Chapter One - Before the Lights Went Out

Elliot knew what that usually meant. Backup generators kept lights, fire pumps, maybe a few radios alive. They did not keep a whole tower cool. But nobody was in the mood for technical distinctions. He grabbed his laptop bag and sprinted for the stairs. At the first landing, the sprinkler system fired for one second and spat out hot water stained with rust. Somebody shrieked as it hit them. A wave of panic followed immediately. There was a dull boom below, like a tire exploding somewhere far under the building. "Don't go down!" a woman's voice cut through the noise. She had a nurse's shoes, a sweat-soaked white shirt, and a small medical kit clutched against her chest. "There's someone down there already down. A kid's stuck in the elevator."