Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

NedPhil: Shock to the System

Lars was packing up his things. Another day was done, and he couldn't wait to get out of the office and back home. Why did he have to suffer like this again?

He had just locked his office door when his phone rang. He frowned, wondering who could possibly be calling him. His blood turned slightly cold when he saw Dakila's name on the screen. The other finished work fifteen minutes before Lars, so he was supposed to be on his way back to the apartment. And he wouldn't call just to ask Lars to pick something up from the store. He would just text it instead.

"What's wrong?" Lars asked as soon as he answered.

"Why do you assume something's wrong?" Dakila asked.

"So, there isn't a problem?"

"…I didn't say that. Um… I need you to pick me up."

"Why? Is there something wrong with your car?"

"…A tow-truck just came to pick it up."

Lars froze as he dropped his office key into the drawer with the other keys. Did Dakila just say…?

"I'm sorry!" Dakila apologised. "My car stalled while I was on my way out the gate – cold engine – and while I was trying to get it started again, the gate closed before I could get out. The front of the car is… Um, well… A-and the gate is off the rails, a-and my colleagues had to help, and the car won't start at all now, and…"

The secretary was staring at him. He wondered idly how much of Dakila's ramblings she could hear. Lars inclined his head, before he started to walk as fast as he could out of the building.

"How did it happen?" Lars asked. "Doesn't the gate have a sensor or something?"

"No," Dakila replied. "And it's not supposed to have a timer."

"Then why…?"

"I think… One of my coworkers was driving away. I think he didn't see that I was still in the process of getting out. He went through the other gate."

Lars sighed. He could already feel a headache coming.

"I'm sorry," Dakila said. "I know how much you hate unnecessary expenses."

"No, it's not your fault," Lars said. "This is why we have insurance. Let's just hope that they understand that you are a victim in all of this."

He also wondered if he could have a chat with Dakila's careless coworker.

So, yeah… My mom and I work at the same place, and one day, when we were on our way out, my car stalled at the gate, and as I was restarting the car, the gate started to close. My mom had the remote, but it took her a while to push the button to stop the gate. Luckily, no damage. Found out who closed the gate on us, but didn't confront her. It happened again on Wednesday, but my mom managed to push the button the moment we realised the gate was moving, and luckily my car wasn't close enough to be caught yet. Then, on Thursday, my mom forgot her cell phone at the office, so she used my phone to call the girl who had the key. When she got there… Another coworker was a victim of the gate, and she was not as lucky as I was.