Tired and exhausted, Glen pressed the down button. He groaned when there was no immediate ding. After a lengthy shift, he wanted nothing more than to return home and collapse into bed. Glen stumbled to the folding chair propped against the wall across from the elevator. He pulled it out and sat down while he waited for the old and creaking elevator’s arrival. The elevator bell dinged after what felt like an interminable wait. He rose and repositioned the chair against the wall.
When the doors slid apart, Glen noticed a man and a woman inside. He waited for a moment, but neither moved to escape the confines, so he sauntered inside. Glen glanced at the floor buttons, realizing that only the ground floor one glowed. He smiled as he took a position near the rear of the car, to wait for the doors to close and the car to resume its trip towards the lobby.
Two floors later, the elevator stopped. When the doors slid apart, Glen glanced up, seeing a man glide into the car. He flashed the newcomer a polite smile. The stranger returned the gesture before spinning about to obscure his face. Glen shrugged, slouched to the wall, and waited for the elevator to resume its march. As the car descended, the new figure pulled something out of his jacket and flicked his wrist. The little tube in his hand extended, and his arm flicked like a whip, smashing the video camera.
After disarming the security’s eyes, he spun towards the other man, his lips curled into a snarl. “Kent, I want the key!”
“You can’t have it, Jon.” The last figure in the elevator backed into its far corner, wrapping his arms around his suitcase as if it were a diamond. “Please don’t do this.”
However, Jon ignored Kent’s plea and struck his arm with the baton. When the rod hit Kent’s shoulder, both he and the woman screamed. Jon turned towards a stunned Glen and the woman, his eyes burning with rage. “If either of you wants to walk away from this, mind your own business.”
When he returned his attention to Kent, Jon noticed the briefcase was dangling from Kent’s arm. He grabbed Kent’s throat and lifted him up as he squeezed. “You had to make this difficult, didn’t you? I only wanted the key!”
As Kent struggled for breath, he sputtered a few words. “Jon… you’re… only…”
Jon’s fingers tightened, silencing the older man. “Kent, if I wanted to hear you prattle, I’d still be stuck under your leadership.”
As Kent tried to pry Jon’s fingers from his neck, Glen chose to act. Despite his exhaustion, he couldn’t remain and witness this stranger strangling another. Glen flung himself at them, throwing a punch at Jon’s side. The force of the blow caused Jon’s grip to loosen.
Kent took full advantage of that distraction. He drew in a sharp breath as he struggled to free himself from Jon’s unyielding grasp. Jon turned his head towards Glen, but before he could react, Glen lashed out, striking Jon’s side. The blow forced Jon to take another step back as he released his victim.
“I warned you not to start this.” Kent cleared his throat as he rubbed his neck. “It looks like the bystander will cost you everything.”
Jon swung his baton at Glen’s skull, but Glen backed away, avoiding the attack. Unfortunately, he stumbled and fell, thumping against the car’s floor. Jon adjusted his stance and struck at Glen again. This time, Glen blocked the blow with his arm.
When the baton crashed into Glen’s arm, the sickening crack of bone rang out a second before Glen’s howls of pain. Jon glanced toward the individual, gripping her purse as if it were a child. Kent’s fingers dug for his phone, but Jon landed several punches to Kent’s side. Then he pummeled Kent until his body went limp, abandoning his fight for the phone.
The woman’s eyes stayed clenched shut as Jon straightened, dusting his pants as if beating them meant nothing. He took a deep breath as he leaned forward. “I’m sorry you had to witness this.”
She turned toward Jon as she reached into her purse, clutching something inside. “Don’t be.”
When Jon opened his mouth to laugh, she withdrew something from her purse and sprayed a mist all over his face. Some of it even wafted into Jon’s mouth. As the spray touched him, a howl of pain erupted from Jon. And within moments, the attacker dropped to the ground, writhing in pain as his cries filled the confines. A moment later, the elevator dinged as it stopped.
The doors slid open, and one of the waiting security guards put his foot against the retreating door, blocking it. He stepped inside, examining the scene. “Ma’am, are you okay?”
The woman returned the spray as she glanced at the writhing individual. “That lunatic attacked us.”
“We saw him smash the cameras.”
Filled with grace she pointed at Glen. “He has a broken arm.”
The guard pulled a radio to his mouth and passed on that information. As Jon was dragged from the elevator, she ignored the wails of approaching sirens. She kneeled beside Glen and gripped his shoulder. “That was brave.”
“Doesn’t mean it was the smartest move.” Glen focused on her as sweat poured from his grimacing face. “At least according to my injury.”
“Thank you for helping Kent,” she said after kissing Glen on the forehead. “It was enough to prevent a disaster.”
Glen forced a laugh through searing bursts of pain. “I’m glad you had the mace.”
“Of course, I did. After all, Jon didn’t realize that I was escorting the key, not Kent.”
Glen whipped toward the delicate woman as the first responders reached him. “Who are you?”
“My name is Monica Harrell.” She gave him a warm smile as she squeezed Glen’s shoulder. Releasing him, she walked out of the building and slipped into the crowd.