The Ripple Effect

[Artorius]

Every muscle in his body ached. His cheek was chafed, and when he a put a hand to the rough, cement below him, he knew why. Thomas wondered how he had arrived there. He couldn’t remember what he had done last, or where he had been. As he rose to his feet, he surveyed his surroundings. Gray cement coated just about every inch of Thomas’s eyesight, save for a few white lines designating parking parameters. Tom came to the conclusion that he had awoken atop a parking structure, but what surprised him about the high rise structure, was that he could not spot similarly imposing constructs in area. There were no city lights, only dim, white, flickering parking lights.

“Hellooo!” Tom called out.

The deep voice of the brown haired, bearded lawyer echoed within the confines of the lower parking levels. Thomas chuckled, seemingly assuring himself of his own existence. The laughter only served to sink him deeper into an insecure fear of the unknown. The lawyer contemplated his arrival at this place as he proceeded down concrete steps to the next level. He didn’t feel drunk, or hung over for that matter. The hairs raised on the nape of Tom’s neck as his every step echoed in the nooks and crannies of the structure.

As the lawyer continued towards the next staircase, he checked his pockets. In his right pocket rested a pack of cigarettes, in his left, a single key- a car key. The moment culminated in the discovery of a single mid-sized SUV parked beneath one of the flickering parking lights. All of a sudden, Thomas realized he couldn’t remember exactly what kind of vehicle he drove. To exasperate the situation, neither the key, nor the vehicle had a brand, or any other identifying mark. Tom figured he should at least try to open the car. The key slipped into the door lock easily enough, but when he attempted to turn the key, it snapped under minimal pressure.

“Goddammit!”

Thomas’ curse echoed, as his steps echoed, as his greeting echoed, throughout the structure. The rebounded cry of frustration only served to plunge him deeper into a feeling of rage. There was no elevator, no other cars, only the staircase. Thomas approached the steps, eager to leave the place.