The Step Down

The hallway opened into the fire stairwell, and a cool draft pulled me straight toward the heavy steel door. I nudged past the gap onto raw concrete. A whole new surface—chalky, coarse, and full of bite! Right ahead was the first descending step, a sheer two-inch drop. Stopping wasn't an option. I squared up, rolled forward until my front tires teetered over the brink, and let gravity do the rest. Wham! My front bumper smacked the lower tread with a solid metallic crack, suspension bottoming out before the rear wheels hopped down in a clean bounce. Front spoiler earned a fresh scuff, and I've got full traction on step one.