I struggled valiantly with the tangle of dark forms on top of me. There were many bodies and soon I was on the floor face down with a couple of knees in my back.
"Who is it?" One of the figures shouted.
"I got the girl from HR, a delivery guy... and I think this is one of the supervisors from downstairs."
"Director" I corrected him.
"Is it Tiffany?" The first figure came closer, the light from his mobile illuminating her face.
"Let her up, she's okay."
Tiffany got to her feet and told them I was with her. She was informed that I would have to wait for 'Garret'. They did however take a number of knees off my back.
"What about this guy?"
"Have him unload all of the boxes and send him back."
Another voice speculated about the possibility of alcohol in the boxes.
After a few minutes, it was decided I would spend the rest of the night locked in the janitors closet. Tiffany argued, and then offered to stay with me, but it didn't seem like anyone was listening.
It wasn't the most comfortable night I'd ever spent, but I found a roll of paper towels to put my head on and my MD unit seemed to flood my system with melatonin or serotonin. Handy little thing. I was out quickly and didn't stir until I could hear keys in the door.
Tiffany was by my side and apologizing for my treatment. I assured her it wasn't her fault. After a couple more seconds of unnecessary fussing, She introduced me to the man standing behind her. He was heavy set and short a pair of thick glasses making his eyes look too small and too close together.
"Nice to meet you Garret." I extended a hand.
He was a young man, a little soft around the edges. He hadn't had a shave in a while. He looked like clothes and grooming were always an afterthought. I stood and when he asked me to follow him I did. I noticed quite a few people on this floor, which I think belonged to Marketing or Sales, or both. The cubes had mostly been fitted into living spaces. Mattresses, books and clothes. As we passed the elevator doors I saw five men holding improvised weapons made of broom handles and paperweights guarding the door. I tried not to look intimidated. We eventually made it to a largish office.
Garret's space was mostly computers. There were monitors everywhere and a couple of chairs. On the floor was a mattress and a pile of clothes. There was a loud whirring of fans and the air was warm.
"I guess the janitors don't make it to this floor." I joked.
"No, they do not" was his humorless reply.
Tiffany handed me a Moist Drippings and a Rust Bar. I took a chair and started my meager breakfast. I waited patiently for Garret to explain himself. He found a chair of his own and stared at his computers. Communication didn't really seem like it was in his skill set. But he tried it anyway.
"Before they shut down the stairs and the elevator I was called up here to do some work repairing some wire damaged in the construction. IT as you know is on another floor below us."
I didn't know.
"Well it was a big job and I fell asleep working late. And the next day there was no way back."
He paused and tapped out a line of code. I don't know if it did anything but it seemed to help him focus.
"Well, I could leave, but there'd be no way back here."
"So why stay?" I asked.
"I saw what was happening. Out there. I don't know if you know but in the last week the whole fricken world has stopped."
I had a vague idea and told him so.