The Merger

After four long years working for the same company, Frank was getting tired of the same thing over and over again. Stocks would be called for and met, company meetings would be held and ended with no problem. He almost thought it was too perfect to be real until somebody did slip up. Like Jake, who stopped working there two weeks ago. He didn't agree with any of the ideas that were being thought up and basically told everybody off. Frank knew he didn't quit since the company hated people who were trying to disrupt their business.

It was all good since Frank never got on anyone's bad side and mainly kept to himself. He learned that the best way to get through his work and still manage his own life outside the building was by making sure he never got too involved with the others around him. He did speak to them but that was rare and he didn't go into long conversations. Jokes and short stories he didn't mind telling but he didn't like giving out his own personal information even though the company already knew it and even had it written on paper. Everyone he met in the building also acted the same way but occasionally he would overhear a few of them talking about what they planned on doing once they got home or what their plans were for their vacation. Frank listened but tried tuning them out of his head while he worked, otherwise he could end up writing something he didn't mean to, which did happen once or twice.

Truthfully, he was afraid to speak up and scared that his ideas or opinions would be shot down or argued without a second hesitation. That was his downfall and his employees knew it but they knew better than to make him feel uncomfortable. He had been admitted to a psychiatric ward on more than one occasion and all of them were not voluntary. His fear and cowardice would quickly turn to instant rage if the right thing triggered it. Nobody wanted to find out what it was so nobody asked him about his thoughts on something or almost anything at all. Frank didn't mind it though. He hated feeling like he had to have special care for him and with not that many people talking to him it was almost as if he didn't exist in the office. The information on Frank's trips to the psychiatric ward was leaked by his boss one day when he was sick mainly to warn everybody not to provoke him; which they happily obliged.

Frank had no family but he did have a life outside of the office. His free days were spent actually having fun such as going to movies, watching television, and even taking strolls in the park nearby. He loved watching people go about their daily lives with no worry for tomorrow and no care for yesterday. It was all about the here, the now, the present. Something Frank just couldn't seem to grasp fully. He knew that working on a project at that moment would be moving it along but the future due date was almost stamped into his mind and it would constantly bother him. Remembering if he'd already done papers or not also pestered him quite a bit because he just seemed to forget and would have to take time out of his schedule just to check and see.

One night everything changed for Frank and the day before was what started it. It all seemed so quiet and normal but that day made everything seem rushed and unable to keep up with. It was almost too much of a jumble for Frank to handle.

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Frank's job was your basic desk job in a cubicle. Routine checks on the computer and more than enough paper work was almost all he ever had to do. He did wish that once in a while he would actually get to do some real business instead of sitting at a desk and scribbling out numbers onto a piece of paper meaninglessly. Meetings did happen but that was so often that everybody in the office forgot exactly how long ago the last one was.

The day came when Frank got his wish of doing something different for a change. His boss had to hunt him down throughout the office but he finally managed to locate him doing exactly what he should be doing. Frank was making sure the sales of one department matched what were logged into the computers when his boss, Mr. Loke, tapped him on the shoulder causing him to jump slightly and peer over his shoulder. "Frankie! How are ya doing today?!" Mr. Loke asked with a smile. Frank shrugged and ran a hand through his dark hair as he turned his chair around to face his boss. Mr. Loke cleared his throat and leaned in slightly as if Frank couldn't hear him well enough, "Well, I got a proposition from our lead competitor today. We actually came upon the agreement of making a merger with one another! Isn't that great?!" he exclaimed. Frank raised an eyebrow a bit suprised since their lead competitor had always been looking down upon them and this seemed like the last thing they would've wanted to do.

The simple fact that the company they were actually trying to out do just wanted to create a merge out of nowhere lost Frank completely. Mr. Loke didn't seem to care much about it and seemed way too happy to be a part of it as he continued, "Well, they said they want ten of our best employees to sign the papers and everything but for some odd reason they wanted to do it at night. Something about them not wanting the public to know about the merger for a while. Anyways, the reason I came to you, Frank, is because you're one our top ten! In fact, you're practically number one." This news caught Frank's attention even more. Frank though about this for a second and gave his boss a smile and a nod with the reply, "I'll do it!" Mr. Loke returned the smile and told him how proud he was to have Frank do this job mainly because almost nobody else would since it was well after work was over.

Frank thought about the meeting he would be going to some night soon for the rest of the day. He wasn't told when it would be until about half an hour before he was suppose to leave and Mr. Loke came by his cubicle once more. It was that night! Frank couldn't believe it himself. Everything was happening so fast and it felt like the world was spinning around him. Apparently the time was suppose to be around two o'clock in the morning. Frank preferred to call it 'night' still because daylight wasn't going to be showing for a while after that. While leaving the work place, Frank stopped by his boss' office and asked if he needed anything for the meeting that night. Mr. Loke handed him a fax paper that was sent to him and had to have both companies sign it. Frank looked it over and tucked it into his suit.

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Frank decided to wait until the time for the meeting at a local gas station, eating and drinking to keep him awake for the time. He was getting tomorrow off and his boss told him where the meeting was going to be held so apparently there was no real need to hurry. To pass a little of the time he pulled out the paper and read the entire thing trying not to fall asleep while doing so. He knew he was a slow reader and it never bothered him as long as he could finish what it was he was reading. It seemed strange to him that time suddenly seemed to slow down when waiting for a certain event. It was going by so fast earlier, or so it seemed. The anxiety he was feeling was almost too much and he had to sit down in his car for a few minutes.

The time was only around twelve and he sighed. "How long is this going to feel like?" he muttered to himself. He had broken out in a cold sweat from the anxiety and had to open the car door to let some cool air blow over him. Luckily, his business suit didn't get soaked. He stuffed the paper back into his jacket and leaned against the seat, calming down slowly. He hated waiting for something that he knew he wouldn't screw up. It was the pressure building up to the moment that made him uncomfortable and he hated it. He knew wasn't going to screw this up but just sitting around and waiting for the time just got him unraveled. After another glance at his watch he decided to take a light nap. He got up and walked back into the station then leaned against the counter slightly as he asked the guy to go to his car and wake him up within an hour and a half. He began feeling better about this as he went back and got in his car then locked the doors while letting the soft embrace of the Sand Man take him over...

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A loud banging came from Frank's window and made him jump awake. The gas station clerk was pounding against the glass hard enough to wake him but not so hard the glass would break. His voice was a little muffled when he spoke to reach Frank but it was audible enough, "Hey! Pal! It's around one-thirty!" Frank collected himself and patted his chest trying to calm his heart down then gave the man a nod to signal he heard him. The man returned into the station as Frank cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes. Everything was still fuzzy to him so he decided to wait a minute before he started the car. Driving with a blurred vision could take his life and he wanted to be safe than sorry just in case.

The night was so dark and the wind was blowing but not as hard as what it seemed. Frost had coated most of his car and he began to see his breath in the air. Frank rubbed his hands together and started fumbling with his keys in his pocket. The frost wasn't anything serious since he could still see out the window without a problem. Slowly, he pulled the wad of metal and plastic then began searching through each individual key until he came upon the right one. He sighed and rubbed his forehead before plunging the key into the ignition and starting the car. Did he have the paper? He remembered putting it in his jacket and he quickly slapped his chest for a feel of the thin, folded sheet. It was there. "Time to hop to it...I guess," he said to himself and put the car in reverse as he backed out of the parking space then switched the gears into drive, giving a long look to the moon before heading off.

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"Yes, sir," a man in a brown leather jacket said while cupping his ear. Had anyone else besides his comrades been around it would seem he was talking to himself. The voice in his ear buzzed a muffled tone that only he could hear. "We're in the area, yes...no...no, they haven't came by yet. Yes, sir...all of us are in position," he said while looking between each of his men. It wasn't exactly freezing out but it was getting colder by the minute and he could see his breath vaporize before his face. The voice continued for a moment and ended, making him pull the ear piece out and stuff it in his pocket.

The time was drawing near and he felt a knot in his stomach every time he thought about it. It wasn't right but the way his boss had worded it, it just seemed necessary. The lights from a car appeared in the distance. He leaned against the van they all had come in along with four other people next to him. As the car came near another set of lights were seen in the distance. Ten of the best from both companies were just about to meet. The five others that weren't with the five against the van had hidden among the few parked vehicles in the parking lot. The store was closed but for some reason, cars still remained long after.

The first car came to a stop and shut off as the person inside stepped out and looked among the five against the black van. The man from the car stared at the group for a moment before speaking up, "Uh...where's the rest of your guys?" He nervously glanced around and noticed them leaning against other cars then let a sigh of relief. For a moment, he thought he had gotten the wrong directions and came somewhere he didn't want to be. One of the men from the van stepped forward and glanced behind the newcomer. "That the rest of yours?" he asked indicating in the direction. The guy looked behind himself and back, nodding, "Yes, that's them. Er...at least a couple of them. The rest should be here any moment." The man in the brown leather jacket grinned and looked back at his comrades who were dressed in almost the same apparell minus the leather jacket. Business suits and ties. Only they all had something extra and would let the newcomers know exactly what when the time came.

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Frank glanced over at the clock in his dashboard and cursed to himself. He was going to be late and he knew it. He figured he'd be late by about five minutes so it might not matter and quickly calmed down. The heater in his car was now on and he had to repeatedly slow down to check and make sure he was headed the right way. They path to the store was a strange one but mainly because he never went to the store they were meeting at. It was out of town and almost seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Frank patted his black cloth jacket again to make sure, for about the tenth time, that he still had the paper. As if he'd lost it on the ride somewhere.

He finally saw the parking lot up ahead and quiet a few cars as well. People looked like they were congregating right in the middle of it as well. Some of them were familiar faces while others looked completely alien to him. He'd never meet anybody from the other company before so he didn't know what to expect other than that they would look like any normal person. He quickly pulled into a spot even though it obviously didn't matter if he even parallel parked since cars were almost scattered. He took a deep breath and turned the car off then pulled out the piece of paper that seemed so important to him. With a quick adjustment to his yellow tie he stepped out and immediately felt a chill go down his spine. Something bothered him but he couldn't quite place it.

"You the last one?" a voice asked form a black van. Frank looked in the direction but couldn't figure out who asked it and just gave a nod. He was already breaking out in a cold sweat and before he could say a word he heard the same voice again. This time he saw who it was; a man in a perfectly normal business suit and a brown leather jacket. "Alright! You know why we're gathered here!" he started as everyone began moving closer to him, even his own people, "This merger is not to see the light of day nor will it be given the chance." Frank looked between his own workers who only meet his gaze with a confused look. What did he mean by that?

Without a moment's hesitation, the man explained it bluntly, "To put it in simpler terms, we didn't drag the top ten of our competing company out here for a lousy merger. We brought you here to eliminate the competition!" With that, he reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a slick, silver object and waved it in the air. The lighting from the cars didn't help much to distinguish what it was for Frank until he saw a flash emit from it along with a loud crackle that resembled thunder almost. It was a gun! All of his workers paniced, including him, and began to turn to run but some got stopped short as the man lowered the weapon and fired a round into back of a co-worker's head. Blood exploded from the massive wound along with tiny fragments of skull, dropping him instantly.

After the first person dropped the rest of the man's comrades reached into their jackets and pulled out guns of their own. Round after round, bullets pelted and punctured flesh and bone. Blood painted the parking lot as the rest of the workers frantically scattered. Frank dropped the paper now wanting nothing more than to wake up from this horrible nightmare. A round hit the ground in front of him, causing him to stumble but he managed to keep going. Another round went off and a muffled but heavy thud was heard. Someone else had gone down. Frank gripped his yellow tie and dove behind a parked van further down the lot. His heart was pounding and nothing he tried was calming him down. His breathing was coming in raspy breaths at a quick pace and due to the cold night air, it burned his throat as well. More gunshots were heard and the sickening sound of bone being shattered filled the air. He noticed his nose was running and that was probably why he didn't smell any gunpowder but that was the least of his worries now.

A moment later the shots stopped. The dead quiet was too much and Frank patted his chest trying to be as quiet as he could himself. A scuffled sound was coming towards him and at the last moment he recognized it as the shuffling of feet. His chest hurt and his throat burned and never in his life has he felt so helpless than when he looked up to see the barrel of a gun aimed straight at him. The shot happened so quick he didn't even get a chance to see his life flash before his eyes...