In Seven Minutes

“In seven minutes you’ll either die or meet the love of your life. Good luck!” the voice over the intercom said.

Mike's stomach gurgled louder than the intercom and no one paid him any mind either. Kenneth was still yammering about Q3 sales being at an all time high and Kelly was so close to her phone screen, her nose did half of the typing. The rest of the people were focused on Kenneth's presentation, but Mike couldn't shake what he heard.

"Excuse me, did anyone hear what the intercom said?" Mike asked, raising his hand with caution.

All eyes shifted to him, except Kelly who was still determined to continue texting. His skin crawled and he sank down into his seat, hoping the soulless eyes of the company's investors would stop looking at him.

"I didn't hear anything except the sweet sound of us making lots of money," Kenneth said, sending the boardroom into an roar of laughter.

Mike gave a weak chuckle and his tension disappeared as everyone turned back to Kenneth. Mike knew what he heard and the fact that no one else did made him nervous. Did he question his sanity? No, not for a second. He questioned his ability to find the love of his life in seven minutes. If the last few years were any indication, he was doomed. Not to mention this presentation still had another thirty minutes left.

He contemplated leaving the meeting, but money was tight with his father's surgery. Mike needed this job. If he did die, at least the company would pay out the life insurance. Sure it went to his dog, Charles, but his good boy would gladly surrender the money. Charles probably liked his father more anyways. Before Mike's thoughts got too far away from him, the door slammed open.

"Everybody on the ground now!" a woman wearing worn brown tactical gear yelled. She shot a volley of bullets from her AK-47 across the room into the glass wall behind him.

Everyone complied, except Kelly who was still somehow entrenched in her phone. Mike put his hands up and the scary woman pointed her gun at him.

"Not you. Stand up," she said, gesturing to Mike.

Mike stood up slowly, not wanting to get shot by a trigger happy woman. "Please don't kill me. Take whatever you want."

"I'm not here for your money," the woman said, vaulting over the boardroom table. "I'm here to send a message."

"What–is–that?" Mike sputtered.

"That we will rise from our oppressor's!"

"Who is that? You can't possibly mean us."

Her brown eyes stared into Mike's, going nose to nose with him. She did not look away, poking the hot barrel into his stomach. Mike jumped back and swatted the rifle away from himself out of reflex.

"What's the matter? Can't handle a little heat? You should try actually working for your company. Gets hotter than that," she said with a venomous smile.

"Please don't hurt me." Mike begged.

"I won't hurt you...more than you hurt my people."

She raised her rifle and Mike closed his eyes, not wanting to see it happen. Instead of the bark of the rifle, he heard the sound glass shattering. Mike opened his eyes to see a person in all black tactical gear wrestling with the armed woman. The rifle went off a few times before the person in the black tactical gear ripped the rifle away from her and threw it out the shattered pane of glass. In seconds the insane woman was in handcuffs and knocked out with a swift punch to the head.

Mike looked at his hero in awe. It was just like the movies. The rest of the tactical team flooded into the room and took the insane woman away without much hassle. Only Mike's hero stayed, walking up to him.

"Are you okay?" Mike's hero asked.

Mike nodded his head, unable to speak. Not because of his new trauma, but because of who was staring back at him. A gorgeous woman. Removing her helmet to let her flawless brown hair lap over her shoulders, she smiled back with the warmth of a thousand suns. He had seen plenty of women like her in the movies, but never in person, let alone in a SWAT uniform.

"Are you sure you are alright?" Officer Kimbell asked.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Because there is a hole in your shirt."

Mike looked down upon his seared shirt and laughed. "That's what I get for shopping at the dollar store."

Officer Kimbell laughed and moved on to check on the rest of the people behind him. Mike was unable to look away from her as she passed him. He thought to himself, 'If she is the love of my life, I will die a happy man.' Mike went to lean on the pane of glass with one hand without looking away from her, when he realized too late it was not there anymore.

He fell out of the building and down twelve stories. The whole way down Mike kept thinking if it had been seven or eight minutes since that mysterious intercom message. Either way he was at the mercy of gravity and she was a cruel mistress. So kids, what do you think? Was he destined to die or just dumb as a brick?