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A storm had been brewing all day. It was going to be a big one, Eddie could tell. He could feel it in his bones. The air pressure affected him deeply, and his joints were on fire. He’d repeatedly looked outside, watching the grey clouds growing, and building. The news forecast said that it was going to be a massive thunderstorm, with a lot of rain. He was not looking forward to it in the slightest. He was in a lot of pain.
Eddie and his uncle had recently moved from their one-bedroom trailer, to the brand-new apartment building downtown. It was a huge upgrade. The place had an elevator, which Eddie liked, because it was easier to get around with his cane. Ever since he’d been in that horrific car accident a few years ago, he’d been struggling with his mobility. For the first few months, Eddie had been in a wheelchair. Then, he’d finally managed to use crutches. Now, he used a cane. Eddie had had half a dozen surgeries to correct the damage to his legs, but he was still struggling with certain daily tasks. Stairs were difficult to manoeuvre. It had been hard, moving around in the trailer. But now, he could get around fairly easily.
Their apartment was nice. Two bedrooms, both of fairly equal size. A large living room, galley kitchen, two bathrooms. They had a balcony, big enough to fit two camping chairs, and a few flowerpots. It was really nice, and spacious. It was also really close to Wayne’s new job. They’d been lucky to get one of the units, as a lot of people had been looking forward to moving into the fancy new building. Eddie was glad that they’d moved. Their new apartment didn’t have any water damage, or mold issues, which was nice. The only thing that Eddie didn’t much like, was that they didn’t have in-suite laundry – as it was down in the basement. But otherwise, everything was amazing.
Eddie grabbed his laundry basket, and slowly began to shuffle down the long hallway towards the elevator. This was the only thing that he hated about the building; it’d have been much easier if he could just do his laundry in his apartment. But that just wasn’t an option. He walked slowly, dragging his basket behind him. It was too hard to carry on his hip, so Eddie had attached small wheels to the bottom to make things easier on him. The wheels were sometimes a bit janky, but they worked for the most part.
“Hold the elevator!” Eddie called out, seeing that it was about to leave without him. He didn’t want to wait until it sluggishly went all the way down to the basement, and then back up to the fifth floor. That would take forever.
Eddie’s heart sank, as he saw the doors begin to close. But then at the last second, a hand quickly shot out, and stopped them from closing. Eddie breathed a sigh of relief, as he dragged the laundry basket the last few feet.
“Thanks, man,” Eddie said, looking down to make sure that he stepped over the gap without getting caught on anything. “You’re a lifesaver.”
He was feeling grateful to the other occupant of the elevator – that is, until he glanced up and realized who it was. Eddie’s heart sunk, and he immediately rolled his eyes. Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington. One of the jocks that he’d gone to high school with a few years before. Captain of the swimming team, star basketball player, and an all-around asshole. Eddie immediately rolled his eyes, wishing that he’d just waited for the next elevator.
“I didn’t know you lived here,” Steve said, glancing over at him. “Which floor are you going to?”
“The basement.”
Steve gave him an endearing smile, as he reached forward to press the button. Eddie scowled at him, and used his cane to whack Steve’s hand away from the panel. Steve’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he glanced over at Eddie with a hurt expression.
“What was that for?” he asked. “That actually hurts, you know.”
“Good.” Eddie knew it hurt, that had been the point. He used his cane as a weapon when needed. It was a nice sturdy wooden cane, with a silver metal skull as the handle. Wayne had found it in an antique shop, when they’d gone into Indy for one of his surgeries. There were a lot of times where people thought they could take advantage of him, because he was disabled. He liked having something he could use to defend himself with. “I can press the button myself. I’m not an invalid.”
“Didn’t think you were.” Steve hesitated, as he leaned back against the railing. “I was just trying to help.”
“If I want your help, I’ll ask for it.” Eddie was still scowling at him. He didn’t like the fact that Steve lived in the same building as him. That meant that they would likely run into each other more than once, and he didn’t want that. “But I don’t. I can press the button on my own.”
“This place is nice,” Steve said, as they watched the numbers slowly change on the screen above them. They were nearly at the basement. “I just moved here this month. Well, me and my friend, Robin. We’re sharing a place.”
“Oh.” Eddie stared straight ahead. He didn’t want to hear any of this. “Good for you.”
“Yeah, I think so.” Another big smile from Harrington. “This place is really nice, and I like living here. It’s right by my workplace. I just moved out of my parents’ house, so it’s my first time living on my own.”
“Yeah.”
Eddie was waiting for the elevator to reach the basement, but it felt like it was taking forever. He was hoping that the doors would slide open, and Steve would get out in the lobby, so that he could continue down to the basement on his own. But then, something happened that threw Eddie’s whole plans for a loop. The lights flickered.
“Uh oh.” Steve immediately glanced up, alarmed.
“Shit,” Eddie said. “That’s not good.”
The lights came back on for a second, but it didn’t last. They were plunged once again into darkness. Eddie let out an involuntary scream, as the elevator whirred, then came to a grinding halt. Eddie was flung forward, and he let out a soft groan as he slammed into the wall. He grabbed the railing to steady himself, nearly dropping his cane.
“Holy shit!” Eddie said, loudly.
This was his worst nightmare, being trapped in such a small enclosure with one of his former high school bullies. Christ, this was terrible. He wanted to get the hell out of there. But with the power out, they were now trapped in between floors, until someone could come and rescue them.
“No! This cannot be happening!” Steve shouted out. He rushed forward, pressing all the buttons on the panel. He sounded horrified. “C’mon! I need to get out of here!”
“Press the emergency button,” Eddie said. “Use it to call someone, so they’ll come help us.”
“No, no – It’s not working!” Steve cursed under his breath. “Nobody’s answering.”
“Can you pry the doors open?” Eddie asked. One of his hands had nerve damage, and he couldn’t always use it as well.
Steve threw himself into the task, trying to pry the elevator doors open. But despite his best efforts, he was unable to move them even the slightest. It was a lost cause. Steve tried again, and again, to no avail. The doors were jammed shut.
“It’s no use,” Steve said, out of breath. “They’re stuck, or something.”
“Yeah.”
Eddie hated being in the pitch-black elevator. His joints were on fire, and he knew that this was going to take a while to get out of the elevator. But for now, there was nothing he could do. He kind of wished that he still had his wheelchair, so he could sit down. But he was glad to have his mobility back, though. Eddie slowly lowered himself to the floor, pushing his laundry basket slightly away from him. As he leaned his back against the wall behind him, Eddie could still hear Steve pressing the buttons, anxiously muttering under his breath.
“Sit down, Harrington.” Eddie used his cane to jab Steve in the back. “Either the power comes back on, or someone will come and let us out. But it’s going to be a long wait. And you’re not helping, panicking like that.”
Steve stayed at the panel for another minute or so, but he finally reluctantly sat down, his back against the wall. He was breathing raggedly, deeply upset about the power outage. Steve sounded like he was on the verge of a panic attack.
“Breathe, okay?” Eddie said. “It’s a power outage. I’m sure we’ll get out of here soon.”
“I-I don’t like this.”
“Neither do I,” Eddie said. “Didn’t know you were afraid of the dark, Harrington.”
“Yeah, I am, okay?” Steve said. “It’s not something I’m proud of. I don’t like small spaces, either. Or elevators. So, this kind of sucks.”
“You should’ve taken the stairs, then.” Eddie smirked a little, looking over in Steve’s direction. He couldn’t see him; he couldn’t see anything. “Just stay calm as best as you can. Help will come.”
Steve was silent, but at least his breathing sounded a bit better. Eddie frowned, wondering how Steve was doing. It was difficult to tell, without looking at his face. Eddie didn’t mind so much that they were stuck in the elevator – doing laundry could wait a while. But it mostly just sucked because he didn’t much like Steve, given their past history at high school. Even if that was years ago.
“What’s with the cane?” Steve asked. “Why do you use that?”
Eddie laughed. Out of everything that he’d expected to come from Harrington’s mouth, that that was the last thing he’d expected. He figured that everyone in Hawkins knew about his car crash. It had been in all the papers, splashed across the headlines. There had even been a full-colour photo of his destroyed van, crushed on the driver’s side.
“I use a cane, because my legs are a bit fucked. Hence the reason why I’m sitting on the floor right now.”
“What happened?”
“You really wanna know?” Eddie asked, curious.
“Yeah, I guess. I mean – I’m just wondering about it. You’re like, young. But you have a cane. My grandpa has one. But I don’t really know anyone my age that uses one.”
“I’m disabled, because I was in a car crash, Harrington,” Eddie said, bitterly. “Back when I was in my senior year. Got T-boned by a drunk driver. Nearly killed me.”
“Oh.” Steve was silent for a moment. “I’m really sorry, man. That sucks.”
“Yeah. I was in the ICU for a long time. Nearly ended up paralyzed. But I’m better, now.” Eddie frowned. “And it’s all thanks to your friend, Jason Carver. He’s the drunk asshole who rammed into my van that night.”
“Carver’s not my friend.”
“Isn’t he?” Eddie said, sarcastically. “You guys played basketball together in school. Always sat together in the cafeteria, with your cutesy matching jackets, and all.”
“Just because we were on the same team, that doesn’t mean we were friends.” Steve’s breathing had regulated, and he sounded calmer. “I never liked that guy. Since I graduated, I haven’t hung out with all those guys from school. In my senior year, I stopped hanging out with my old friends. I mostly just hang out with Robin, and a few other people. My social circle is very limited.”
“Bullshit. Aren’t you like, King of Hawkins High, or some shit?” Eddie said. “Mr. Popular. Always going to parties, and getting all the girls.”
“Nah, man.” Steve laughed lightly. “I’m none of those things. I’m just some guy. I date some girls, but I don’t have as much game as you think.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“I gotta ask you something, man. Did I do anything to upset you?” Steve asked, baffled. “When you came on the elevator, and you saw me, you looked like you were royally pissed. I was nice and polite to you. I recognized you from school, Munson. I know we weren’t like, friends or anything. But you seem to hate me, or something. Which I don’t get.”
It was still pitch-black in the elevator, and Eddie wished that the lights would go back on. At least then, this would be easier to get through. Eddie frowned, thinking back on his high school days. He’d always seen Steve hanging out with his friends, laughing, wearing his stupid jacket along with his other jock friends. Always causing trouble. But as he began to think about it, Eddie realized that his friends had been the troublemakers. Steve had often been there, but he’d never really done anything directly to Eddie, or his friends. He had hung out with those that did, though.
“I mean, you’re a jock,” Eddie said, lamely. “The jocks that were in that car that night – Carver and the others – they nearly killed me. Drunk off their asses, speeding, running stop signs. And up until this moment, I thought that you were just like them. I presumed you were friends with them.”
“Well, I’m not.” Steve paused for a second. “I’m really sorry about your car accident. But I wasn’t even friends with them, and I didn’t have anything to do with it. But it does suck.”
“Yeah.”
Eddie thought that maybe he’d misjudged Steve. He’d thought this whole time that the guy was an asshole. But the guy sitting here in the elevator with him wasn’t a bad dude. He seemed pretty normal, not some horrible high school bully. Eddie frowned.
“I guess I thought you were like Carver, and the rest of ‘em. Douchebags. But you seem alright. Y’know what really sucked about my accident? Not just my bum legs, or the coma – but the worst thing, was that I couldn’t even go back to school to finish my senior year. I had to do my schoolwork in the hospital room, and my uncle helped tutor me. I managed to pass the year, but barely.” Eddie rested his arm against his full laundry hamper. “I missed my own prom, and graduation ceremony. It was a rough time. But I moved here recently with my uncle, so life is starting to get better. I like taking the elevator, ‘cause it helps me get around better. I’m not one for the stairs.”
Eddie didn’t know why he was telling all of that to Steve. He didn’t even like the guy. But maybe it was because they were shrouded in darkness, so it felt anonymous, or something. Like, he could say whatever he needed to, without thinking about the fact that the man sitting just a few feet away from him was Steve Harrington.
“I usually take the stairs.” Steve was tapping his fingers against his jeans. “I don’t much like elevators. Me and Robin, we were trapped in one once, for a really long time. It was really unpleasant – just like now. I tend to avoid them. It’s a long story.”
“Oh.”
Eddie was going to ask more questions, but then, the lights flickered back on. Eddie glanced up, relieved. Then, he looked across the elevator at Steve, and smiled at him.
“This is so much better.” Steve returned the smile. “This is good.”
As the elevator panel came to life, they could hear a crackling voice come from the small speakers. It was a firefighter, telling Steve and Eddie that they were working on freeing them just as soon as they could. The elevator jolted, and dropped down a few feet. It did it again. Eddie’s stomach plummeted, and he felt like he might throw up. They could hear loud voices shouting outside of the elevator, and then someone was banging on the doors. Steve and Eddie sat there, listening to the sounds of the voices outside. Someone was calling out Steve’s name. And then, Eddie heard his uncle call his name, too.
“We’re in here!” Steve shouted out, banging his fist on the doors. “Help! Let us out!”
“Wayne, I’m here!” Eddie shouted.
The elevator doors shrieked, and groaned as they were pried open. Steve quickly jumped to his feet, then went to help up Eddie. He leaned heavily on his cane, watching as Robin and Wayne rushed into the elevator. Robin flung herself into Steve’s arms.
“Steve, I was so worried!” Robin said, loudly. “You were supposed to meet me in the car. I was getting really worried when you didn’t show up. Thought something happened to you. And then someone said that the power was out.”
“Yeah, I was riding the elevator down to meet you,” Steve said. “Should’ve taken the damned stairs, but I was running late. I didn’t mean to take so long.”
“Dustin’s probably wondering what happened to us,” Robin said. “We were supposed to be there like, an hour ago.”
Wayne went to his nephew, and pulled him into a hug. “I was so worried, Ed. Are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” Eddie said, his cheek pressed against Wayne’s jean jacket. “Power outage knocked out elevator service, but I’m fine. I was just going to the basement to do some laundry.”
“I’ll take it down for you. Don’t you worry about that none,” Wayne said as he checked Eddie over for any damages, making sure he was alright. Once he was satisfied, he patted his nephew on the arm. “Yeah, you’re okay. I was just so worried about you.”
“Thanks.”
“Let’s grab a bite to eat at the diner,” Wayne said. “Hang on, I’ll be right back.”
Wayne grabbed the handle of the laundry basket, and started to haul it out of the elevator. Eddie gratefully followed him out of the tiny enclosed space, stepping out into the wide-open lobby. The storm had passed, and the sun was peeking out of the dark clouds. Eddie smiled, watching as Steve and Robin hurried out to his car.