The doors slid silently closed behind him. He turned, pushing the button for the main floor. The gears screeched as the elevator jerked into motion.
He listened to the music that was piped in over the speakers above him, the sound lulling him into a semi hypnotic state. His cell phone vibrated in his pocket, interrupting his thoughts. He reached in and grabbed it, hitting “answer”.
“Hello?” he said cheerily.
“Are you ready to die?” the muffled voice crooned.
“What?” he asked confused.
The elevator staggered to a stop. All of the buttons lit at once, and then went dark. The sudden motion made him fall into the wall. He grabbed the bar to steady himself.
“I asked if you were ready to die,” the voice repeated.
The elevator began moving up, then the gears shuddered to life, and he began to fall.
“Who are you? Why are you doing this?” he screamed.
“You should have known better than to mess with me, Kyle,” the raspy voice exclaimed.
“Kyle? I’m not Kyle. He called in sick. I was assigned his phone because mine died,” he said pleading.
“Don’t play games with me Kyle. I’m no fool,” the voice said.
The elevator jerked again, and he screamed.
“I swear! I will swear on a stack of bibles. My name is not Kyle!” he shouted fruitlessly.
“That’s what they all say,” came the reply.
The elevator suddenly let go, speeding down the shaft. The gears protested as they echoed through the tiny room. When it finally hit the ground, the walls collapsed in on itself.
When the fire department and paramedics pried the lifeless body out, a woman who had just entered the building, screamed.
“Oh my god, that’s… that’s Brian!” she exclaimed as a sheet was placed over the body. She fainted.
‘I guess that wasn’t Kyle after all,’ whispered a hoarse voice. As he walked away, he dropped a remote into his pocket.
