Glacial

1)

Christchurch City

Tuesday February 22nd, 2011

12:30

21 minutes earlier.

" yep, yes mummy, I love you too, yes I'm fi....yes, bye" I said as I hung up the phone.

I was walking along Cashel Street on my way back to my job at the CTV headquarters. I had just finished my lunch break and I was eager to get back to my office. it was my first year at work after leaving school a year earlier, so I was new to the whole "business stuff".

As I wandered back into my office, I was greeted by Carol, a woman in her fifties with greying hair and the most amazing eyes id ever seen. One of her eyes was an abnormally bright shade of blue, like the darkest point of the sky, while the other was a deep chocolate brown.

"have a nice break Lanie?" she asked me as I walked quickly, carrying my laptop bag towards the elevators.

" Yeah, I sure did, and yourself?" I asked, letting my sloppy Irish accent take over my fresh kiwi one.

" Oh yes fine love, thank-you, enjoying your new job?" she added as I stopped and put my weight on my right hip, Carol was one of my favorite colleagues.

" yeah its great! im really enjoying it actually" I replied politely, although I could feel myself beginning to rock back and forward, eager to get back to my little cozy office on the third floor of the six floored building.

" id best get back to work then" she said as if she'd read my mind, I used her departure as an advantage to hurry off so I wouldn't get caught talking to anyone else.

" Lanie!" I heard a high pitched voice behind me as I spun around again.

It was another woman who worked on the same floor as me, Betty.

" hello Betty, listen I...."

" yes, hello Lanie, can I ask you a favor?" she asked, cutting off my previous sentence. I sighed and folded my arms over my stomach.

" sure" I breathed.

" can you pick up my application forms from the photocopying room on your way up?" she asked, her eyes focusing rather seriously on mine, as if she was expecting rejection.

" sure thing, ill go now" I said as I spun around and walked towards the hall that the printing docks were in.

" thanks!" she yelled.

I stood at a cubby hole and emptied its contents into a folder for Betty, while I sent a text to my best friend, Maisie.

Out of nowhere, I heard a loud rumble, like there was thunder above us. I was awaiting the sound of lightning cracking or the sound of rain pounding the roof, but instead,

the unexpected happened.

12:52pm

22 minutes later

The sound of sirens whirring bought me into consciousness.

I tried to sit up, but I found my self trapped. I didn't know what was going on, I didn't know where I was or what happened. I just remembered the thunder.