Read Online First Date- a Novella by Thomas A Watson, Christian Bentulan, Amanda Shore - Free Book Online

of windows. Grabbing the cord for the metal floor-to-ceiling vertical blinds, Daniel tugged them open, and Ginger sucked in a breath as she looked out over the city.
    “We are in some hellacious bucketfuls of pig shit,” she mumbled, seeing black columns of smoke rising everywhere. Stepping up to the window, she glanced down at the street to see throngs of people staggering around. Noticing fast movement, she turned to see a person running, weaving around the staggering ones. Further out, she saw a garbage truck plowing through those staggering along the street.
    “You already looked?” she asked, turning to him.
    “Nope,” he said, walking away. “I knew we were in shit because the police never showed.”
    “Daniel, there has to be away for the others to get down,” she said as he started digging through Mr. Barron’s desk.
    “How far are you willing to go to put your life at risk for them?” he asked, not looking up as he rummaged through the desk. “Besides Malik, none of the others have done anything to help fight or help—period—for that matter.”
    Ginger looked out the window. “This is a bit much,” she said, waving her hand.
    Pausing his digging, Daniel looked up. “You are functioning quite well,” he said then returned to his task.
    “Daniel, you know why I learned to fight?” she asked, and he looked up. “When I was in high school, a senior took me out on a date and tried to rape me. I got away, but I swore then nobody would ever be able to take me without a fight again.”
    Reaching in a bottom drawer, Daniel tossed a satellite phone on the desk. “I shall have to pay this man a visit,” he said, standing up, then started looking at the items on the desk. He grabbed a round, glass sphere that had a scorpion suspended in it. Tossing it up and catching it, he figured it weighed about three and a half pounds. “Maybe,” he mumbled and set it beside the phone.
    When Daniel walked away from the desk to the shelves on the wall, Ginger followed, looking at the shelves for any type of weapon. “He’s in prison for drugs now,” she said.
    “He gets out at some point,” Daniel said, shaking his head. “How come I have to work for a pussy that doesn’t have swords or suits of armor in their office? Too bad I don’t work for Bruce Wayne,” he said, throwing up his hands.
    “Hey, we’re doing okay,” she said, walking over to him.
    “You didn’t answer my question; how far are you willing to risk your life for people who aren’t trying?”
    Lifting her chin, she said, “When we hit the ground, they are on their own, but if they don’t help in the meantime, we just leave,” she said.
    “I can live with that,” Daniel said then snapped his fingers. “Come on,” he said, moving to the door. Cracking it open, he didn’t see anything in the hallway. Easing out, he moved down the hall until he saw the reception area and stopped, seeing a bunch of people staggering in the hall outside the glass. It looked like someone tried to paint the outside of the glass with blood.
    Easing in, he moved to the maintenance cart and pulled it back slowly until he couldn’t be seen from the windows. “They can’t break those windows,” Ginger whispered. “They are inches thick and drilled into the floor.”
    “Yeah, but the doors to the cubicles are open, and they can get in here,” he whispered back. “Give me my ID back.” Swallowing hard, Ginger dug his ID from her jacket. “If they come in, run,” he said, easing around the reception desk to the cubicle doors.
    One of the people in the hallway saw Daniel and moved over, hitting the thick glass with a dull thump. Hearing the noise, Daniel moved quickly to the scanner beside the doors and waved his card, making it beep. He quickly pressed numbers on the key pad, and the light turned red. A magnetic thump sounded from the cubicle doors as they sealed.
    Feeling much better, Daniel turned around as a thud sounded on the sealed doors. He