At the top of a skyscraper, a young woman sat sobbing under her desk. The open plan office was now abandoned and rain spattered lightly against glass walls. In the distance an orange fireball raged, reaching ferociously into the sky.
The woman’s colleagues had long since escaped the building. A massive earthquake had sent them running towards the stairwell screaming. Some people were crying and confused, while others took selfies of their horrified faces, uploading the images with efficiency as they fled.
But Jane had dived under her desk. Pulling her legs up to her torso and her cardigan over her head, her body froze with fear. She knew the route to the stairwell but her body couldn’t move.
After a while, exhausted from the panic, she rested her head against the underside of her desk and drifted into sleep. From a dark corner of the office came her father. Dressed in a black suit he walked towards her slowly, looking cautious. When Jane opened her eyes, she screamed a silent scream. Her father gently raised a finger as he approached as if to hush her.
“It’s alright,” he said in a reassuring tone. “You can get out of here, sweet-pea. Just walk towards that door,” and he turned his head slowly in the direction of the stairwell.
“I c..can’t,” stuttered Jane, “I don’t want to die out there.”
Her father squatted in front of her desk and peered at her with warmth in his eyes. “Stand up now,” he said resolutely, “It’s easier than you think.”
Taking a deep breath, Jane shuffled out from under the desk and cowered on the spot where she now stood. She looked back, knowing instinctively she was on her own.
Around the office computer screens twinkled and hummed. The floor was littered with papers, coffee cups and the contents of handbags. John had frantically pulled out all of the drawers from his desk and Karen had dropped a half-eaten birthday cake, which was now smeared across the floor. Christina’s monitor shone brightly and, hearing a small tinkling sound, Jane noted a message flashing boldly on the screen:
Albert C wants to connect with you, right now! stated the message
With hypnotic effect Jane’s body slid obediently towards the keyboard and her finger reached out to click the large letters which spelled OK.
A new message flashed in red:
Congratulations! You’re now connected with Albert C. Tell him what you’re doing, RIGHT NOW!
Momentarily forgetting her mission to the exit, Jane gently lowered herself into Christina’s chair and typed earnestly:
I got trapped in the earthquake. I want to get out.
She clicked send and reflected (for some time while awaiting a response) that if she were able to make it this far, perhaps escape was possible…
Suddenly, the screen flashed and Jane awoke, sitting bolt upright in the chair:
Albert C has responded. Answer him NOW!
Jane’s heart skipped a beat. Someone’s out there and they can hear me! she beamed, full of hope. Her hand moved over the mouse to open Albert C’s response:
I don’t know who this is but quit fucking about. I’m here to network for business.
Jane sat back in her chair and felt the blood drain from her face. If this had been Facebook, the outcome may have been different.
There was only one thing to do. She had to make it to the stairwell. Looking dismally at Albert C’s response, Jane murmured nervously and set off for the exit. Wincing each time the building creaked, she picked up her pace, then broke into a sprint across the room. She opened the office door wildly, ran down the corridor and stopped at the stairwell door, gasping for breath. The cold metal door knob was a relief to her sweaty palm. With a deep breath, and as her stomach churned, she twisted the handle and pushed the door open.
Much to her surprise, there was no stairwell. Only a blue sky with drifting clouds. The skyscraper had fallen some time ago and she had never made it out. Here was the Second Exit. It seemed absurd and yet so was all that had come before she thought, with a faint and wistful smile on her face. This was the promise of a new beginning. And so she stepped calmly into the clouds.
Read another surreal and trippy story:
Hungry Souls Diner 