Matthew Kwasnicki
July 30, 2016
It was a normal work day like any other. The alarm went off at 5:30am sharp. Benjamin got out of bed straight away. After his morning constitutional and warm shower, he put on one of his standard white button-up shirts and grey slacks. Before he slipped on his dress shoes and headed out the door, he had a quick cup of black coffee and one piece of dry toast.
It was only a 5 minute walk to Sheppard subway station. The train was there just as he made it to the platform. There was the typical announcement about slower than normal travel times due to track work. Some familiar strangers were around him minding their own business. He enjoyed some quiet contemplation before having to participate in the meaningless chatter at the office.
Midway between Dundas and Queen someone pressed the emergency button. Everyone around him rolled their eyes. After a few minutes wait, the train started moving again. Then something unusual happened.
The lights went out and Ben could see some flashes similar to lightning ahead of him. Water started to flow across the floor. A person in uniform entered through the doors at the end of the train carrying a rifle. Somehow the train was still moving slowly.
The gunman was shooting anyone wearing a suit and tie. There was nowhere for the passengers to flee. As the train passed the next stop, Ben could see more gunmen on the platform, blood spattered on the walls and lifeless bodies piling up on the tile floor.
The water inside was nearly up to his knees. The train stopped. Someone finally managed to get the doors open at the rear end of the train and the crowd started forcing their way to the exit. The gunman was still on his way towards Ben and had switched to a long knife. Now he targeted the well dressed business women.
It took Ben a few minutes to make it out to the street. It was a miracle he was able to bypass the panicked masses. He was lucky not to be one of the trampled, shot or stabbed victims he passed along the way.
What he saw above ground was even more terrifying than what he saw below. Agressive helicopters were hovering around the tall buildings and people were falling from the windows. He couldn’t tell if they were jumping or being pushed. It was probably a combination of both. Piles of bodies were all around him: amputated limbs, crushed skulls, and intestines stretched out over the pavement. He didn’t know what to do next.
Then he saw one of his work colleagues running down the road followed by a biker with a machine gun. She had been filled with multiple bullets before he even had a chance to get her attention, let alone help her. He tried to think of a safe place he could go and wait for all the horror to end.
Before he was able to decide on a plan of action, the building in front of him fell towards him and he was crushed by the weight of the bricks. Benjamin’s last thoughts were about the unfinished spreadsheets at work. He was happy to finally be rid of them.