with a buoyant laugh. "This is our place. All weekend."

The hallway led to two bedrooms—one with a queen-sized bed and the other with two singles for Cadence and I. The bathroom had a huge spa-bath beside another window.

I managed to untangle my hair from the knots it had made during the drive and splash some water on my face before heading back to the kitchen. The huge marble countertop was now sporting a dangerous amount of beer, cider and spirits courtesy of Lucas' semester long collection of party supplies.

I scrunched up my nose, examining a half-filled bottle of vodka. "Is this the same one from—"

"Angie's party?" Lucas finished with a smirk. "You know it."

I groaned, recalling a night spent cradling a toilet seat while Lucas' flatmate held my hair back.

"First we need a group photo," Cadence said, finger-combing her silky black locks. "Sierra?"

As per her request, I retreated to the bedroom to retrieve my tripod while Lucas and Annie bickered about which glasses to use for shots.

I was zipping my duffel back up when I noticed the silk curtains brushing against my leg. I straightened, pacing closer to the window. It was wide open, the sound of the waves breaking below filtering into the room. I frowned, not remembering either me or Cadence opening it.

I peeked outside and was met by nothing but sea. The four stories looked directly over the ocean, nothing to break a fall if one of us was to plummet...

I shook the vision from my mind. The doctor said they'd happen less frequently, and they had been. But sometimes it consumed me to think about death. Ever since that night.

I propped the tripod on the television cabinet, facing the four of us on the couch. I wrapped my arms around Annie and Cadence, our smiles wide. My preference to being behind the camera was strong, and my cheeks started to hurt. "Are we done?"

"One more," Cadence insisted. She sat up, and then dove onto the three of us, spreading out over our laps. We laughed, the sound reverberating off of the high penthouse ceilings.

As the sun began nearing the horizon, the sky falling into a warm orange, the four of us were nearing tipsy. Lucas was manning a large pot of pasta while Cadence, Annie and I played go-fish over the table, our collaborative Spotify playlist playing over the speakers. This was always how I liked it, a contrast to the loud and busy parties we usually attended.

"Dinner's served!" Lucas announced, just as Annie pounced onto Cadence for sabotaging her winning pair.

The balcony was bathed in golden sun, the faraway cries of sea birds echoing over the water. I rested my feet on the railing, relaxing into my seat with the bowl of pasta on my lap. All I needed was for that last piece of anxiety to leave me, the tightness to release from my abdomen. But, I couldn't shake it. I leaned over and took another gulp of my drink.

By the time dusk settled over the balcony, our illumination coming from outdoor fairy lights and a freshly lit candle, I was definitely feeling the alcohol. I smiled contently to myself, and raised to my feet.

"Who needs a refill?"

I gathered the four glasses, balancing them in my arms as I stepped through the sliding doors and back inside. It was dark in the apartment, but I couldn't reach for a light with my load, so I treaded carefully towards the kitchen.

I was looking over my shoulder, towards an eruption of laughter from the outside deck, when a noise from the front of the apartment caught my attention. A heavy thud on the other side of the door.

Carefully, I put the four empty cups onto the counter and stepped hesitantly forward.

Next came a twist of keys, and then the front door swung open to reveal a tall and broad silhouette.

For some reason, my reaction was to duck behind the kitchen counter. I wasn't a short girl, and so this meant arching my neck and leaning against the cool marble.

"Oh shit," I heard a male voice say. "Did they give us the wrong one?"

"This place is trashed."

"Shh—can you hear that?"

I heard the door close, and multiple pairs of footsteps across the floor boards.

My heart was racing, but I pushed it aside and told myself to stop imaging horrific scenarios. I straightened.

"Um, hi."

By the door were three boys who immediately spun to face me. They were probably around our age. The one closest to me immediately started speaking.

"Oh shit, sorry, dude, this is definitely the wrong one—"

"I told you—"

"No, look, it definitely says four. Our key even opened it!"

I leaned across the bench and turned on the light, hoping it'd make this encounter less eerie.

The others must have heard the commotion, because Lucas, followed by Annie and Cadence, came through the door.

"What the heck?"

I dismissed my instinct to make fun of his lack of swearing. That was the drunk part of me.

"You guys must have the wrong Airbnb."

The middle guy, a tall brunette with broad shoulders and a sleek jaw, brought his hands to his hips. "We were literally told fourth floor. Our key opened your room."

"And ours did too," Cadence said. When she drank, she became argumentative, and pink was already pooling in her cheeks.

"Okay, well then they've double booked," a redhead spoke. Of the three of them, he seemed the most furious.

"No way," said Cadence. "We booked this months ago, the one on the top floor."

"Relax," Lucas interjected. "Can't we just call the owner?"

Cadence pulled an iPhone from her pocket.

"Huh," she said. She held the phone towards the ceiling. "It's saying no service. Weird, I posted an Instagram only an hour ago..."

"That explains why you weren't getting likes," Annie said, amused.

"I knew we should have gotten one with wifi," the third of the boys spoke. He was apparently the one in charge of their luggage, carrying the most bags.

"Okay, this is a misunderstanding," I said. I took my own phone out. It was also out of service.

"We'll go outside and call," the redhead said begrudgingly. He gave one last disgusted look towards us before turning towards the door.

Only, it didn't open when he yanked at the handle.

"What—" he yanked again, this time fiddling with the handle. "It's locked."

The brown-haired boy tried, and then the third. I boldly stepped towards them, trying it myself. It resisted. Definitely locked. Only, there was no keyhole on our side. The door was thick—a fire door. It wouldn't easily budge.

As if a fifth attempt would solve our dilemma, Cadence stepped forward, knocking me out of the way and grabbing the handle.

Already, my stomach was dropping, my head swimming with haunting images. Claustrophobia made my skin itch.

"How is this—" she grunted, pulling the door with all of her the weight her small frame could muster. "We're—"

"Trapped," I finished.