Richard walked around the halls, hoping to find Mindy and make amends before he potentially lost his only job. He overheard a muffled conversation from the walls. Mindy came out from one room and sighed. She turned, noticing him watching from a distance.
“Oh, you again?” Mindy walked over to him and asked. “Did you need something from me?”
“Did you...” Richard hesitated for a bit. “Already talk to the boss?”
“That’s correct.”
“Oh.” Richard lowered his head. “Does this mean I have to turn in my uniform? Can I at least say goodbye to—?”
“No need to do that,” Mindy interrupted. “You’re not fired.”
“Really?” Richard raised his head as his ears perked up. Did he hear that right? Whatever happened to her wanting to get him fired? “Does this mean I’m off the hook?”
“Not quite. Although your punishment differs from what I intended, the boss put you under an overnight shift.” Mindy explained. “Hope you don’t have any plans later tonight.”
“Oh, now that you mention it...” Richard’s eyes shifted to the floor as he scratched his cheek. “Um, can I make it up—?”
“Too bad, you need to do this now or else.”
“Why are you so hostile towards me?”
“Well, I am still upset with you.”
“Look, about that...” Richard sighed. “I wanted to talk to you about—”
“Sorry, but I don’t have time right now,” Mindy interjected. “I’ll be supervising you after work, so you can tell me then if you wish.”
Richard glanced at her as she walked away. A smile crept on her face from the corner of his eyes. Even though Mindy failed at what she set out to do, she seemed content for some reason. But why, though? Did Charlie bribe her with something greater? Was the night shift strenuous to deal with? He couldn’t stay focused on that for long, as he had to get back to work.
He met up with Ken and Kelly and told them about what happened. The duo told him to hang in there and do his best. Eventually, it was closing time, and all the other workers left for the day. Richard had to stay behind to fulfill his promise and avoid getting fired from the job. This would be a story to tell. Hopefully, Fawn had news to share regarding their goal.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
.-.-.-.
Richard rested on the chair in his cubicle, the lamp above him being the only source of light in the room, surrounded by darkness. The only thing he could hear was his lingering thoughts. Being stuck under the spotlight, without Fawn to accompany him this time around, gave him a sinking pit in his gut. He twiddled his fingers. Where could Mindy be at a time like this? She was here, right?
A ringing sound came from the nearest computer in the station. Richard’s eyes fixated on it as he noticed a message bubble from Mindy. He leaned over to inspect what it said, despite the light straining his eyes.
“Greetings, how are you doing this fine evening?”
“Alright, I guess? Why do you ask?” Richard arched back and typed in response. “What am I going to be working on? Does it involve paperwork? Computers? Guard duty?”
“Not quite. This will differ from anything you’ve ever done before. It’ll be hard to explain, so I’ll just show you, wait for me until then.”
“Wait a minute, I was going to tell you something earlier.”
“Oh yeah, I said you could mention it now. Well, lay it on me, what’s on your mind?”
“I...” Wait, what was I going to say again? His hands flung off the keyboard and wrung his head. Shoot, I can’t remember now. I can’t just leave her hang— Richard froze. He nearly forgot something important. Hold on, isn’t it close to night time? He looked down at his hands, as they slowly turned blue once more. Oh no. I gotta get out of here!
He looked around the area, hoping Mindy wasn’t nearby. Then again, she’s probably distracted, waiting for him to respond. While that went on, he could use this as an opportunity to escape. Although it nearly cost him the job in the first place, he also feared to show anyone else his transformation. It didn’t help that some members might be hiding something as well.
Richard had a feeling they weren’t in the same room, so she might not notice he’s left yet. He got up from his seat and headed toward the nearest exit. When he placed his hand on the knob, it wouldn’t budge.
No way, it’s locked?
Richard darted side to side, looking to see if there were any more exits. He tried a couple more doors, then windows, out of desperation. But he couldn’t get any of them open. They were all shut tight.
“Are you serious?” He stepped back, his body trembling. “What’s up with this piece of—?”
A flicker of light came from the computer once again, catching Richard’s attention. He walked back towards it to inspect the new message that popped up.
“Ok, I got it. I’m ready. I got something extraordinary to show you. Also, you didn’t think you could escape from doing this, did you?”
Richard’s eyes widened upon reading it. “What? How did she...?”
“Hello there.”