This Company was the craziest company ever, along with everyone in it— beside me, of course, since I was working with them for the whole three weeks.
My past self, before coming here, would never think about taking my items whenever I heard about the evacuation. I would thought about other things—
Maybe staying there?
"So… this is how it's working."
I was standing with maybe two hundred or something. Who were eventually living in the same building.
Too many new faces,
Most of them were expressionless.
"They'll leave us here for the rest of the day." Silas leaned on the wall as if he was second away from falling to sleep. "We must've stayed there."
"I think that the whole point was to gather us instead of evacuate the building."
"...?"
"My feelings."
"Yeah. Your superpower."
"Nice and easy superpower." I pointed at random chairs in the simi-stadium we were in. "I'm going there."
"Why?"
"It's true that we are in the company but it's not the work hours, we must rest."
"You've just reminded me of the food we left behind us. I'm still hungry."
"..."
"Was that a smile on your face that I saw?"
"Let's just go and sit. They are typically locking us here."
I didn't know why, but the moment I sat there a strong bad feeling filled my chest.
Maybe because it somehow reminded me of the carnival show—
And maybe because Silas sat right from me, and that was the exact position his copy took when I was in the Vessel.
"Do you have any older siblings?"
I took out his sandwich and handed it to him while he was looking at me as if I was an alien.
"No, Why?. And what about the actual meal?"
"I couldn't put plates in my pocket. Be grateful for this at least." I didn't get my sandwich and instead I chose fruits. "I saw someone who looked like you the other day."
"Where?"
"In the Vessel."
"That's a bad way to say it."
"Yeah. I almost got a panic attack."
"Because you saw someone like me?"
"No. Because he was acting like you."
"That's brutal."
"Yeah. Can you please stop eating my fruits? When did you even eat your sandwich?"
"I put it aside."
"Ha?"
"For someone who didn't eat all day and of course lost the chance to by getting here."
"Are you talking about Adeline?" My assumption seemed to be true cause he just nodded. "Is she your sister for real? I thought that it was a lie."
"It is a lie."
"Then what?"
"Secret." He smiled that evil Crooked one of his before continuing. "It's not hard to guess, though."
"I'm not curious." I returned the fruits to my pocket, since he would easily finish them. "Plus. Do you feel anything strange here?"
"Yes. Something is going on."
"I feel that it has to do with Johan and what I've told you earlier."
Most of the employees were sitting at that point, and their voices became more and more quiet in every passing second… as if they all felt it, that sting smell in the air.
"If that was the case, then we are all in bad trouble."
"What the worst they could do?" I leaned back on my chair, ready to watch a new movie I downloaded weeks ago. "Start a magical show?"
"..."
All the lights went off in a second and all I could see was my phone's screen… the movie was starting and maybe its sound was the only sound in the whole place.
"What a nice time to watch a movie."
"It's always a nice time to watch a movi—" I looked to my left like a crackhead machine. And there he was… the ethics Vampire. Sitting in the darkness that only my screen lightened.
"So chilled compared to the situation, Sir Nathan."
"I fear that I don't understand what you are talking about?" Playing dumb was the best move I could do. "Isn't it a usual gathering?"
"Right, it is a usual gathering."
The lights went on again, but in different shades and colors… preparing the atmosphere to something like an opera.
That's nice,
Incredibly nice.
"Who's beside you?"
Silas asked while looking at Louis, seeming completely out of clues.
"Someone I know from another team." I answered, somehow feeling relieved because there was a good space between chairs. "He is Louis."
"Unfamiliar name."
"Yeah, it's better this way."
I put my phone in my pocket again before looking to Louis' side. He was looking at the stage as if he was thinking about something.
Maybe burning it? Because of course he could…
"I have the equipment." He spoke without looking at my side. "The invitation with them, too."
"Too fast."
"It's a one-week-event."
"Oh…"
What a perfect timing. I was planning to leave at the end of next week anyways.
"Here." He put a ring on the chair handle. "The payment is there too, with the file."
"Are these things, including the ring, things on loan? Or things you can't retrieve from me?"
"It's yours, as long as you get me what I want."
"Okay." I took the ring, even if I had no idea how it was supposed to work. "could you do something with my work her?"
"I'll have my way."
"Fine."
I was already planning to buy extra things with the payment he gave but for myself before I remembered that I wouldn't need any of that anyway.
Normal life was boring, no doubt.
But even if this was much crazier, I couldn't just accept it.
"I'll take my leave then."
"Wait—"
He literally turned to flames before vanishing. And that kept me silent for long moments after, unable to progress what I've seen…
"Crazy people with crazy abilities."
Everyone who was sitting and waiting was somebody with some kind of weird powers that may or may not help him with his daily life, or even in a Vessel.
But the number was huge, and considering that it was only a small proportion of the overwhole number, that felt worse.
The 'special' people weren't even a small group of the population, but somehow they managed to make it secret.
How?
Memories eraser?
That wouldn't work on the same person after the second time.
So it's an absolute luck game?
Maybe.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Two time—" I answered unconsciously before shutting up when my brain finished processing.
Two times,
When it didn't even work in the first one…
No, no.
So I've got my memories erased two times before that? When? For what?
Or no. If I forgot it then I needed to. Trying to think about it won't help, even if it was so suspicious that it didn't feel good at all.
"Good evening, Ladies and gentlemen!" Someone showed up on the stage, looking so excited that I couldn't do anything besides frowning. "It's a nice day to do something funny!"
Funny.
In this company…
Best combination ever.
Haha.
"We have a game," he raised two fingers. "For two days."
I really didn't want to hear him, but I couldn't help but to.
"For those two days, Find the three anomalies among you." He smiled like a psychopath. "Or you'll sadly kill all of you."
…
Yeah,
I've heard something but I couldn't process it quite well…
What was that, again?
"Have a nice time you all."
He clicked his fingers then all of sudden all the heads on the place turned into crazy masks, just as the ones I've seen in the Vessels…
"I must have stayed in my room." I put on the company's watch so I could suppress the urge to vomit. Then looked at Silas, who was sitting there while rubbing his forehead.
"What was that?"
"Open war." He answered, then looked around, maybe trying to find Adeline. "We have to survive this crazy war now. But before that, let's find Adeline."
"She isn't someone to worry about."
She was literally carrying two men last time and when she didn't, she was actively killing sny anomalies came close to her.
Who would worry about that killing machine?
"Just search for her." He insisted. "Hopefully we will find her before she becomes the one to start the massacre."
Ah…
That was making sense.
"Okay then, you go to the right and I to the left. If we don't find her then let's return here."
"Deal."
I put on my glasses the moment I stand. There was no golden glow this time, unfortunately… but at least it did make me see well.
Ten minutes passed without finding her, and just when I decided to return, a glow showed up.
Red glow.
Red.
The target was far away and I didn't bring myself to even look there for more than seconds, since it felt like a danger more than a 'need'.
One minute passed,
Two,
Three,
With each one, the glow was spreading.
And by the time I was on my seat, all of the people around me were glowing in red.
Neon red.
As if I was the target.