Corporate Contract
“You wanted to see me, sir?” said Jake, opening the door to Lucas’s office.
“Why, yes… yes, I did,” he replied, looking up from a sheaf of papers at his desk. “It’s time for you to pay your debts, Mr. Cooper.”
“I’m… afraid I don’t follow,” he said, placing the jar on his desk.
“Well, it’s very simple, Jacob,” he said, standing up from his chair. “When I hired you as a manager here, one year ago, you promised me that you would put your soul, in its entirety, and invest it into this company, did you not?”
“I…well, probably,” Jake replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Where was this going?
“And yet, here we are, one year later, and your soul is still your own. It’s not that you’re doing a bad job, mind you… but you would be a lot more efficient if you would just hand your soul over to me. You’d finally favor cold, hard logic and the rules of business over vague ideas of human decency.
“There would certainly be a lot less moping,” he added, picking up the jar and tracing the edge of the rim with his finger.
“…sir?” Jake began to instinctively step backwards, toward the door. “I’m not sure I follow the joke. You’re freaking me out, here.”
“That’s the beauty of the modern age,” he said, with a laugh. “You all think that Science has completely explained away the Supernatural, and so you all sign away your soul, not even considering the possibility that you’ve been dealing with demons. You sold your soul to me the moment I hired you as a manager- as if you had any other qualifications. And now that it’s no longer practical to allow you to keep borrowing it, I intend to collect your debt.”
Jake watched with a morbid curiosity as the mason jar flew straight at his heart, the rim of the jar passing through his clothes to sear straight into his flesh. He flinched at the sharp sensation of pain, although his limbs began to feel heavy. A stream of milky white, cloudy liquid was pouring forth in from the center of the wound, slowly filling the jar with what he could only assume was his soul. Jake raised a hand in hesitation, too afraid to pull the jar out of his chest.
“Any last words before I take back what is mine?” asked Lucas, with a condescending chuckle.
“Why, yes… yes, I did,” he replied, looking up from a sheaf of papers at his desk. “It’s time for you to pay your debts, Mr. Cooper.”
“I’m… afraid I don’t follow,” he said, placing the jar on his desk.
“Well, it’s very simple, Jacob,” he said, standing up from his chair. “When I hired you as a manager here, one year ago, you promised me that you would put your soul, in its entirety, and invest it into this company, did you not?”
“I…well, probably,” Jake replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Where was this going?
“And yet, here we are, one year later, and your soul is still your own. It’s not that you’re doing a bad job, mind you… but you would be a lot more efficient if you would just hand your soul over to me. You’d finally favor cold, hard logic and the rules of business over vague ideas of human decency.
“There would certainly be a lot less moping,” he added, picking up the jar and tracing the edge of the rim with his finger.
“…sir?” Jake began to instinctively step backwards, toward the door. “I’m not sure I follow the joke. You’re freaking me out, here.”
“That’s the beauty of the modern age,” he said, with a laugh. “You all think that Science has completely explained away the Supernatural, and so you all sign away your soul, not even considering the possibility that you’ve been dealing with demons. You sold your soul to me the moment I hired you as a manager- as if you had any other qualifications. And now that it’s no longer practical to allow you to keep borrowing it, I intend to collect your debt.”
Jake watched with a morbid curiosity as the mason jar flew straight at his heart, the rim of the jar passing through his clothes to sear straight into his flesh. He flinched at the sharp sensation of pain, although his limbs began to feel heavy. A stream of milky white, cloudy liquid was pouring forth in from the center of the wound, slowly filling the jar with what he could only assume was his soul. Jake raised a hand in hesitation, too afraid to pull the jar out of his chest.
“Any last words before I take back what is mine?” asked Lucas, with a condescending chuckle.