Freshly Delivered
Welcome to our study...
Welcome back, bad bugs! Last week, we left Ralph with a choice on where to take the pizza into the Wicked Insect HQ. Let’s see how your decision worked out…
“Whatever,” Ralph sighed. “I just want to be out of this weird-ass place.”
He turned and walked down the hallway toward the conference room. What was the worst that could happen?
The hallway stretched ahead ominously, with the occasional flicker of the dirty fluorescents plunging it into momentary darkness. Multiple doors lined the walls, some relatively normal-looking, while others had bars over their windows. The place reeked of bleach and some other, sweeter scent. The whole thing made Ralph’s skin crawl.
Ahead, a hanging sign signaled that Ralph had finally reached the conference room. He walked inside and saw that the room was vacant. A few scattered tables and chairs were encircled by walls of white boards.
“Just fucking great,” Ralph muttered. “So much for my tip.”
He dropped the pizzas unceremoniously onto the table and turned to go when the writing on the white boards caught his eye. They seemed to outline several business plans by Wicked Insect, ranging from designer drugs to magical candles. One simply had the word “squirrels” written on it. It was all gibberish.
Ralph shook his head and turned to leave just as the door slammed shut and a lock audibly clicked into place. He ran to the door and fumbled with the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. In a panic, Ralph started hammering on the glass.
“Help!” he shouted. “Somebody! I’m locked in!”
There was no answer from outside the conference room—but there was one from within.
“Thanks for the pizza,” a distorted voice said from behind him.
Ralph spun, clutching at his chest. There hadn’t been anyone in here, he was sure of it!
“Welcome to Wicked Insect, LLC,” the voice said. “We would like to invite you to participate in a brief study.”
“Who is talking?” Ralph shouted. “Where are you?”
Then he saw them. A face on an old television screen was tucked into the back corner of the room. The man on the screen had a black beard that framed a disarming smile. The glasses set onto his face reflected a source of light that prevented the camera from capturing his eyes.
“I’m one of the researchers here,” the man said. “Will you participate?”
“No,” Ralph said. “I’d just like my tip, and I’ll be on my way.”
“You’re tip was at the front desk,” the man laughed. “You see, you are already in the study, even if you didn’t realize it. You made the choice to come straight to the conference room when you could have checked in at the desk. Now you have no real choice but to participate.”
Ralph felt his hand start to sweat. He fumbled with the knob behind his back but still had no luck.
“Y-you asked me if I wanted to participate, and I said no. So you have to let me out.”
“That question was just another part of the study,” the man replied. “Please, just carry on as you normally would.”
The TV screen went black, leaving Ralph alone once more. He looked around the room desperately for a way out. The room had no windows, but there seemed to be a vent in the ceiling above him. Just as he was about to begin stacking chairs to get to the vent, he noticed an intercom button on the wall.
FANGERS 3
The Vamps are back in town! You can back the series that needs no introductions HERE.
That’s it for this week! In a few weeks, Ralph’s misadventure will continue!
Bugs and Kisses,
Kris and the Wicked Insect Bad Bug Crew
