Don't Leave Early Extended preview

Don’t Leave Early.

              “Hey, Jan, the boss wants us to come down to the conference room.”

              Jan gulped and shut down her game.  “What?  Why?  We haven’t had a meeting in almost a month.”

              Harry shrugged.  “I don’t know, but we had better hurry.  You know how he can get about these things.”  Harry hurried down the corridor.

              “Fuck.”  Jan looked at her computer monitor.  “I am supposed to be going into a dungeon in twenty minutes.  I can usually get away with this as this place is deader than a doormat.”  She stood up.  “I am just going to go in, let him see that I am there, and slip out as I can’t miss this dungeon group.  Otherwise, I will spend the next five weeks looking for another static.  It is months into the expansion and way too late to be looking for a new group of people to do this kind of content with.”

              So, Jan hurried out of her cubical and followed after Harry.  Soon, she found herself inside the conference room with almost everyone from the office.  “What the hell is going on here?”

              Mark shrugged his arms.  “Beats me.”

              Amy leaned against the wall.  “All I know is management wants us all in one place to yell at us.”

              Jan fidgeted around.  “Well, they better hurry so we can get back to work.”

              Amy laughed.  “You want to hurry to get back to work?  Are you mad?”

              “Well, I guess so.”

              The room went silent as the head of the small company entered the room.  “Thank you all for taking time out of your busy lives and coming to today’s oh-so-very important meeting.”  He took a deep breath.  “Now, I know most of you don’t know who I am, and I would like to keep it that way.  All you bottom feeders need to know is I am your boss.”  He snorted.  “And we have a problem.  A big problem.  It seems that you fools have really taken to slacking off here in the office.”  Jan gulped.  “Well, I won’t have that anymore!”

              He turned around.  “We are putting in new measures that will help ensure you all keep at your work.  If any of you are found to be taking an unauthorized break, then our new punishment system will kick in.”  He snapped his fingers, and the projector flipped on to show a picture of rows upon rows of blueberries.  “Lovely, aren’t they?  Well, if you fuck up, you will be getting to know the blueberries much more personally.”  He slammed his hand against the wall.  “Do I make myself clear?”

              Amy smiled.  “Sure, boss.  We will do the work you want, no problem.”

              “Smart ass.  Let me remind you that if you mess up, you will find out what I mean firsthand, miss.”

              “Amy.”

              “Amy.  Nice and lovely name.”  He looked out over the crowd.  “And that goes for you all.  I don’t think you want to get into this juicy situation now, do you?  So, get back to work and stay there until it’s time to go home.  Understood!”

              Everyone turned around and walked back to their stations while grumbling and moaning.  Jan eventually makes her way back to her desk with a “Finally.”  She had been waiting for this moment so she could return to her static, and she wasn’t going to let some vague threat from some supposed boss she had never met before get in her way.  She was going to enjoy herself instead of.. . hell, she hadn’t worked here for so long, and she wasn’t even sure what she was supposed to do.  Besides, she wasn’t going home early.  How the hell would they even check if she was working?  Invade her privacy?

              As she sat down at her cubicle, she started up her game.  “Okay.  Now, where was I?”

              “Miss Killingsworth.  This is what you have been doing at work?”

              Jan looked around.  “Who is there?”

              “The camera above your desk.”

              She jumped to her feet.  “You freaks are spying on me?”

              “Well, considering you are pulling such pranks, we have to do something to keep you in line.”

              Jan crossed her arms.  “Well, I don’t care.”  She sat back down.  “I am still playing my game.  I can find a new, better job later.”

              “Oh no, you are not quitting.”

              “Huh?”

              A blue mist began to seep into her cubicle.  “Your work here has just begun.”

              “What is this?”  Jan stood up, coughing as she tasted blueberries.  “What are you doing?”  As Jan turned around to escape, the door behind her closed.  “Huh?”