Dead Quarantine (22 page)

“Come on,” Brian said. “Please tell me where he
went.”

Jim stared at him, a deep frown on his face. “He
just left. You two should have passed each other.”

“No, we didn‘t.”

“Strange.”

This was becoming ridiculous. Tom kept avoiding him,
or could it be more was going on?

Jim returned his attention back to his screen. Or
was Jim covering for Tom? Could it be that since the incident with
Claire, Tom had been skipping work? Brian hoped not. They had a
project to finish together; it would be the worst time possible for
Tom to try become a ghost worker. Any other time he wouldn‘t mind
if management got onto Tom skipping work; it would be a deserved
punishment for screwing up Brian‘s marriage.

Tom was responsible for contacting the clients, but
he hadn“t turned his report in yet. Worse, Tom had the client list
and without it Brian could not do the job on his own. Tom getting
fired would make it near impossible for him finish the job assigned
to them. He needed to get an extension from his manager and
inconspicuously ask about Tom‘s whereabouts.

Brian rushed out the door, looked to his right,
toward the manager“s office, and the left, toward the coffee
corner. The hallway was empty. He turned the left, walking on the
gray coffee stained carpet toward the break corner. The plain white
dully-undecorated walls cropped on him. Anxiety played with his
mind. He tried to focus, but he couldn‘t help himself. What would
he do when he find Tom? Worse, what would he do if he didn‘t?

A short skittish woman stood in front of the coffee
vending machine. She had short black uneven hair cut unevenly. A
new face; she must be the intern. Brian had heard co-workers talk
about her; an odd woman, they said. She wore a plain skirt reaching
two inches under her knees, a rope belt, and a one-size-too-big
turtleneck. Her bag, something one would sooner expect in the
outdoors than in an office, lay next to her feet on the floor. Her
back to him, she stood with her shoulders hunched, and her hand
frozen in air holding her cup of coffee. He waited for her to move,
questioning if he should say something. She shivered and slowly
turned around, her eyes fixed on her toes.

After a moment of awkward silence, Brian asked, “Are
you going to stay here forever or move out of my way?”

She backed away from him.

“Watch out,” Brian yelled.

She stumbled over her bag and fell, her cup slipping
out of her hand and its contents splashing over the carpet adding
to the stains already there. A few droplets got on her bare legs.
She yelped. Brain hurried toward her with an outstretched hand to
help her up. Instead she grabbed her bag and frantically scurried
away from him. Her eyes were white with fear.

“Please,” she mumbled.

She got up, and ran away hugging her bag tight to
her chest.

***End Excerpt***

Ghost Worker