Hired for Slaughter
In a city where companies kill to get ahead, survival is the only promotion that matters.
Cross has just graduated, and is trying to make a living through gig work when he lands a magnificent job with a prominent company in the city. While the job seems murky, his optimistic mindset sees all the red flags as green, and only realizes the weight of the stakes when his healthy father suddenly collapses and dies during a heated altercation between them.
He later realizes that the main motive for his hiring wasn't his skills, but his blood, which was to be used by the CEO, Graham, for corporate rituals to wipe the company's debt clean. But when the gods reject him because he is innocent, Graham decides to manufacture for him a series of soul-staining tasks to corrupt him, making him vulnerable to the rituals.
When every corporate plan derails, the stakes get higher when Cross loses his closest colleague during a confrontational face-off with Graham, which leaves the colleague dead. Cross remains wondering if innocence is really a shield for survival in a broken system, or is it the poison. He's about to show the company how dangerous an innocent man can be when pushed too far.
“Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for being on time. My apologies for keeping you waiting. The smart boom barriers on the expressway jammed. Anyway, could someone please get the screen on? Let's get started right away.”
That Quarterly Business Review meeting was doomed to be iconic from the word go. Every participant sat on their staff seats with diverging reflections about the promotions announcements that were just a statement away. Among them was Jeremiah Gregor, an experienced employee with a wild informal understanding of supply chains, but there, he was just a clerk.
Now, sitting patiently in the evening air as the CEO prepared to read the business performance reports, Jerry couldn't help but reflect on his failed attempt to resign that morning.
***
He came to work very early, left his bag on his desk and made his next stop at the HR office door. She hadn’t reported, so he waited for her patiently with a professionally formatted resignation letter clutched firmly in his hands. When she came, and invited him inside, he went straight to highlight his modus operandi.
“Please be informed that I have annulled my employeeship to this startup.”
“Oh, Jerry. What happened? Why do you want to leave all of a sudden?” Jerry didn't answer. He stood there comfortably like Tamoya suddenly became so welcoming and he was beginning to rethink this choice. But when the HR asked, “Was it workload? Burnout? Management?”
He said, “No.”
“Compensation?”
“No.”
“Career growth?”
“No”
“What is it then?”
“I’m seeing another company.”
“I understand that. And I also see how impacted we are going to be with your absence. Didn’t you consider giving us a notice?”
“I thought about it.”
“And?”
“The thoughts refused to yield. I realize only now how terrible that sounds coming from my mouth.”
“We would gladly reconsider your compensation and benefits, if we could just own a little bit more of your time from now on. Your insight is the quiet engine of this operation.”
“You see that?”
“Yes, I do, Jerry. We see your dedication, and frankly, Tamoya can’t survive without inputs from people like you. The door is wide open for you to belong here, at least for one more month.”
“Some doors don't close. They just... stop being doors.”
“Crystal clear. Please return your laptop and the emotional support plant you took from the lobby.”
“I’m yet to finish balancing the QBR’s Q2 Discrepancy Ledger. I can’t leave before my exit package is signed. And the manager can’t sign it before I’m done with the ledger. So…”
“So you’ll stick around for a few more hours because he’s currently in an executive meeting outside Freek.”
“I’m sorry about the plant… It died.”
