Warning: This chapter contains themes that may be upsetting or triggering for some readers. Read at your own risk.
Hitch Hiker was sleeping in his bedroom in complete darkness. No sound was coming from him or anything in the room. The silence in the room seemed to comfort him in his dreams, as nothing special was being projected in his head. Even other people would have found comfort in the silence in the room.
There was a knock on the door. And another and another.
Hitch opened his eyes slowly while he reached his hands instinctively to the lamp on his bedside table. The light illuminated the entire room, but not too brightly. The light didn't even sting his eyes as he removed his thick blanket from him.
"I'm ready, just give me a minute," said Hitch sleepily.
He rose slowly from the bed and stood up with a perfect posture. He walked to the closet and removed his nightwear while examining himself in the smooth reflective surface of his mirror. He slowly dressed himself as always - it wasn't as if he had dozens of different clothes to choose from.
He properly dressed himself to blend in with crowds; it had always been this way. He didn't seem to have much hope for how the day would turn out; it was as if he wished that there wouldn't be any more days. That's the dread of living, knowing that you're still going to live no matter what, and the constant facts of everything that has moved on and developed without even realizing it.
Hitch then put on a red tie around his neck. He examined himself further, like looking for a speck of dust on the window. He was satisfied, or rather, he would be satisfied because nobody would be judging him.
He turned on the light that was stationed on the ceiling, and it made the whole room brighter than before. He moved to his bed and turned off the lamp, even though it wasn't really necessary, which was what the other would often tell him about this habit of his, saving energy.
He then walked to the door without uttering a single word, but judging from his face, it seemed as though he would detest this day. He opened the door and turned off the light within the room.
He was now descending the stairs. He was met by his sisters, who were at the table with their phones in hand. They didn't seem to notice any presence there, only themselves. The vast room was filled with noises overlapping from devices and gave Hitch a kind of headache that he had always been trying to avoid. But he knows better that they couldn't care less about his stories about headaches.
"You know, Erika, about that guy, what do you think his net worth would be? If he's not even making six figures a month, why even bother, babe? These nobodies aren't worth the risk, darling," said Mitch idly.
"Yeah, yeah," said Erika idly as she scrolled on her phone, captivated by the bright images flashing before her eyes.
"Nooo! He said that I was too much!" said Mitch dramatically as she seemed to receive a message. "How could he dump me?!" said Mitch loudly.
"Aww, don't worry, darling, your sister is here for you," ooed Erika as Mitch cried on her and sobbed uncontrollably. Hitch glanced at them with an envious expression on his face.
"Who knocked on my door earlier?" Hitch demanded as he observed whether one of them would even acknowledge his speech. Of course, he wasn't disappointed, yet he wished that he was wrong.
Mitch and Erika continued to ignore him, even though he was clearly there with them at the table. He didn't pursue the quest of who knocked on his door; he even dismissed it as nothing more than his imagination concocting something just to make his day less boring.
"I'm going to work," said Hitch casually, almost like he couldn't give a damn if someone answered or not. He pushed the door open and was greeted with the usual sunlight, which he had witnessed every day; it didn't even lift his mood in the slightest. It's just a reminder of the consistency of his dull and numb life.
Then the obvious loud noise of cars and all kinds of vehicles roaming on the streets, all going in the same direction, of course, nothing new. He saw people walking on sidewalks; they're always the same people, maybe he couldn't help but notice how life seemed to become more and more bland.
Hitch couldn't help but squirm uncomfortably, even when his clothes were clean and devoid of any sign of aging. But that's not why. It seemed as though he was seeing something disgusting. Still, the place seemed completely clean, and nobody would even criticize the cleanliness of the city. To some, like Hitch, it was uncomfortable, and it freaked him out, making his hair on his neck stand.
He marched into the crowded streets, people speaking, whispering about all kinds of matters, even the ones that didn't concern them. It couldn't have been more exciting. Hitch might as well have just sat there all day in the hopes that it would bore him to death. And nobody would even notice one loser being gone from this world; it might even be for the better.
That's the kind of thought Hitch has every time he wakes up in this wretched world. He saw many flaws in it, yet knew that he had no power to even change a single thing about his life first.
While he was walking, he noticed a homeless person sleeping on the street. He couldn't bear the fact that there were people who were living their lives in luxury while others were barely trying to survive in this world. He recognized that the homeless person seemed to be an immigrant who came from countries that were currently at war. He approached them slowly. He was even more disgusted that the people walking by didn't even bat an eye at someone suffering, and even so that the homeless person seemed to repel them. Hitch walked close and knelt in front of the homeless person, who seemed to be sleeping on a scarf, while their clothes were ripped, ancient, and full of dirt. Hitch saw that the hat was empty, and so Hitch pulled out his pocket and put the money in the hat lying by them. He gave them enough money to probably feed themselves for at least a week, hopefully.
"You're very brave," whispered Hitch admiringly, which made the homeless person glance at him, and their eyes seemed full of life when they saw the money he had just given them. "I hope for good things to bless you," said Hitch earnestly.
He finally arrived at the place where it sucked all of the hope of - mostly - anyone who enters it; those places that were deemed haunted contained less despair than this place. It was a large building with windows that let half the sun enter and illuminate the place; even with that, the poisonous artificial light was still supremely reigning inside the office.
The noise inside that place was still as unbearable as it ever was. The people there hardly even have faces; the only thing that mattered was what was etched on their tags, no less than canines. Hitch couldn't even remember anything else. Every time he went in there, he always got the impression of going into a place full of strangers, but that's what they all were to each other - strangers.
He took the elevator as the light shone over his head, making all kinds of contacts undesirable - it's not like it's entirely the light's fault, it's everything about this place. Hitch kept his face low and gloomy; he was just as faceless as the others. This was the best position for his face; he would see the nametags better, and that's all he needed to remember -anything else would be a waste of memory.
The elevator slowly rose, even though what it contained was barely anything, only ten name tags. Hitch never felt heavier since he came into this world; it's as if he was barely made out of anything inside, the gods probably didn't have any idea what to fill him with, and just sent him right into this world.
Yet, he couldn't shake off the desire to make this day somehow different from other days, even though he had no idea if what he did would make his day better or worse. He lifted his face. He just noticed how much space was taken up in this elevator. Was it always like this, or somehow, today, people's faces seemed to be brighter and more colorful than usual? He focused on reading the faces and mannerisms of these people - it was quite entertaining. Most of them seemed like bearers of good news, if only he could have been one of them in this moment - one of those times he desperately needed one.
The elevator door opened, and everybody stepped out and went on their way to what they're doing - Hitch couldn't care less but only hoped that the color would stay on them. He stepped out and lost his face in less than a second, and hung his head low and felt more like gliding than walking.
He settled himself at the office, glued his attention to the computer in front of him, and began his day.
"Hey, Hiker, I want a document BC1 in my office right now!" Barked one of his superiors, whom he always reserves his energy of hatred toward.
"Yes, Mr. Home," said Hitch mindlessly as he put down the telephone, and it rang in less than a second. He picked it up and put it to his ears. "Yes, Hiker here," said Hitch carelessly.
"Watch your tone, Biker, or I'll demote you," Barked his favourite superior.
"Yes, Mr. Jakel, I appreciate your pardon," said Hitch in a mock tone of gratitude.
"I want you to come see me in my office, now!" Barked Jekel.
Hitch dropped the phone on the charger and stood from his chair. He didn't even feel heavier, as if he was always that way. He walked through what would normally appear to be a very busy, noisy place, yet none of those facts seemed to be real for Hitch. It had always been as quiet as it always was, or perhaps it was just himself who seemed to disregard the manifestations of sound and people in the place.
He finally arrived at the office without any problem, yet he looked as though the journey was too dull and casual, easier than breathing. The office seemed even more boring than the other parts of this horrible building. Yet Hitch was obliged not to showcase any signs of his hollow view on this place - it would not have been preferable.
Jekel was sitting on his chair as if it were a unique throne produced just for him, judging from his smug expression and the way he behaved, that theory can't be fully denied.
"Sir," said Hitch, "what do you need me for? How could I assist you in any way?"
"Biker," said Jekel carelessly, "what were you on? Did you know how much time you kept wasting on me? If my time is wasted, then the company's time is wasted," Barked Jekel as he lifted himself from his throne.
"Of course, sir," said Hitch. "I shall make sure that I sprint here next time I want to meet you," said Hitch confidently.
"Yes, now you get it, now let's get into business," said Jekel smugly as though he couldn't contain his excitement. Hitch, who was far too used to these kinds of moments, knew that whatever could lift his mood was probably something about the wars that were currently going on. "Today, the stock market has just come up by ten percent over the last few weeks. Do you know what this means?"
That more people are going to suffer like the rest of him, if that's what he meant, thought Hitch darkly.
"It means that we're going to need more people to work in our company, more competent people, smarter people, people who understand the world like how the rest of us do! This is great news for us!" Exclaimed Jekel.
Good news for 'us'? There had never been a single real use of the words 'us', 'we', and 'our' in this company - only the high-ups truly profit from this.
"So, I have decided that we should, of course, in the best interests of everybody, let go of some of our employees, even though they are truly valued as important assets to this grand family!" said Jekel affectionately as he approached Hitch, who kept snorting silently at every stupid crystal clear lie that exited that shit hole. "We're very sorry for this, but we would need you to do your last job in this company before we let you go."
"Let me go?" repeated Hitch, as though he thought that he might have misheard what he said.
"Yes, Biker," said Jekel casually. "I hope you understand that we need more competent assets for the future, but your service to our company is deeply appreciated. We hate to let you go, kid, but if we keep people who couldn't even exceed our expectations any longer, we'll just be sitting ducks while the others are already flying."
"You're telling me that I'm fired?" said Hitch, thunderstruck as he seemed to grasp the situation.
"No, no, no," said Jekel heartily as he chuckled, "we're not going to fire you, we're just simply letting you go. You know the difference, kid. Now, you're excused," said Jekel coldly as he returned to his office.
Hitch was left there, standing all alone, in quite disbelief.
"No, you're joking, sir," said Hitch in a hollow voice.
"Biker, if you can't tell if a person's serious or not, that would validate why we decided to let you go," said Jekel harshly. "And don't even try to bargain, we've gone over your schedule and observed you for quite a time, and you - I can confidently say - do not even meet the standard of this work, you assist barely anything! I'm sorry, but you're let go!" said Jekel with finality in his voice.
Hitch opened his mouth and closed it as barely any air would come out of his throat. He seemed to be heavier and could barely possess the willpower to walk out of this office, as though something was gluing his feet to the ground. He was slowly beginning to hyperventilate, and then something snapped inside of him, which felt more of an explosion as he exited the office through the door and began walking. He desperately controlled his face to not meet anyone's gaze, but that was far too easy when he arrived at his office and met people who worked for even superior people of this massive company.
"We will be taking your tag, and then you will proceed with leaving this life, and in the reception on the ground floor, you will receive the documents you will need for your future employment," said one of the workers who cleared his desk and snatched the nametag off his chest.
"We're extremely sorry for this and wish the best for you for days to arrive," said the other worker as they guided Hitch along with dozens of workers who were either annoyed, in denial, angry, or demanding. They were all pushed in the elevator, which was a first time for Hitch, as it felt full and even tight with all of the people who were shouting and trying to get out of the elevator. Of course, the security made sure that no one would go back to their office. Hitch felt oddly more alive as he finally saw genuine reactions from these people, even though it meant that he would be squeezed between all of them, with all of them refusing to be silent.
Then the elevator opened earlier than Hitch expected, and the space seemed to return as the furious ex-employee quit the elevator, allowing Hitch to leave the elevator. The receptions were extremely busy as most of the people who had been let go by the company were demanding to see managers or demanding at least an explanation. Even with all of the ruckus going on, Hitch was able to get the documents he needed to find another job, hopefully.
Hitch left the building and was met with a beautiful sun. Was it just him, or did the world seem brighter than it had been in months? He just felt somewhat warmer, but when he clutched the documents in his hands tighter, it reminded him that he might not even find another job, even though being let go seemed nicer than being fired; for him, it was even worse. Being let go meant that a person wasn't an important asset to the company they worked for, and that they were replaceable with even better assets, so why would other companies, who were on the same level of greed as most companies, hire assets that were deemed by their siblings worthless? Hitch tried not to think too much of that. He didn't know how to break the news to his sisters. Hitch walked quietly with his face gloomy and downcast. He was barely noticing where he was going, which might have been his last mistake. As the building he was walking in was having a renovation, and while the construction workers were being very careful with what they were doing, somehow, a knot loosened itself without any radical explanation, which made one of the workers who were paiting on the wall and hang on a rope which was secured just a few seconds ago and cause him to drop thirty feet to the ground below. Of course, the other workers yelled to the crowd below to evade, as falling while being tied to a rope would slow down the chute by a few seconds. Hitch was oblivious to this, and before he could even look up, something heavy but somewhat soft fell on him as the crowd screamed.