Never Fail, Never Fall-Flash Fiction

Leonard was the last person to enter the office building.

Kimberly walked to the receptionist’s desk, while Leonard, Sean, and Matthew walked to their cubicles.

Kimberly made a phone call to the office downtown until she heard a crumbling sound. “I’ll call you back.” She hung up the phone and walked to the break room to get herself a cup of coffee. She opened the fridge for some cream when the fridge collapsed on her. The ceiling and everything else fell around her.

The rest of the building collapsed.

“Help! Is anyone there? I’m trapped under the fridge in what used to be the break room!” Kimberly shouted.

Sean, the manager pushed his desk off him and rushed to the break room. “Kim?” Where are you?”

The dust cleared. “I’m over here!”

Sean saw a hand waving and sticking out from under the fridge. The other workers rushed over to help and pulled the fridge off of Kim.

“Thanks, guys. Ah, ah!” Kim shouted in pain.

“What’s wrong, Kim?” Leonard asked.

She hunched over and limped.” I think my back and leg are broken.”.

“Let’s get outta here and then we can take her to the hospital,” Matt advised as he helped Kim stay standing up.

“Good idea,” Sean replied.

They ran to the front door as pipes burst and fell onto the floor. They rolled on the pipes and tripped. They stood up and helped Kim stand back up. The building continued to collapse and the ceiling gave way. Desks dropped in front of the door. They were too heavy to lift so they had to take the backdoor.

“I just remembered there’s a wheelchair in the closet on the third floor. I’ll get it,” Matt said.

“Matt, be careful!” Kim shouted as he ran off.

“I’ll try. I’ll just take the elevator!” Matt shouted back. He looked up and the second floor was gone, but the third floor wasn’t. He pressed the up arrow on the elevator’s outside panel.

The elevator fell to the first floor and Matt got in. He pressed the 3 button and it lifted him to the third floor. The doors opened and he rushed out.

He unlocked the closet and pulled out a wheelchair. The floor crumbled under his feet as he ran to the elevator. He pressed the down arrow on the outside panel and the elevator doors re-opened. The elevator dropped back to the first floor and he found the others.

“Matt! You made it!” Kim shouted in excitement.

“I did and here you go,” Matt pulled open the wheelchair and Kim sat in it.

“Thanks, Matt.”

“There’s no time for thanks. We have to get out of here before the rest of the building collapses,” Sean said.

Kim pushed the top of the wheels and rushed to the exit.

Next to fall was the fourth floor, the old exercise room. Medicine balls, yoga balls, and dumbbells plummeted onto the floor. One dumbbell almost knocked out Sean.

“Sean, look out!” Kim shouted.

Matt pushed Sean out of the way. “Come on, we’re almost there.”

Ambulance sirens flooded their ears as Sean opened the backdoor.

“Thank goodness, we made it!” Kim shouted.

They rushed around the building as the last floors fell.

The ambulance took Kim to the hospital. The others may need to find new jobs.

I guess it pays to fail or fall sometimes if you can get back up. You always have to get back up.