Ripley- Elevator Fall

  The elevator plunged, screeching against its control framework, throwing sparks that were visible through the cage walls, vibrating violently, shaking her vision so much that everyone and everything around her was a blur.

  She heard the thud of weapons hitting the floor and dropped her own, staggering back until she was braced against the wall. But there was nothing to hold onto. And even if there had been, it would have made no difference.

  Her stomach seemed to be rising and rolling, and she swallowed down the sudden urge to vomit.
...

  “We’re slowing!” Hoop said. They thudded past the buffer on level 8, and then a heavy grinding sound commenced.

  Ripley and the others were all flung to the floor. A rhythmic clanging began, resounding explosions from all around that vibrated through the cage’s structure. Bolts, screws and shreds of metal showered around her, and Ripley expected them to burst apart at any moment.

  The noise became almost unbearable, pulsing into her ears, her torso, and the vibrations threatened to shake her apart bone-by-bone. Lying flat on the floor, she managed to turn her head toward Hoop. He was sitting propped in the far corner, head tilted to one side so he could still look at the control panel.

  He glanced across, saw her looking.

  “Dampers working,” he shouted.

  Then they struck bottom. Ripley’s breath was knocked out of her as she was punched into the elevator’s floor. Something heavy landed on her leg. A scream was cut off, but someone else grunted and started to moan.

  The lift mechanism was smoking, filling the air with an acrid haze. Lights flickered off and then came back on again, buzzing and settling into an even glow. The sudden silence was more shocking than the noise and violence had been.

  Ripley pushed herself up onto hands and knees, breathing hard and waiting for the white-hot pain of cracked ribs or broken limbs to sing in. But apart from an array of bruises, a bloodied nose, and a sense of disbelief that they had somehow survived, she appeared to be fine.

Out of the Shadows, Chapter 10