The Thunderstorm
Chapter 2
The Blackout
“So,” Michael began, he had a blanket draped around his shoulders, and his hair held beads of water. “Going outside in a thunderstorm is not a good idea,” he began rubbing the blanket through his hair to dry off, “It was not fun at all. They should not call it a thunderstorm because thunder sounds too much like funder and German people might think it’s a good time.” He then finished his interview by blowing his nose loudly.
(X)
“What happened out there? We were supposed to rush this G.D. storm and get out of here to where our families are waiting for us,” Michael berated as he walked around the office. The blanket was still on his back.
Jim raised his hand, when Michael pointed at him he asked, “Yeah, I don’t exactly get how we’re supposed to rush a storm.”
Pam who was leaning against his desk answered, “Run at it with Barometers.”
He grinned at her and added, “And a satellite, we need to know exactly where this is heading.”
“You think this is so funny,” Michael spoke with a hint of disgust in his voice, “It’s always funny until someone dies because a storm threw them, or shot them with electricity. Have you ever been shocked? I have and it didn’t feel good. It made me make a tape for my nonexistent son."
He took a deep inhalation and continued his frantic pacing, “You know and the only one of you man enough to come out with me was Dwight. Dwight risked his life for me, he’s a war hero.”
Dwight, who was soaking in rain water sat at his desk with an arrogant grin. Others exchanged looks of bafflement.
(X)
Dwight’s back was straight against the wall as streaks of water still rolled down the side of his face. “I would carry Michael on my back through an active minefield even if I had just recently lost both of my arms and my legs,” he paused for a moment, giving the idea more thought, “I would carry him if I was just a torso.”
“You should all be ashamed of yourselves,” Michael chided with his arms crossed, “unless you can think of a way to get out of here.”
“I have one,” Stanley looked up from his crossword, “How about if you'd let us go at lunch like you should have. We’d be fine now.”
Michael sniffled and nodded to the camera, “We’re still going to be fine.”
“I meant be fine and at home,” Stanley replied in irritation and flipped his crossword book over to the next page.
“I think the first thing we should do is phone home,” Pam suggested.
“Ha, E.T.” Michael laughed.
Pam sent him a sideways glance and then continued, “If you have anyone at home who’s expecting you, you should probably call them in case the phones—“ before Pam could finish her sentence, the lights flickered weakly and then the building became completely dark.
“Oh, way to go Pam,” Kevin muttered in the darkness as other people began to over react.
“Oh my God,” Kelly screamed, “I can’t see.”
“This is very creepy,” Michael groaned as he bent over to sit on the ground, “This is creepy,” he repeated. “Someone get a flashlight!”
“Alright,” Dwight called as he shoved his hands out before his body, “Everyone just stay where you are. There is no need to move, try not to breathe if you can. I always keep a flashlight and a mini flashlight in the bottom drawer of my desk.” He pulled the handle on his desk but the drawer wouldn’t budge, “I also always lock that draw.”
“Dwight,” Michael moaned, “you’re such a nerd.”
(X)
Dwight looked straight into the camera, and with a completely deadpanned face stated, “That’s the drawer Jim would always stick my personal effects in after they were incased in Jello.”
(X)
“The phones are out,” Phyllis called through the dark, “That means I can’t call Bob, he’ll wonder.”
“Ugh, Phyllis, I think that’s the least of our problems right now,” Michael was now lying on his stomach on the floor in the space between reception and Jim’s desk.
“Yeah, like I’m hungry. I skipped lunch,” Kevin announced from the accounting corner.
Pam sat perched on Jim’s desk beside him. She swore in the dark she could almost make out his face. A smile grew on her lips as they watched everyone start to freak out just because the lights were off. It was almost embarrassing.
Still in the darkness when she inched her hand towards his, she was relieved when he squeezed it in return.
Dwight could still be heard fighting with his drawer to get it open. The bobble heads on his desk clattered against each other, “Damn it, I still can’t get it open.”
“Did you try pulling on the handle?” Jim questioned as he absentmindedly drew his thumb across the back of Pam’s hand.
The shuffling stopped and it was assumed that Dwight was standing akimbo, “Yes, Jim. I did,” his words were paused.
Jim blew a raspberry, “I’m just trying to help.”
A few seconds passed with no sound, except Michael’s heavy panting. Then a large bang ripped through the room, “Do not be alarmed, I just roundhouse kicked the desk drawer.”
Kevin sighed as he slowly moved backwards to find his seat at accounting, “We’re definitely going to starve now.”
“Yeah right,” Michael mumbled.
(X)
“Being stuck in a blackout,” Michael pursed his lips and shook his head, “It’s probably one of the worse things in the world.” He stopped fidgeting and became very still as he looked right into the camera, “Being stuck with Phyllis and Kevin, it’s scary. You don’t know when they’re going to get hungry, or how much they’re going to eat.”
A moment passed as he bit his bottom lip in thought, “Although if it came to eating people, we could sure get a lot more out of Phyllis than Pam.”
(X)
Dwight chortled with pride, “I have just saved us all,” he announced as rattling could be heard ringing through the darkness over Kelly’s screams and Michael’s groans. “Michael and subordinates, I have found my keys.”
Jim turned his chair in the general direction of Dwight, “So?”
Dwight scoffed, “So now I can open the drawer and retrieve the tools we need. I just need to feel for the hole.”
“That’s what she said,” Michael’s voice was muttered from his face being directed towards the carpet.
“Or,” Jim began a wide smile growing on his face, “You could use the mini flashlight on your keychain to find it.”
(X)
Jim squinted his eyes and rested his head against his hand, “We haven’t been kept in the dark that long since our second quarter camaraderie event where Michael told us for our clues that we would need a twelve foot ladder, ice skates, a sledgehammer and three packages of full staff writing paper but no pens.”
(X)
After Dwight had successfully retrieved his flashlights the group of eleven had three flashlights to share. Office chairs were wheeled together as everyone made a circle to discuss what their next priority should be.
Kevin laughed as he wrested the flashlight away from Oscar and held it underneath his face, he groaned in a ghostly manner, “Scary.”
Michael scoffed, “The only thing scary is your double chin.”
Kevin stopped his performance and the room became uncomfortably silent. Moments passed with the rain hitting the windows as the only sound.
“Michael, what’s our next move?” Oscar asked, he, Phyllis and Stanley were huddled around a flashlight.
“I don’t know, this storm took me totally by surprise,” Michael rolled his eyes and wrapped the blanket around himself tighter.
(X)
“This storm really surprised me,” Michael’s face was completely emotionless, “I mean, tornadoes and stuff like that? They go to the flat States with fields and poorly built houses that are ugly and displeasing to look at.” He shook his head and continued, “They don’t happen at a paper company in Pennsylvania. Dorothy didn’t live in Scranton.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
I have no idea how the cameras are still filming in the dark. I presume being the superior camera men that they are, they have those 'Survivor' camera's that makes everyone come out an eerie green color. So use your imagination. Also I took the liberty of giving htem battery operated cameras. Because I'm the writer and I can do that.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
