COUNTDOWN

TEN… At least that’s what the muffled voice appeared to say. But through three sets of walls it was hard to even hear – much less understand – the announcement made over the loudspeaker. And although he had already pressed every button on the control panel, that announcement caused Dave to again punch the button labeled “Alarm”, hoping against hope that someone would answer his plea, or at least recognize his presence in the building. “I can’t afford to panic,” Dave thought to himself. Dave never really liked elevators anyway. Like many people he had a slight touch of claustrophobia. And although his wasn’t strong enough to keep him out of elevators altogether, it was enough to give him a healthy respect for stairways. Dave would always claim he took the stairs for health reasons. He just didn’t clarify that it was for mental health reasons! NINE… Dave knew this structure was slated for demolition. He knew the date. He knew the time. He even knew how many