A news story came out last week that felt ripped straight out of a dystopian episode of Black Mirror (a show I haven’t even seen, but have culturally absorbed quite a bit from). For one reason or another, I couldn’t fully get that news story out of my head, and decided to throw together a short story inspired by it.

Enjoy!

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Service With A Smile

“And, really, the last thing you need to know is that you gotta hit that little green button at the end of each transaction. That’ll save it to the system. Forget, and you’ll have to manually enter the information at the end of your shift, which is as much of a drag as you might assume.”

The cheerful girl with the shaggy blonde hair (who had been staring at me eagerly without fail for the past two hours) merely bobbed her head. “Got it, sir! Thanks so much for guiding me through this onboarding!”

Her voice was sweet. Melodic, even. And yet it was one of the most irritating things I’d ever heard.

Which admittedly wasn’t fair to Maggie (such was her name). She’d only just graduated from high school, and was probably just excited to have landed a job over the summer to fund…whatever people who actually had friends spent money on. Some little kernel deep within me felt a bit of guilt at meeting Maggie’s sky-high enthusiasm with ground-level exasperation.

But the simple fact of the matter was that she was now going to join me and eight other coworkers working at Worthington County’s most bustling and bougie eatery: Bigger Burger.

Not that I was necessarily throwing any insults at people who enjoyed eating at Bigger Burger. Until I’d been employed at a Bigger Burger, I too used to shovel their delicious-but-fatty junk food down my throat nearly every week. It was kind of hard not to grab a meal at a Bigger Burger, what with their cheap prices and their inescapable pervasiveness. They weren’t the largest fast-food chain in the country for no reason.

There was a big difference between eating at a Bigger Burger and working for them, though. Bigger Burger was a food service company, after all, and there was just about nothing more soul-sucking than prolonged exposure to working in the food service industry, especially when it wasn’t by choice.

I blew out a heavy breath.

“You don’t have to call me ‘sir’, Maggie.” I said to our location’s newest recruit. “I’ve only been here for three years, and we’re basically going to be in the same position. Just stick with ‘Trevor’.”

“Oh, okay. Then, thanks for the training, Trevor!” Maggie beamed at me, and another corner of my heart shriveled up.

Maybe I was just feeling bad for the girl, knowing that it wouldn’t take long for her to end up like me. Exhausted, tired, and putting in only minimal effort, day-after-day. Or maybe it was jealousy, since if my hypothesis about Maggie was correct, she’d be gone at the end of summer as she moved onto the next stage in her life, most likely college.

There had probably been a part of my life where I’d thought about going to college, but after my family situation started to fall apart, and I had to take out all of those loans to keep things afloat…I knew by the end of senior year that my only option was going to be heading right into the working world. Goodbye, my hopes and passions for engineering. Hello, burning my fingers in bubbling cooking oil and sweeping up urine in bathrooms.

I scratched the back of my head. “Maybe tone down that energy a little bit, Maggie.”

She blinked at me, her huge smile only twitching mildly. “Wait, why? Shouldn’t we greet all of our customers with high energy?”

“I mean, sure.” I shrugged. “But you’ll burn yourself out if you’re not careful.”

“Well, I’ll keep that in mind, but I genuinely am super excited!” Maggie giggled. “I’ve always thought it would be fun to work in a restaurant.”

Yeah, maybe in a real restaurant, and not a Bigger Burger joint. I thought to myself.

Outwardly, I just tried to keep a neutral expression. “Just some friendly advice from a long-termer like me. By the way, did you finish signing the new hire waivers?”

“Oh, I’m not sure.” She paused. “I signed a ton of stuff before I came in today. Was it one of those things?”

“Maybe.” I said. “It’s all the basic stuff you’d expect, though. I only skimmed it, but this is a fast-food place, not a law office.”

“Well, thanks for reminding me. I’ll check with the boss later!”

Maggie then grinned, gave me (of all things) a salute, and scampered off to whoever she was supposed to see next for her onboarding training.

Once she was out of sight, I let out another heavy sigh, and glanced down at the watch on my wrist.

How is it only 7:44? Why does time never work correctly here?

Feeling another sigh building, I tried to distract myself by looking at something else, only to catch my reflection in the polished refrigerator door. And as so often happened when I looked at my reflection like that, it did absolutely nothing to improve my mood.

All I saw, after all, was my tired, baggy, twenty-two-year-old face. Directionless, barely able to muster any effort, and drained drier from working at Bigger Burger than the Deluxe Super-Broiled Patties (only $5.99 on Wednesdays) that we sold an insane amount of.

I rolled my shoulders, ready to get down to my typical routine of mildly disassociating until my shift was over, until a blazing blur of blonde came racing from around the corner, and almost crashed into me.

“H-Hey, Trevor!” Maggie said, breathlessly. “I’m off to clean the bathrooms for my first real task! But before that, Ms. Clavers wants to talk with you.”

“Huh. Okay.” I replied, then managed to squeeze at least enough decency out of myself to add in a little more. “Thanks, Maggie.”

“You’re welcome!” She beamed, before running off as quickly as she’d appeared.

Curious what my supervisor had summoned me for, I slipped through the Bigger Burger kitchen until I reached Rachel Clavers’ office in the back. I knocked to let her know I was coming in, and then entered the very-not-comfortable office.

The office’s comfort level had nothing to do with Rachel, at least. It just came from the fact that her office was conjoined with a cheaply mass-produced fast food chain building layout. The lights were way too bright, there was no window to the outside world, and there was a pervasive scent of old cheese that was just strong enough to be noticeable, but not strong enough that I felt comfortable actually bringing it up for fear of being deemed ‘weirdly sensitive’ or something like that.

In all honesty, Rachel was the best thing about the office, and it wasn’t just because I’d had a crush on her back when we were in school.

Right, okay, maybe that does play a role, but it’s not just because of that.

Rachel, also twenty-two like me, looked shockingly more put-together and content with life than I was. Her blue eyes were bright, her smile was wide, and her long black hair looked like a professional had treated it right before she’d started her shift. Her uniform was neatly ironed and spotless, just to top it all off.

I gave her a wave as I closed the door behind me. “Hey, Rachel. You needed me for something?”

To my surprise, her eyebrows furrowed a bit upon hearing my words. “Do you mean ‘Ms. Clavers’, Trevor?”

I startled. “O-Oh, uh, right. Sorry, Rach–I mean, Ms. Clavers.”

“That’s better.” She smiled again, and brushed a non-existent piece of dust from her shoulder. “Though it’s a good encapsulation of why I called you back here, Trevor.”

She was speaking in a tone of voice that made it feel like I was a child being reprimanded by their teacher, and I didn’t really know how to feel about it. Rachel had always taken her position as the supervisor of this Bigger Burger location very seriously (far too seriously, in my opinion), but she’d never pulled the ‘use my last name only’ card. Not that she didn’t have the right to, of course. She was my boss, even though we’d known each other since the preschool playground days.

“En…capsulation?” I repeated.

Rachel nodded, succinctly. “Yes, Trevor. It was an apt demonstration of the…apathy…that you’ve been showing as of late.”

I tried to crack a joke. “Guess I just didn’t see myself still kicking around a fast-food place this long after high school, Ms. Clavers.”

“Is there something embarrassing about our establishment, Trevor?” Rachel arched an eyebrow. “I certainly don’t think so. I’m honored to work at Bigger Burger. You should be too.”

I had no idea how to respond to that, so I just kept quiet.

Rachel sighed. “I do sincerely like you, Trevor. As an old friend, yes, but also as an employee. However, I’ve noticed a few troubling things about your attitude lately. So has Management. They are…less than pleased.”

Am I about to get fired? This feels so sudden.

“I’ll try to do better.” I promised.

Rachel pursed her lips. “I wish very much to take you at your word. Our customers deserve only the best, and we can’t give that to them without the right attitude. Please, try to adjust your behavior, moving forward.”

“Got it.”

She reached into her desk and pulled out a thin, black rectangle. It fluttered a bit between her fingers, like it was made of paper. Rachel then stood up and crossed around her desk over to me, and held the strange black rectangle out.

“Take this, and stick it onto the back of your neck. Management believes it should help you.”

Realization dawned upon me. “Oh, it’s like one of those soothing patches or whatever, yeah?”

“Of a sort.” Rachel agreed, with that dazzling smile back on full display.

I took the patch from her, taking a second to rub my fingers against its sticker-like texture. I then placed it on the back of my neck, felt a brief tingle, and then otherwise nothing. I hoped it would get to work quickly.

“Am I good to get back to work now, Ms. Clavers?” I asked Rachel.

“You are indeed, Trevor. Have fun out there, and remember to behave in a way that makes Management happy, and our Bigger Burger customers even happier!” She grinned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of course, the magic little patch didn’t immediately turn me into a Bigger Burger superfan like Rachel or Maggie.

Two hours later, and I still felt mostly normal, so either the soothing side effects were a dud, or they didn’t hit until much later.

At the very least, those following two hours were standard and routine.

For the most part, at any rate.

“What do you mean you won’t accept the coupon?” The man in front of me blustered, his none-too-pleasant-smelling breath hitting me point-blank.

“Exactly what I said, sir.” I reiterated (for what felt like the millionth time). “The coupon is expired. I can’t accept it.”

“But I want my free sandwich!” He protested, growing red in the face.

“Then you should have come yesterday, before the coupon expired.”

“Yesterday? Did you see how bad the weather was yesterday?” He exclaimed loudly, practically spitting in my face with every harshly pronounced syllable.

“Then you should have come last week.”

“I only found the coupon in my wallet three days ago!” He roared, pounding his fist against the counter.

“Sir, what else do you want me to say? The coupon has expired.” I droned, deadpan.

Indignantly spluttering and cursing under his breath, the man stomped away and out through the doors, leaving Bigger Burger. Thankfully, no line had formed behind him, allowing me to catch my breath.

Geez, some people are so annoyingly entitled. Why should the rules be bent for him, when they aren’t for anyone else?

I rubbed the back of my neck.

And is it so hard to treat me like a fellow human being and not some mindless, emotionless drone to boss around?

I rubbed the back of my neck again.

Actually, I’d been rubbing the back of my neck pretty constantly over the past thirty minutes, right in the spot where I’d applied Rachel’s patch. Maybe it was finally kicking in, or something, but it just kept tingling. Not necessarily in a bad way, though, so I tried to ignore it as best as possible.

Just then, I heard the sound of someone speaking from across the kitchen.

“Trevor, come see me in my office, please.” Rachel’s voice rang out.

I frowned.

Twice in one day?

Letting Maggie (who was still in unshakably high spirits) and another coworker take over for me at the register, I headed back to Rachel’s office and slipped inside, closing the door behind myself.

Rachel was standing beside the utility closet door, in the back corner of her office. She gave me a strange smile.

“Follow me, please, Trevor.” She said, and then opened the door to the closet.

Assuming she had to be playing some sort of prank, I couldn’t help but smile. “Follow you into the utility closet, Rachel? Why?”

Her smile didn’t waver, but a hint of something flashed in her eyes. “Don’t question, please. I’m your supervisor. Also, it’s ‘Ms. Clavers’. It is just one little thing after another with you today, isn’t it, Trevor?”

Feeling chastised, my mirth dried up as I walked into the utility closet right beside Rachel.

To my extreme shock, the ground beneath my feet began to shake after I stepped into the closet, and a distinct sensation of vertigo arose in me.

An elevator. The closet has an elevator?!? Since when? To where?

Too stunned to actually voice my questions aloud (and perhaps unnerved by Rachel’s stern warning from a minute ago), I stayed silent as the unexpected elevator came to a halt, and let out into a dimly lit, sterile room. The room was not unlike a doctor’s office, in terms of bland appearance and uncanny cleanliness.

The only thing of note in the room was a single chair, an old boxy television, and a radio-esque box with some wires attached.

I squinted, my eyes adjusting to the low lights of the room.

Do the wires on that radio thing…have needles on the ends of them?

Sufficiently creeped out, I turned to Rachel.

“M-Ms. Clavers…what is all of this?” I asked her, hating how my voice trembled as the words came out.

“Something that Management installed a while ago.” She explained, like it was the simplest thing in the world. “Some of your coworkers have seen this room already. You haven’t, because, if I’m honest with myself, I’ve been too lenient with you. Soft, from our past friendship. But I won’t abide by your behaviors anymore.”

“My behaviors?”

She clicked her tongue. “Just a few minutes ago, you were very rude to a customer of ours.”

I balked. “H-He was rude to me! And his coupon was expired!”

“Is the customer not always right, Trevor? Hasn’t Management taught you this?”

“What, I should’ve accepted his expired coupon?”

Rachel shook her head slowly, like she just couldn’t believe how dumb I was. “You should’ve made the customer happy, Trevor. And making the customer happy makes Management happy. It makes all of Bigger Burger happy.”

What is this, a cult? My inner thoughts cried out.

Still smiling, Rachel walked over to the television and turned it on, even though the only thing that started to play was broken static. She then grabbed one of the wires from the radio-like box.

“Ms. Clavers, can you just tell me what the hell is going on here?” I demanded.

She had the gall to tsk-tsk me. “Language, Trevor. Those sorts of words don’t reflect on Management’s values.”

“Fine, sorry. I just don’t–”

Anything else I’d planned to say shriveled up into dust as Rachel stabbed the definitely-a-needle end of the wire right into my arm.

Without a second’s delay, the worst and most all-consuming sensation overload hit me instantaneously.

SMILE. SMILE. SMILE.

PLEASE. THANK YOU. PLEASE. THANK YOU.

SMILE. SMILE. SMILE.

PLEASE. THANK YOU. PLEASE. THANK YOU.

The voice was coming from everywhere. It was coming from nowhere. It was inside my head. It was all around me. The static on the television congealed into images, flashing, unending, all-consuming. I couldn’t close my eyes, I couldn’t blink, I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t stop screaming.

Rachel pulled the needle out, and all of the sensations stopped.

Tears were pouring down my face, and my entire body was shaking. My throat was scratchy and raw from screaming. It felt like I’d been suffering for hours, all in the span of the blink of an eye.

Rachel smiled, pleased. “And that was only five minutes, Trevor. Want to experience it for longer?”

I staggered away from my supervisor-turned-monster. “What the hell was that?”

“Language, Trevor. That sort of ingratitude isn’t how you should be reacting to Management’s gift to us. It’s an inescapable way of ensuring that all of us at Bigger Burger do our part to make Management happy!”

“Through torture? You’re a psycho! This whole place is sick!” I shouted at her.

She raised an eyebrow. “But you yourself approved all of this, Trevor. You signed all of those contracts and waivers of your own accord.”

“H-Huh?”

She lightly chuckled. “No one ever reads those things fully, do they? But it was all written in there. Would you like me to repeat the relevant phrases to you, for your own reference? I’m happy to do so.”

I pressed myself up against the wall, trying to be as far away from her as possible. “Y-You’re lying.”

Her smile widened. “Section two, paragraph three states that ‘this employee allows Bigger Burger to perform training, onboarding, and an additional reeducation via whatever means the employee’s supervisor or higher deems necessary’. A paragraph later in that section adds that ‘any training received within a Bigger Burger location is not optional, and must be completed without breaks and before being dismissed from a shift ending’.”

My jaw dropped open.

Rachel continued. “Section four, paragraph five stipulates that ‘this employee hereby agrees to follow and obey all policies and protocols enacted by Bigger Burger Management, even those not explicitly contained within this document’, and then a later paragraph clarifies that ‘Bigger Burger is under no obligation to allow this employee use personal devices or contact friends or family during work hours, or even outside of those hours’.”

I sank to the floor.

Somehow, Rachel’s voice grew even peppier. “And the most noteworthy two portions. In Section six, paragraph nine, it says that ‘this employee, in the event of poor behavior, failure to uphold employee conduct, or inability to respond to constructive feedback, waives all rights and protections’. And lastly, the third addendum explains that ‘Bigger Burger Management retains all control over the duration of this employee’s employment with the company, and any attempts on the employee’s part to alter their employment of their own volition will be denied in any way necessary’.”

My entire being ached. “This…can’t be real.”

“Why didn’t you read it more thoroughly if it was going to bother you so much, Trevor? Should I have taken that as a sign that you were going to be a troublesome employee from the get-go?” She chuckled. “But no, I do still see promise in you, Trevor. And so does Management. We have high hopes for you, and the patch I gave you earlier will help with that.”

Numbly, I reached for the back of my neck, and couldn’t even feel the patch anymore.

My eyes widened.

No…I can feel it. I just can’t feel its edges anymore. I can’t feel where the patch stops and the rest of my skin begins!

Rachel’s calm voice gave weight to my horrifying realization. “That patch has finished bonding with your skin by now, I presume. You may have felt a tingling earlier as it fused with your flesh. Now that it’s bonded, the patch will be able to perform its key functions.”

“K-Key functions?” I stammered.

“Evaluation, chiefly.” Rachel explained. “An advanced AI algorithm is included in the patch, and now partially resides within you on a biological level. Put most simply, it will evaluate your performance while on the job. Your behavior, your attitude, your tone. How you interact with our valued customers. Succeed, and you’ll experience a rush of happiness like no other. Fail, and the patch is able to seize control of your motor functions and lead you right…back…here.” Rachel spoke slowly, for emphasis, and gestured to the chair, the tv, and that wire needle.

I flinched.

Rachel’s expression turned soothing, but in an unsettling way. “Oh, Trevor, it isn’t meant to scare you. It’s just meant to help you take your role at Bigger Burger more seriously, for the happiness of our customers and Management. If you have a perfect day the rest of your shift today, all of your previous actions this morning will be water under the bridge. Forgiven. And, you’ll be a much stronger part of this team.”

“B-But…?”

“But if you fail, even one more time…I’m afraid Management has informed me you’ll need a considerably extended period of reeducation to overcome your attitude issues. Obviously, it’ll be a good thing for you in the long run. Just maybe not such a comfortable thing for you to experience in the moment.”

A tear rolled down my cheek, and I wiped it away.

“I-I…won’t let you down, Ms. Clavers.”

“That’s what I love to hear, Trevor.” Rachel grinned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank the heavens above, the rest of my shift actually went as perfectly as I hoped it would. I kept a smile on my face, a pep in my step, a brightness to my tone, and didn’t have a single bad customer interaction. I even took on a few extra chores from some of my coworkers, just to make myself that much more into the spitting image of a valued Bigger Burger employee.

Anything to avoid failing Rachel’s test.

Anything to avoid the indescribable suffering of that room.

Some part of my brain still wanted to believe that this was a nightmare, or even some elaborate and twisted hallucination. But I’d checked the patch in the bathroom, and it was indeed etched into my very skin now. There was a mark on my arm from where Rachel had stabbed me with the needle. And that uncanny look in her eyes…her threats, the threats in the Bigger Burger contract…had all been real.

They owned me.

Why didn’t I read it closer when I first signed it? I internally bemoaned.

Externally, I noticed that I only had three minutes left in my shift. And also, that I only had one more customer to serve at the register before I could go home and…maybe try to flee the country, or something?

“Can I help the next person?” I said amicably, even though there was obviously only one person left to help.

A college-aged girl with blue-dyed hair and a nose ring sauntered up to the counter, barely taking her eyes off of her phone.

“Uh, yeah…” She said, sounding tired. “…hold up. One second.” She finished typing out what was probably a long text, and then put her phone in her pocket. “Sorry ‘bout that. I’ve had a hell of a day.”

“Sorry to hear that.” I added, lowering my peppiness just a bit.

Surely I can do that, right? This girl doesn’t want one-hundred-percent energy from me, right? Rachel knows I’m trying my best, right?

“Thanks.” The girl jerked her head in an approximation of an appreciative nod. “Anyway, I figured I could just come here and get my favorite to cheer myself up, so I’ll just take a medium raspberry smoothie to-go.”

My blood ran cold.

My smile struggled to maintain its strength. “R-Raspberry?”

“Yep.” The girl nodded. “My friends say that flavor tastes like junk, but I dunno. I’ve always liked it.”

My eyes twitched.

We ran out of raspberry an hour ago. There’s none left at all!

“W-We…” I strained, then coughed. “We don’t have any raspberry today, I’m sorry.” The words came fast, like a blur.

Predictably, the girl looked confused. “Wait, what was that? You kinda spoke really fast.”

I tugged at my collar, which felt increasingly like a noose. “We…ran out of raspberry. But I can get you any other flavor you’d like!”

Her brow furrowed. “Did you just say that you ran out of raspberry? Are you serious?”

“B-But we have all of our other flavors in stock! So, I can–”

“I don’t want other flavors, I want raspberry.” The girl cut me off, any earlier rapport we’d built crumbling away. “And you’re out? Are you serious? Have you checked?”

“A c-customer took the last of it an hour ago.” I explained, trying to smile.

She didn’t bite. “God, that would be just my luck, huh? Worst day in weeks, and I can’t even get a stupid raspberry smoothie either.”

Bit by bit, I could feel my grasp on reality melting away, knowing that what was happening at this moment was the exact opposite of the ‘perfection’ that Rachel wanted to see.

My tone turned pleading. “I-I can upgrade you to our extra-deluxe size smoothie for no additional charge, to make up for it. Just tell me what–”

“I just said I don’t want the other flavors. Stop hounding me.” The girl retorted, her voice rising in annoyance.

My forced cheerfulness felt like it was going to split my face open. “I-I just want you to be happy with this exchange.”

“Happy? Guess what, I’m not.” The girl took her phone back out, and began typing. “Stupid Bigger Burger…why did I waste my time coming here?”

My arms started to tremble. “I-I can offer you two smoothies for the price of one, if that will–”

“Drop it, dude.” The girl hissed, snapping at me. “I’m giving this stupid place a one-star review.”

Her words echoed through my skull, and my hand shot out towards her phone before I could even think. I didn’t even consciously know what I wanted to do with her phone, or how I thought taking it away (and preventing her one-star review) would someone salvage this situation. But I really wasn’t thinking at all. It was just pure, primal, animalistic survival instinct.

The girl, of course, slapped my hand away and reered back, her expression furious. “Okay, oh my god, definitely a one-star review. You’re a creep, and this whole place should get closed down!” She let out a string of curses as she stormed out of the restaurant.

“Wait, please don’t–” I exclaimed, calling after her…but the resounding ‘clang’ of the doors slamming cut me off.

Not even a full second passed before I heard a new voice speaking. But not audibly speaking.

Speaking inside of my own mind.

THAT CUSTOMER DIDN’T LOOK VERY HAPPY TO ME, TREVOR.

It was like the voice that had ripped through my brain when Rachel had briefly plugged me with the needle back in that hellish reeducation basement. Loud, reverberating, all-encompassing. Inescapable.

I’M AFRAID REEDUCATION IS NECESSARY AFTER ALL.

Before I recognized what was happening, my body tingled all over…and my legs began to move on their own. Carrying me towards the back of the kitchen. Towards Rachel’s office, and the hidden elevator in the closet.

Towards what felt like would be my death.

I began screaming, or at least tried to. My voice came out more like a pathetic whimper. As I shuffled uncontrollably into the kitchen, none of my coworkers spared me anything more than strange glances or apathetic looks. Though my eyes desperately tried to lock with each coworker I passed, none of them really seemed to see me at all. It was as if I was completely alone.

With the last ounce of strength within me, I thrust out my hand and grabbed the edge of the counter, holding myself in place like I was trying to keep from being sucked out of an airlock. And at that same instant, a familiar cheerful coworker bounded into view.

“Trevor? You look super silly, what are you doing?” Maggie asked, a confused smile on her face. Her unruly blonde tresses had been done up in a bun by a tight hair net.

“H-Help me…Maggie.” I moaned, my voice hardly able to do much else with my own body fighting against me so strongly.

A fraction of concern flashed across Maggie’s face, replaced soon by happy understanding. “Oh, I get it! Trevor, you should really relax. Management is going to help you feel so much better.”

Her unsettling cheerful smile broke something within me…but not as much as what I saw next.

Bending over to pick up a piece of trash from the floor, my eyes landed on the back of Maggie’s head, and her neck in particular. With her hair out of the way, I could see her neck clearly…and also the black rectangular patch embedded into her skin.

As she stood back up, Maggie caught me staring, and she grinned.

“Yeah, I got one too!” She chirped. “First thing this morning, actually! And I’ve never felt better in my whole life. I totally owe Management so much, and can’t wait to spend…honestly…maybe the rest of my life working for Bigger Burger!” She giggled, and just that knowledge that her innocent soul had also been claimed by that damned patch shattered whatever resolve I had left.

She’s a day one employee, and even she’s been taken. No one’s ever going to be safe again here. We’re all going to be slaves. I realized.

In a foggy haze, I relinquished my feeble attempts to fight and allowed the patch to continue puppeteering my body into Rachel’s office, down the elevator, and into that dark hell pit of a basement.

Rachel was waiting for me.

“Sit, please, Trevor.” She gestured to the chair in front of the television.

I sat.

“Now, just relax.” She commanded, as she began sticking the needles and wires into various parts of my body.

I stayed as still as possible, my soul like a distant passenger in the husk that was my body.

As Rachel finished plugging in the last of the wires, and prepared to turn the television on, some of her long hair was brushed aside, allowing me to notice her neck the same way I’d noticed Maggie’s. And just like Maggie’s…Rachel had a patch too.

She was no less a slave than I was.

Rachel caught my eye, and for one fleeting moment, a little bit of humanity sparked in her eyes. A fleeting, futile flame of fear, of sadness, of despair.

“I…was broken once too.” Rachel said, her voice raw. She cleared her throat, and her eyes regained their soulless sheen. “But Management fixed me. Just like they’ll fix you too, Trevor. Soon, you’ll be another indispensable Bigger Burger employee, like you were always meant to be!”

Rachel switched the tv on, and then left the room.

Not that I actively heard her leave the room.

All I heard was…

SMILE. SMILE. SMILE.

PLEASE. THANK YOU. PLEASE. THANK YOU.

SMILE. SMILE. SMILE.

PLEASE. THANK YOU. PLEASE. THANK YOU.

It never seemed to end.

…

Maybe it never would.

…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“These fries are so good!” Amanda cheered, wiping away a bit of ketchup from her lip. “Thanks for treating me to lunch, babe.”

“No problem.” Nolan smiled, taking another bite out of his burger.

He then glanced at the front counter of the Bigger Burger, where a cheery blonde employee was happily taking the order of a huge family of eight.

“You know,” Nolan began. “For being a simple fast-food place, Bigger Burger is kinda nice. The staff, especially, are always so friendly.”

Amanda gave him a wry smile. “They must train them well.”

“Maybe.” Nolan shrugged. “But it kinda just seems like they really love working here!”

He took another bite of his burger, finished it soon after, and then he and Amanda left the restaurant and carried on with their day.

---

And there we have it!

I hope you enjoyed, and I’ll see you all again next week!