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[I explain the picture to the side at the end of the chapter]

     The music stopped all of a sudden, letting Morris hear his own voice in the silence.

     He scrunched up his face at the sound and touched his neck in disbelief, then glanced at his phone. His secretary, Rae, was calling.

     "Yes, pumpki-"

     "Where are you, Kentson?! Ten minutes ago you said you'd be here."

     Morris glanced at the panel of buttons with his lips pursed. So that's where he was heading!

     He victoriously pushed the button near the top with pride. He was one of those people aka 'the ones upstairs'.

     "I completely forgot, Nae..."

     "It's Rae..."

     "Is the woman still waiting?"

     "Yes."

     "Give her some chocolate, I'm in the elevator."

     "You ate it all."

     Morris poked his lower lip. "Oh."

     "Just hurry up..."

     She hanged up just as the lift came to a stop. Morris walked out and down the long hall, his shoes tapping the well polished floor. As he went, he looked out the window that was the entire left wall, with rows of three thin pillars ever fifth meter. They darted stripes of shadow on his tall, smoothly moving figure.

     The hall ended with the door to the lobby of his office. He opened it by the handle that was the same length as the door and entered.

     Rae glanced at him from above her thin glasses. They were fake, she was wearing them at Morris's request. He just felt more important having a secretary with glasses and tied up hair.

     "Sorry..." Morris tried.

     "Just go."

     Morris was already pushing the door open.

     "I apologize, I was something, something." Morris waved a hand, going straight to his desk and taking a seat.

     The woman raised an amused eyebrow. "I knew Morris Kentson to be more charming than that."

     Morris chuckled, interlocking his fingers over his desk and tilting his head animatedly. "I usually leave the flattery to my handsome face." he batted his lashes. "People fall for it."

     The woman laughed uncontrollably, enough for her legs to go uncrossed. Too bad the desk was getting in Morris's view.

     "So, Bertha Niece." he began, eyeing the dark skinned woman. "How may I help you?"

     She pursed her lips and ran her bangs through two thin fingers. "See, it's about the cameras."

     "I'd suggest a therapist for Scopophobia, dear, not me."

     She scoffed with a dimple. "No, you see... the cameras in the corridors, lunch room and such are fine, but I mean... Bathrooms? Elevator? It's too much, a girl's gotta loosen up her belly you know?"

     Morris laughed brightly until it turned into a long croak that eventually started sounding like a quickly evolving tumor in his throat.

     Bertha frowned, her wide eyes observing the man questioningly.

     Morris stopped himself with a cough and then took deep breaths, his blank face only disturbed by his gritting teeth.

     "Morris?"

     Morris flashed the gritted teeth in a grin and waved a finger. "I did give the papers to Nae. I did not forget to give the papers restricting the installation of those cameras to Nae ha-hah. He-heh."

     He straightened up with a swing of the head and very gently opened his drawer, from which he graciously retreated and opened a green folder.

     "Ball sack shit muncher!" he slammed it on the desk along with his fists.

     Bertha jumped on her seat, palming her chest.

     Morris interlocked his hands once again and bounced his leg, glancing around his office.

     "This is solvable." he said after a few ticks of the clock that felt like those of a time bomb's. "I will just contact them and point out the violation of employees' rights of privacy." he waved a hand. "It's all good."

     "...Is it?" Bertha looked at him with judging eyes.

     Morris glanced at her with raised eyebrows. "Sorry?"

     "Nothing, I'll be on my way out then."

     "I'll walk you out."

     The two left his office and while Bertha continued walking, Morris went to his secretary's desk.

     "Don't slam your palms on my desk."

     Morris did and Rae sighed.

     "You, are fired."

     She smiled up from underneath orange strands of hair that had escaped the bun. "Would that be the third time this week?"

     "Fourth."

     "Ah." she sighed. "I just cannot wrap my head around reminding you of things you don't even tell me of."

     "And that's why you're fired!" Morris yelled, then looked at her desk with rage. He took her pink, fluffy pen from the cat cup and darted it on the desk. "That's what you get."

     Rae rubbed her temples.

     "Who checks the surveillance cameras?"

     Rae turned to her computer and clicked this and that, then tapped the keyboard with her long fingers. Meanwhile, Morris glared daggers at her, his face getting closer and closer for intimidation.

     "Noah Vinson, IT department, fifth floor." she said, turning her head. Not knowing Morris was pretty much consuming her every breath, her movement caused their noses to touch.

     Morris didn't inch away. Instead, he nuzzled her left and right a couple times before pushing away from the desk and strolling out.

     Rae covered her cheek and turned to the screen, opening back up the browser.

     'Available jobs in your area'.

     He opened the double doors towards the IT and faced stairs going up, next to which there was the back exit of the building, leading to a vacant parking lot where these guys spent their lunch breaks.

     Morris took the stairs two at a time until he remembered about his suit and slowed down, fixing it here and there as well as his hair.

     The stairs were narrow and made of metal- they used to be for the fire exit since this had been the back of the building, but then they'd decided to do one more wing just for IT, seeing as it was an electronics company and all. That left them completely marginalized, to their liking.

     Morris reached the fifth floor as a disheveled mess despite his struggles to keep cool. He opened the double, transparent doors and walked in, stopping to gain his breath. It echoed eerily, no one in sight. One of the lights even flickered.

     Morris frowned at the conditions. He was supposed to take care of his employees' environment, but no one from here had complained to him and so he'd been clueless.

     Walking down hall, he looked at the modern dark brown doors confused. Each door in the company had workers' names written on them by professionals, but here the names had been scraped off with keys, by the looks of it.

     He picked a random door and knocked.

     Knocked seven separate times before loosing patience and entering.

     There sat what was left of a man. The human carcass was hunched over the desktop, his dry eyes nearly glued to the screen. In his thick curls were lost long fingers, scratching the scalp loudly.

     Once Morris cleared his throat, the man rolled his head up. However, his eyes kept moving left to right over the screen repeatedly.

     "Hello. I'm Morris Kentson from HR, could you tell me where's the office of..." he trailed off with a whispered curse, having forgotten the name. "Uh... Something with V."

     "V... variables, fucking variables!" his fingers took over the keyboard, no longer supporting his head and letting it hang low enough to disappear behind the screen.

     "'Scuse me, I really need the information."

     The guy groaned and finally blinked, wetting his eyes with a thick layer of tears. As he ruffled his hair violently, tiny little specks of dandruff flew about.

     "I'm dead..."

     Morris paced a little closer, looking around the room. He frowned at all the equipment occupying nearly half of it, with cables tangled in a hazardous maze.

     "I'm sure you'll make it, buddy."

     "I am here since yesterday, it's just not, fucking-" he raised a trembling fist. "Working. The prototype is due-" he laughed. "Due this Thursday."

     "Take a break..." Morris ventured in. "Really, you won't get anything done like this. Eat something and take a nap. If you mind the hallway couches, my waiting room has some comfy seats."

     The man rubbed his eyes and then placed his hands on his desk, pushing himself to his feet. That one action sent a couple things falling from the desk.

     He nodded.

     "There you go. Just let my secretary know I sent yo-"

     "The hallway is fine." he snapped, glaring at him from underneath thick brows. "What're you even doing here?"

     Morris let his mouth form a thin line.

     "Ok then... I'm looking for... Veeson?"

     "Vinson." the man took a pack of cigarettes and put it in his back pocket. "End of the hallway, to the left."

     "Thank you."

     They both existed and went on their separate ways. Morris glanced back now and then, merely because the place made him want to watch his back for some reason.

     He knocked on the door and, by the third knock, deduced that those people weren't big on manners. Or socializing for that manner. Or any interaction at all, really.

     He braced himself and entered.

     But no matter how much he braced himself, nothing would've prepared him for what he came to face. He couldn't remember the last time he was at a loss of words, but that moment successfully made a fool of him.

     "Yes?"

Dedicated to RaeRaeNae 'cause she's chill. Yes I used her username for the secretary, sue me. (don't please lawyers are expensive)

Guys. About the pic to the right. While I was writing, I noticed that whenever I pressed the mouse wheel, little squares of the drawing I did would show up. The program I had drawn in wasn't even open. After wheel-clicking around a little, I revealed the eye.It was really fkin spooky. I still dunno what kinda glitch does that stuff :s God dannit dude.

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