{"sf1_id":635337,"sf2_id":null,"title":"The Corporate: Part 5 of 8","author":"Extrementalis","words":492,"posted_at":"2013-12-21T18:21:00.000Z","tags":["Christmas","Story","Story Progression","Update"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/635337-the-corporate-part-5-of-8","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/635337","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=635337\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#6 of Writing\n\nFifth installment of the Corporate. The story updates daily all the way until Christmas.\nSorry for part 5 being a day late. Part 6 should be uploaded soon after.","content":"The Winter Chronicles\n\nDecember of 2013\n\nThe Corporate: Part 5 of 8\n\nThe light had subsided. Harold opened his eyes. He was in his office. Was this all\n\njust a dream? Had he simply just fallen asleep at his desk? Of course! What other explanation\n\ncould there be? Oh, how wonderful it was that the nightmare had passed. Or so he thought.\n\nAs Harold stood up from his chair, he froze. Upon his desk lay an unwrapped chocolate\n\nbar. It was the same from his dream. No, it couldn't be! But the evidence was there in front\n\nof him. Panicking, Harold rushed out of his office. Coming out into the corridor, there was no\n\none to be seen. The hallway to his office was empty.\n\nA chill in the air had suddenly arisen. Harold clasped his hands under his shoulders and tensed\n\nhimself. And then, out of the corner of his eye, there was a movement. A dark figure had darted across\n\nthe hallway. He hadn't had enough of a glimpse to identify it.\n\nHis heart pounding in his chest, Harold began to walk forward. The floor shifted under him\n\nsome, and then in front of him appeared numerous figures, black as void, shuffling up and down the hall.\n\nBut there was something familiar that lessened his fear and they seemed to ignore him as they went\n\nabout their business, whatever that may be. Harold took a deep breath to steady himself, and then\n\nboldly continued down the hall.\n\nThere was something familiar about all of this. But Harold just couldn't put his finger on\n\nit. It began to feel like just another day at the office. As Harold reached the end of the\n\ncorridor, a figure walked around the corner and stopped, as if to be startled by the sight of him.\n\nHarold stopped as well, but not out of fear this time, but more rather to examine the mysterious being.\n\nHe now noticed something he hadn't before. There was a dull, red glow emitting from the being's\n\nchest. Had all of these figures had that glow? Harold turned to check.\n\nHarold's heart jumped in his chest. There was no more hallway behind him, just empty space.\n\nThe figures he had passed, and then some, had surrounded him. They all had the red glow as well,\n\nbut it was quickly fading away until it was finally gone. Harold, his heart thumping in his chest, stood\n\nnumbed. He turned, and faced the figure that had stopped him. It had grown in size and was now twice\n\nhis height and bending to look at him with its blank face.\n\nA deafeningly high pitched wail now erupted in Harold's ears. He fell to his knees and covered his ears.\n\nAlthough it subsided quickly, to Harold it seemed an eternity. Daring to look up, Harold saw now that the figures\n\nhad gone, and in place of the on in front of him, was a man.\n\n  \n  \n\n","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/634182-the-corporate-part-4-of-8.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/636286-the-corporate-part-6-of-8.json"}