I always felt bad about this whole thing, but Julie is making me feel awful this time.
We’re all in the basement of Mother Jamie’s enormous mansion. But its not a regular basement, not at all. This one is spacious, white with a good lighting system that make it seem like the basement has windows to a sunny day outside. It doesn’t have any windows though.
There are some hallways, big rooms, and e everyone is gathered there as well. I see Harold, an old man with a big white beard but full of youth. Cristine is there, elegantly dressed and the perfect image of a successful woman. There’s more people than last time, around fifteen. I know half of them, the other half must be new.
And then theres Julie, joining us this time. Shes so eager, so innocent. Like a walking LinkedIn testimony. Shes very young, around twenty something, of asian descent. Beautiful and trendy glasses, a shy haircut. Not a lot of perfume (just like I told her) I met her at a Ted Talk and she was impressed with my resume and qualifications and whatnot. Of course, what really caught her attention was that I, a white straight male, wasnt a complete asshole with her at any point during the night we met.
She talks in buzzwords, like sinergy, goals, accomplishments, proactivity, etc… Everyone is eyeing her. A lot.
They are all excited to have her here and its very common for the others to gaze at her and then look straight at me in approval.
They’re happy with whom I brought.
Mother Jamie is the happiest. She sees Julie trying to get her approval. Julie wants to learn from her, even ignoring Cristine who would definitely be a better career mentor. Mother Jamie loves that Julie prefers her rather than Cristine. I think it inflates her ego a bit.
I feel bad. I see Julies eagerness and desperate attempts for approval, networking, climbing up the corporate ladder. She has no idea.
Harold on the other hand is so excited that a bulge is showing. Calm down a bit, will you?
They look at her like piranas look at a cow diving into their river. There’s tension growing thick in the air. Julie is oblivious to it, of course.
But the chatter slowly fades. People stop talking in their groups and start looking to Julie. Following her with their eyes and a grim on their faces.
Harold offers Julie some food and drinks from the buffet they have on the other room. She gladly accepts the offer believing it will be her chance to connect to Harold, a man she hasn’t spoken much to all night.
They arrive at the room and Julie pauses. Im watching from a distance while she looks to the buffet table with a question mark on her face.
Theres just plates and silverware and only a glass of wine. The whole gathering falls into silence. She stares at Harold, who’s looking like a kid about to get his Christmas presents.
“Where is the food?”
Harold stares at Julie with a smile slowly growing on his cheeks.
Julie looks around. There’s only silence now. She feels dizzy, like an alarm blaring inside her heay. “I dont feel good, I might wanna check my phone upstairs”
Harold says nothing.
She walks and then runs, but the halllway stretches for miles. She cant see the exit.
I saw that so many times…. This might be my last one.
When she finally reaches the big Hall with the stairs that lead to the upper floor, everyone is frozen in place, as if time itself had stopped. Her feet are bricks, she can barely walk. She wants to cry out for help, I know, but her mouth is heavy. Julie looks at all the faces around her, no one sees her…
Except Mother Jamie. Shes not frozen in place and is staring right at Julie. Slowly and step by step she walks towards the young girl who once dreamed about being a CEO. Mother Jamie has that smile that looks inhuman. Well… I guess it makes sense.
She grabs Julie by her shoulders and walks her to a table. No constraints will be needed.
Everyone gathers around. They’re all naked now. I dont need to join in anymore and no one cares that I wont partake in this.
They jump on poor Julie and the scene is indescribable. I can hear her gasping for air, mumbling words like help. She gazes at me one last time, defeated, her arms and feet and chest and thighs all being slashed and bitten and mawled by this group of people. Harold took the head.
My stomach turns into knots, I may puke. I always felt bad about this whole thing but Julie will be the last one.
At least that’s what I always tell myself