A cramped office cubicle. JOE sits hunched over a keyboard furiously typing. SUPERVISOR appears over his shoulder:
SUPERVISOR: Hey Einstein. You got a minute?
JOE: Uh… yeah.
JOE and SUPERVISOR walk a tedious, labyrinthine path through an expanse of cubicles, coffee pots, and fake plants. SUPERVISOR stops in front of a closed door, opens it, and turns to JOE:
SUPERVISOR: After you.
JOE and SUPERVISOR enter into what at first looks like a closet, but as the light turns on it becomes a massive room filled with boxes, and other large items. The only apparent area of the floor visible is a small entry near the door. SUPERVISOR, without looking at JOE, turns on the light:
SUPERVISOR: Einstein, do you know what’s in this room?
JOE: This is where we dump the body when someone quits.
SUPERVISOR reacts with surprise, not the type of surprise when someone is shocked, but the type of surprise when someone knows too much…
SUPERVISOR: Well, not exactly....Joe... (Long pause)... This is where dump their families before they quit.
JOE: Fuck you. (JOE turns to leave) Jackass.
JOE is stopped by SUPERVISOR’s strong grip on his shoulder.
SUPERVISOR: This is your new office Einstein, you ungrateful fuck. Have a good afternoon. (He leaves).
JOE stands for a moment by the door. Eventually he reaches for the handle, but stops as he hears the BEEP of a computer booting up from somewhere in the room behind him. JOE listens intently. He again turns to leave, but stops.
JOE: Fuck it.
JOE begins to climb over the boxes, old office furniture, bodies wrapped in plastic bags, decades old computers, and other office detritus that fills this unending room. After several minutes climbing and crawling, he suddenly falls into a small space on the floor, barely large enough for a desk and chair. On the desk is a computer, waiting for someone to log in and begin work.
JOE: At least I won’t have to look at their faces anymore. (He sits down and begins typing furiously)
Several moments pass as JOE becomes visibly agitated. Finally, without saying anything, he stands up, rips his monitor from the desk, and throws it into the shadowy reaches of his closet/office. He watches disappear into the distance, then sits down.
JOE: Well, shit.
3.14.2008
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