Chapter 25 · Neon Deadline: Glitch Hunt - Chapter 25: Trapped in a Steel Coffin

"Stop panting like a dying dog, Kaelen. You're burning through the last of the air," Seth snapped, his voice grating against the metallic walls of the lift.

I didn't stop. I couldn't. I leaned my back against the cold steel, sliding down until my ass hit the floor. My chest felt like it was being crushed by a hydraulic press. The air in this shaft was thin, tasting of ozone and old grease.

"Easy for you to say," I wheezed, glancing up at him. "You're... a corporate freak. Your lungs are probably made of carbon fiber."

Seth didn't move. He stood in the center of the small space, his silhouette blocking the flickering overhead light. He looked too calm. It was infuriating. He looked down at me, those cold eyes tracking the way my shoulders shook.

"My lungs are human enough to tell me we have about ten minutes before the CO2 levels make us too stupid to fight back," he said. He stepped closer, the heavy thud of his boots echoing in the silence. "Get up. Now."

"I can't," I whispered, my head swimming. "The plug-in... it's spiking."

I closed my eyes, and the world flickered.