valarltd | Word count and excerpt

13,239 / 50,000
(26.5%)

It was a long ride up in the elevator. The private elevator, Nick amended. Operated by key, not buttons. A working elevator was a rare enough thing, but a private one was almost unheard of.

“Way up,” he commented. “Not gonna get a nosebleed am I?” He was calculating. There weren’t too many really tall structures in the city.

“Not yet.”

“Yet?” Nick swallowed hard, not liking the sound of that. It promised many nosebleeds in the future. He edged a half step away, knowing it would do no good, but needing to feel as if he had accomplished something.

The elevator reached the top and opened into a suite. A sunken living room with plush carpeting and leather furniture greeted them. The kitchen faded away in dimness to the left and there was a dark hall stretching away ahead of them.

I’m doomed was Nick’s first thought.