In a cold elevator descending at a creak, the four men stand in each corner eyeing each other, each in contemplation of what they're about to do. The elevator stops but it's not their floor. A fifth man, not part of their group, steps in. He smiles.
‘Three, please.’
It takes the one by the buttons a second to realise he's being addressed. He’s movements are a little to jerky when he goes to press the button to the third floor.
They ride down in a silence that grows thicker with each passing floor.
Paddy Dobson
1st February 2024