W e l c o m e

You're sitting in a bleak office.

All of your coworkers are gone.

You hear rushed footsteps out in the hall. A man barges into the office, dangling an oversized pair of stonewashed denim jeans in his hands.

It's Jared.

He glares at you and grins. His muscles bulge out from under his shirt. He rests the stonewashed jeans on the arm of a chair and leans over your desk.

"Hey... I've been meaning to tell you something. I've been thinking about you a lot lately and... well... I notice the way you look at me," he murmurs, "I think we were always meant to be together—here... I have a gift for you..."

His hand reaches slowly into his pocket where he retrieves a small object. He sets it down on the desk.

It's a cassette:

"I made this for you. It's a story my mother used to tell me about Batman and a little boy named Brian."

You reach for it and your hand touches his. He holds your hand. "W—we've got to get out of this place," he says, "Just you and me. Lets run far away."

You catch a whiff of his breathe. Black forest ham. It excites you. Your heart starts to race.

"Here... go home, listen to the tape, pack your bags, and tomorrow lets meet somewhere."

"Where?" you say.

"Port authority, 8:00 AM. I know a bus that will take us far away from here."

The phone rings

As you pick it up, he begins to walk toward the door. Overwhelmed with questions, you watch him frantically. Right before he exits, he faces you and mouths, "I love you."

And with that, he turns and walks into the hallway.

Continue...