Author’s note: In preparation for NaNoWriMo 2009, someone put up daily prompts on one of the forums. I did them in the spirit of warm-ups, but some of them turned into stories. Here is one such.

Prompt (and title): Had a bad day.

The glass is shattering in sheets now, as they drive the armored cars into the lobby.  It’s insulated, but it wasn’t built to stand up to this, so it shatters across, and when we’re lucky it crumbles.  You don’t want the kind that isn’t safety glass, because it comes apart into huge daggers—hence the need for armor.  They’re shooting back, of course, but it will be short work once we’ve got our makeshift helicopters onto the roof.

At some point in all this, we’ll get behind cover and grab a bite to eat.

Except this one’s not as planned.  There’s Magda in her flak jacket and the helmet that she’s got to fit because she has on two knitted hats under it.  “There’s something nasty on the tenth floor,” she says.

“Fuck,” Raffi says. “I thought somebody already got that.

Magda spits and makes a swipe at the soot on her face.  “No, it got them.”  She tosses the ammunition belts over to us.  “We salvaged those and lost Leo in the process, so don’t lose them.  It’s getting ugly, kids.”

Raffi says, “Well, boss lady, that would be the understatement of the week.”

She grins, though her eyes don’t come to the party.  “Had a bad day.”  Spits again, and I notice that the soot or whatever is all over her mouth.  “Christ, this tastes like shit.”

“You didn’t join the revolution for the food, did you?”

“Shut up, Raffi.”

(Process information: 10/14/2009 , 242 words)