The Lift by Joe Orange
Max thought his new night shift job was simple: drive a forklift through a mysterious "lift," dump toxic waste, and collect a paycheck. What he didn't expect was that the lift would transport him to an alien world of blazing twin suns and endless white desert.
But when Max discovers his coworker Ling's secret—a cave filled with golden treasure hidden among towering mesas—a routine waste disposal job becomes a deadly heist across dimensions. With a corrupt cop as his unlikely partner and a ticking 40-minute timer before the lift returns, Max must navigate scorching heat, ancient horrors, and the realization that his employer's operation is far more sinister than moving barrels of "hazardous waste."
Some jobs are worth dying for. This one might kill you either way.
A fast-paced, noir-tinged science fiction novella that blends cosmic horror with street-level grit. Set in the decaying industrial landscape of Detroit, "The Lift" follows an ex-con who stumbles into an interdimensional conspiracy where clones, alien creatures, and golden treasures collide in a race against time.
Perfect for readers who love cosmic horror and dimension-hopping adventure, this standalone novella in the Strange Detroit series delivers otherworldly thrills grounded in gritty human drama.
"The Lift is an immersive read with scorching imagery. I had to crack open the window to let in the frigid breath of Boreas to cool down as I followed Max on his quest to gilded treasures and fast cars. 10/10 would read again." - Reader Review