Should’ve Said Goodbye

Inspired by the situational prompt – “You go down in a lift that doesn’t stop for hours. When it finally opens, what do you see?”

Boarding the elevator, her fingers anxiously rasped the invitation.

All it gave was a date, time and address, with VIP in gold leaf atop.

Seven others were with her, all dressed to impress, as was she.

Everyone quietly chattered about what this was, where they were going.

No one seemed to know.

The doors closed, the vessel hiccuped, and they were off.

Down, down, down they went.

Hours passed, and the chatter shifted to full-blown conversations of excitement, and concern.

At long last, they slowed, then stopped.

As the doors opened, the woman stepped back.

Peaking over the gentleman’s shoulder to her front, she saw a long, steel ramp, leading to what she could only describe as a gigantic ship. Only, it sat in lava, not water. 

The heat was extraordinary. She immediately broke out in a vicious sweat, struggling to draw a sufficient breath

A man in a hat ushered them out. “Quickly quickly,” he urged. “There isn’t much time.”

As the woman passed, she asked,  “Where are we, what is this?”

He scoffed. “Did you not hear of the storms?”

“The storms?”

He sighed with a roll of his eyes. 

“Oh, yes, the storms,” she backpedaled, pretending she knew what he was talking about.

“Do you have your invitation?”

Her hands slightly trembled as she passed it over.

“Good good,” he said. “You are on level C, bunker 154. Enjoy your stay, Miss. And I hope you said a proper goodbye to the surface.” 

Prompt hosted by, https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2020/11/05/reenas-exploration-challenge-160/