Under All Normal Conditions (Short Story)

Under All Normal Conditions is a standalone speculative short about what happens when the assumptions that quietly hold society together stop applying. Mike is an ordinary professional having an ordinary Wednesday—until one small certainty after another is withdrawn. Truth becomes negotiable. Protections become conditional. Systems that once worked “by default” begin to fail, not all at once, but just enough to force impossible choices. This explores the invisible social guarantees people rely on—but rarely think about—that allow us to feel safe, comfortable, hopeful, and human, and what happens when those guarantees quietly disappear. A short, fast-paced social dystopia. Author’s note: This is a complete, standalone short story.