A Normal Day: The Writer Within #1

Do you know how to say “self promotion”? I sure do, and so every month (or maybe less), I will do so by posting some of my longer poems, short stories, or previews of longer content that I have written (and hope to publish…). Enjoy!

A Normal Day

It was a normal day in Tulsa. The forecast called for cloudy skies, but that was typical.

I got up at six, as I did every morning, yawned, rolled out of bed, then immediately wished I hadn’t gotten up. I stumbled into the bathroom with dreary eyes and washed my hands. I always wash my hands whenever I wake up.

I rubbed the crust away from eyes that had formed overnight. Then I used the toilet, wiped, flushed, and washed my hands again.

I walked into the kitchen and turned off the coffee machine. It was one of those new ones that you can set so that your coffee is ready by the time you get up.

I got out a bowl of cereal and grabbed a spoon. I ate slowly as my muscles woke up.

When I finished breakfast, I cleaned up then went back to my bedroom. I made my bed, cleaned my room, and then went back into the bathroom. I showered, dressed, applied my deodorant, and finished by styling my hair with hair gel. I glanced at the clock again. Six fifty-five. Perfect.

I got my files together and put them inside my briefcase. I grabbed my iPhone and walked out the door. I got into my ’02 Nissan Maxima SE and drove off to work.

There was heavy traffic on Highway 244 into downtown, irritating me beyond belief. I honked and yelled, hoping that it would make a difference among a fleet of honking cars. I heard a whoosh overhead and leaned forward to look out the windshield. A dozen or so jets flew over the highway, creating quite a stir among we honkers. The honking stopped for about fourteen seconds before we started up again.

When I finally made it into downtown, I drove past the BOK Center on my way to the building where I worked. I spotted several homeless people sitting outside the Center, sleeping beneath newspapers and cardboard. One of them stood on the corner of the street, holding a sign that said “Anything Helps”. I felt sorry for him and lowered my window. He saw me and walked over to my car. I took out my wallet and handed him ten dollars. He stammered, “Thank ya, sir,” and walked away. I rolled up my window and drove off, feeling quite good about myself.

Work was the same as always. Phones ringing, indistinct chattering, and busybody loud-mouthing everywhere. People hustled and bustled through the aisles and ignored me as they shoved their way past. I made my way to my desk inside my cubicle and sat down. I had a cubicle near a window, but it didn’t help; it was overcast outside. The weather agitated my mood. I leaned back in my chair and took a minute to listen to the chaos around me. God, I hated my normal, everyday life.

I opened my briefcase, took out my files, and opened the first one. I read over the paperwork and then grabbed a phone. I read out the number of the client and began to dial.

I didn’t get past the third digit when I heard a resounding boom throughout the building. I quickly looked out the window.

I couldn’t see anything that had caused the loud sound. Everyone stopped in their tracks and ran over to the windows. I found my small cubicle quite occupied within several seconds. Everyone crowded around each other, eager to get a better view.

Then I saw it.

A huge mushroom cloud came up from the ground, maybe a few miles away.

I gasped as I watched rows of buildings tumble to the ground like dominoes. Some of us stared while others screamed and ran to the elevators and the stairs. I was mesmerized by the sight of building after building’s windows being blown out as a large shockwave came closer and closer to my building. Only when the windows shattered in the building across the street did I realize my danger. I jumped away from the window just in time.

The whole building jolted as the shockwave hit. I fell to the floor and heard others hit the floor as well. The part of my body that had been closest to the window was burned, but it didn’t hurt. I heard a soft snapping sound far off, followed by a whoosh. A loud screeching noise began, but quickly silenced.

A man next to me began to weep. I crawled over to him.

“Hey, what’s the matter?”

“Th-th-that noise! Don’t you know what it is?!”

A boom emanated from the ground. I suddenly recognized the noise. Thank God I hadn’t taken the elevator.

A tremor hit the building as the shrieking of jets was heard flying over the city. I quickly looked out the window and saw the jets I had seen flying over the highway before. In swift pursuit behind them were a dozen fighter jets I recognized as Harriers. Even when they had passed out of view, I could still hear the sound of heavy gunfire in the distance.

I ran over to the stairs and started on my way down. When I reached the bottom, I sprinted out across the lobby. I tripped over a small piece of concrete and fell to the floor. The elevator door had been blasted open, and I could see the tip of what used to be the elevator. I quickly turned away and ran out the door. I could feel the hysteria coming on and tried to choke back the tears.

The city was just as full as it was thirty minutes ago, only now it looked different. Every window was shattered, every building was destroyed in some way, everything was covered in ash, everyone was covered in ash, and everyone was walking around in a daze, including me.

I looked back up into the sky, half-expecting a jet to crash right into me. I saw a Harrier, but it flew overhead. A pack of other jets followed it, destroying it quickly. I ran towards the river as I wondered who was in those rogue jets.

A man ran up next to me.

“Where are you going, son?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know!”

I started crying hysterically. The man slapped me and looked into my eyes.

“Follow me. I’m headed towards the BOK Center. Supposedly they have some type of shelter in case of tornadoes, but it will work just fine right now for a bomb shelter.”

“But aren’t we gonna die anyways?”

He didn’t answer.

I followed him to the Center. When we got there, I recognized the homeless man I had given money to. He was helping an officer hold back the crowd surrounding the Center.

“We are all full, folks! Find somewhere else to hide!”

I nearly collapsed to the pavement. But the homeless man spotted me and beckoned me over. I ran over to him and he pointed inside. I nodded and started to go in but he held me up and looked at me.

“Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

I shook my head silently, but then stopped. I pointed towards his cardboard sign.

“Anything Helps”

He nodded in agreement and shoved me through the door and into the Center.

It was extremely crowded. I found that almost no one was actually inside the basement. They were all out in the arena. I turned to a man beside me and asked him why we weren’t being allowed inside the shelter.

“It’s full. The mayor and her people were the first ones to get in there and the only ones.”

I nodded glumly and curled up into a ball. Why was this happening to me?

I heard a whistle outside as fighters flew overhead. People started screaming as several bombs hit the ground outside. I looked out the door and saw the homeless man lying in the middle of the pavement, still among the other corpses. I looked up slowly and spotted a little dot headed right for us. I turned back inside.

Everyone cried and wailed as we awaited our doom. I sat back and listened to the chaos around me.

“Oh, God!” I finally cried out, “Why couldn’t I have kept my normal, everyday life??”

He didn’t answer, but a sudden turmoil stirred inside me.

Who would remember who I was?

Where was I going after death?

What existed beyond the void?

Did it matter?

I glanced at the clock. Nine o’clock even. Perfect.

The explosion deafened all else. I looked up to see the endless inferno engulf me.