Kris swore under her breath as she wildly hunted for her car keys under the mess of paperwork and bills on her kitchen table. Had she been more composed, she would have remembered that she'd tossed them on the coffee table after work that evening, where they lay gleaming behind her.
But after receiving a 3 AM phone call from a frantic Sabrina and being told that her sister and good friend had been in a car accident and then gotten themselves into trouble, she was anything but level headed. It took her a full minute of ransacking her kitchen to remember where her keys were and then with another curse, she hurried into her living room, snatched them up and grabbed up her badge.
She was off duty and could probably get in trouble for this, but Jill and Kelly needed help.
"Kris, are you gonna tell me what's going on?" A voice stopped her before she could rush out the door.
Shit. She'd forgotten about Ryan.
Kris turned and saw her boyfriend of three months standing in the doorway of her bedroom. His dark hair was tousled from sleep and his clothes wrinkled and twisted. Still, he looked alert and worried.
She sighed, stepped toward him and grabbed both of his hands.
"My sister needs my help. I have to go, okay?"
Ryan narrowed his eyes. "What happened?"
"I can't tell you. But I need to go right now."
She tried to pull away but Ryan closed his hands tighter around hers, preventing it. "Fine, but let me go with you. We can take my patrol car, I'll just get dre-"
Kris yanked her hands away. There was no way he was meeting Jill or being witness to whatever it was that her sister and Kelly had gotten themselves into. For their protection.
And hers if Jill found out she was dating him without her knowledge.
But he did have one good idea…
"Please, Ry, I can't take you with me." She started quickly. "Just trust me on this, okay? But…I could use your patrol car."
Ryan drew back with a surprised laugh. "My patrol- what? Kris, just what the hell is going on? You're talking like you're about to do something illegal? Is that what-"
"No!" Kris answered much too quickly. She took in the look he gave her and sighed in frustration before grabbing his hands again. "Trust me. Do you trust me?"
The young officer stared mutely at his girlfriend for a few moments. They'd been dating since they met at a New Year's party a few months ago and nothing she'd done since then had given him reason not to.
"Please." She urged.
Against every instinct he had, Ryan sighed and with that, Kris knew him well enough to know he had relented. She threw her arms around his neck, gave him a peck on the cheek, and rushed to the door. "Thank you. I'll be back tomorrow morning."
Ryan pursed his lips unhappily. "Tomorrow morning. Uh huh." He muttered reluctantly. "Keys are on the-"
But, Kris had already snatched them up from where they hung. "Got it! Thank you."
"Be careful." He called uselessly to her back as the door slammed shut. He stared at it for moment before, to his surprise, it swung open again.
Kris's pretty face greeted him, her wide blue eyes hopeful yet scared. "And please…don't tell anyone, huh?" she asked softly.
Ryan crossed his arms over his broad chest. This was looking more and more like a bad idea. He'd probably regret this later. Still though, he had to give in to her. He always did.
"I won't. Go on." He answered.
Kris smiled gratefully at him and then was gone.
In full uniform, she jogged down the outside hallway of her apartment building, ignoring the long haired college boy leaning against the stairwell. As he always did since the first time he'd seen her in uniform and made the decision that she was off limits to his flirtations, he immediately snapped his hand behind his back and took a few steps away from her as she passed, obviously hiding his joint.
And as she always did, Kris passed him by without acknowledging it.
Still stuffing the tail of her khaki San Francisco Police Department uniform into the back of her pants, she dashed into the parking lot, keyed open Ryan's patrol car and, without checking behind her, screeched out of her spot and down the dark and empty street. The sirens blared to life a second later and what little traffic there was quickly got out of her way.
So this is what it was like to actually enjoy the perks of being an officer.
"Bridge Grove, Bridge Grove..." Kris muttered to herself as she drove. Keeping an eye on the road and one hand on the wheel, she shook out an old faded road map of California that Jill had given her when she moved out. She'd had just enough presence of mind to stuff it in her pocket before leaving. Where she was going exactly she had no clue, but for now, she had to get on the highway and head north.
Get to Bridge Grove and then call Sabrina from the first payphone she could find, that's what Sabrina had told her.
Kris groaned to herself as she tossed the unfolded map into the passenger seat. Whatever had happened, she had to tell herself they were okay to keep herself sane until she got to them.
Until then, there was another hour and a half to worry if they actually were.
The noise drifted in and out of the fitful sleep she'd fallen into. Her head lay across her shoulder in an uncomfortable position, but soon slipped off and aroused her awake. She lazily pried each eye open as her ears became in tune with the sound rattling above them. The weight on her legs didn't register until she shifted and the form sprawled across them groaned.
Jill.
Alert now, Kelly looked over Jill sound asleep in her lap, the entire night's worth of memories hitting her all at once. Both alarmed and disgusted that she'd fallen asleep when she should have been monitoring Jill, she quickly pressed two fingers against the side of her friend's neck.
A strong, steady pulse made Kelly breathe a sigh of relief.
Jill was ok. For now, anyway.
A quick look at her unconscious friend's watch told Kelly she'd drifted off for about ten minutes, which meant Jill had been out for nearly twenty. Kelly studied her friend intently. Her blonde hair was damp with sweat and sticking to her pale face. Aside from that, she looked still and peaceful, enough so that Kelly could almost pretend this was another night where Jill had fallen asleep on her while watching television.
If this could only be such a night.
But it wasn't, and unless they escaped this place, she had a good feeling that there wouldn't be many more nights in their future.
Kelly's head swam as she forced herself to sit up straight to better tend to her injured friend. Pregnancy, a concussion, and being chased like a stray dog was proving to be a dangerous cocktail. She was definitely feeling the repercussions, but Jill needed to come first. Shaking the fog from her head, she carefully pulled away the strands of hair from Jill's face, revealing a bruised nose and busted lip. Dried blood clung to her feverish skin, in part to both landing on her face in the elevator and then throwing up a mixture of bile and blood.
Kelly frowned at the sight. Couldn't sit around and just wait for Sabrina to find them, she supposed.
"Hey, wake up," Kelly gently shook her friend's shoulders. "Jill, come on, you gotta get up now."
No response.
She slipped her arm around Jill's back and hoisted her upward, which was easier said than done. "Jill! Hurry up!" This order was more distressed after she noticed Jill was completely dead weight in arms, passed out into a complete catatonic state.
This couldn't be happening.
Kelly felt herself start to panic. The cramped space of the elevator was bringing on the familiar anxiety of claustrophobia and that combined with Jill's condition was making her heart race. "Jill, listen to me, okay? I don't ask you for much but you have to wake up. I can't leave you here!" Her pleading fell on deaf ears, nothing stirred Jill into consciousness. Kelly swore openly, clutching Jill closely to her. There wasn't a choice, then.
Every instinct screaming in protest, she lowered Jill back down into her lap.
"You'll be fine. I'll come back with Bri and we'll get you out of here and everything will be okay." She whispered, as if Jill could hear her. Hearing a plan aloud gave her a bit of comfort, but not nearly enough to make what she was going to do seem right. But again, she had no choice. In her condition, carrying or dragging Jill was impossible.
She slipped her legs out from underneath Jill and tenderly laid her down on the floor. Kelly sighed as she looked down on her and silently prayed they her blonde friend wasn't running out of time. She'd just pulled herself to her feet and wandered over to the elevator door to figure out how to best open it, when a sound above her made her ears prick. Confused, she looked up and felt her blood run cold.
The elevator shaft.
Were these supposed nurses that desperate to capture them that they would risk climbing through the top of an elevator? A sudden thud shook their metal enclosure and the shock of what that meant made Kelly's eyes go wide and her body tense. Stupid she was not. From the heaviness of the sound it had to be Bruce. There was no way Nurse Stone would be doing any high risk maneuvers and Anna was about as big around as a stick.
"Leave us alone!" She shouted angrily to the ceiling, sure he could hear her.
"We need you!" His deep voice replied back, startlingly close and only partially muffled by the ceiling that separated them. "Don't make this harder than what it already is."
The ceiling panel rattled above them and their situation was suddenly much more urgent. If Bruce got in, that was it, Kelly knew. Jill was already unconscious and he'd easily overpower her. And after that, there'd be no chance of escape, not again, Nurse Stone would make sure of it.
Fighting panic, Kelly wedged herself against the corner by the door and, putting one foot on the hand rail that ran alongside, managed to push herself up high enough to reach the ceiling.
"Stop it!" She screamed shrilly at him, desperation clear in her voice. "Leave us alone! I swear to God, you'll be sorry!"
The ceiling panel rattled again and, the panic finally overtaking her, Kelly slammed her palm against it, shrieking obscenities and threats as she did.
"Kelly!" Bruce's scolding voice sounded above her. "You'll hurt yourself. Just calm down! Make this easy for the baby."
The mention of her baby sent Kelly flying into a rage. "You motherfucker!" She snarled, slamming her fist over and over into the ceiling. "You come in here, I will kill you myself! I swear to God, you'll wish you'd never seen us before!"
Her desperate empty threats had Bruce chuckling. Unfazed, he continued unscrewing the ceiling panel, feeling so sure of himself that he began to sing, sending Kelly into another cursing and yelling fit.
"I hear hurricanes a'blowing. I know the end is coming soon. I fear rivers over flowing. I hear the voice of rage and ruin."
Below him, Kelly's fit sent her foot slipping off the railing. She pitched forward, but managed to leap down from her perch without falling on her face. Near tears with fright, she whirled around looking frantically for a weapon, Bruce's singing driving her into a frenzy.
"Hope you got your things together. Hope you are quite prepared to die. Looks like we're in for nasty weather. One eye is taken for an eye."
Hands pressed to her ears, Kelly let her eyes sweep around the elevator in despair. Jill lay motionless where'd she'd left her, the pool of vomit the only other thing in the elevator with them. The handrail wasn't going to budge, she knew without testing it. There was nothing to defend herself with. Nothing at all.
Kelly's wide eyes fixed on the control buttons by the door. Nothing but the elevator itself.
"Don't go out tonight, it's bound to take your life. There's a bad moon on the rise."
Left with no choice, Kelly lurched toward the emergency stop button and rammed it back in with both hands. The elevator restored to life, the second floor button lit up and with a loud groan, the car continued it's interrupted ascent.
Above her, she could hear Bruce's cry of surprise. The clatter and banging of metal on metal also told her he'd dropped whatever tool he'd been using to open the ceiling panel.
"I'm warning you! Leave us alone!" Kelly shouted up at the ceiling.
"Stop the elevator!" Bruce's now threatening voice bellowed at her. "You're only making it worse on yourself!"
Kelly yanked out the emergency stop, making the elevator grind to halt before it's doors could open at it's destination. Above her, thuds on the ceiling told her Bruce was scrambling for his footing. Unwilling to let up, she rammed the stop back in and jammed the third floor button with her thumb. Like the previous one, it lit up orange. The elevator shuddered and groaned and began to climb.
Above her, Bruce slammed his fists against the roof to express his displeasure. "Stop it, you little bitch!" He roared through the ceiling. "You're only hurting your friend! Do you want to watch her die, Kelly?! Is that what you want?!"
But his tone was scared now, higher and strained, his threats just as empty as hers had been earlier. Kelly again yanked out the emergency stop and heard Bruce's grunts and curses as he fought to keep himself from falling off to his death. If she had to do this all night, then she would. She pushed back in the stop and kept her footing as the elevator shook and sent them back to the first floor.
"Kelly, stop!" Bruce's voice pleaded. "Kelly, you and your baby are important of something far bigger than anything you've ever known! You need to accept this, Kelly! You need to stop fighting me!"
Her baby.
Kelly clenched her jaw. Her and her baby were part of nothing here. She punched the emergency stop again before they'd reached the first floor and felt the entire car sway with the abuse. She'd lost track of where they were and without checking, slapped her hand against a button. The third floor button lit up again and Kelly nearly fell as they soared toward the top floor. Above her, Kelly could hear Bruce howling in anger, rolling about as he fought to stay aboard.
"You stay away from the door and I'll stop!" Kelly yelled at him. "Don't be stupid, Bruce. Don't-"
But his chance for surrender was cut short. His voice suddenly raised in pitch, a scream so chilling, Kelly's hands flew to her ears. A moment later, the sickening crunch of breaking bones cut off his scream, jarring the entire elevator so hard, Kelly lost her balance and went flailing to the ground.
She stayed on the floor where she'd landed, panting, her eyes widening as the reality of what had just happened slowly begin to sink in.
The elevator groaned and swayed gently before finally settling. And as though unaffected, the shiny metal doors slid open with a cheerful ding, granting Kelly access to the third floor.
Kelly lay in shock and even then, knew that the ding was the only sound she would hear. The movement on the roof had stopped. The ceiling was quiet.
Oddly numb, she pushed herself up and with a badly shaking hand, reached out and punched number two once again. The button lit up, the car lowered, and again the doors slid open with a ding. This time though, a dark liquid dripped down them, splatting softly on the tile floor below. They'd stopped a few inches lower than where the elevator was supposed to, the car probably damaged by its last few minutes of use, and their positioning created a step between them and the hallway outside. The skewed vantage point into the hall only lent to the sense that something had just gone horribly, horribly wrong. Trembling, Kelly crawled over to Jill, curled herself into a ball and buried her face in her arms to calm herself.
That was Bruce's blood running down the doors and puddling in front of her, she knew. She'd killed him. Killed him, killed him. A fresh surge of panic and horror tightened her chest as she gasped for each breath. It was an accident, her logic tried to scream over her conscience. She hadn't known, hadn't meant to crush him. Self defense. To save Jill, her baby and herself.
But she'd killed a man and the internal howling of "Thou shalt not kill" resounded inside her with fury.
The puddle of vomit in the far corner expanded it's borders as Kelly retched and emptied her stomach onto the floor.
Sick and shaking, she raised her head and forced herself to face the mess in front of her. Crossing herself with a trembling hand, she whispered a prayer of forgiveness, and pulled herself to her feet. Just as she did, a man's torn and mangled hand suddenly dangled lifelessly from the gap between the elevator's roof and the doorway. The unexpected sight forced a strangled cry from her throat. Her stomach heaved once more, but there was nothing left to expel. She blinked the blurriness from her eyes and straightened, forcing herself to keep her wits about her. Murderer or not, they still had to get out of here. Kelly wiped her face with the tail of her shirt and glanced down once more at Jill, blessedly unconscious with no memory of what had just happened.
They were running out of time.
Ducking her head so she'd be spared any additional new sights, Kelly approached the control panel and pulled the emergency stop once more – preventing the elevator with Jill inside from going anywhere. Who knew what she'd find on the second floor? A phone? An open window? Something to end this nightmare.
On unsteady legs, Kelly climbed out of the car and took careful steps forward, looking around in the dark and empty halls. To her right she could hear moaning coming from a distance, and was that... crying?
An infant's cry?
She followed the sound to a partially open door halfway down the hallway and, dreading what she might find, cautiously stuck her head into the room. Her hands felt around on the walls and to her amazement she felt a switch and flipped it on. The room instantly lit up with bright fluorescent lights, revealing a room that was half hospital ward, half laboratory.
This room was far from empty and as Kelly stared into it in horror, she struggled to process what it contained. Her chest tightened in an immediate reaction to what her eyes were seeing.
Her mouth opened in a silent scream that failed to release from her throat and she rushed back into the elevator, pounding on buttons until it shut its doors.