Nina sighed as she looked through the window to the street below. As usual, a steady stream of umbrellas moved along the footpath, the rain that swirled in the breeze lashing down in sheets. As she watched the monochromatic procession of blacks and greys jostle amongst themselves, she frowned when she noticed the time on the clock in the reflection.

That’s the fifth day in a row, she thought to herself as she moved across her small living space. Swiping a set of keys from the kitchen countertop that was no more colourful than the scenery outside, she headed towards the door. Picking up an umbrella which looked no different from those already on the street, she exited the apartment and headed for the stairs which would take her to the street below.

Thankful for the fact that it was finally Friday, she paused for a moment in front the mirror which was mounted beside the door. Checking the sparse application of makeup that she had quickly applied to her narrow face, Nina’s appearance could be aptly summed up with one word.

Average.

A tad over 170cm tall, Nina’s lithe build was complimented by thin black hair that stopped just above her shoulders. While the gaze from her blue eyes had often been described as frosty, she reasoned that her pale skin probably contributed. Rounded off with a thin jawline and a nose that turned up ever so slightly, Nina took some pride in her appearance as a professional.

Although her co-workers often told her that a few small changes would really go a long way, standing out was never something that she had found interesting. Owning a wardrobe which consisted almost solely of conservative business suits, Nina’s black hair was also a result of frequent visits to the hairdresser. She liked it because it was unassuming.

Cold morning air danced across her face as she opened the door, the icy tendrils driving her remaining drowsiness away. For her, there was comfort in blending into society. If a nail that sticks up is hammered down, Nina was as flush with the board as possible. While she understood that significant things happened to everyone, she felt that being in the middle of the pile was the best way to keep her life under control.

Not too successful and not too unfortunate either, she thought as she watched the flow of people from the alcove. The continuous stream of bodies merged together into a stream like the black and icy river which ran behind the building. If being at either end of the spectrum drew attention, she thought she could avoid it by hiding in the middle.

In her life, routine was king.

Opening her umbrella and moving out from the alcove, she merged into the drab procession of people and began her daily commute to work.

After a short walk and quick train ride, Nina eventually reached the drab 15-floor office building where she worked. With a grey rectangular façade that featured only a few small windows, the depressing structure was almost identical to the others which lined the street. Others would say that Nina spent far too much time here, and Nina herself would be inclined to agree. However, what else was she supposed to do? With only a few acquaintances and a lack of hobbies, Nina kept herself busy with work, much to her superior’s delight.

Her dedication to her job, fortunately, did provide her with some benefits. Having risen slowly through the organisation, Nina had developed a reputation as someone who would always get the job done. Sleepless nights in the office, a firm attitude, and a penchant for perfection had seen Nina pass through to the top of middle management on her way to a highly-coveted window office.

The interior of the building was painted in a bleak range of whites and greys, the clacking of Nina’s shoes carrying through the otherwise silent halls. Even lacking decoration, the sterile atmosphere felt more like a research lab than a corporate space.

Entering her office and closing the door behind her, Nina sighed with relief. Like her own apartment, this small space was a world that she could control with everything fine-tuned to her preferences. From the pens that were organized by how likely they would be required to the arrangement of the drawers in her desk, her knowledge on every detail of the space was immaculate.

Checking the small coffee table which sat in the centre of her office, she eyed the small stack of paperwork which had piled up. It was an unwritten rule within the building to leave paperwork for Nina on the coffee table as she had disliked people ruining the balance on her desk. ‘Pain in the ass,’ she had once heard from a co-worker after they had thought that she was out of earshot, but she couldn’t have cared less anyway.

After all, her value to the organisation meant that the higher-ups were willing to accommodate for almost any request. Making friends in the workplace was something that had never been a goal of hers, and although she had made a couple, they were hardly close.

Friends were unpredictable, after all. Would they ring on a weekend and ask if you were free? Would they stop by your office at the end of the day and ask if you wanted to go for a drink? Friends brought unknown factors with them that could quickly pile up. Where would they go? When would they finish? Would there be anyone else?

After making a coffee from her own personal machine, Nina selected the first page from the pile on the table before sitting down at the desk and powering on her computer. Studying her own reflection in the black screen before her, she waited for the computer to boot before beginning her morning routine.

E-mails, financial reports, HR updates, the organisation’s internal news system… everything seemed to be slow in comparison to the rest of the week. Nina sighed, although she wasn’t surprised either. Productivity always seemed to take a nose dive in preparation for Friday afternoon.

Lazy, she thought as she turned her attention to the piece of paper she had carried over to her desk. After giving the document a quick read-through, she opened the organisation’s CRM software and began to work. As she typed, she eyed the stack of paper which remained on the coffee table. While estimating the amount of work that she would have to do today, a smile crept on to her face. Barring unforeseen circumstances, she calculated that she would be able to leave the office at the regular time while still managing to eat lunch.

Settling into a steady rhythm, Nina only left her desk to collect a task from the pile once the old one had been completed. She reasoned that she could work faster if she was wholly focused on a single task and considering that they all needed to be done, the order was not important.

At one stage, she found that a lunch had been placed next to the stack of papers. She had been so absorbed in her work that she hadn’t even realised that it had been delivered. Taking it back to her desk, she ate while she read over the next task, mentally recording how to complete the task as quickly as possible while her hands were occupied. As soon as she was finished eating, she immediately dove back into her work.

After working throughout the afternoon, Nina found that the pile of papers on the table had gradually been reduced to nothing. Glancing at the clock, she was pleased to see that she had only worked fifteen minutes past her supposed finishing time.

Another week, she thought as she went through her end of the day routine. Switching the light off behind her, she closed the door to her office and headed down the hallway towards the elevator.

“Nina, wait,” came a voice from over her shoulder as she neared the landing. Holding in a sigh, she wiped the displeased look from her face before turning around.

“Jane, it’s nice to see you. How was your week?”

“Horrible! The work just keeps piling up so quickly that sometimes I think I’ll never get through it all!”

Nina smiled before turning on her heel and resuming her trip to the elevator. Jane was carrying her personal gear so it was obvious that she was also leaving the office. Pushing the call button, she waited for the inevitable offer that she knew was coming.

“I’m going to meet Manda at the Red Well for a drink. Do you want to join us?”

The doors to the elevator opened before them, deflecting Jane’s attention for long enough to miss the wry smile on Nina’s face. Stepping in and selecting the ground floor, Nina’s head cycled through a list of prearranged excuses.

“I’m sorry Jane, but I’m having a new table delivered in around an hour, I’ll need to be home to let them in.”

“Oh! Where did you buy it from?”

“The Purity Gallery, it’s nothing special.”

The delivery team could always turn up late, she thought. Her excuse had covered for the entire evening.

“Aww. Maybe next week then?”

“If I’m not too busy, sure.”

The doors opened and Nina watched as Jane skipped through the doors into the lobby before turning to face her.

“Next week then!”

Nina watched as she disappeared out the door and onto the street. At least it wasn’t raining, she thought as she strode across the lobby before also heading out onto the footpath. Again, she was met with a monochromatic procession of people, this time heading in the other direction.

Merging into the mass of bodies which shielded her from the crisp breeze for the second time today, Nina thought about her dinner. Unsurprisingly, she had specific choices for different days which were also tailored to when she left the office. Leaving the office on a Friday at this time would always result in her picking up some takeout from a small place only a few streets from her apartment. This was because it wouldn’t be busy until later in the evening.

An uneventful journey to the station was followed by an equally uneventful train ride. Eventually closing in on her apartment, Nina turned onto the smaller streets away from the main road as she headed towards the takeout shop.

Away from the main thoroughfare, few people strode down the narrow paths on each side of the road, the noise from the flood of people fading into the background. The cool breeze once again sent Nina’s hair dancing as she rounded another corner, the familiar scent of rain making her smile. After only a short walk she reached the shop, escaping the chill by ducking through the alcove into the empty restaurant.

Due to there being no other people in the store, Nina emerged again onto the street within 10 minutes, now carrying a rather large bag of takeout. Combined with what she had at home, this was enough for her to be able to spend the entire weekend in solace, not even having to leave her apartment. Thinking to herself as she strolled down the street, Nina was quickly brought to her senses as she started to slow down.

Something felt wrong, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Continuing at a reserved pace, she looked past the open sign through the window of the store she was walking past.

The store was empty.

No customers, no staff, no sign of activity. It was a puzzling sight, but as the gears in Nina’s head started to move, she realised what was wrong.

Wherever she looked, there was not a single sign of life. Just like the store she stood in front of, the entire street was silent. It was a quiet street to begin with, but for there to be nobody at all in this eerie silence was unprecedented.

Apprehensive, her feet turned as she broke into an awkward jog, the clacking of her shoes reverberating in the empty street. The dusty neon sign for the takeout store still flickered above the doorway as she now counted the number of storefronts until she would reach it.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

She stopped. Desperately glancing through the window, her fear began to rise as her thoughts were confirmed before her eyes.

The shop she had just left was also empty. The display which had been full only minutes before was now just as empty as the area behind the counter where the staff had been standing.

As she stood frozen in place, her mind began to reel. The situation was beyond reality, but that was not the thing that scared her the most. The feeling of being powerless had swept her instinct away as she realised that the situation was beyond her control.

As if paralysed, she watched as a point of light appeared in the concrete before her. As though it was in slow motion, the point of light began to draw a line across the pavement. Turning 90 degrees, it continued past her as her eyes followed it along. Turning 90 degrees again, the line continued back up the other side of her before making a final turn towards the starting point.

Motionless, Nina watched as the square of light around her was completed. She wanted to move, but her legs felt glued to the ground, her throat failing her when she tried to speak. She wanted to escape, but the sense of helplessness had already taken over.

And then, without warning, the ground below her disappeared.

On a quiet street in the depths of the city, the square of light vanished into nothingness.

So had Nina.