Claustrophobic
An Investigative Short Story
Oh, Lord!
Kim inhaled sharply, pressing herself against the cold, metal paneling. The tight space threatened to smash her body like a flat cake. It’s okay! It’s okay! She inched her feet to the side, keeping her hands up against the wall that pushed against her.
“It’s crazy …” Aiden's deep voice whispered close behind her. She couldn’t turn her head to look at him directly. The awfully small space only allowed a human being to move in one direction. “The things investigative reporters do for a good scoop, eh?”
“Shut it.” Kim snapped, jerking her shoulder dramatically. Something snagged on her arm, preventing her from moving. “Aiden, I’m stuck.” She tugged her on her left arm, wishing she could look at the problem.
“Yeah, hang on.” Aiden took a second to observe the situation. “A rigid part of the paneling snagged on your jacket.”
“Blazer.” Kim corrected him. “Don’t rip it.”
“Uh, I’ll try.” Aiden rolled his eyes. “But maybe next time you decide to break into a warehouse, wear something less … expensive.” With his one available hand, he gripped the tip of the blazer and lifted it off the sharp corner of the metal. Thankfully, nothing ripped.
The whole situation was awkward and Kim knew it. What was supposed to be a normal interview with the CEO of a semi-truck manufacturing company in a rural city, turned into nearly getting thrown off the premises.
“It’s not like I planned for this.” Kim inched her way through.
“Yeah, yeah.” Aiden wiggled his foot out of a smaller section of flooring. His giant feet were barely able to move from the ongoing sideways direction.
Just minutes earlier, the two reporters discovered an access point through the warehouse storage section. They decided that having their promised interview was more important than the possibility of getting charged for trespassing. Unfortunately, that led to a series of running and ducking from employees. Before they knew it, they found themselves in a type of ventilation shaft that gradually grew taller but its width quickly shrunk. The loud clank, clank, clank, and deep vibrations that circulated around them, made Kim wonder if they were right outside a machine.
Or in one.
“I hope this is going to be worth it, Kim …” Aiden started mumbling.
Kim wanted to groan with him, but she kept moving. She could feel her heart rate increase with each second they were pressed against the metal walls. Stuck in her awkward sideways position, she focused on the light that was up ahead. Kim prayed it was the exit to whatever they were inside of.
“It’ll be worth it,” Kim assured him, as she took a couple of deep breaths. “Think of all those …” Kim noticed that her body was shaking. “Those families.”
“Right,” Aiden grunted, his foot smashed against an elevated part of the flooring. Nearly losing balance, he leaned forward and crushed his face against the metal. Out of panic, his hand reached out, grabbing Kim’s.
“Wait, wait!” Kim half screamed, feeling her body get pulled by his weight. Both of them quickly recovered, pushing against the wall for better balance.
“Sorry.” Aiden inhaled deeply, his chest pushed completely against the wall. He could feel his pulse vibrate with the walls that seemed to move.
“It’s fine.” Kim breathed. “Almost there …”
She didn’t even want to think about the possibility of falling in such a tight space. How would either one of them get out? Would it be possible? What’s worse, would they ever get out? Kim could imagine the next news report headline …
Dedicated Reporters Killed by Claustrophobia.
The things Aiden and Kim were willing to do to get the truth out. Is it worth it? Kim thought about this for a moment, as she felt her brown hair rise by some unforeseen force of static electricity. It stuck to the wall and moved with her slow progress. Absolutely.
All Kim could think about were those families. The small town depended on the shipping business, hence the need for semi-trucks. However, a new fleet of manufactured trucks resulted in dozens of tragic trucking accidents in a six-month period. Left and right, reports of a truck causing an accident on the road flooded the media. Accused of reckless driving, most families found their loved ones imprisoned and blamed for the accidents.
Now, the economy was at a plummeting state, as jobs were taken away and seats were no longer able to be filled. Not to mention the constant flow of lawsuits against the trucking companies. It was hard to believe that so many truckers could be involved in the same kind of accidents, in such a short timeframe. Especially when this was the livelihood of the entire town, something passed on for generations. It was in their blood.
In Daddy’s blood, Kim thought. She heard herself sniffle, as a gentle tear trickled down her cheek.
“The whole engine cut out,” her dad told her. “I lost control! But not ‘cause of my own choices!”
His explanation was the same as the dozens of other truckers who were blamed for “public destruction” and “endangering the public.” All wrongful accusations, Kim believed. It’s the new trucks! Her stance on the argument was plain and simple. It was the manufacturers who were to blame. They were the reason why the trucks caused the drivers to lose control, not the other way around.
She just needed to prove it.
“You okay?” Aiden’s voice interrupted her thoughts. He felt her tap on her shoulder. “Kim?”
“I …” Kim blinked, and she realized her feet stopped moving. Her chest rose and fell, while sweat leaked from her brow. Everything was shaking.
“Don’t stand still, it makes it worse.” He pushed her forward, making her take another step. “Don’t think about it.”
“Oh my gosh …” Kim inhaled heavily. “Why are we even here?!”
She started hyperventilating, her knees shook with each forced step. The metal walls seemed to close in from above, the tallness of them shrinking with each step. Out of desperation, Kim reached for the light ahead of her–only to feel like it grew further away.
“Just keep going, it's okay.” Aiden kept his hand on her shoulder, moving her forward.
“Get me out, get me out, get me out.” Tears welled up, as Kim felt like her very soul was distancing from her body. “Get. Me. Out!”
“Kim.” Aiden gripped her shoulder. “Kim, stop. Close your eyes.”
“No, no, get–”
“Do it!”
“Gah …” Kim obeyed.
She stood there, feeling suffocated by the walls, with her eyes firmly shut. Tears poured, her breathing labored, and all the while she trembled. Aiden kept his grip on her, probably out of fear she would fall and get them both stuck.
“Tell me, why do we do this?” His voice was soft.
“Get stuck in walls?”
“No.” Aiden chuckled. “Why do we do whatever it takes to find the truth?”
“Because …” Kim took a deep, slow breath. “Secrets hurt people. So, the truth helps people.” She said it in such a childish way, but admired the simplicity of it.
Kim could never let that go, it was ingrained inside of her. She knew, with everything in her, that the truth would always come out. In one way or another. And as she stood there, feeling claustrophobic by the lies, accusations, and secrets that tried to destroy her family and entire town …
Kim knew, deep within her, that she had to discover the truth. She knew it would save lives, reputations, jobs, and maybe even the entire city. The passion–the call–to seek the truth coursed through her veins, as she thought of the one scripture that her dad said upon each greeting.
“You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Scratching his beard and grinning, he would add. “That’s what my girl does. She lives by John 8:32 with every breath she breathes.” He was always so proud of the way Kim “chased after God’s truth” as he referenced it.
God’s truth.
“Okay …” Kim took another breath, feeling her body readjust to the small space.
Pushing herself forward, she took each step thinking nothing else except God’s truth. Much like the light that shined before Kim, the knower of all things was guiding her steps as He always had.
That was one thing about God that Kim admired, He could never lie or ignore the facts. He sought justice and truth because it was His character. And it was the type of character Kim desired to reflect.
It was God’s truth that set her free from the darkness of the world, allowing her to bask in His truthful light.
Within seconds of focusing on these thoughts, she cried in joy, “Aiden! We made it!” Kim breathed, as she touched the end of the wall. A short vent blocked their exit, but she easily pushed it open and stumbled out. Kim’s body exhaled from the prolonged tension.
“Thank God …” Aiden slid out, stretching his cramped body. The two of them stared regretfully through the dark path they endured, before becoming aware of the large machine that was in front of them. Instantly, Kim pulled out her phone, while Aiden commented, “That’s a shredder.” He stared at her with an open mouth. “We just slide behind a giant shredder.”
The effect of extreme claustrophobia seemed to be non-existent to Kim, her hands worked busily on her phone. She kept looking back and forth at the shredder, but more importantly, at what was being rolled into the shredder.
Engine parts.
“Aiden, this is–”
“Hey!” overlapping voices shook Kim to the core. Unconsciously, she jumped behind Aiden, but still used her phone and kept holding it up to the shredder. A couple of tall men drew close to them, all dressed in overalls and covered in grease. “You’re trespassing on private property!”
“We’re here to see the CEO.” Aiden kept his voice calm, cool, and collected. “We had a scheduled interview.”
“He already canceled that.” One man approached Kim. “And put your phone away, they are not allowed on the premises.”
“Why?” Kim shot back. “To make sure no evidence gets leaked out?” The man didn’t answer, he reached for her phone but Kim jerked it back with a smile saying, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“Oh, really?” With a sarcastic tone, he frowned. “You’re literally breaking the law.”
“Sure, but touch this phone and three hundred witnesses can testify against you for hiding incriminating evidence.”
“What witnesses?”
Kim’s smile turned into a smirk. “I’m live streaming.” She pointed her phone at Aiden. “Say hi!”
Aiden grinned wildly, while he turned to the angered employees and said, “I think it’s time we talked to your boss now …”
BREAKING NEWS:
Reporters squeeze out the truth behind manufacturing companies' major engine defects.
New evidence reverses convicted truckers.
Truth be told, this was my first time attempting to write an investigative/mystery-ish short story. However, I did enjoy it!
Foundation Scripture:
“But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light” (Ephesians 5:13).
Remember, God’s truth sets us free physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. He is the God of TRUTH.
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This is literally my favorite short story ❤