Tim was the tallest in his family. In fact, it was surprising as he was also the youngest. His three brothers had always teased him about it, but now he could at least defend himself. He went to circuit training classes every week and ran every other day when he was not working. Being a night guard was not always cool. He missed out a lot on his social life. Not that he was very social anyway...
He adjusted his jacket. The night was chilly. He took his keys, got out of his battered Fiat Punto, sighed and walked across the car park. This place gave him the creeps. He usually didn't like shopping centres, but at night it was even worse. All this wasted place, the coldness and fake cleanliness, the shiny windows glowing for nobody. If you asked him, there were so many better things to do in life than shopping. He'd rather be outside. Walking, trekking, exploring, you name it. Well, a guy had to earn his living...
He passed a hand in his black hair, they were getting longer, and he felt better with long hair. He knew his boss didn't approve, it wasn't a professional look, but he didn't mind : he had a proper contract now. And he wasn't the one to do things just to pleased people.
He took his bunch of keys out, opened the back door and let himself in. In the security office, he was greeted by his two colleagues, Max and Alex. They chatted for a while and then chose their routes. Tim was on basement duty tonight. The worse one : no light from the fancy shop windows, no distractions at all, just a bunch of doors and long, dark corridors. Six hours to kill...
When he was working, Tim always imagined to be somewhere else, walking in the wild instead of this deserted place. He'd imagine the birds singing, the wind in the grass, the clouds passing high in the sky... He was doing it again. Reliving his best walks on the coastline. The smuggling paths. The fresh air.
Suddenly, he heard a deafening noise. And before he knew it, it felt like an enormous earthquake... God, what had happened ? Instinctively, he ran towards the stairs, avoiding the lift. He got up jumping 3 steps at a time. When he opened the door, a cloud of dust welcomed him. He could barely see in front of him.
In his radio, he called the team. Only a crackling noise. He had no signal. He'd just had to go and look for them then. He ran along what had been the main alley, looking for Alex who should have been doing his round on the ground floor. There he was, on the bench. He looked shocked.
"Are you ok ?", Tim asked.
Alex nodded, coughing. "We need to find Max !"
They rushed on the stairs. The first floor was like apocalypse. Clouds of dust, rumble of materials... What on earth had happened ?
Tim looked up... the ceiling was gone : no roof at all.
"Call an ambulance" he shouted at Alex, starting to run. He was jumping over the debris, shouting at Max to answer... He turned around a main column, and saw some trainers. Max was stuck under a fallen beam. At least he was conscious...
On the news this morning, the roof of a mall has collapsed during the night in the Landes (France).
He adjusted his jacket. The night was chilly. He took his keys, got out of his battered Fiat Punto, sighed and walked across the car park. This place gave him the creeps. He usually didn't like shopping centres, but at night it was even worse. All this wasted place, the coldness and fake cleanliness, the shiny windows glowing for nobody. If you asked him, there were so many better things to do in life than shopping. He'd rather be outside. Walking, trekking, exploring, you name it. Well, a guy had to earn his living...
He passed a hand in his black hair, they were getting longer, and he felt better with long hair. He knew his boss didn't approve, it wasn't a professional look, but he didn't mind : he had a proper contract now. And he wasn't the one to do things just to pleased people.
He took his bunch of keys out, opened the back door and let himself in. In the security office, he was greeted by his two colleagues, Max and Alex. They chatted for a while and then chose their routes. Tim was on basement duty tonight. The worse one : no light from the fancy shop windows, no distractions at all, just a bunch of doors and long, dark corridors. Six hours to kill...
When he was working, Tim always imagined to be somewhere else, walking in the wild instead of this deserted place. He'd imagine the birds singing, the wind in the grass, the clouds passing high in the sky... He was doing it again. Reliving his best walks on the coastline. The smuggling paths. The fresh air.
Suddenly, he heard a deafening noise. And before he knew it, it felt like an enormous earthquake... God, what had happened ? Instinctively, he ran towards the stairs, avoiding the lift. He got up jumping 3 steps at a time. When he opened the door, a cloud of dust welcomed him. He could barely see in front of him.
In his radio, he called the team. Only a crackling noise. He had no signal. He'd just had to go and look for them then. He ran along what had been the main alley, looking for Alex who should have been doing his round on the ground floor. There he was, on the bench. He looked shocked.
"Are you ok ?", Tim asked.
Alex nodded, coughing. "We need to find Max !"
They rushed on the stairs. The first floor was like apocalypse. Clouds of dust, rumble of materials... What on earth had happened ?
Tim looked up... the ceiling was gone : no roof at all.
"Call an ambulance" he shouted at Alex, starting to run. He was jumping over the debris, shouting at Max to answer... He turned around a main column, and saw some trainers. Max was stuck under a fallen beam. At least he was conscious...
On the news this morning, the roof of a mall has collapsed during the night in the Landes (France).
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