âThe CEO of this company summoned me to make sure things go smoothly, but he didnât say what going smoothly is.â the supernatural being says slyly. âThatâs why Iâm draining his bank account, and yaâll are all getting that money, now your lives should be as smooth as ever. Itâs what he said!â
âSmooth as ever.â While my coworkers celebrated, I stared blankly at my screensaver. The small clownfish bounced against the sides of my monitor, while I remained transfixed by the situation.
Something about the situation felt off. I couldnât explain why it felt off. But it just did. A supernatural entity doing something out of the kindness of its own heart was unheard of. Sure, she was screwing over my boss, who was, in the politest terms I could find, a raging asshole, but stillâŚ.
Suddenly a shark dashed across my screen, its sharp teeth glistening as it snapped up those small clownfish before swimming off. Leaving my screen a bubbling, empty blue sea. I stared at my icons, horrified, only for a chilly hand to hit my shoulder.
âHello there, Mr. Jenkins. I donât believe weâve been formally introduced. Iâm Damish. The stunningly beautiful trickster of the corporate world. Any business that has ever hit the top fifty lists has been influenced by me.â She bowed, pushing her face towards my neck, breathing down it. âYou should be celebrating with the others. Youâre going to be riiiich.â She exaggerated the word, letting her ice-cold breath rattle through me. I tensed and shifted in my seat, and she moved closer.
âW-why are you working against my boss then?â I asked, trying to push myself out of the seat. No matter how much I squirmed or dug my fingers into the thin cushion of my chair, I couldnât pull myself away from her. There was just something commanding about her, something that made my body freeze whenever she drifted near me.
âWhy not? Heâs a prick. An asshole. The complete package of bad terms. Respect's not a two-way street when Iâm the one that holds all the power. Yaâll should know that. He should have groveled and begged for my help. Instead, he dared to tell me what he wanted. No one orders me around.â She moved, sitting on the edge of my desk, staring at me. âHis account's empty, and some of the moneyâs already gone through to your bank. All you have to do is approve it. Youâre the only one who hasnât yet.â
âIââ
âJenkiiiiins,â Matthew shouted, my coworker throwing himself over my shoulder, raising his coffee cup towards the trickster. âWhat are you doing working? Celebrate with us. Weâre rich. I got two-hundred thousand in my transfer. I canât wait to tell the wife about that. Sheâs going to be over the moon.â
I slouched forward under his weight, peering back at the trickster, whose rosy pink eyes almost seemed to glimmer at my coworkerâs display. Watching with a sly smile. âIâm happy for you, Matthew.â I said, politely trying to nod my head, even though his arm made it hard to shift my neck.
âOh, this is great. Weâve been trying for a child too. Now, we have a nice little safety net. Sure, itâs not enough to live off, but it gives us a good nest to build upon. Thanks, lady.â He pulled away from me and patted Damish on her shoulder. The trickster gave him a kind smile that faded quickly when he left.
She snatched a tissue off my desk, wiping the spot that he had touched with a grimace, before directing that previous kind smile at me. âA safety net. Wouldnât that be nice? You could start a family too.â
âIâm not interested in starting a family yet. Twenty-eight is too young for something like that.â
âToo old, you mean? Two hundred years ago, you would have been almost on your deathbed. You humans move so slowly now. You gave yourselves an extra twenty or so years with medicine and squandered it by working yourselves half to death. Education, work, retiring in your crappy years. What a life you humans have created.â
Those words stung, hitting a big insecurity of mine. The thought that my good years were wasted. Here I was, sitting in an office building, typing away my best years of health. What did I have to show for it? Some money? Barely more than anyone else. In fact, I was probably poorer than most. A few girlfriends here and there, but no long-term love. If I had some money, I could focus. I could get my life together. I couldâŚ. No⌠no, this is exactly what she wanted. She isnât my friend. Thereâs always a catch.â
She leant forward and tenderly ran her hand through my hair. âJenkins. Whatâs the point of fighting this? Itâs a good thing. Do you have any dreams? Anything you want to achieve.â
âI.. wellâŚâ The tender touch lulled me into a daze, finding myself wanting to be patted more. There was something so comforting about it. Something that made me feel like I could actually achieve my goals. Then I felt sick. A twist in my stomach that something was dangerously wrong.
I threw my back into my chair, and its plastic wheels scooted along the carpet, banging me against the back wall of my cubicle. A few people peered over at the sound, before going back to their celebrations, assuming it had only been an accident. âNo. Iâm not taking that money. I donât care if I'm making a mistake. I just⌠Iâm not listening to you.â
She stared in silence, those pink eyes focused on me, before she scowled. âYou lonely stain. You waste of human flesh and blood. Youâre getting too big for your britches.â When her composure dropped, she almost sounded human. The words coming out with a southern tinge that I hadnât noticed before. She stood, before pausing, as a buzzing noise came from her pocket. She pulled out her phone, placing it to her ear.
âWHAT?â she snapped at the voice on the other end. âHuh?â She flicked her gaze back over to me before staring off into space. âReally? Fine. If you say so.â She let out a huff, snapping the flip-phone shut. âI would have gotten you to give in.â Then she was gone. No puff of smoke or vanishing through the floor. She just ceased to be there. My screensaver returned to normal, the fish swimming back onto the screen while I caught my breath.
âMatthew!â A voice snapped from outside my cubicle, before being followed by screams. I jumped out of my chair, watching as my coworkers exploded into piles of money. Each one getting replaced by a stack of cash that had to have been in the millions. I ran over to the nearest person, trying to help, but it was pointless. Before I could even get close to them, they were gone. So, I just dropped to my knees, kneeling on a pile that used to be someone.
A hearty chuckle left the elevator doors as Mr. Davis stepped out. He passed the piles of money, giving each an approving nod. âThis is even more than I expected. Finally, I can expand.â When he reached me, he didnât even bother to look my way. âYouâve got some balls not taking that money. I respect someone with balls.â He said, despite not respecting me enough to look at me. âYouâre being promoted.â
I didnât know what to say. Confusion, anger, fear â all those feelings fought for dominance. âAh-â was all I could manage. A meager noise that didnât solve anything.
âI know what youâre going to say, kid. Oh, I could never take that promotion, you fat bastard. You killed my coworkers. Iâm going to expose you to the media. Kid, none of thatâs going to happen. Wanna know why? No one will even remember these people existed.â
âI⌠remember them.â
âYeah, just you and me. People who were exposed to her magic. Everyone else will forget them. Better that way.â He picked up a handful of money and sniffed it. âSmells like a bright future for Advanced Minds.â
âMatthewâŚâ I muttered. âHe had a wife.â
âAnd in her mind, she never got married. Sheâll vaguely remember a man she loved but never be able to match a face to him. Thatâs the deal, kid. She gets their souls; I get what their bodies are worth. Organs, blood, eyes. Everything has a value.â
âI donât get it. How does that make everyone forget them?â
âWithout a soul, you donât exist. Simple as that. Life will balance things out. Parents who thought they had two kids will now have one, and stuff like that. Beautiful how life corrects itself.â
Beautiful. I gritted my teeth, searching the carpet for a weapon, or something I could use to avenge those who had died. I found a pen among some spilt paperclips and clenched it, pointing it up at him.
Mr Davis didnât flinch. He didnât even give me more than a half-glance. âIt would be pointless, kid. It wouldnât bring them back. They signed an agreement when they accepted my money. They should have read the terms listed in the bank transfer. I spared you. I could have let her tempt you into taking the money, and I didnât. Why? Because I respected you for holding your own. Weâll need guts like that. Iâm thinking of giving you a nice office on the floor below mine. One with a great view of the park and a three million dollar a year contract. How does that sound?â He extended his hand.
I wanted to slap his hand away. To spit in his face and tell him where he could shove those three million dollars. Yet, it wouldnât change anything. It wouldnât bring them back, and at least if I stayed here. There was a chance I could get my revenge at some point. My hand shook as I reached towards him, giving his hand a shake.
âWelcome to the big leagues, kid.â
âYou know youâll be punished for this someday. Right?â
âOf course. Iâll be burning for a hundred years when I die, which is why I have to set the world on fire before I reach that day. Iâm going to enjoy every minute of this ride, and you should enjoy it too while it lasts. You might not be able to keep your soul forever.â He said, turning to the elevator. âIâll have some guys come around to collect this money. My bank accounts empty, so theyâll need to deposit it right away. Can you make sure they donât pocket anything?â When I didnât answer, he just laughed. âI know yaâll handle it.â He coughed. âI know youâll handle itâŚ.â
As he left, I couldnât help but wonder if he would be burning far sooner than he thought he would beâŚ













