Once the door closed, it was dark. Sue pressed down a shudder. There wasn't room to shudder really. There wasn't room for her but she was in here. She trusted James. He would come for her and help her get back home. Bobby would come and they would go back to their lives, no more of this insanity for a while. She counted to one hundred and felt the sweat starting to drip. Small closed space. Hot. She couldn't reach to wipe the sweat but was able to scratch her nose. It was awkward holding the heavy gun and using her thumb. She almost laughed but caught herself.
Mouse, think quiet as a mouse she chanted in her head.
Another slow count to one hundred. She thought about her friends at work. It had been a long time since she had seen them…or had it? Less than twenty-four hours. Myles had always joked about the "invisible men in black ops." Or was it D?
She felt a thump in the wall and nearly screamed but bit on her finger instead. Her heart was racing and she had to think calm…calm…calm…Drat, her nose itched again. She could feel the thumps of furniture and smaller objects crashing against the walls. Calm, count to one hundred. She wished she could take a deep breath. The thumping faded.
She counted again. And again. Her right leg fell asleep. And the top of her blouse was wet now. She was feeling a bit light headed from the close quarters. Leaning her head against the wall, she began to doze.
A few minutes later she woke with a start. Disoriented, she bumped her head in the small space. There. She felt it again. The vibrations of air displaced. An explosion? In the dark, she closed her eyes tight as she felt a third one. Would there be more?
She began to count to one hundred but stopped. It wasn't doing her any good. She was reminded of her Sunday school class. About God's Word being a lamp. She began to think of all the verses that dealt with the Light. She was on twenty when she felt a deeper rumbling, like when planes come close to the sound barrier. Or was it another closer explosion?
It was getting too hot. The gun was too heavy to hold upright. She let it slide into her lap. With her now free hand she wiped the sweat from her eyes the best she could. She discovered she was crying. Her left leg was asleep. The darkness started to close tightly about her and she choked back a sob. 'Stay safe' was easy, staying sane… Taking a shuddering breath in through her nose, she exhaled slowly. They hadn't forgotten her, had they?