“Come on!” I muttered, stabbing the enter key a few more times. These stupid old computers never seem to work when you need them too, and I really needed them to. The reports were supposed to be in by five, and by the look of my watch it was already way past nine o’clock. Damn it, I was so late.

The reports themselves weren’t really time sensitive. They’re more of a formality, a way of showing Avon that I was meeting my quarterly numbers. He liked to remind us who was in charge by assigning these asinine due dates, like Christmas Eve for instance. Avon was one of those bosses that would take any excuse to give his employees another write up.

And yes, it would be another write up. I seem to have a natural affinity for those these days, or maybe he just had it out for me. It started off by just coming in a few minutes late due to a train delay, and then a few days later a mishap with my alarm clock. But quickly it became small errors in my work, an unfortunate typo in an email to a client, and now this. If this report isn’t in the system by midnight I would be out of a job for sure.

The unmoving download bar stared up at me from the brightly lit monitor, a contrast to the dark office where I sat. The only semblance of light came from the street lights a few floors below me. They were a dim yellow glow shining from the large windows that lined the back wall. Deciding the street below would was better entertainment than my impending unemployment, I got up from my chair to look outside.

Below you could see the bustle of people as they moved in and out of shops and restaurants that lined the street. Christmas lights and wreaths hung from each lamp post and a soft flurry of snow danced across the glass. A couple walked across the street holding hands, waving ahead as they approached a group huddled in-front of a small bistro. Children danced and tilted their heads upward, hoping to catch a snowflake on their tongue. A storefront displayed a large screen that played a Christmas story, a treat for passers by to witness as they finished their last minute shopping. From far up here it seemed magical to witness.

“That’s it, this is dumb. I’m not going to sit up here and sulk on Christmas Eve.” Determination flooded my veins as I quickly turned around and marched back to my computer. Grabbing my coat off the back of my chair, I threaded one arm through the sleeve when I noticed it. There was an error message on the monitor.

Network unavailable.

I squinted my eyes to get a better look. It was definitely a new one for the old hunk of junk, but maybe it was also my salvation. Avon would see when he came into the office after the new year that the reports had been submitted on time, but there was an issue with the system. Surely he wouldn’t fault me for that. As long as I don’t touch it, I still might be able to keep my job come next quarter.

With a satisfied smile I finished shrugging on my coat and reached into the left pocket to pull out my long neglected cell phone. Another one of Avons rules was no personal phones in the office, they were for personal time only. Clicking the lock button, the bright screen momentarily blinded me in the dark room before my eyes adjusted.

Network unavailable.

Just like the computer, my phone displayed the ominous message across its Lock Screen. Tapping the screen a few times proved to be useless, not only was the network down, but the phone itself seemed to be completely frozen. I turned back to the computer to compare the messages. I had never seen something like this before. Looking closer, I noticed the font seemed to be off, it didn’t match the default of each device. However, the font on each device matched the other.

Curious, I tapped the enter key once on the computer. Nothing happened. And so, like every tech genius there was, I tried again. And then again. On the final click of the key, the building shook.

A shockwave like I’d never felt before ripped through the glass wall behind me sending glass flying in every direction. I flew forward along with the debris as landed hard against my desk, knocking the monitor to the floor and hitting my head against the cubicle wall. A bright orange glow erupted from the darkness behind me and covered every surface with its light. It was too bright to look at but the warmth touching my back told me what I couldn’t see. Fire. Blazing hot fire was crackling outside the window below.

The ringing in my ears prevented me from hearing anything at first, but as they began to recover, I heard it. The screams. Turning my head, I attempted to look out the windows. The light was bright, but more manageable than I originally thought. Pulling myself off of the desk and back to my feet, I took a few tentative steps. Holding onto my cubicle walls for support, I made my way towards the windows. My legs were still shaky from the initial shock, but every step seemed to bring them back into a semi manageable working order.

As I made my way towards the hole where the windows once were, the heat seemed to multiply. Every step brought me closer to the inferno that I could now see climbing the side of the building across the street. The fire cast moving shadows across every surface, it was almost impossible to tell what I was looking at when I reached the edge. Hot wind blew across my face, filling my nostrils with ashy smoke. Below I saw carnage.

The once decorated light posts were bent and fallen, wreaths burning. People ran screaming from the storefronts that bellowed with smoke and fire. Some lay in the street unmoving. The building across the street was easier to see now. The roof had collapsed down a few floors, shrinking the tall building to roughly half its size. Over the brick and ash was a clearer view of the city, but what I saw was chilling. Everything was burning.

The shock started to wear off, and where I used to feel numb now filled with panic. I looked back down at the street. How was I going to get down there? Was it even safe? I scanned the area, some of the shops were definitely worse off than others but I had no idea what the extent of my building entrance looked like.

Two shops down, the storefront that was playing a Christmas story was in ruin. The glass had shattered and the decorations that lined the walls were scattered across the street. Dangling from the window was the tv, screen cracked and half black, but still plugged in. In large black font it displayed a message.

Network unavailable.