“Aaaaaahhhh!” He screamed terrified of the light, jumping from his seat hitting the ground hard, desperately to dodge whatever had blinded him. Nicki hit the hard carpeted ground waiting for whatever to pass. When there was no noise, light or pain, he believed Nicki let out the breath he was holding. When he opened his eyes all he could see was a light bright enough it hurt his eyes. Why does it smell like new carpet? His thoughts were confused as his eyes began to adjust into an office, one with a nice warm feeling wood paneling, and a metal desk you might expect to find in the back of a restaurant. Where am I?
Last thing he remembered was a phone call and then a bright light. He was obviously in an office. He must have made it to the interview, but why was he missing time? Did I have a stroke or something? The entire thought terrified him more then he wanted to admit. Nicki did the only thing he could do, he pulled himself up off the floor and collapsed into the chair behind him. “Did I already do the interview?”
“You could say that.” The door to the room opened and a woman in a nice business casual blouse and pants, and sensible flats, came in with a clipboard. She had on a wide smile, as she reached out shaking his hand in a surprising grip.
“Huh?” Nicki was beyond lost, extremely concerned about the missing moments.
“Yes, the interview is over and now we just need it's good to meet you Mr…” The woman pauses as she looks down at her clipboard, “Knight. I am Ge and I will be helping you with your orientation.”
I must have really impressed them if I’m already going through orientation. He thought, before another more terrifying conclusion, Unless I lost more time then I thought. He shook himself trying to focus on the present, “Orientation?”
“Correct.” Letting go of Nicki’s hand Ge, pulled out a small stack of papers and a pen, shoving them into Nicki’s hands. “I’m sure you have a ton of questions, and I am currently capitalizing on your current confusion to go over things before you become belligerent, inconsolable, or some other unpredictable action.”
“What?” He was coming of as brilliant as he eyes kept going between the papers and Ge. Her words catching up to him, making no sense, but instilling him with a growing sense of wrongness.
“Why don’t you start filling out the paperwork. I need to step out for a moment.” Suddenly, Nicki was on the other side of the desk, like he had always been there. When did I move? He was growing increasingly panicked. Did I hit my head, or something? Everything since seeing that light had been complete nonsense, and he was starting to wonder if this was a dream, or if he was having bouts of memory loss. He was really hoping it was a dream. On the off chance this is real. Nicki took the pen and started to go over the paperwork.
#
Somewhere in an office, now familiar, and not. A child, much to young, no older then four, sits in a chair, not knowing or understanding how he got there. His name was Billy and he was just with his mommy, then there was the kitty, with the little white spots He had wanted to pet it, and hug it. Maybe he could take it home. He let go of his mommies hand to pet the kitty when….He didn’t know. He didn’t know where he was. He was all alone. Where was his mommy. He wanted his mommy.
The sound of a screaming child echoed loud, long, and heartbreaking throughout the room. Yet he was alone. His face grew red, tears dripped down his face, his throat hurt, and still he screamed till his tears burned.
“Hello little one.” Somehow impossibly, a womans voice broke through the childs desperate plea. Her voice calm and warm. Billy wasn’t alone anymore, but he couldn’t stop his tears as he tried to ask for help. Only incoherent words babbled forth in-between cries, as he looked to his rescuer. He looked to see an woman in a flowing shirt and jeans crouching down and smiling at him.
She keeled down and looked Billy over, “Oh I see. You got separated didn't you?”
The toddler nodded his head gasping for breath. Fighting
“It's ok. It's ok. Come here.” The woman pulled the child into her chest rocking him back and forth. All at once they were in a little break room, with vending machines filled with snacks, and drinks.
“Here let me get you some juice. Would you like that?” She asked the child through his now much dimmed tears. He looked up to her, snot on her nice white blouse. “Would you like that? Some apple juice?:
The child nods, but rasps out “grape.” Barely even a whisper.
“Oh, grape! A big boy drink. So your a big boy. A brave one aren't you? A little hero huh?”
Billy was a big boy, his mommy told him that every day, so he nods to the nice lady. With that she helped Billy into a nice soft chair at the table. “Ok, now I'm going to get you some grape juice. Ok? You gonna be a big boy? You gonna be my little hero and just sit right here?”
Billy nodded.
The woman stood and moves over to one of the vending machines. As she stare down at the buttons a palpable pressure, and the smell of ozone permiated the room as she slid her hand down next to the buttons. Suddenly the buttons began to slide down disappearing as more and more flavors flew by. “No. No. No.” She kept pushing the buttons away until finally it stop and she smiled, as she moved her hand towards the coin-slot. There in her hand a flowing silver coin, liquid and solid at the same time appeared as she placed it into the machine, purple sparks flaring out as her hair stood on end. With the price paid the woman pressed the button labeled: “Grape Swap!”.
Leaning down she picked up the drink, and it felt so heavy. One of the heaviest drinks she had ever held. She had to take a breath, as a bead of sweat fell down her face. She put her smile back on and turned.
“Here you go. Grape juice just like you wanted.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
#
A man is being walked around an office. To all appearances it was an ordinary office, if not a bit dated, nerveless it had a nice homey feel to it. That is if the cubicles weren't eight feet tall making them almost offices in there own right, and the rather eerie lack of noise, it was like walking in a snowstorm even the sound of there footsteps seemed to be absorbs with each step. Then there was the lack of people, Ge, who looked frazzled after she returned, had been walking him around for the last few minutes and he had yet to see evidence of another person. Not a picture on one of the many desks, or any personalization anywhere. There was a cork-board on the wall, that looked like it might be for announcements or employees to advertise something, yet again it was empty.
He still had absolutely no idea if this was a dream or not. The paperwork had been, surprising, just standard new higher paperwork. Stuff you would see starting any job. Sure there was some strange language about this world or the next, still it wasn’t the first time he had seen that in documents like that. Then there was this office. It was just; Unsettling.
Eventually Nicki couldn’t hold back anymore, “Where is everyone?”
Ge looked away, “We are a bit… short-staffed at the moment. Actually no staff.”
“Like a startup?”
Ge brightened, “Actually, yes! That is a perfect example. Think of us as a start-up. With an over enthusiastic owner.”
Nicki asked, oddly enough that explanation put another tally into this being real, as startups had been known to do odd things. They must have a big investor behind them. “Why are the cubicles so big?”
The woman blinked as she tilted her head in confusion. “Are these not the right size? I was told they always feel like they were towering over you.”
“Yeah but that’s metaphorical.” Ge’s face began to fall. She must have picked them out. Feeling bad for what he said he quickly added, “but these are better. Feel like you're getting some actual privacy.”
She stared at the cubicles for a few minute before nodding to herself, “Then I think we'll keep them.”
“Pushing past all the weirdness.” He had decided to fully lean into whatever madness this was. “Why am I here?”
“Orientation.”
“No.” He said shaking his head. Finally asking the question he was terrified of learning the answer to. “How did I get here?” This. This was were he would find out if he was loosing time, or if it was something weirder, something he had only recently thought might be happening.
“Oh, I did skip a few steps didn’t I. I was just so excited.” Ge leaned in her excitement practically bubbling out of her. “Your our first.”
“First?”
“Yep. You're dead.” She said it matter of fact, like she didn’t just give Nicki life, or in this case death, shattering news.
“What!?” His heart started racing I knew it. This is some kind of purgatory. I’ll be stuck here entering data for all eternity.
Seeing Nicki’s reaction Ge quickly tried to explain stumbling over her own words, “Not really, but yeah you'd died. In a sense, but that's not really what it is. Because your breathing and alive now. So you died. Yeah that's probably a better way of saying it.”
His heart was beating out of his check. He imagined this was what a panic attack felt like. But she focused on the fact he was breathing. Somehow that helped him to calm down enough to talk, “You aren't making sense.”
Ge pauses taking a breath and simply answered, “You died.”
“But I'm still alive”
“You do get it!”
“No.”
“You died.”
“But, I'm alive.” He reiterated
“But, you died.”
“Did I come back? Is this like a purgatory?” He was currently learning a valuble lesson. Confusion can serve wonders in calming someone down.
“I really should have done this in the office, while you were filling out the paperwork. I printed charts.”
“We can still go back.” He replied looking back to were Nicki thought they came from. Except, there wasn’t anything there anymore a blank wall, with a poster of a cat hanging saying “hang in there and pull your ass up or drop. Just stop wasting time.” The cat even looked annoyed.
“No no I can do this here. You specifically fell through a hole in your world.” She began, and right when Nicki was going to ask another question she stopped him. “Please wait till the end.”
Nicki shrugged.
“Thank you. You fell through a hole in your world. When you did that you technically died when the connection to your world was severed. We then brought you here to bring you through orientation.” Ge finished.
Nicki didn’t expect such a short explanation. He waited for more only to realize that was it. So simple. “So why am I here doing orientation. Is this the afterlife? Or is this an Isekai thing.”
“Great! you know what an Isekai is, it's pretty much that.” She said with a sigh. We need to make first question if they're familiar with Isekai or not.” Writing a note on her clipboard.
“Wait really? Magic heroes and all that?” He was a big fan of the genre and now that he had a moment to think the more this all felt like the setup to an Isekai story. The light, the random welcome. Although, the office was new.
“That is correct, and with Hero, inc. Strive in our duty to send Hero’s, such as yourself, to worlds in need of them. Seeking to place them in a world that matches there preferences.”
“Awesome!” Nicki was excited now. He’d get to go off and have crazy adventures, learn magic and not be stuck in an office all day.
“Now in order for you to place an individual, I am going to show you what your clients will need to go through.”
“Wait what? My clients?” Nicki’s brain halted as he stared at Ge. Did I here her wrong?
“Yes. Your Clients.”
“But I thought. I was going to be a Hero.”
She blinked staring at Nicki, “You are.”
He didn’t know how to respond to that. In an effort to not have any more expectations dashed, “So. You were going to walk me through?”
“Yes. First please fill out this survey.” And then the two of them were suddenly in one of the cubicles another stack of papers, at least fifty deep. Sitting waiting for him to fill out as Ge looked on with a massive grin.
#
Somewhere deep in the heart of a bustling city, a young woman, with deep bags under her eyes, and a frantic energy, is attempting to calmly sit inside a police station. It had been two weeks since her baby disappeared. She had seen him follow the little tabby cat just around the corner. She was not five feet behind him. She had been dreading having to explain that they couldn’t bring the kitty home, but when she turned the corner, her heart fell, because he was gone. There was no trace of even the cat he had followed. She had spent all her time looking for him since. But there was no leads, no nothing, that was until that morning when she received the call.
Her Billy had been found, none the worse for wear. He had no memory of the last two weeks, but remembered a place that he said was like his mommy’s lunch room. The officers were baffled. She didn’t care about that right now she just wanted to see her baby, see he was alright. Everything else could be dealt with later. Right now she was stuck just waiting, and it was almost as bad as when she had first lost him.
She stared hard at the door willing someone to bring her her son. When the door opened she jumped as the officer said, “Mrs. Riener?” A voice snapped her out of her musings
“Yes. Can I see my son?” She asked not letting the man get
The officer smiled, “Yes. Come on in.” He led Mrs. Reiner through the building to a a little room with a window. Her heart stopped, there she could see him. Sitting, drinking a can of something. She didn’t wait for the man to open the door she burst in
“Billy!”
“MOMMY!” He yelled dropping his little drink, as his mother scooped him up in her arms tears flowing freely.
“Thank you thank you. Thank you.” Mrs. Reiner couldn’t stop sending thanks to the men.
When he became a bit sheepish, “Your welcome, but it wasn't us. He just appeared at the captains desk.”
“What?”
“Yeah one minute the room was empty then the child was there. Drinking grape juice.”