OLIVIA
This was the first time I had ever encountered a situation like this, and no matter how hard I tried to stay calm, my heart kept pounding faster with each passing second.
I focused on trying to stay rational, blocking out the rising panic threatening to take over. I took a slow, steadying breath, mentally going through the survival tips I had read online about being trapped in an elevator. I pressed myself against the elevator wall, standing on tiptoe as I tried to steady my breathing.
Seconds stretched like an eternity, and then—without warning—the elevator plummeted downwards. My heart leaped into my throat. The weight of the fall was unbearable, a sensation of gravity pulling me down. Then, just as suddenly, the elevator came to an abrupt stop. It wasn’t a smooth halt,
