The Overseers
You take a tray of mashed potatoes from the dispenser and sit down at a table. Cody sits across from you, halfway done with the meal, but is also spreading the stuff all over his plate. To him, it's quite entertaining for some reason.
"Cody," you say, breaking him from his trance. He looks up and sees you, then stops playing with the food.
"Hey, Jim," he replies, "you know, this stuff tastes a lot like chicken."
"I think that's just your mind messing up your taste buds. Or maybe it's the Juice."
"Yeah, probably both. You think we'll ever get a real meal? Like real food? Like chicken?"
"I don't know, Cody. Maybe the government will be overthrown tomorrow and we'll all be saved."
"Maybe I oughta get some more...Jooooo..." Cody's words start to become one long blob of mouth noises, and you slap him across the cheek.
"Wake up, dude! You gotta stop using that stuff. It's not good for you at all."
"Heh, right. It makes me want to puke, but it feels pretty good, if you know what I mean!" he starts laughing hysterically, and you wonder if this was the same Cody you saw last week. Or last month.
"No, Cody, I don't know what you mean."
"Well, I'm kind of getting tired of this factory work, y'know? Maybe I should quit."
"No, Cody. You can't quit. You can't."
"Why not? I have every...rightaaaaa…" You slap him again, and stare him down.
"You can't quit or they'll take you away, man. They'll kill you. Remember Dan? Remember him, right?"
"Right, I know, yeah. Right. I shouldn't quit."
There's silence for a couple minutes as Cody thinks this over, and he doesn't seem to move or breathe at all. Then he speaks up again.
"Well, Jim, my day hasn't been too great, what about you?"
You look up and are about to answer, but then you say....
"Cody," you say, breaking him from his trance. He looks up and sees you, then stops playing with the food.
"Hey, Jim," he replies, "you know, this stuff tastes a lot like chicken."
"I think that's just your mind messing up your taste buds. Or maybe it's the Juice."
"Yeah, probably both. You think we'll ever get a real meal? Like real food? Like chicken?"
"I don't know, Cody. Maybe the government will be overthrown tomorrow and we'll all be saved."
"Maybe I oughta get some more...Jooooo..." Cody's words start to become one long blob of mouth noises, and you slap him across the cheek.
"Wake up, dude! You gotta stop using that stuff. It's not good for you at all."
"Heh, right. It makes me want to puke, but it feels pretty good, if you know what I mean!" he starts laughing hysterically, and you wonder if this was the same Cody you saw last week. Or last month.
"No, Cody, I don't know what you mean."
"Well, I'm kind of getting tired of this factory work, y'know? Maybe I should quit."
"No, Cody. You can't quit. You can't."
"Why not? I have every...rightaaaaa…" You slap him again, and stare him down.
"You can't quit or they'll take you away, man. They'll kill you. Remember Dan? Remember him, right?"
"Right, I know, yeah. Right. I shouldn't quit."
There's silence for a couple minutes as Cody thinks this over, and he doesn't seem to move or breathe at all. Then he speaks up again.
"Well, Jim, my day hasn't been too great, what about you?"
You look up and are about to answer, but then you say....