The Pit
Adrian unlocked the next door to find the floor missing. Desperately grabbing the doorknob, Adrian felt his feet slip beneath him as he began to fall. He caught himself without much hold, but he grasped the doorknob as the door swung him into the room. "Oh God, oh God," he struggled, trying not to look down. It looked to be a fifty-foot drop and if he made the landing there would be no way back up. The door swung him against the left wall, and he saw his next key. It was strung to a single beam to the right of the doorway that crossed the pit he now hung precariously over.
"Great!" he hissed. Knowing Natalie depended on him, he shut his eyes tightly to regain his wits. Using his legs, he pushed against the wall to swing himself back to the doorway. As he reached the doorway, he lifted his body and legs over the threshold then threw himself outside the room. He picked himself off the ground and ran to check on Natalie.
Natalie was still sitting against the glass but a little less erect than before. Adrian could see the perspiration forming on her brow, dampening the strands of hair that brushed her forehead. "I can't risk stopping anymore," he told Natalie with regret. But she didn't really respond. "Natalie," he knocked on the glass. "I will be back," he promised pressing his right palm to the glass. Natalie slowly lifted her hand to meet his through the glass but because of the weakness overtaking her she let it slide off back into her lap. She smiled weakly and Adrian took off with more determination than ever.
Returning to the room, he contemplated the best way to cross the beam to reach the key. With his left foot, he tested the strength of the bridge. It seemed a little sturdy. He studied how the beam was attached. Maybe he could just pull it to himself. Unfortunately, it was firmly bolted to the walls on both sides of the room. He thought of using his belt for a harness, but his waist was smaller than his chest and it wouldn't fit. Using his belt to hook the key would only risk losing it.
Reluctantly, Adrian chose to walk the plank so to speak. It wasn't the best course of action, but it was the only option available. Breathing deeply, he tried to relax, he focused on the beam and not what was beyond it. Knowing the clock was ticking, he couldn't move too slowly so he prayed his balance would hold. As he got closer to the key, the room suddenly went black. The sudden blackness disoriented him, and he felt himself falling forward. He quickly twisted around and caught the beam with his chest and arms with a thud. The narrow beam struck him and he winced at the sharp blow.
The lights came back on and, finding the camera he knew was in the room, Adrian glared at it. He then turned his attention back to his dangerous situation, fear and concentration straining his face. He was finally able to throw a leg back over the beam. He was on top of the key, so he released it with one hand while lying on the beam and stuck it down his shirt. His thoughts turned to Natalie to motivate himself. With great effort he managed his way back to the door. He pulled himself up to his feet and leaned his hands against the wall. He gauged the distance from beam to threshold and jumped. Back on solid ground he crumpled to his knees for a moment. He lifted his head to look at Natalie.
The room was gathering condensation now, a sign that Carbon Dioxide was building and oxygen diminishing. Natalie smiled and gave him the thumbs up. Adrian quickly removed his coat, just dropping it. He un-tucked his shirt to recover the key then he ran to the next room. But the next room on this side of the warehouse was not room 3. He anxiously scanned the warehouse, running to find his next torture chamber. At last, across the other side he found it. He knew it was supposed to waste his time and whoever was watching was probably enjoying the whole sick game.