Activation, Part 4

A new stack of paperwork dropped onto his desk. His boss was leaving on his normal two-hour lunch break, and needed it finished upon his return. He politely affirmed that the forms would be ready, and smiled as his boss walked out. When the door closed yet another spear pierced his soul. This was not how he imagined his life to be. Working at the law firm paid a decent wage but it was killing him inside. Looking at his screen, he refreshed his inbox, and six new emails showed up, all of them marked high priority. Of course they’re all high priority, because nothing around here is regular or low priority. His shoulders slumped, and he let out a deep sigh. Still, this was where he found himself, so until he could find a way out he would just have to deal with it. That’s when he felt a vibration in his pocket. A new message had arrived on his phone. He decided to quickly read it before getting to the paperwork and emails. Wait, is this it? His eyes grew wide. Yes, this was it. This was his salvation. Struggling to contain his excitement, he put his phone down, grabbed the stack of paperwork and feverishly set about completing it. These were the last forms we would ever be filling out for that man. He wasn’t coming in to work tomorrow, or the day after that, or ever again.