Pāhonoa te oro

dinged. Relief. He ran toward it. The doors slid open slowly. Inside— People. Standing still. Facing the wall. “Hey—thank God—” None of them moved. Daniel stepped in. The doors shut behind him. Then— Every single head turned. At the same time. Too fast. Too sharp. Their eyes were empty. Their mouth…

dinged. Relief. He ran toward it. The doors slid open slowly. Inside— People. Standing still. Facing the wall. “Hey—thank God—” None of them moved. Daniel stepped in. The doors shut behind him. Then— Every single head turned. At the same time. Too fast. Too sharp. Their eyes were empty. Their mouths opened. And in perfect sync, they whispered: “WE MISSED THE LAST RIDE TOO.” The elevator started going up. Not down. Daniel slammed the buttons. Nothing worked. The screen flickered.