The Fifteen Minute Novel is an attempt to take a single prompt and use the last sentence written each day as a start for the next day. This year I had several prompts circling around a similar story, so I have combined them. However, the story starts the same way each day, with the last line from the day before and a timer set for fifteen minutes. The hope is to end up with a complete, if very rough draft by the end of the year. Some stories are better than others, but I always learn a whole lot about my own writing when I do this so for me it is not only a nice way to work out a story, but it is a tool for helping my writing get better. And so, we continue this story for 2024 with…
,Day 238: “I locked my apartment before we came down,” Sophie replied.
“I locked my apartment before we came down,” Sophie replied. She looked from Janine to the officials.
“You are certain?” the man in charge asked. He exchanged a look with the building manager.
“Positive,” Sophie replied. “I picked up my wallet, keys and cell phone, pulled the door shut, locked it and then tested the knob as I always do to make sure the lock is secure.”
The checking of the lock was something she had done for as long as she could remember. She didn’t know why she always felt compelled to twist the knob to make sure the lock helped, but she always did and she could remember doing so just before she saw Janine in the hallway.
“She did.” Janine confirmed. “That’s why I came back. I saw her close and lock the door.”
Sophie and Janine were told to stay where they were and uniformed officers were sent to check things out. Sophie swallowed hard and wrapped her arms around herself. She waited, trying not to let strange scenarios run through her head. She jumped when those sent to check things out radioed back. The officer answering stepped away to listen and respond so Sophie couldn’t hear the message.
The conversation via radio ended and the officer walked over. “Ma’am will you come upstairs with me, we need you to see if anything is out of place.”
“Sure,” Sophie said. She looked at Janine.
“I’ll come too,” she added. Sophie nodded and Sophie felt immense relief that she wasn’t going to have to go alone.
The officer walked Sophie and Janine over to the stair well. “The elevators are all still out of commission due to the fire,” he said. “We put them on lockdown as a precaution.”
Sophie nodded and they all climbed the stairs. The walk was not far as she was only on the second floor. They all walked back to Sophie’s apartment. At the door, which was wide open, she could see that a chunk of the wood of the door frame was damage and there were gouges around the door knob.
“Not a clean lock pick,” the officer said. They entered the apartment and Sophie gasped. The couch and all it’s cushions had been slashed and the stuffing was coming out of the gashes. A couple of feather pillows were likewise destroyed and feathers littered the living room. Some drifted into the kitchen and seemed to have floated on top of a mess. The fridge door was open and it seemed that every condiment had been used to decorate the counter and walls. The scent of mustard and ketchup mingled with barbeque sauce. In addition there were a few jars smashed on the floor, pickles and olives, their bring forming puddles on the tile.
“I take it this was not how you left it?” The officer asked.
“Are you mad?” Janine replied.
“No,” Sophie said shaking her head. “This is not how I left it.” Her voice was soft, shocked even to her own ears. She skirted the mess in the kitchen and moved through the living room to the door. She glanced into the bedroom and saw the remainder of condiments and their containers decorating her bed. Her closet was open and her clothing was destroyed.
Ten til Midnight 