5 :: Hell Is Other People

The clerk behind the glass looked at him with eyes that had seen the death of stars. She didn't speak. She just pointed to a small sign taped to the glass:

Elias looked back at the room. The sandwich man was opening a second bag. The toddler was reaching for his other leg. The TikTok loop started again. 5 : Hell Is Other People

Elias checked his watch. He had been here for three hours. He began to calculate the collective misery in the room. If human irritation could be converted into electricity, this room could power a small city—or at least a very large microwave to cook everyone in it. The clerk behind the glass looked at him

He realized then that the doors weren't locked. They didn't have to be. The sandwich man was opening a second bag

He looked at his ticket: .The red digital display on the wall read: B-002 .

The toddler began to scream, a sound like a hawk being fed into a woodchipper. "C-one-one-four!" the speaker barked.