Eleven 11 "Dark Nightmare"

A NEW DAY

As we descended to the first floor, I noticed a sense of panic in the air. People were frantically grabbing supplies from a grocery store inside the building, preparing for an emergency. My mind raced with possibilities - could it be related to what I saw on the news? Was it getting worse? Lost in thought, I absentmindedly made my way to the smoking balcony beside the store to light a cigarette. But as I took a drag and looked up at the sky, I was surprised to see that it was already dark outside. Glancing at my watch, I realized it was already 6:00 p.m., despite feeling like only minutes had passed since I was in the elevator at 1:00 p.m. Confused and disoriented, I tried to retrace my steps, but nothing made sense. As I stood there pondering, all of the lights suddenly flickered off in every direction, leaving me in complete darkness on the balcony.

Amidst the chaos, there was a strange stillness. The cars had all come to a halt, their engines silent, and the only sounds were the distant cries of people and the eerie silence of the abandoned vehicles. Suddenly, a deafening roar filled the air as a burning plane hurtled towards the earth, crashing just a few miles away from where I stood. Panic overtook the crowd as everyone began to scream and run in different directions. In the midst of it all, I made my way to the store, searching for safety and some familiar face in this chaotic scene.

As I entered the store, I spotted my uncle among the frantic shoppers. Just as I reached him, the ground began to tremble violently. Screams grew louder and more intense as people realized what was happening - an earthquake was shaking everything in its wake. When it finally subsided, my uncle's voice broke through the commotion, telling me to grab whatever I could carry and get ready to leave.

In that moment of panic and confusion, I couldn't help but let greed take over as I frantically grabbed items off the shelves and stuffed them into a backpack I found nearby. As I went to grab a pack of cigarettes, I saw my uncle outside and ran to him.

As we waited for my mom to join us, relief washed over me when the lights suddenly flickered on. But even then, our journey was far from over. My uncle informed me that my mom had gone to help an elderly couple and he needed to go bring her back quickly. He told me to wait for him by the elevators because we needed to leave immediately.

Confused about why we needed to use the elevator when we were already on the ground floor, my eyes fell upon the number 11 displayed between two elevator doors. Fear suddenly gripped me as I realized we were not on the first floor but much higher up. Before I could voice my concerns, the elevator door opened and a beautiful girl stood inside. In that moment, all thoughts of confusion and fear were replaced by her mesmerizing presence.

I asked her if she could wait for a few minutes for my family to join us and she smiled warmly, replying, "Of course". It was the first moment of calm I had experienced all day, thanks to this kind stranger.

She explained that her family lived far away, and she didn't know what to do. I wanted to ask her why she was taking the elevator instead of the stairs, but something told me not to. In that moment, I fell in love with her. But before fully succumbing to my emotions, I had to make sure she was aware of the chaos happening around us. She confirmed my suspicions - people all over the world were acting strangely due to some kind of infection that was spreading rapidly.

Panic set in as I realized I must also be infected. With all the bizarre events I had witnessed, it seemed like the only logical explanation. Just as I was about to ask for her name, my mother's voice cut through the chaos, urging me to leave immediately. But before I could even catch a glimpse of her, the mysterious girl pulled me into the elevator.

Frustration bubbled inside me as I lit a cigarette in the confined space, not caring about the potential danger of smoking while potentially infected. The girl scolded me, warning that cigarettes would lead to my demise. But I ignored her, fixated on telling her how beautiful she was and how much she meant to me.