Life Insurance

He looked at it and felt a comfortable weight descend, as though a wave of warm amber was slowly consuming him, encasing him forever. Arron offered no resistance. He let his shoulders drop.

The words onscreen blurred.

Without windows to provide a distraction, and starved of cleaner, sharper air, the dark little room felt like a kiln.

No, a crematorium.

A stifled yawn and Aaron’s eyes filled with water. The world distorted. He blinked to regain focus, sending tears down his face.

Aaron wiped the incriminating tracks away, careful not to draw the attention of the young HR Assistant, but he had not noticed. He hadn’t missed a beat. His monotonous voice remained steady as he delivered a presentation entitled;

‘Welcome to P.A.G. – Induction and Health & Safety’

Flying at altitude on autopilot, clearly still feeling the effects of a heavy weekend, The Assistant was barely conscious himself.

Aaron glanced at the slide count on the screen.

12/53

Not even a quarter of the way through. He pinched his leg, but that just made it sore. Besides, the pain wouldn’t bother him in his sleep.

Sleep.

Sleep.

Aaron could no longer look at the screen. It was now a painful ball of light. Instead, he stared at the cosy, indistinct, dark floor.

He allowed his eyes to close.

The room felt like a womb.

An incubator.

Hibernator.

Involuntarily, his breathing deepened.

He gave in. Relaxed. Let the darkness take him.

And fell.

Deep.

Preserved in amber.

For what felt like perpetuity.

Then a sudden crack of electricity, bringing with it a detonation of white light.

Aaron snapped awake. Blinded, he winced and inhaled through his teeth.

The HR Assistant laughed.

‘Sorry, did I wake you up?’

Aaron blinked furiously.

‘No,’ he said, faking a cough. ‘All good, thanks.’

But The HR Assistant wasn’t listening. His duty discharged, he was already moving rapidly to the exit.

‘Right, I’ll just tell Helen that you’re ready for her,’ he said, and let the door close behind him.

Still fighting to regain composure, Aaron wondered how long he had been under.

Ten? Fifteen minutes?

Or had The Assistant noticed?

Had he noticed and cut the presentation short?

Was he right now out there telling the HR Manager of his lapse of attentiveness?

Sleeping on the job was gross misconduct. A sackable offence in any company. Would Aaron get fired in his first hour on the job?

The thought was just starting to worry him when the door opened again and a short, lop-sided woman limped in. With her she bought the smell of strong cigarettes, recently smoked, and a thick pile of documents.

‘Arron, isn’t it?’ she said, not looking at him.

‘Yes, pleased to-’

‘Welcome to P.A.G.’

‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘It’s good to be he-’

‘Right,’ Helen said, falling into the chair opposite him. ‘There are just a few things to go over and sign. I’ve got your contract of employment here, some details on your bonus…’

Casually flicking through the papers, she abruptly stopped.

‘Oh,’ she said, lifting a document up for closer examination. ‘And I’ve got the results of your psychometric test.’

Aaron smiled. ‘Nothing too psycho about it, I hope.’

Helen said nothing, just continued to study the report. Her lack of expression unnerved Aaron, who was still trying to make light of the situation, however when she remained engrossed in the details, his laughter uncomfortably subsided.

A long moment passed. Then, with an air of someone who has just found a mysterious lump on their person for the first time, Helen gave a thoughtful,

‘Hmm.’

Then she tucked the document back into the pile.

The top two sheets she then laid out in front of Aaron and pointed.

‘I just need you to sign here… here… and here… to acknowledge the terms of employment.’

Aaron complied.

‘Now,’ she said, ‘I’ll take you over to your office.’

Outside, Aaron filled his lungs.

‘I think you’ll find us an exceptional employer,’ Helen said, charging on ahead. ‘People stay at P.A.G.’

Aaron quickened his pace. ‘I- I’m sure-’

‘Our life insurance policy, for example, is very generous.’

She stopped and looked him in the eye for the first time. Her eyebrows raised, she said. ‘It even pays out for suicides.’

Then she limped away, double time.

Aaron opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out.

What did that even mean?

More than anything in the world he wanted to read that psychometric report.