THE SAFE ROOM
ALM No.95, November 2026
SHORT STORIES
The evening had started like any other security meeting at the estate. Skylar had been reviewing the security reports when Jensen arrived to discuss a possible threat against both families. Their conversation had been tense from the beginning, neither one of them willing to address the year of heartbreak that stood between them. Before either could say another word, a sharp alarm pierced the house. Red warning lights flashed along the hallway as the security system announced a perimeter breach.
“Someone’s inside the grounds,” Jensen said, immediately reaching for his weapon. A second alarm sounded, followed by the unmistakable crack of gunfire somewhere outside. “Skylar, move!”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the nearest safe room. She stumbled after him, cursing under her breath as he shoved open the reinforced steel door. They barely made it inside before the security system detected the breach and initiated an automatic lockdown.
The heavy steel door of the safe room sealed with a hydraulic hiss that sounded entirely too much like a final judgment. Outside, the security alarms around the house wailed, a distant panic triggered by a tripped perimeter wire. Inside, the silence was immediate, thick, and suffocating.
"You have got to be kidding me," Jensen muttered, dropping his forehead against the cold metal door.
"Don't look at me," Skylar snapped, crossing her arms backing up until her spine hits the opposite wall. The room was barely six by six feet, a high-tech concrete box built for worst-case scenarios. "You’re the one who panicked and grabbed my arm when the alarms went off. You dragged me in here."
"I was trying to ensure we didn't get shot, Skylar. Forgive me for not wanting to die. I forgot you rather handle everything only on your own terms."
"My terms? You're the one who left the second things got real, Jensen! Not me, so don’t talk to me about my terms."
They fell into a tense, breathing silence. The safe room was built for survival, meaning the air filtration system hummed softly, but it did nothing to cool the sudden spike in temperature driven by pure adrenaline and a year of unaddressed resentment. They hadn't been in the same room since the day he packed his bags because she had started talking about moving in together, their future together, and even about them. The moment she got too close, he had suffocated. Now, they were trapped in a space where breathing room didn't exist. The lights flickered, settling into a dim, amber emergency mode. The main power grid outside had failed.
"Great," Jensen whispered. He slid down the wall, straitening his long legs, the familiar bow of his knees lifting off the ground as he takes up half the available space. "We're stuck until the automated system resets, which takes two hours."
Skylar glared at his boots, then at his face. The amber light caught the sharp angle of his jaw. She hated how familiar it still was. Her knees were shaking—not from the threat outside, but from the sudden, violent claustrophobia of his presence. Finally giving in, she slid down her side of the wall. Their knees brushed against each other, causing both of them to flinch but not move away.
"Are you okay?" Jensen asked. The sharp edge was gone from his voice, replaced by something softer almost like concern. "You used to hate tight spaces.”
"I'm fine," she said, her voice tighter than she intended. She swallowed hard, staring at the floor between them. "I just... I didn't think the first time I saw you would be in a concrete bunker.”
"I didn't mean to hurt you, Sky," Jensen said, looking at his own hands. "But you were pulling at things inside me I wasn't ready to open up. You were getting too close I couldn't breathe."
Skylar let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "So, you decided to what just leave instead of just talking to me? I was in love with you, Jensen. I wanted to know the real you, not the one you created for the world to see. You threw my love away like it meant nothing."
The words hung heavily in the small room. Jensen didn't even try to defend himself, just looked at her as he swallowed, knowing she’s right.
"You're right," he said softly. "It terrified me. I spent my whole life keeping people at arm's length because it’s safe. Then you showed up, and you saw right through all my walls. I panicked."
"And what about now?" Skylar asked, her voice dropping to a whisper. She looked around the tiny, unbreakable concrete room. "You're trapped in a room with me. No walls left to hide behind. Are you panicking?"
Jensen looked up, his gaze locking onto hers. The fear was still there in his eyes, but underneath it was something else: something raw, desperate, and entirely uncovered. He reached out, his hand hovering over the small gap between them on the floor. It was trembling slightly.
"I'm terrified," Jensen murmured, his voice cracking. "But for the first time in a year... I don't want to run."
Skylar looked at his fingers, remembered the warmth of them, and slowly closed the distance, sliding her hand into his. His grip tightened immediately, pulling her across the small gap until she was pressed against his side, the tight space suddenly feeling like the only place they were ever meant to be.
Katherine Rifenbark is a 27 year old student at Full Sail University in Winter Park Florida, she is working on her Bachelor of Fine Arts. Katherine writes in her free time. Writing is a passion of hers and she is working hard at getting her name out there for people to read. She has been reading and writing stories since she was in elementary school.
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