Short Story #2 Step 1

The Red Bandana

It was a regular Tuesday morning, nothing out of the ordinary. As always, I took the same train into the city, cradling my coffee and half listening to the early morning hum of conversation around me. The sun filtered through the windows, and I remember thinking it was a beautiful, clear day. After arriving at the station, I made my usual stop at the corner cafe, the same barista handing me my coffee – the same way I always take it – with a smile. By 8:30, I was in the elevator with a few coworkers, chatting about the usual—weekend plans, the latest office gossip. There was a comfortable routine to it all. When I got to my desk on the 78th floor, I settled in, sifting through emails, sipping my coffee, just another day.

Then everything changed. The floor shuddered beneath me, and the entire building seemed to sway. At first, I thought it was an earthquake or maybe a freak accident in the building. But the moment stretched too long. Someone screamed down the hall. My coffee cup slipped from my hand, shattering across the floor. In an instant, the normalcy of my morning evaporated. Everything was chaos—the air felt thick, acrid, and the sound of alarms blared through the confusion. My heart raced as I stood frozen at my desk, the world spinning out of control. It wasn’t an earthquake. It was something far worse.