The Immutable Script

Chapter 1: The Reckoning

In a city where skyscrapers stretched through the clouds and alleyways twisted and convulsed into a never-ending labyrinth, life unfolded in a relentless symphony of monotony. 

For most people, life was the same; the chatter around the mall, the doom and dread that surrounded the office building of Mark & Co. and situations so absurdly mundane and illogical that they were oppressively profound. The difference is, for you, it's a nightmare and for the residents of Nexumburg, it was Tuesday.

Clara was one such ordinary office worker in the city of Nexumburg, excluding the fact that she woke up to the same sequence of events every day. The jarring sound of her alarm at 7:00 in the morning was not pleasant to repeat every day. So were the rush in the morning, the same old crowded commute, and the same strenuous tasks awaiting her at the office.

Amidst the redundant routine, there seemed to be something peculiar; the kind that defies logic and reasoning.

Clara couldn't care less though.

"The phone keeps ringing and it just won't stop." whined the girl to her workmate Alice.

Alice ran to the telephone and attended the call, staring at Clara with sarcasm in her eyes.

A smile escaped both their lips. "Not that way dumbo. I meant how it seems to ring at 9:02 every day. Isn't that unusual?" Said the exasperated Clara, laying her cheek on the frigid desk, too tired to care about anything. "Not to mention, nobody replies."

"You're in Nuxemburg Claire, don't forget that. But on a serious note, I don't think you should ignore this, like, it is weird now that I think of it." chimed Max, a close work friend.

Clara let out a sigh. "There's a paper napkin in your coffeepot Al."

Alice glanced down at her pot and rolled her eyes.

"Well, time to get back to work guys."

Max and Alice stared at each other, wondering if their laid-back friend was serious.

Clara lowered her gaze."No, like seriously. Boss will yell."

All this time, something poked Clara's mind. Was this all a coincidence? Just fate playing tricks on a poor, innocent soul? The nagging feeling left her unable to concentrate, leaving her mind prancing around, unable to conclude. 

She made the catastrophic decision to leave work that day, knowing how her boss would shun her in front of everybody and for Clara, that was just the cruel nature of the world. Walking home, she couldn't ignore the deep, philosophical questions her mind was racing to.

There was an irresistible sense of abnormality, although it was one that seemed like it was meant to be ignored.