▸ Cold as Ice - Foreigner

T H E   F L AY E D  P T . I

We have been falling for what felt like thirty minutes. All of us have been yelling as we feared the impact and fall. Steve held my hand tightly. He had one of his hands clutching at the boxes to keep himself steady. I was too terrified to go near the walls of the elevator as I saw the walls of the shaft zoom through the gaps. I was closer to the center of the elevator, sitting on the floor and practically hugging the boxes between Steve and I.

"Shit! Shit!" Dustin went for the control box and slammed at the buttons.

"We're going down! We're going down!" Steve yelled.

"Yeah, no shit, Harrington!" Robin shouted back.

"I think I'm going to pass out. Or throw up. I think I'm going to hurl." I squeezed my eyes shut. "Oh God, someone stop this godforsaken elevator!"

"Why don't these buttons work!?" Dustin screeched.

"Press the buttons!" Erica demanded.

"What do you think I'm doing!?" Dustin screamed at her.

"Erica!" I raised my voice louder than everyone else's.

"What!?"

"Give me your bag, I'm gonna hurl!" I gagged, still too scared to open my eyes.

"Oh, hell no!"

"Come on, press something!" Steve demanded, adjusting his hold on my hand. "Just press the button!"

Dustin only screamed in frustration. Suddenly, the elevator stopped. I fell backwards from the sudden movement. Groaning, I opened my eyes to stare at the ceiling.

"My groin. It fell on my groin." Steve groaned from the other side of the boxes. "Dustin! Get this off of me! I can't move."

The sudden urge to throw up overwhelmed me. I rushed to my feet, the fast movement making the feeling even worse. Ripping the closest box open, I vomited inside.

"Aw, gross!" Erica stepper away from me.

"You okay?" Robin walked over to me and awkwardly patted my back. "Is everyone okay?"

"This is why I hate rides." I groaned in response, clutching the edges of the box. Someone slapped something into my hand. My eyes went to see that it was a stick of gum. I looked up to see Erica holding a pack of gum. "Uh...thanks."

"I don't need no vomit breath near me." Erica walked away.

"Yeah, well, I'm great," Steve stood up and turned to face Robin, "now that I know that Russians can't design elevators!"

I unwrapped the gum and popped it into my mouth. The taste of mint hit my tastebuds. Steve had pulled Dustin away from the control box. With a sigh, I slowly stood up and blew a bubble.

"I think we clearly established that those buttons don't work." Robin stepped away from me once she knew I was doing better.

"They're buttons." Steve turned to face us. "They have to do something."

"Yeah, if we had a keycard." Robin pointed to the control box.

"A what?" Steve asked.

"It's an electronic lock. Same as the loading dock door." Robin walked over to the box. "If we don't have a keycard, it won't operate, meaning-"

"We're stuck in here." Dustin shared a glance with me.

"That's wonderful." I popped my bubble.

"Yeah."

"Just so you nerds are aware," Erica started causing me to roll my eyes, "I'm supposed to be spending the night at Tina's, and Tina always covers for me. But if I'm not home for Uncle Jack's party tomorrow and my mom finds out you four are responsible, she's gonna hunt you down, one by one, and slit your throat."

"I don't care about Tina! Or Uncle Jack's party! " Steve slammed his hands on a box. "Your mom's not gonna be able to find us if we're dead in a Russian elevator!"

"Steve." I softly spoke his name and made my way to him.

I licked my lips and grabbed a hold of his hand. He glanced at our hands. Steve took a deep breath in before slowly letting it out.

"Hey." Dustin grabbed all of our attention. He pointed up to the ceiling. "What if we climbed out?"

"That could work." I nodded, looking above me at the escape hatch.

"Steve, give me a lift." Dustin glanced up, striding under the hatch.

Steve rolled his eyes and let go of my hand. He squatted and laced his fingers together to create a foothold for Dustin. My little brother placed a hand on my boyfriend's shoulder. He then placed a foot in the foothold Steve made. Steve lifted Dustin up, allowing my brother to push open the hatch.

"Be careful, Dustin." I warned.

"Yeah, yeah." Dustin grunted out as he pulled himself up the hatch.

Steve stepped onto a nearby box. He grabbed the ledge of the hatch and pulled himself up once Dustin was out of the way. The two disappeared out of my sight.

"What were you saying about climbing?" Steve's voice echoed from above.

▷

"Code red, I repeat, code red.Does anybody copy? This is a code red, I repeat, a code red." Dustin voice echoed. "This is a code red, I repeat, a code red. Does anybody copy? We are innocent children and we are trapped under Starcourt Mall. The Red Army has infiltrated Hawkins, and if we are found, they will torture and kill us."

Eight hours have passed by. Most of the time, Dustin and Erica were asleep. Steve, Robin, and I had discussed different ways to escape but nothing ended up working out. The girls and I were still in the elevator waiting for Dustin's radio connection to work. He's been trying to get into with someone for the past hour. I had my back pressed against some boxes as I sat on the floor. Steve was laying on the floor, his head in my lap. My fingers were running through his soft hair. It had always surprised me hoe soft and fluffy it was.

"I really have to go to the bathroom." Steve kicked his foot against a box in frustration.

"You better hold it, nerd." Erica sent him a glare.

"I can't." Steve turned his head and narrowed his eyes at the young girl. "I have to take a piss."

"Then go, dingus." Robin rolled her eyes.

"But not in here." I told him. "And tell Dustin to be careful with the battery."

Steve scrambled to his feet. He climbed the boxes and faced Dustin.

"Hey." Steve called out. "Gotta take it easy on that thing. Gonna drain the battery."

"Danny must be worried about us." I tuned out the conversation Steve and Dustin were having.

"Why wouldn't your mom be worried? She's your mom." Robin quirked a brow as she worked at the control box.

"Dustin and I may have lied to her about spending the night at the Wheelers." I sheepishly smiled.

"Can you redirect your stream, please?" Robin stared over my shoulder.

I turned around to see urine running down the wall of the elevator shaft. My nose scrunched in disgust as I saw the stream move. I quickly brought my attention to the control box. A banging came from my right. Erica has taken out the mysterious green liquid that was in a jar. She was banging it against a metal barrel.

"Hey, Hey! Be careful, careful, careful!" Robin rushed to her.

"Erica, what the hell are you doing?" I jogged over to Erica and snatched the jar away.

"Hey!"

"We don't even know what that is." Robin said.

"Exactly. It could be useful." Erica nodded.

"It's green and bubbly, that scream more like dangerous than useful." I eyed the jar in my hand.

"Useful how?" Robin emphasized the last word slowly.

"We can survive down here a long time without food, but if the human body doesn't get water, it will die." Erica explained.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but this isn't water." Robin pointed at the container in my hand.

"No, but it's a liquid," Erica stated, "and if it comes down to me drinking that shit or dying of thirst, I drink."

Erica sent us a sweet smile. Robin scoffed and rolled her eyes. I shook my head, holding back the urge to roll my eyes. Erica quickly snatched the container away from me and put it in her backpack. Robin looked over her shoulder. She walked over to the wall.

"It's staying there." I narrowed my eyes at her.

Erica rolled her eyes and pressed her lips together with an attitude. I sighed and adverted my attention elsewhere. Robin had her ear pressed against the wall, fear in her eyes. She rushed towards the boxes and climbed up.

"We've got company." Robin informed Steve and Dustin.

"Come up, quickly." Steve urged.

"Erica, you go up first. Hurry." I placed my hand on her shoulder.

Erica ran to the boxes. Robin lifted herself up and onto the top of the elevator. Her and Steve helped Erica up. I glanced over my shoulder when I heard loud whirring.

"Shit." I quickly climbed the boxes.

"Give me you hand." Steve extended his hand out towards me.

I grabbed it. With Steve's help, I was on top with everyone else. Dustin quietly closed the hatch. The five of us sat at the around the center since it had small holes to look through. Steve didn't let go of my hand as he peered through the holes.

The sound of the door opened. Two people below us started to speak in Russian. Steve placed his finger gains this lips, glancing at all of us. His gaze stopped when he saw Erica holding the container. I gave the young girl an irritated look. Steve extended his hand and motioned for Erica to hand it over. Hesitantly, Erica did.

It wasn't long until the men left with boxes. Once Steve saw one of them pressing a button, he quietly opened the hatch. The sound of the cart zooming away and the door starting to close made Steve jumped down.

The rest of us quickly followed suit. He made a dash for the closing door and jammed the container underneath it. Erica shrugged off her backpack and threw it at my boyfriend.

"Let's go." Steve caught the backpack and slid it underneath the door to the other side.

Erica went first. She laid herself flat on the ground and started to army crawl underneath. Steve waved for her to hurry up.

"I'm going." Erica safely made it to the other side.

"Henderson." Steve looked up at Dustin and waved him over. I pushed Dustin in front of me. He quickly followed after Erica."Go. Go."

Robin quickly went after Dustin. I eyed the container to see it started to crack. Steve followed my gaze.

"Move it Henderson or I'm going to make you." Steve grabbed a hold of my hand and tugged me down.

"Jesus! Warn a girl!" I laid on my stomach and started to crawl to the other side. I felt something touch my ass. "Harrington, That will be the last time you touch my ass!"

"I didn't touch your ass!" Steve pushed me. "Now move it, move it."

"Don't rush me!" I snapped as I rolled out of the way.

"Come on, Steve, let's go!" Robin rushed.

Sitting up, I saw Steve crawl towards us. I quickly grabbed his hand and helped him out. Steve's body rolled over my legs. The container fully cracked under the pressure. We all stood to our feet and gathered around it.

"Holy shit." I stared at the green liquid eat away at the cement.

"Jesus Christ."

"Ooh!"

"You still wanna drink that?" Robin teased Erica.

I chuckled at Erica's reaction. Dustin slapped my arm continuously until he grabbed my attention.

"Holy mother of God." Dustin breathed out.

I turned around to see him looking at the long hallway. It appeared to go on for miles.

"Well...I hope you guys are in good shape. Looking at you," Steve patted Dustin's chest and pushed passed us, "roast beef."

Steve started to walk down the long tunnel like hallway. The rest of us stood in our places.

"Your boyfriend is so mean to me." Dustin huffed as he looked up at me.

"Let's go, come on." Steve waved us to follow.

I placed my hand on Dustin's back and lead him forward. Robin had done the same with Erica.

"Why me?" Dustin questioned. "He should be telling that to you, Dawn."

"Ouch." Erica laughed at me.

"Shut it you two." I sent them both a glare.