by Jack Hunt
“Arts. Film. I wanted to get into directing.”
“Then why are you taking psychology?”
“Because my mother has these great plans for me to work in the family business.”
“In therapy?”
“Not yet but I might be after this.”
She laughed. “No, I meant is her business therapy?”
He smiled. “Yeah.” He then made a gesture with his head towards her. “What about you? What’s your story?”
“Uh, where do I begin? I’ve been in private schooling since my middle school years, and because my grandfather has funded the whole thing, he had a large say in where I would go after I graduated.” She smiled. “I’ve just been along for the ride.”
“Sounds peachy.”
“Yeah.” She looked back at Harper who seemed to be calming down. Color had returned to her cheeks and she began fishing through her bag for her phone.
“Who was that guy I saw you yelling at earlier today?”
Anna went a slight shade of red. “Was I yelling?”
“Only enough for most of the campus to hear.”
She groaned and shook her head. “That was my father.”
“Oh, right. And where does he fit into the picture?”
“He doesn’t. He’s been out of the picture for the past eleven years.” She pursed her lips feeling pain and anger rising to the surface once again.
“So what did he want?”
“To come back into the picture.”
“Oh, like that, is it?”
“Afraid so. Yep, Chase, you might think you should win the award for the most screwed-up family but believe me, I’d give you a run for your money.”
He chuckled and rose to his feet and started banging again. “Come on! There has got to be someone who can hear us.”
It was stifling hot inside. Anna removed her jacket. “What do you think happened?” she asked.
“What?” Chase replied.
“Well the Internet wasn’t working earlier today, then the phone signal went down and now the power has gone out.”
“I’m thinking all this money for tuition is being spent on beer money as it certainly isn’t going to maintenance,” he replied before yelling, “Hey! Someone. Anyone?”
“You’re wasting your breath,” Harper said. “If there has been a power outage everyone would have likely been told to head back to their dorms.”
“And you would know this because?” he asked.
“The Northeast blackout of 2003. My sister was studying here at the time. The blackout knocked out traffic lights, subways, ATMs. Millions lost power across Canada and eight of the states.”
“What caused it?” Anna asked.
“It was a combination of Mother Nature and us. Trees and hot weather. Heat boosted demand for power, which put a strain on the transmission lines.”
“But it’s October. The weather isn’t warm,” Chase said. “So my guess is someone hit the wrong button.”
A blanket of silence fell over them, then Anna asked, “Where you from, Harper?”
“Barnstable. What about you two?”
“Colorado,” Anna said.
“California,” Chase added.
“You’re both a long way from home.”
“Not really,” Anna said. “I’ve been out here studying since I was eleven.”
“That’s got to suck.”
“Actually, it hasn’t been too bad. You get used to it. I get care packages sent to me on a monthly basis, I head back to Colorado for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and in the summer, and my mother visits frequently. In fact she was meant to be…” Anna trailed off thinking back to her conversation with her father. “Anyway, we need to get out of here,” she said rising and gazing up. “There has to be some hatch that leads out to the guts of the elevator. Here, Chase, give me a lift up.”
He grimaced. “Maybe I should do that.”
“Why?”
“Well you know.”
“No I don’t,” she said. “Now give me a boost.”
Chase bent and interlocked his fingers. Anna gripped him and placed her foot on his hands and tried to balance while reaching up to the lighting above. She managed to get one of the panels off but there was nothing but lights behind it.
“You’re not likely to find one,” Harper said.
Both of them looked down at her. “And why not?”
“Older elevators used to have top escape hatches that could be opened from the inside but most of those have been changed. Now if there is a hatch it can only be opened by firefighters from the other side. The reason behind it is quite simple. Essentially they think the safest place in a disabled elevator is inside.”
Chase screwed up his face. “How do you know so much about that?”
“I don’t like enclosed places.”
“Then why didn’t you use the stairs?” Chase asked.
“Because my therapist is helping me overcome my fears,” she said before snapping a rubber band around her wrist. Anna knew what it was as she’d seen her mother use one. It was meant to help with anxiety. It interrupted runaway thoughts. Whether it worked or not was debatable.
“Okay,” Chase said lowering Anna back to the floor. “So how the hell do we get out of here?”
“We don’t, someone else has to get us out,” Harper said before she began breathing fast again.
“All right, all right, stay calm. Stay calm,” Anna said before she unleashed an explosion of hammer fists against the door. “Let us out! Hey! Hey!” she yelled along with Chase while Harper clasped her hands over her ears and rocked back and forth muttering the words, serenity now.
Chaos hadn’t erupted on the streets, there was no smoke rising from buildings, neither were there people looting, attacking one another or any of the usual crap that might be expected under these conditions but the streets were gridlocked with traffic, and an unusual number of people filled up the sidewalks. The sound of honking dominated, along with the wail of sirens echoing throughout the concrete jungle.
Some vehicles appeared to be operational while others were stalled, all of which was making it hard for traffic to flow and causing drivers to lose their cool. In the distance, Sam could see an emergency vehicle trying to get through but it was having a terrible time. The vehicle had mounted the curb but managed to make it only a short distance because other drivers had the same idea and were now blocking the way.
None of the traffic lights were on, and many Bostonians were outside their vehicles looking at their phones as if it held all the answers. Sam figured it was force of habit. The elderly couple and younger woman that had left the train with them wandered off into the crowd without even thanking Mason. Both of them stood there scanning an ocean of faces. Confusion dominated.
“Well I guess that’s it, hey, I appreciate your help,” Sam said.
“Where you heading?”
“To find out what the hell’s going on and then decide from there,” Sam replied. “My hotel is this way,” he said thumbing over his shoulder.
“How far?”
“About ten minutes’ walk.”
“If you don’t mind I’ll tag along. I need to find a phone to contact the station.”
“Sure.”
It was early afternoon and the sky was a dark gray, with puffy white clouds drifting as they set off. Sam had booked a room at the AC Hotel by Marriott. It was a ten-minute walk from Broadway via Albany Street and the South Bay Harbor Trail. As they crossed over New Broadway Bridge and looked at the vast array of train tracks heading off into the distance, the reality of what had happened began to set in. There were four trains stalled, and people exiting and carefully navigating their way across rail lines.
It didn’t take them long to arrive at the hotel. It was a gaudy building that was six stories high, mostly made from glass and dull gray siding. When they made it through the doors, they immediately knew something was wrong. The lobby was full of people, some of whom were carting out lugg
age; others were at the front desk arguing with the clerk.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, we are unable to help you at the moment. The power is out across the city.”
Sam elbowed his way through to the front counter in time to hear someone else ask, “You mind telling us what is going on?”
“Sir, I’m afraid right now we don’t have the answers. All we know is the power is out and hopefully it will come back on soon.”
“Hopefully? There is no heat in this place, and it’s cold. I want my money back,” a woman yelled.
“It’s a terrorist attack,” someone said. “I heard it on the news.”
Sam turned to find a thin man squeezing his way through the crowd. “What did you say?”
“Before the power went out, the news was reporting power outages that had affected the West and Midwest. We were the last ones to be affected. There have also been multiple planes that have crashed.”
The crowd pushed in closer to listen. “And?” Mason asked.
The thin man shrugged. “That’s all I heard. Some of the news channels are blaming the Russians.”
Someone shouted out, “Commie bastards.”
“You think I can use your phone?” Mason asked turning to the clerk who looked overwhelmed by the complaints. “We have people in the subway right now that need some help.”
“I’m sorry, the phones aren’t working,” the clerk said.
Mason removed his hard hat and tossed it to one side before running a hand over his sweaty brow. His brown hair was buzzed close to his head all over. “Idiots. I knew they should have come with us.”
“We offered. You can lead a horse to water, you can’t make them drink it,” Sam said. “Besides, the door is open, if they want to leave they can.”
“Yeah and they’ll probably get shocked by the rails. Then who do you think they are going to blame?”
“If the power is out, I doubt it.”
Mason frowned. “Good point.” He tapped the side of his head. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Sam turned and pushed his way back through the crowd of sweaty bodies. He adjusted his backpack and headed for the main entrance.
“Where you going?” Mason said falling in step.
“To get my daughter.”
“Then what?”
“Head out of the city.”
They pushed their way through the crowd onto the street, and Sam looked to his left and right.
“Harvard is north of here,” Mason said, pointing away from the hotel. “It’s a good hour and a half by foot.”
Sam nodded, thanked him again and strode away. He hadn’t made it a block when Mason caught up with him. “Hey, Sam. Listen, my ex is teaching at the university, I should probably tag along… just in case.”
“In case?” Sam asked.
“You know, just in case that guy was right and this is some kind of terrorist attack,” he said while surveying the area. “She doesn’t handle stressful situations too well.”
“But you’re divorced from her.”
“Separated… not divorced. Did I say divorced?” He held up his hand. He was still wearing his wedding band. “Neither of us signed the papers.”
They continued walking together.
“And yet you call her your ex.”
“That’s how she refers to me.”
Sam nodded. “Okay but I don’t want you slowing me down.”
“I won’t,” Mason replied. “Besides, I know this town like the back of my hand. We’ll have to head over Longfellow Bridge and head west.”
Sam wasn’t sure about having him come but he wasn’t familiar with the city and with so much speculation over what had led to this event, he didn’t want to take any chances and find himself stuck in a dangerous situation alone. For years he’d worked in a team environment. It was the reason why they were so good at what they did. The public’s perception of a Navy SEAL was so skewed by Hollywood. They painted them as supermen who were perfect at everything they put their hand to — the kind of people who never made a dumb decision — but he knew otherwise. They only succeeded because they trained and operated as a team. When one of them dropped the ball, another would pick it up. If one of them wasn’t thinking clearly, another would. They were only as strong as the one beside them.
“By the way, where’s your luggage?”
“They lost it,” Sam replied.
Mason laughed. “Isn’t that just the way? Welcome to Boston, oh, and by the way, you’re gonna need to go buy yourself some new clothes because we have no idea where your bag is.”
“Yeah hilarious.”
“So first time in the city?” Mason asked, trying to keep up with Sam’s pace.
“Yep.”
“I would ask how you’re liking it but…” He chuckled again. “How long have you been here?”
“Arrived this morning,” Sam said.
“Shit. Well on behalf of Boston, accept our sincere apologies,” he said patting him on the back, and then reaching into his pocket to pull out a pack of cigarettes. He offered one to Sam but he declined. He didn’t smoke. Mason continued, “Yeah, I really should give up. Lisa, my wife that is, is always going on about how my mouth tastes like an ashtray. I wouldn’t have minded but she used to smoke a pack a day until about three years ago.”
“So where’s your apartment?” Sam asked.
“Just west of Harvard.”
“How long have you been separated?”
“Seven months. Though who knows what the future will hold? I just wish she wouldn’t leave all her crap all over the living room.”
“What?”
“The living room,” Mason said taking a hard puff on his cigarette.
Sam stopped walking for a second. “You live with her?”
“Oh yeah, under the same roof but on different floors. Cost of living around here is crazy so we found a way to kind of make it work, at least for now. It’s just a temporary solution until I can find a place,” Mason said. Sam shook his head and they continued walking.
“I’ve never heard of that.”
“No, I will admit it’s an unusual situation but then again so was our separation.”
“What happened?” Sam asked.
Mason nodded thoughtfully. “I’m really not sure. I guess if I had to pin it down to one thing it was our work. I was getting up at four thirty, and she wasn’t coming home until late and even when she did she had papers to grade. I guess we just stopped being a married couple and were just two people living under the same roof. Perhaps that’s why we still make it work seven months later.”
“But you’re not exactly separated,” Sam said.
“Not exactly. I mean, we don’t sleep together anymore. Which is a bit of a bummer as that was the best part. Yeah, Lisa was damn good in bed. Oh well,” he said.
Sam tossed him a strange look.
“So you still live under the same roof?”
“It’s really not as bad as you think. The thing is we’re still friends. I mean, in a way we always have been. Nothing has changed in that regard. Occasionally we help each other out if the other needs something but beyond that our lives are separate.”
Several pedestrians shouldered through them. Sam felt like a fish swimming upstream as crowds of people streamed out of darkened buildings heading for home.
“Okay so you’re basically saying you live separate lives.”
“Right.”
“And yet here you are on your way back to Harvard because…?”
Mason hesitated before he replied. “I still care for her.”
Sam smiled. He’d heard it all now. He’d never come across anything like that before in all his years. All his buddies’ marriages ended badly, including his own. Heated arguments, doors slamming, and finally moving out was still fresh in his mind. It had only been over the last two years that things had improved between him and Helen, and then after he heard of the heart problems she was having, and then losing several of his buddies in operatio
ns overseas, reality came crashing in. Life was short and bitterness just ate away at a person. He didn’t want to be that way, not now, not for the few remaining years he had left on this planet.
“What about you?” Mason asked.
Sam chuckled. “You don’t want to know.”
They pressed on through a knot of people. Where were they all heading? Home, out of the city? Everyone was blissfully unaware of how bad things were about to become.
FOUR - BREAKDOWN
“We’re going to die!” Harper yelled. It was hot and stuffy inside the elevator, and Harper was beginning to panic. “I’ve got to get out of here,” she said clawing at the steel jaws. When that didn’t work she started kicking the door. Anna and Chase were sitting on the floor and had given up trying to keep her calm. The girl was a lost cause. No amount of reassuring her that things were going to be okay seemed to help. Chase had removed his sweater, and undone several buttons on his shirt, and Anna was using her jacket as a pillow against the wall. Every few minutes all three of them would yell at the top of their voices. “Help!”
Their voices echoed in the enclosed chamber.
It had been over an hour and no one had attempted to get them out. They hadn’t heard voices, and they figured that if anyone knew they were trapped, the fire brigade would have arrived. Surely, teachers were out there?
“You’d think they would put a camera in these elevators,” Harper said. She pressed the intercom. “Anyone there? If you can hear this we are stuck in the elevator.”
“If they can hear us they are probably laughing their ass off,” Chase said.
Anna gave him a nudge in the ribs and smirked. Okay, it was a bad situation but this was Harvard, it had over twenty thousand students and sixteen thousand staff and faculty members. It was only a matter of time before someone heard them. That was the only reason she wasn’t freaking out like Harper. The poor girl was liable to pass out if she didn’t rein in that anxiety of hers. Chase pulled out a bottle of water and took a swig before offering it to her.
“No thanks, the last thing I need is to have to go to the washroom.”
“Good point,” he said screwing the cap back on.
Harper turned hearing the exchange, and whether it was her anxiety or just a need to find something beyond the door to moan about, she said, “What if we do need to go?”