The Condo

Day 5: Helicopter

Day 5: Helicopter

There is a familiar sound that fills the condo. A soft whir. Skyler tries to cover his eyes. It is far too bright this morning. He tosses and turns. Still he cannot help that the light is hurting his eyes. And then he realizes. The high rise's emergency generator must be at work. The real estate agent who sold him the penthouse rambled about it during the tour.

Skyler now remembers, "You give me the worst conditions and this baby will kick on. In any kind of storm in any weather. It is strong enough to give the entire 37 floors flowing electricity like nothing ever happened. You show me a downed tree that could knock out this machine's internal mechanism."

The soft whir. The blinding light. And the soft ding of the elevator. Skyler's electricity is restored. That is when he hears a sound in the distance. A steady thump. Skyler throws open his drapes and shouts, "It's people! They'll see my sign. They'll know I'm alive in here!" Skyler jumps out of bed and runs into the lounge. The elevator.

The survivor desperately fumbles at the control panel. He pushes the button for the ceiling again and again. The thumping noise grows in the distance. It can only be one thing, a helicopter. Finally the elevator doors open. Skyler steps in just as the doors open. Once inside, he presses the button for the stainless steel doors to close. The elevator ascends quickly. Skyler gets out and runs to the helipad atop the penthouse. He waves his arms frantically as a red helicopter comes into sight. The two pilots spot him and make a semicircle back to the high rise.

The helicopter has white lettering that reads, "U.S. Coast Guard." Skyler moves out of the way so they can land. He jumps up and down in joy. It is finally over for Skyler. The Coast Guard lands in the center of the helipad. The copilot leads him back to the helicopter. Skyler can hear just over the beating sound of the chopper blades, "Hey weren't you the actor in that show about werewolves?" Salvation.