Episode Seven

A Day at the Office

It was a beautiful and sunny Monday morning, the smell of wet asphalt was still fresh but the clouds had finally cleared after one final nighttime rain. You'd never know however, from the state of this man's large office. The sun was blocked by closed blinds, and the bare walls didn't leave much room for scenery either. The man who sat in the hard black desk chair was a clean cut, suit and tie type that was dressed as plainly and orderly as his sky high New York office. If he had opened his blinds, the man would see a vast and seemingly endless cityscape and a muddy but bustling Central Park below him. But he had no interest in beautiful scenery, he had his nose to his computer screen and was reading an email that seemed to be making him very angry. He pressed a small button on the large office phone to his right.

"Judy, could you call Carol in for me?" he said in a calm voice that contradicted his gritting teeth.

"Right away, sir," the secretary responded with lightning speed. He waited impatiently for a few minutes drumming his fingers in irritation. Finally there was a knock at the door.

"Yes, come in I don't have all day!" the man snapped. A full figured woman in grey professional attire entered.

"Mr. Crayne, did I do something wrong?" Carol replied nervously.

"Have a seat Ms. Smith. I hear you have been asking quite a few questions about the way we run things here at Castcom. Do you have any concerns you'd like to share with me?"

She sat down on the hard chair that faced him, "Well I—I just don't understand why we've been putting so much funding and effort into reality TV after all these years. The numbers clearly show that trash TV hasn't been nearly as popular as scripted dramas and sitcoms. It costs about the same to get the actors to pretend that they aren't acting I just don't understand why we don't put our resources in support of better more intelligent television…" she hung her head, waiting for him to rip into her.

"That's an excellent idea Carol!" she lifted her head and smiled.

"You really think so? Because I have some ideas…"

"NO I DON'T REALLY THINK SO!" Mr. Crayne flicked his wrist towards her. Suddenly Carol Joan's head twisted around backwards with an audible snap from her neck, and her body slumped over on the desk, a bit of blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. "Well can't leave that heap lying around," with a smile and another wave of his hand he watched as she crumbled away into a pile of black sand. It appeared to float and disperse into the air; the seat was empty and as pristinely clean as before the woman even entered the room. "Much better,"

"Mr. Crayne, your 11:00 is here to see you," said Judy's mechanical voice from the phone. "He's a bit early, should I ask him to wait?"

"No, no it's fine send him in!"

"Right away sir!" he could hear her voice softly from behind the wall directing the man to his office.

"Jonathon! So good to see you, do have a seat," Jonathon sat uncomfortably looking nervous. "I assume you have news for me?"

"Sir the boys… were a little trickier to get ahold of than we thought. Their mother was up half the night with them there was no way to sneak in—"

"THAT'S WHY YOU DON'T SNEAK IN YOU BREAK IN! I TOLD YOU I WANTED THOSE BOYS!" Mr. Crayne bellowed. He was a Caucasian man of average stature, but his pitch eyes were intimidating enough to make for his size.

"Yes sir of course I don't know what I was thinking…"

"OF COURSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR WERE BLOODY THINKING! YOU DON'T THINK! I do the planning and you and your men execute it at all costs or it's your head Jon!"

"I'll have them on it as soon as I'm out the door sir, I'm sorry sir please give me another chance…" he bowed his head in fear and shame.

"Damn you if I could do it myself I'd kill you right here. Those bloody idiots still think I'm a demon and I plan to keep it that way as long as I can and I will NOT give them the opportunity to find out on their own by showing up on her doorstep. Am I clear?!"

"Crystal sir, I'm sorry sir!"

"Wait till the kids are back at their house, and bring them straight to me this time I don't care if you have to kill the bitch and her husband but those boys come to me unharmed. I don't want any more fuck ups this is your last chance," Jonathan nodded violently and turned before his boss could see the tears streaming down his cheeks. He was wondering to himself why he had ever tried to stand up to the man in the first place. If he had only kept his head down when he found out what he was, his family would still be safe and he wouldn't be forced to lead mindless, greedy thugs to kidnap children halfway across the country. He'd seen the boy's pictures, identical twin brothers. They were young, probably only five or six. He knew that this 'Stella' was homeschooling them during the week while their parents worked and that she wasn't to be touched. As he made the call, the door to Crayne's office opened behind him. He stepped out, an envelope in hand.

"Make sure this gets to her. No excuses, no fuck ups…" he flashed one last dark look before stepping back into the big gloomy office. There he sat down, a satisfied smile plastered across his face. He kicked his feet up on his desk, and leaned back in the chair barely held by his back legs. "Damn it's good to be me…"

He kicked off of the desk, letting himself fall backwards closing his eyes. But as he made contact with the ground every bit of matter attached to him, his clothes the chair, had dispersed into a sandy black dust that was floated up in the air and disappeared.

An hour or so later a pretty young blonde knocked on his door, "Sir, Carol's husband is on the line. She was supposed to meet him for lunch a while ago; I didn't know what you wanted me to tell him… Sir?" opening the door slowly and cautiously she was met with an empty office. She breathed a small sigh of relief and went back to her desk. She stared anxiously at the phone, not quite ready to lie to the man yet. She rubbed her palms across her eyes, and finally picked up the phone. "I'm sorry Jim, Mr. Crayne says that Carol left to meet you after they were finished in his office. Sorry Jim I told you already I was away from my desk at the time. Of course I'll make sure you're the first to know. Take care," It was best he didn't know the truth; she knew it all too well. Once he knew what Mr. Crayne really was there'd be no going back, no getting out. She told herself over and over in her head she'd done the right thing. But god did she hate doing it.

(Sorry about posting it unfinished, all fixed now!)