Chapter 33 · Elevator Trap

"Don't touch that panel again!"

Lilith's hand slams down on mine and pins it to the dead elevator wall.

Her palm is hot. Sweaty. Shaking just a little.

"I wasn't gonna touch it," I snap. "I was gonna bypass it."

"You were gonna electrocute us both," she hisses. "Look."

The control panel sparks. Again. A fat blue arc jumps between the wires where I ripped the cover off.

The whole car shudders. The lights flicker from white to emergency red.

And the air? The air just got thinner.

"Oxygen at nineteen percent," I say, reading the Reaper readout flickering in my vision. "Dropping. Fast."

"No shit," Lilith says. "I can feel it."

She's right against my chest. Forced proximity doesn't even cover it. This box is maybe four by four. Her knee is jammed against mine. Her hair brushes my chin every time she breathes.

And she's breathing too fast already.

"Viktor locked us in remotely," she says. "He's venting the shaft. He wants us to choke."

"Yeah, I got that," I say. "Thanks for the commentary."

"Then do something useful, ghost-hacker!" She shoves me, but there's nowhere to go. Her hand stays on my wrist.