Decrease

The Weekend

The windows, shielded by steel shutters when the outbreak became obvious, reflect a cold darkness through the clear glass, where no people exist, no snow falls, no light shines, and no noise is heard. Plants that adorn the front doorway have withered leaves around them, dying from no light and no water. Pop cans, plastic bottles, and cups still containing liquids, sit untouched by the last pair of human hands that embraced them. Backpacks, purses, and suitcases lie abandoned throughout the lobby when the plague became prevalent. Seeing there isn't much more to gaze upon, I turn around and head down the hallway where other offices are located.

The hall lights are to engage when movement is detected. After walking about ten feet, the lights still have not activated. Great! I feel for my cell and am surprised that I even have it with me. While there is no Internet, I can still use the built-in flashlight. I turn on the light and continue to walk down the dark corridor. Of course, the light doesn't shine as brightly as I would like it too; nevertheless, I'm glad I have it with me.

There is a terrible, ghastly silence in the hallway. I feel like I'm the only person alive on the whole planet and I'm searching for some way to get out and get back to the life I had; my life with Claire.

As I continue to walk slowly through the hall, I check each door to see if any of them are unlocked. I haven't come across one yet.

Nearing a T-section, I jiggle the knob on the last door, and behold, it's unlocked. I look around as if I'm expecting someone to catch me committing a crime. Knowing there's not one soul nearby, I open the door and shine my light around. The room is deep and dark. I shine my light on the door name plate: Dr. Allyson Black. I try to remember who she is and what her position is, but somehow I can't recall her field. I don't think I even interviewed her; not that I can remember anyway. I decide to enter to see if there is any sign that she's still around, since her door is unlocked.

I close the door quietly and walk cautiously towards her desk, panning the light to see if she might be here. The place is empty. Shining the light on her desk, I notice a lamp on a table behind it. Carefully making my way over to it, I turn it on. Good, it works! I turn my light off and look around and notice her diploma hanging on the wall: Harvard. Her office is actually kind of dull and military like. When I think about it, a lot of the offices are dull, including mine.

Not exactly sure why I'm even in her office, I sit down at her desk and inconsiderately begin nosing around. I open the top drawer, and after touching this and that, I don't find anything out of the unusual that peaks my interest. I close the drawer and decide to go through the big bottom drawer. Grabbing the handle and pulling hard, I realize that it's locked. I wonder what she has in here. Too curious to give up now, I reopen the top drawer and pull out a pair of scissors I noticed earlier. Anxiously, I begin to jab the scissors on the top of the drawer and wedge it in to put pressure on the lock to hopefully open the drawer; it doesn't work. Tossing the scissors on top of the desk, I look around and notice a purse sitting on a chair. Shit! Is she here? Slowly, I begin to rise from the chair and cautiously look around to see if I somehow overlooked Dr. Black's presence. The chair makes a squeak noise. I freeze for a moment, and then continue to go around the desk.

There's mainly office furniture in her office and none of it is occupied by her. She must have left her purse behind. I turn around and see a door that I'm assuming is a closet. Taking a deep breath, I turn the knob and quickly open the door. I can see inside from the light emitting from the lamp.

There's a coat hanging, an umbrella stands in the corner, and a pair of sneakers lies on the floor neatly in the middle. I bend down to pick up one sneaker and notice that they're brand new. I bring it to my nose and smell the newness still on them. These are new, as if someone just put them here. I put the sneaker back in its place and decide to go through the coat pockets. After searching each pocket scrupulously, I come up empty-handed. I close the door and grab the purse and take it to the desk and dump out its contents. Make-up, hair accessories, hygiene products, a billfold, a watch, and a single key eject from the purse. I pick up the key to examine it and determine that it looks like the kind of key that could open a drawer.