Free Handing

Work

"Dreemurr! You're late again!" Mr. Marcus screams as Mike hastily walks into the meeting room. The weather outside is frightful, with rain falling in sheets across the Chicago skyline. "S-sorry, M-Mr. M-Marcus." Mike stutters, as he shakily removes his coat, trembling with both fear and from the cold. "You were supposed to be here over an hour ago! Why the hell are you late?" Mr. Marcus screams again. Mike couldn't dare to look his boss in the eyes, afraid of what he might see, so instead he focuses on one of the many fabulous pens of Mr. Marcus's desk.

"M-M-My car b-b-broke down on the way d-d-downtown, so I h-h-had to walk from the shop to hear, sir." Mike says, not moving his gaze from the pen on the desk. It was a very nice fountain pen, with a slick and shiny wood framed body that highlighted the pens remarkable golden features.

"I don't give a damn if your car freaking exploded! Do you know how important each day is to this company?" He asks angrily. His face is all possible shades of red at once, and Mike could see the beads of sweat already forming on his forehead, always a tell tale sign of bad things to come.

"Y-Yes sir. I'm aware." Mike lies, beginning to brace himself for the torment to come.

"I've had enough of your tardiness! You are damaging this company more than your are helping it, and your ideas usually end up getting us further into debt than we already are!" Mr. Marcus spits. He pauses for a moment, as if he was making up his mind about something important, takes a breath, and smiles at Mike.

"It's time to turn this company around. In order to do so, we must cut away the harmful people so that we can grow. You and one other 'writer' will be fired today. I suggest you two get aquatinted, as you will most likely spend the rest of your puny insignificant lives together on the streets. And if I see you both on the road, I'm going to-" he is cut off by a known cling on the door. "Must be the other 'writer' I requested. Good. Now I can fire you both at once. Come in!" He says, glaring past Mike as the newcomer opens the door.

In walks a man, one who had until previously been one of the top authors of the company if not the best. Mike was astonished as he walked in, surprised that he was seeing a writing god, the author of the "Suffering but Still Alive" series that had sold millions of copies digitally, not to mention the billions it had sold when it came out on paper. The authors name was Chara Marcus, son of the company owner, Daniel Marcus. He was a shorter male, with short curly brown hair similar to Mikes after he worked out. His hazel eyes could capture the attention of anyone in the room. Mike was aware of this after he snapped himself out of a daze during the only conversation he had ever had with him. He often went under the pen name of 'Hay'. However powerful he may be in writing, he had hit rock bottom after he finished his renowned series, not spending any of the practically billions of dollars he made with the selling of his books because he claimed he had 'nothing or no one to spend it on.'

"Good. Now that you are here I can say the three words to you both that I have been wanting to say for the longest a time," Mr. Marcus takes a deep breath in, as to only prolong our suffering.

"You. Are. Fired. Now get your shit and get the hell away from here."