This is my post on #freewriters3095 #dailyprompt time to get vertical hosted by 
The humidity in Uyo usually peaks just as the sun hits its zenith, turning the walk from the Main Campus gate to the Faculty of Engineering into a test of physical endurance. For Ebuka and his crew, however, the heat wasn't the enemy today—the clock was.
It was 1:58 PM. At exactly 2:00 PM, the "Dynamics of Machinery" lecturer, notorious for locking the door against "academic loiterers," would turn the key.
"O boy, we need to get vertical now!" Ebuka shouted, abandoning his half-finished bottle of cold Zobo.
In UniUyo slang, getting vertical meant more than just standing up; it meant shifting into high gear, ascending the steep stairwells of the multi-story faculty buildings, and reaching the "top floor" mindset where serious business happened. They bolted past the bustling makeshift kiosks, their backpacks bouncing rhythmically against their spines.
They hit the stairs of the Annex building like sprinters.
First Flight: Lungs burning, dodging a group of freshmen debating GST notes.
Second Flight: Thighs screaming, the distinct smell of floor wax and old chalk filling the air.
Third Flight: The final stretch.
They reached the door just as Dr. Okon was reaching for the handle. With a desperate, synchronized lunge, the three of them tumbled into the hall, breathless but triumphant.
"Glad to see some of you still understand the physics of velocity," the lecturer remarked with a dry smile.
Ebuka slid into a wooden desk, sweat dripping onto his notebook. They had made it. In the life of a Tuskite, being vertical was the only way to stay ahead.