1. Time Spent Doing What

Saroma looked away from the young receptionist, Koiz, as he walked through the double doors. He walked down the path to his desk and had a strange epiphany. He didn't realize how much his feet hurt.

Saroma feared that he was hallucinating again, but he culled his feelings and sat down at his desk and started the computer.

He carefully typed in his password and the date caught his eye. The date read approximately 3 months from it was yesterday. He debunked it as a software issue. He assumed that someone must have gotten confused with the different time zones the clients lived in.

That is...

Until he looked at his watch...

His cheapo sports watch read the exactly same date and time. An experience flashed by him as if it was a memory. He remembered a particular vivid hallucination of being eaten by his computer, needle like teeth protruding from the keyboard and the screen engulfing him. His heart pounded in his chest as he snapped back to reality, telling himself that it was only a memory.

He spent 5 silent minutes composing himself until he finally stood up and walked away from the desk. He went to his manager's office, to Mr. Rocca.

He knocked on the door, and the man saw him. He was on the phone, so he held up his finger and spun around in the leather swivel chair. Saroma soon heard the hangup and he looked inside. "Please come in, Saroma." He was invited inside.

Saroma eagerly took a seat and he greeted him, "Good morning, Mr. Rocca," he shook his manager's hand, not seeing him for a while.

Rocca greeted him, "Morning, Saroma, what brought you to my office today?"

Saroma made a short introduction, "This may be a bit strange, but are the clocks wrong? Perhaps someone changed the time on a local server or something." Saroma didn't know much about how to company ran tech that was beyond him, which led him to this conclusion.

Obviously thinking it was rather odd of him, Rocca grabbed the digital clock on his desk and looked at it. He showed it to Saroma and said, "It's not wrong." It displayed the same date as the computer.

It seemed like yesterday that Saroma was struggling with the hallucinations. He comes into work and sees a month had passed? How could this possibly be?

With a concerned look, Rocca asked, "Saroma, as your manager, it is my job to ensure the well being of my team. Are you doing alright? You look very thin, your facial hair violates dress code policy... how are you, mentally?" Saroma was taken aback with Rocca's words.

Saroma looked down at his body as if he was seeing starvation on himself for the first time. This explained his fatigue and his low mental resistance to the visions. But how could this possibly happen to him.

Saroma attempted to recall the past month, but nothing came to mind. Without another thought, Saroma said, "Family issues at home." He starred at the computer that his manager left unlocked.

On the computer, displayed a unit of familiar numbers. Rocca stood up which intercepted Saroma's line of sight. The skinny man realized that he was late to catch the social cue, so he rushed to stand and bid his manager farewell.

He left the office and saw a familiar face speaking with someone who he had seen before in his hallucinations: Baser and Moritie.

They finished up their conversation and Moritie left, looking immediately annoyed as she laid eyes on him. Saroma's hand flew to his face, remembering that he didn't look very professional.

Baser approached and asked, "How's mountain life treating you?" Saroma didn't immediately understand since he didn't have a full on beard but he did look unkempt.

"Wait, what?" Saroma asked.

Baser continue being casual and continued with the jokes, "You're not a mountain man or are you a yogi?"Saroma sighed polite exasperation.

Saroma murmured hoping that he would be answered but, as murmuring and not serious, "What happened to me these past few weeks?"

Baser replied stoutly, "You let yourself go is what happened. You should take care of yourself." Obviously taking care of yourself is common sense which Saroma felt embarrassment from.

Saroma wondered how Baser became so casual around him but he appreciated it. Saroma patted Baser's shoulder and said, "Will do..." Saroma headed to the door, planning to check in on his family, but he was stopped by Moritie.

"Mr. Saroma. Can I have a word?" She stood outside of her office, like Cerberus guarding the underworld.

Saroma moved to her before agreeing, "Of course." He entered her office and took a seat. She close the door behind them and he wondered what she called him in for. Anxiety rose from the pit of his stomach.

She took a seat at her desk and then she opened her mouth, "Your appearance is unsatisfactory and you will not work here until you fix it. You can go home, freshen up, go to the barber, but you have until..." she looked at her watch, "...1 o'clock to get it done." She Claster hands and rest her arms on her desk waiting for Saroma to respond.

He nodded his head in agreement. "Will do, ma'am." He said as he stood up.

Before he left she said, "While you're out eat something. You look like you've just come off of Naked and Afraid." Saroma passively agreed and then left.

On his way to his car, he saw a rolled up note stapled around the door handle. " these again..." Saroma muttered as he ripped the note off. He scanned the parking garage, looking for the original owner of the note, but no one was there.

He open the note showing the contents and analyzed it. The long strip of paper contained not numbers, but letters.

Quary 2.0