I woke up early that morning to get to work on time.

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Mike Whelan 11F

Original Writing Coursework

9/11

I woke up early that morning to get to work on time. As I was doing up my tie in front of the mirror I started to think about the day ahead, asking myself if it would be any different to the usual routines, not knowing that I was to be an eyewitness of a terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre that would cause a war on terrorism.

As I drove to work the smells of cafes and fast food restaurants cooking food and making coffee was very tempting, so after a while of being stuck in traffic I pulled over at Starbucks to grab a coffee. I returned to my Dodge truck to drive a few blocks down to the south tower of the World Trade Centre.

When I finally arrived at work, I parked my truck in my usual place next to the elevator. I stepped out to come across some of my colleagues, one of them my best friend. As we joined the other guys in the elevator to the floors where all our offices were, Tony told me that his fiancée Lucy was going to have a baby. I was so happy for him because he had once said to me that he would love to have kids. Tony and I worked together supervising the guards and checking the security equipment in the mornings. That morning it was to be just the same.

I entered the staffroom where everyone was waiting to start work. I told them their duties for the day from the rota. Within ten minutes all the guys who worked for me and Tony, had left the room leaving it with an aroma of coffee. Shortly after, I started to check the security equipment that we used. On one of the cameras it showed all the people entering the tower for work. These people just thought it was going to be a normal day at work, but they didn’t know that their day would be hell and they may not see their husbands, wives, or children ever again.

As the shift started, Tony and I patrolled the outside of the two towers. As we came up to the second tower, Tony stopped still and looking up at the towers he suggested that the towers look so much better at night lit up with all the other surrounding buildings lit up as well but looking so much lower. Then he just carried on walking, checking his equipment list and ticking the various boxes that were required.

After being confined within his office for a while doing paperwork, I peered out of the window to take a look at the busy and vibrant streets outside. As I did, a fire truck raced past in the street below with the sirens on and the radiant red, white and blue lights flashing frantically on the top of it. This reminded me of when I was younger. I started talking to Tony about how I always wanted to be a fire fighter and a hero, saving lives and putting out fires day in, day out. Then we talked about our school days and what we remembered about it all. As we were talking I heard the sounds of a plane flying through the sky. This was very unusual because planes aren’t heard around central Manhattan because they avoid the skyscrapers. As I looked through the large window in the office I saw everybody outside stop still and look up to the sky. I raised my head to look up and the sound of a plane approaching grew louder and louder. The sound and impact of the plane hitting that came next was so loud I stumbled, it was like somebody had pushed me over.

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The reaction of everyone was to run out of the building. I turned to look at Tony, we had slight eye contact and then we started to run too. Masses of people fled down the stairs to the lobby and then out of the building. Women were screaming, men were stunned. Faces of fear were everywhere. Most people didn’t know what to do. Standing there helpless was a middle aged woman who was a receptionist. She was just in shock, staring at debris falling to the floor from above.

I turned my head to see about five brave fire ...

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