Chapter 8. Realisation.
Once they were back in the car, Amir said, ‘Get us a room.’ Javed drove them away. Caro made a call to reserve a hotel room. She paused to ask Amir, ‘Which floor?’ He replied, ‘Second, in case we need to jump.’ Amir then answered a call, listened for a while, and said, ‘He may live.’ Sara barely stopped herself from asking who. Amir paused and said, ‘Knowing what he has done will be his curse’, and ended his call.
A stressed DoorDash driver passed them. The police had stopped him and had requested a blood test and a drug swab, since he seemed happy. The driver felt relieved when he saw that the cabin was burning. He did not have to apologise for being so late now. After calling the fire brigade, he ate the food he was meant to deliver and suddenly understood why customers kept complaining. The driver spat a hair onto the ground. A horrible shout made him forget about the food. He left in a hurry. Soon after something emerged from the forest and took the food he had left behind, devouring it in one bite.
Amir sighed, ‘I need a replacement’ (relatable). Caro volunteered professional names: ‘Beer Gut’, ‘Big Boobs’, and ‘the Ken Doll.’ Caro also mentioned ‘the Bookie’ and ‘the Pincher.’ Caro added that she found both tiresome. Sara asked her why. Caro said that one was too nice and the other could not keep his hands to himself.
Sara found herself wondering what she would be called. Perhaps ‘the Philosopher Queen?’ Sara realised that she was still in shock. She tried to imagine Amir asking for ‘the Philosopher Queen’ and could not (nor understand why, no matter how hard she tried).
Sara suddenly realised something and blurted out, ‘How will you find those responsible?’ Amir said, ‘I already know.’ Sara looked at him, expecting him to elaborate (like a normal person) in vain. Javed caught a glimpse of Sara’s frustration which had formed into a red genie which promptly dematerialised, so he said, ‘Sara, the rules and norms you are used to are no longer valid.’ Caro added, ‘Sorry. Welcome to our world.’
Javed asked Amir if he could turn on the radio. Amir shrugged. Javed took that to mean that it was alright. They soon heard a newscaster report: ‘Earlier today, a girl had an extremely unpleasant interpersonal encounter with three men. She is currently getting medical attention. One of the men was caught by the public and…the police urge the other two men to turn themselves in, if they wish to live.’ Javed said, ‘Allah, blacken their faces.’ Caro was about to say something, but a passer-by distracted her. His ragged clothes allowed the wind to feel his body. The passer-by was holding a sign. Sara thought that it had said, ‘The end is near. Tax day is upon us.’
The newscaster went on to report that the fire brigade had almost managed to put out a fire before they decided to leave. She struggled not to laugh and tried to explain that something had emerged from the nearby forest and had scared the fire brigade. They had requested police backup before they returned. The newscaster added that the fire was preliminarily ruled arson and corpses had been found in the wreckage. She played a clip from an upset man, introduced as a dungeon master. He owned the cabin that had burned down but he had insurance and mainly seemed upset by the fact that the next gaming session would need to take place in his basement office and home. He complained that his mother always came down and ruined the mood. The newscaster laughed and added that the police had not identified the corpses yet and appealed to the public to provide information.
An HR representative came by and made me promise not to spit coffee on my colleagues again. I said that it was an accident and that I rarely spit coffee on people. She explained at great length that HR had just read my commentary on chapters 1 to 5 and regarded my response to their concerns as troublesome and worrying. She then asked out of the blue if I had undergone sensitivity training. I politely asked if I was required to answer that question. She told me to remember that they were going to read everything I wrote, then she abruptly left before I could tell her to follow, like, and subscribe.
