For those just tuning in, this challenge is about taking a story idea from bare bones idea into a fully fledged story by writing consistently every week day for fifteen minutes. The sentence I end with on one day, is the sentence I start with on the following. Part one was Bob’s story and has nothing whatsoever to do with the story below. Part Two follows a character named Penelope. I have a few basic sentences to act as road marks on her journey. I am loosely calling that an outline. We will see where she ends up by the time the story is done. For now, we start Part two of the 2025 Fifteen Minute Writing Challenge.
Day 154: Michelson drove them through the hidden door and into the main part of the garage.
Michaelson drove them through the hidden door and into the main part of the garage. They drove around the turns descending towards the entrance until they reached a valet parking station. There was a desk but no one was there. Michaelson stopped his car but left the engine running.
The wait was not long. Soon, her car rolled around the corner, exiting a separate section of the parking garage. She saw other cars parked beyond. They were all shiny, well cared for and far more expensive models than her own.
‘I guess my little car got to rub elbows with the elite for a little while. Or at least roll past them.’
“I will be following, but don’t look around for me. If nothing happens it will be like I was never there,” Michaelson said.
“Hopefully I won’t see you,” Penelope told him. She didn’t think she could take another explosion today. She got out of Agent Micaelson’s vehicle and walked over to hers. The valet got out of the car and handed her the keys. He walked away before she could even think about reaching into her bag to tip him. He didn’t head back to the valet stand but walked back further into the parking garage disappearing from sight.
‘I guess he wasn’t any more a valet then my sedan is a Lamborghini.’
Penelope slipped into her car and noticed that Michaelson had not waited for her. As she could see multiple cameras and assumed the not really a valet was still lurking somewhere, she figured she was safe. She still felt slightly abandoned.
‘I suppose part of me not seeing him is him leaving before I can see where he went.’
Penelope fastened her seatbelt and locked her doors. The car felt warm, but she was expecting it this time. ‘As long as no one turns it up to broil we should be fine.’
She drove towards the exit and when she looked both ways for the third time, she realized she was stalling in leaving the garage. “I am safe,” she told herself. “The car is protected and will not blow up.”
She thought about the car that smashed into the front of the grocery store. ‘Should have asked if there was an anti-crash feature.’ She took a deep breath. She searched her inner warning system but didn’t get any warning ping. The jitters were all hers and not something warning her of actual danger. ‘And I can’t stay in the parking garage exit forever.
She checked for oncoming traffic again and when there was space she rolled out into the street, turning right so she could drive in the direction of the green house.
Penelope was not usually a nervous driver. She was cautious and rarely went above the speed limit, but she didn’t consider herself nervous. Today, her hands were clamped around the wheel so hard her knuckles were splotches of red and white. Her eyes were in constant motion looking for any hint of danger. The green house on 18th Street was only a twenty-minute drive but it felt like it lasted days. When she pulled into the parking lot, Penelope felt as though she crossed half of the empire while enemy combatants fired live rounds at her.
She parked and was relieved to slide her key out of the ignition. “It’s just because of the explosion,” she told herself. “I’m sure it will be better later.”
Still, she decided shopping and returning home might be in her best interest.
Ten til Midnight 