Bad Day at Work
Dec. 26th, 2012 03:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rinkhcTitle: Bad Day at Work
Fandom: Original Fiction
Prompt: Job Related Trauma
Medium: FIC
Rating: R
Word Count: 671
Summary: Debby and Sally were just doing their jobs
Content Notes: Might be disturbing to some, office shooting
“You people ruined my life!” the man on the phone screamed into Debby’s ear, or it would have been her ear if she had not been holding the phone about a foot away from her head. This particular rant had been going on for six minutes and twenty seven seconds, according to the time display on her phone. The recorder was collecting it all, she merely had to grunt and make an “uhm huh,” noise occasionally.
Mister Smith had not paid his car payment in five months, and so the finance company had sent a repo company out to collect the car, after Mister Smith had refused to work with the collection department any longer.
“You’ll be sorry! You fuckers are going to be sorry!” Mister Smith screamed and then hung up the phone. Debby set the phone down and sighed, rubbing her forehead.
“Another one?” her co worker, Sally, asked from across the way.
“Yeah, I think Acme Car Sales sent out a bunch of repos this weekend, that’s the third call I’ve gotten. I hate Mondays.”
Sally grimaced. “I hate Acme Car Sales, myself. Tommy makes my life hell.”
The day went on, with several more disgruntled Acme customers calling before lunch. Debby had just turned to collect her purse when she heard a strange popping noise coming from down the hall.
Then she heard screaming. And more popping sounds.
“What’s that? It sounds like it’s coming from Sales,” Sally said.
Debby wasn’t certain later, when she was asked how she knew, but she suddenly knew she shouldn’t stay where she was. slinging her purse over her shoulder and grabbing her cell phone from the charger on her desk, she crossed the office, shoving at Sally’s shoulder, turning her away from the door leading to the hallway.
“What? I was going to go look.”
“No. Shh. Be quiet, come here.” She grabbed Sally’s hand and ran into the corner office that Mister Taylor had abandoned when he moved downstairs to Financing. There was a closet behind his door that they used for storing old bank statements. The closet was empty because they had just sent stuff to the shredder. She opened the door and pulled Sally in after her as there was more screaming and more popping noise from Payroll.
She covered Sally’s mouth with one hand and made a quick shushing noise. They heard a slamming noise, the door to their department opening. The door to Mister Taylor’s office banged back against the closet door. They heard heavy footsteps. She and Sally were clinging to each other silently in the dark closet. About two minutes after they had run into the closet, they could hear sirens outside. Sally clung to her more tightly, letting out a muffled whimper.
There was one more burst of popping noises. Then it became silent.
They stood there, afraid to move. Then Debby’s cell phone, shoved by habit into the pocket of her bag, began to chirp musically. She fumbled her hand for it and checked the screen. It was Patricia from Human Resources.
“Hello?” she whispered.
“Debby? Oh, thank God. Where are you? Are you in the building?” Patricia asked.
She whispered, “We’re in Mr Taylor’s closet.”
“You can come out. The police got him, it’s safe, sweetie. Come out and sit by your desk and wait for a policeman to come to you. Is Sally with you?”
“Okay.” She ended the call and reached for the door handle. Sally made a sound of protest but she said, “It’s okay, Patricia said they got the guy.”
They wheeled Sally’s chair over by hers and they sat together. Debby noticed that Sally’s hands were shaking. She reached over and took it, holding it tightly as they sat with their shoulders pressed together and waited.
The phone rang, one ring and then the automated system caught it and it was silent. Debby was glad. She didn’t want to talk to any more customers. She never wanted to talk to any customers again.
The End
Fandom: Original Fiction
Prompt: Job Related Trauma
Medium: FIC
Rating: R
Word Count: 671
Summary: Debby and Sally were just doing their jobs
Content Notes: Might be disturbing to some, office shooting
“You people ruined my life!” the man on the phone screamed into Debby’s ear, or it would have been her ear if she had not been holding the phone about a foot away from her head. This particular rant had been going on for six minutes and twenty seven seconds, according to the time display on her phone. The recorder was collecting it all, she merely had to grunt and make an “uhm huh,” noise occasionally.
Mister Smith had not paid his car payment in five months, and so the finance company had sent a repo company out to collect the car, after Mister Smith had refused to work with the collection department any longer.
“You’ll be sorry! You fuckers are going to be sorry!” Mister Smith screamed and then hung up the phone. Debby set the phone down and sighed, rubbing her forehead.
“Another one?” her co worker, Sally, asked from across the way.
“Yeah, I think Acme Car Sales sent out a bunch of repos this weekend, that’s the third call I’ve gotten. I hate Mondays.”
Sally grimaced. “I hate Acme Car Sales, myself. Tommy makes my life hell.”
The day went on, with several more disgruntled Acme customers calling before lunch. Debby had just turned to collect her purse when she heard a strange popping noise coming from down the hall.
Then she heard screaming. And more popping sounds.
“What’s that? It sounds like it’s coming from Sales,” Sally said.
Debby wasn’t certain later, when she was asked how she knew, but she suddenly knew she shouldn’t stay where she was. slinging her purse over her shoulder and grabbing her cell phone from the charger on her desk, she crossed the office, shoving at Sally’s shoulder, turning her away from the door leading to the hallway.
“What? I was going to go look.”
“No. Shh. Be quiet, come here.” She grabbed Sally’s hand and ran into the corner office that Mister Taylor had abandoned when he moved downstairs to Financing. There was a closet behind his door that they used for storing old bank statements. The closet was empty because they had just sent stuff to the shredder. She opened the door and pulled Sally in after her as there was more screaming and more popping noise from Payroll.
She covered Sally’s mouth with one hand and made a quick shushing noise. They heard a slamming noise, the door to their department opening. The door to Mister Taylor’s office banged back against the closet door. They heard heavy footsteps. She and Sally were clinging to each other silently in the dark closet. About two minutes after they had run into the closet, they could hear sirens outside. Sally clung to her more tightly, letting out a muffled whimper.
There was one more burst of popping noises. Then it became silent.
They stood there, afraid to move. Then Debby’s cell phone, shoved by habit into the pocket of her bag, began to chirp musically. She fumbled her hand for it and checked the screen. It was Patricia from Human Resources.
“Hello?” she whispered.
“Debby? Oh, thank God. Where are you? Are you in the building?” Patricia asked.
She whispered, “We’re in Mr Taylor’s closet.”
“You can come out. The police got him, it’s safe, sweetie. Come out and sit by your desk and wait for a policeman to come to you. Is Sally with you?”
“Okay.” She ended the call and reached for the door handle. Sally made a sound of protest but she said, “It’s okay, Patricia said they got the guy.”
They wheeled Sally’s chair over by hers and they sat together. Debby noticed that Sally’s hands were shaking. She reached over and took it, holding it tightly as they sat with their shoulders pressed together and waited.
The phone rang, one ring and then the automated system caught it and it was silent. Debby was glad. She didn’t want to talk to any more customers. She never wanted to talk to any customers again.
The End