Recess

Edith Nader sits at her desk and double checks her wristwatch.  Ten minutes left.  It only takes five minutes to get to the shelter.  There is still more than enough time to make it to let her finish her project.  She goes back to typing.  The boss expected this report today.  He wouldn’t accept any excuses, especially since she had put it off for two days already.1

Letting her fingers pound at the keyboard, she knew she would make it.  Finally, she hit the last period and sat back to relax.  Then she checked the time again.  Oh god!  It was ten thirty!  Panic left her paralyzed.  Maybe there was still time.2

Getting up from the chair, she hurries out of cubicle and towards the door.  Suddenly, she hears the air raid siren blowing.  It makes her heart practically skip a beat.  This was no time to give up though.  She ran towards the elevator.  Looking up at the lights, it was coming up from the main floor.  Oh no, they were coming!3

Turning, she ran for the staircase.  Hopefully, they wouldn’t be using both.  She opens the door and listens for a second.  Good there are no footsteps.  Slowly at first she starts walking down the stairs.  Suddenly the lights go out.  Stopping, she fights the urge to scream.  Then she can’t help herself.  As the pain starts and she feels her body being violated in the most horrifying and terrible ways imaginable.  In the midst of such crippling violence, her voice is the only part of her body that is able to fight back.  Seconds later she stops screaming.  Not because her agony is over or because death has claimed its prey.  That will come later, much, much later.  Only it will not be in the darkness.  It will be in the light where she can see the terror besides feel it.  Then she will scream until death mercifully silences her agony.4

The next day, George Williams stands at the opening to Edith’s cubicle.  “It’s a darn shame,” he groans to himself as he steps inside and stares at her desk.  “Oh good she did at least finish that report before — ah, I better get to my meeting before I’m late.”5

Later in the day, a woman dressed in an orange tuxedo opens the door to the office space where Edith’s cubicle is located.  She is tall and very attractive, but her face never shows any emotion.  As she passes the other cubicles on the way to Edith’s, the people inside instinctively cringe and look incredibly nervous.6

Stopping at Edith’s cubicle she steps inside.  Taking a plastic bag from her inside coat pocket, she takes all of Edith’s personal belongings off the desk such as her plant, photos, even her radio and tosses them into the bag.  Afterwards, she turns and walks towards the exit.7

Outside, she steps over to the elevator.  Before the door opens, she stuffs the plastic bag in a trashcan sitting next to the door.  Then she removes a small walkie talkie from her tuxedo and says, “Seventeen.  Four.  Twelve.  Twenty-one.”8

“Affirmed,” a computer type voice says over the radio.9

The next day, George is leading a woman down the aisle in the office.  He escorts her into Edith’s cubicle.  “This is it, Caroline.”10

She looks around and studies the office.  Then she asks, “How far is it too — you know?”11

George smiles.  “Don’t worry.  It is only five minutes away by elevator and they are time to meet the time schedule.  We are very picky about making sure we are in compliance.”12

Caroline nods and then sits down in the chair.  George hands her a group of reports to prepare.  Seconds later she is busy typing without giving any thought to the fate of the person she replaced.  Inside she knows the truth, but a job is a job.  It might not be compassionate, still is the way she feels she must look at the job opening.13

George goes back to his office.  On the way to his door he passes his secretary’s desk.  She looks at him with her usual grim expression whenever they have an “employee termination.”  “Doreen I wish you wouldn’t look so glum every time we hire a new employee.  It just isn’t good for morale.”14

“I’m sorry George.  I just can’t get use to this, this —”15

“Shhh, Doreen.  You shouldn’t even say anything about that.”16

“I know, but —”17

“Gosh, look at the time.  I have to go.  I’ve got that meeting with the boss and then — we’ll talk about this later, okay?  You know.  When we are in the, um — well you know.”18

Doreen goes back to her chores without comment.  They have had this conversation before and she knows they will never actually get around to talking about IT!19

Meanwhile, George is off to his meeting.  He has one last stop to make before he gets there.  It will be at personnel.  Williams needs to turn in the paperwork on Edith’s termination.  Then afterwards he can head off to his meeting and not have to worry about giving her anymore thought.  She had been a good employee.  However, knowing her fate was something he didn’t care to dwell upon.20

His boss, Robert Ofmer, sits in his office and examines the numbers.  He is putting the finishing touches on his big speech to the staff.  The emphasis will be on concentrating on the future and hope.  Robert always loved talking about hope.21

Suddenly, he gets an email from personnel.  It is the monthly termination report.  He opens the email and scans the details.  Shaking his head he fights to keep from complaining, even to himself, since he knows it might be overheard.  Then he deletes the report before going back to concentrating on his speech.  Inside he knows it is tough to concentrate in some ways on his meeting after seeing the numbers.  Still, as before, he forces himself to work on his speech.  There would be time in the bar later to let his mind drift to the reality that he fights to ignore just like so many others.22

Ofmer excuses his lack of dwelling upon “terminated” employees because of his workload.  Robert simply figures he doesn’t have time to deal with such issues even if he wanted.  It is a rationale that keeps the guilt from burning in his gut.   Besides, he has a meeting to hold.  Grabbing his files and paper full of numbers he gets up and heads for the conference room.  Destiny awaits!  Well, at least he prefers to think of it as critical.23

“And now I think we need to look at the public reaction to our new line…” Robert says in the meeting.  He looks up at the clock.  It is almost time again.  He can tell from the nervous looks around the room that everyone else is worried more about the time than his numbers.  Ofmer just has to finish.  “I think I can sum things up here…” he adds, which immediately draws various exhales of relief.24

Standing in front of the elevator, Robert and George gather with several other employees who watch the floor numbers appear on the small digital screen.  Only two more floors and it will be there.  Even though they have waited for the elevator so many times for this type of thing, inside there stomach still churns from anxiety.25

When the door opens, the elevator is packed.  There is only room for two more.  Robert and the others look at each other.  Making a magnanimous gesture, he says to two of the secretaries, “You two take the elevator.  We’ve got time to use the stairs.  Come one folks.”26

The two secretaries say thank you and step on.  Meanwhile, Robert leads George and the others over to the door leading down the stairs.  He opens it and they begin to descending the steps.27

They manage to get about three floors down when they hear the sirens.  Panicked faces look in Robert’s direction.  “We’re too late!”28

“Oh now, don’t panic.  I’m sure they will be enough time.  We only have two more floors to do.  Now hurry everyone.”29

They reach the door at the main floor and one of the employees opens it.  Just as she does the lights go out.  “Run,” George screams.30

In the panic and confusion caused by the darkness, a couple of the employees trip and fall.  They scramble to get to their feet as everyone races for the door representing security.  The one that reaches it first manages to open it and the light from inside guides them to safety.31

Unfortunately, it works on an automatic locking system and begins closing before Robert can get inside.  George looks back from the room at Robert’s terrified face as the door completely shuts.  He has mixed reactions.  His boss was a decent enough guy, but a small curl of the lips comes to his face.  It is summon from the awareness that their will soon be an opening in management.  Williams can’t help dreaming about his anticipated promotion.  It helps to keep his mind off the terrible screams coming from outside the door.  Looking over at the rest, he can’t muster any words.  They all feel the same, sad for Robert’s fate, but totally relieved that they didn’t end up a victim this time.32

“Doreen, can you come in here please?” George asks a couple of days later when he sits in Robert’s chair savoring his promotion.33

“Yes?” Doreen asks as she steps into the office.34

“I was just wondering if you could recall where the stats from last month were kept?”35

“Let’s see, I think they are in the second drawer of the cabinet.  According to his former secretary that is where — Robert, oh darn, I didn’t want to mention is his name,” she says, before collapsing in the chair in front of George’s new desk while fighting back the tears.36

“I understand,” George comments in an attempt to console her.  “We all find these um, recesses hateful.  However, it isn’t like we have a choice.  Robert was a good boss.  It was sad what happen, but we do have to go on.  I prefer to look on the positive side.  I got a promotion and as my secretary you got one too.”37

“Yes, I know.  It just all seems so unfair somehow.”38

“Be careful Doreen.  We don’t want to criticize.  We know where that leads.”39

“Yes, I realize it too.  It is just, well, sometimes I can’t help wondering about it all.  I mean was it really worth it?  This just seems so much more stressful than before.”40

“It doesn’t have to be.  I mean we do get the published list of recess times and there is the air raid siren.  We just have to be more careful.  That’s all.”41

“But don’t you ever miss, um the old days, before —”42

“I suppose to a degree.  However, they did bring us, progress.”43

“Do you think this once it would be terrible to just talk about them for real?”44

“I suppose it would be okay just this once.  Go ahead and tell me what you think?”45

“I guess George, I was like the rest.  When they landed from that other galaxy and approached us, I was felt the same as most people.  I was excited.  Then when they promised to help solve all our problems, I was even more hopeful.  I only wish they would have mentioned the other thing.”46

“We just call it recess Doreen.”47

“Some recess.  We have to all hide while these benevolent aliens take time out from their superiority to give into their beast sides.  They go insane for a while, killing anyone they find who isn’t hiding in the designated shelters.”48

“Yes, well it would have been wonderful if they had told us up front.  But then they did rid us of disease, crime and pollution, among other things.  So the price we have to pay of letting them revert back to the creature state a few times each day isn’t the worse option.  We just have to make sure we always follow the schedule.  After all, as long as we are in the shelters for that horrific twenty minutes they prowl in their hideous state we’ll be okay.   I guess it is a good thing they created those humanoid robots to take care of cleaning up after some poor soul that who didn’t make it to a shelter in time.  Not sure why they have them dress in orange tuxedoes, but you can’t miss them.  I imagine we will make sense of it some day.  For now we better make plans to get moving to the shelter ourselves, judging from the time.  The clock on the wall is far too unforgiving.”49

“As are those wretched aliens when they transform into those vile man eating creatures,” Doreen observes as they head for the shelter like they have to several times during the day.  Sometimes progress can be truly painful, especially when following time schedule with the risk of being eaten.50