Then, Richard Lee froze mid-swing, his heart leaping into his throat. He heard footsteps. Someone was standing just on the other side of the door.
A surge of wild hope burst inside his chest. He raised the steel pipe once more and slammed it against the corrugated metal with all his strength.
"Help! Help! I am trapped inside this warehouse! Please! Somebody get this door open!" Richard Lee shouted.
"Is there someone inside?" A stern, clear voice echoed back from outside the threshold.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! I am trapped inside! Please, break the lock! Get me out of here!" Richard Lee responded.
The person outside fell silent for a brief, agonising moment before speaking again with a measured tone.
"Who are you? And why are you locked inside this facility?"
