As the Snow Falls

Chapter 5

I decide to head to the café for some lunch, and then up to the small conference room to continue working on the manuscript. Today, I decided on a frozen burrito for lunch. And a Dr. Pepper, of course.

Hopefully the power doesn't go out. We need the food to stay frozen, and the microwaves to make them un-frozen. I chuckle to myself.

Once I make it back upstairs with my food, I grab my phone from my desk before heading into the room. My eyebrows draw together in confusion when I see all of Cassie's stuff is gone.

Maybe she just... needed some space for a little bit. That's okay. I can give her space. I'll talk to her tonight.

I get to work on the project, stopping only to take a bite of food or a sip of my drink. Time passes quickly, and only when I shiver do I look up from my work. The light outside the window is gone, replaced with the dull grey of the storm. It's after 5pm, and I stand to stretch my sore body.

When did it get so cold? I need to grab my coat. And find the thermostat for this floor.

I set out, heading up to the fifth floor to find the key for the thermostat box, and grab my coat. I feel a little bit frustrated when I see that Cassie isn't in our room, either.

Where is she?

Once back downstairs, I quickly locate the thermostat which is conveniently in the same area as it was upstairs, and I bump it up to 80. I hear the heat kick on, and decide to go back downstairs for my clothes while it heats up. And hopefully bump into Cassie.

The gym is quiet, as is the locker room. And freezing. I take my cold, stiff clothes from the back of the chair, but stop when I hear the slow drip of water. A quick scan of the showers shows one that looks like it was recently used.

Huh. So she came to shower. But where is she now?

I didn't know why I was so worried about her. She was a big girl, she could take care of herself. Plus, it was a big building, but not that easy to get lost. A locker on the far wall stands open, and I walk over and peak inside.

A grin spreads over my face as I see a stack of towels. Definitely an encouraging find. After scanning the rest of the lockers, I'm feeling pretty good. I found plenty of hygiene supplies, toilet paper, toothbrushes and toothpaste (I was looking forward to telling Cassie) and a few other random things. A cabinet on the other end of the room is filled with similar outfits to the one Cassie got for me: sweats, t-shirts and sweatshirts. Those would come in handy.

Apparently York Ave. did a great job of making sure it's employees had anything they could need. And Cassie and I were going to need these things.

I gather a few of the hygiene item into my arms, as well as a few of the clothes before making my way back upstairs. Back in our room, I organize the small load of items into categories on a mostly empty bookshelf, and step back to admire my work. I was proud of myself. We now had a lot of what we would need to get through the coming days comfortably.

Unless the power goes out. Then you'll need a lot more in ways of warmth.

It's as if the universe hears me speak those words out loud. I'm suddenly plunged into darkness as all the lights flicker off.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiit." I let my eyes adjust to the darkness, thankful it's not completely pitch black. I move over to my couch and grab my phone, flipping on the lowest setting on the flashlight. Gotta save that battery.

Time to find Cassie.

The big room outside is a little brighter thanks to all the windows, but I know I'll be cursing those because of the cold. I move through each room carefully, calling out Cassie's name. I get down to the third floor and curse when I still haven't found her. Nearly 30 minutes have passed, and a glance at my watch shows that it's 7pm. It was getting colder by the minute, and I was getting more and more worried.