Men and Monsters

[WP] Due to rules of diversity, workplaces will now also include horror monsters. from WritingPrompts

Julian tapped his foot to let out his nervous energy. He sat in a small office across from the large man he hoped would be his boss, if he got the job. The man nodded to himself at various points as he read down the sheet. After several minutes he let it fall to the dark wood desk and met Julian’s eyes.

“You’re certainly qualified for the position,” the man said. His low voice rumbled the air around Julian. “So tell me, what makes you more qualified than the monsters waiting to come in after you?” he asked.

“I’m not,” Julian said. The corners of his lips pulled upward into a broad smile, and he gave his practiced answer. “Yet. But I’m eager to learn, and grow with the firm. This is not a stepping stone for me, this is the career of my dreams. I believe I can bring a unique perspective and fresh ideas to the table,” he said. The man nodded, then lifted a manila folder from his desk and opened it to flip through the pictures inside. Julian sat up straighter. His chest swelled with pride as the man turned the photos this way and that to appreciate them from different angles.

“Your portfolio is…,” he paused. Julian inched forward on his chair, eager for the praise. “…interesting.” Julian deflated and sank into his chair, but the man continued. “Strictly speaking, your work doesn’t represent the kind of image we work for here,” he dropped the folder. His face softened and he smiled at Julian. “However, you do have potential, and an eye for the artistic. You might be right about bringing a unique perspective.” Julian instantly sat up straighter again. “With the right mentor, I think you’d be a great fit here.”

“Yes!” Julian cheered, then clapped his hand over his mouth. The interviewer chuckled and held a hand up to calm him down.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we have a few formalities to go through first. I know you saw the other applicants, but due to the newness of the legislation, I’m required to inform you of a few things. First, obviously, this is a Horror Act compliant business. As such you may interact with freaks, mutants, monsters, fae, zombies, or ghosts. We can’t guarantee your safety any more than an office that churns out disgruntled workers,” he shrugged. “But everyone’s trying to get through their own rat race.”

“Of course,” Julian nodded.

“Second, we take discrimination very seriously around here. All our employees are equal, and we expect anyone that joins the team,” he smiled at Julian again. “to treat coworkers with respect no matter their race. Alive or not, we’re all equal. Is that clear?” Julian nodded and smiled. His struggle to contain his excitement resulted in the grin staying on his face. He couldn’t wait to get started on his dream. The large man clasped his hands on the desk and leaned forward in a relaxed posture.

“Finally, before I formally offer you the job, I want to know more about you. Why does someone like you want to work here? Your education alone is impressive enough to net you almost any job, even if you left off your ‘special skills’.

“Like I said, it’s my dream to be part of the industry. The education is a side-effect of channeling my frustrations into a ‘normal life’. Once the Horror Act passed, I realized I didn’t have to hide my true self anymore.” Julian shrugged and his grin shrunk a tiny bit. “I came out to my mom first, she had no idea.” The burly man nodded and tried to present an understanding face.

“How did she take it?” he asked. A high pitched chuckle, almost a giggle, escaped Julian’s mouth. He reached for his portfolio on the desk.

“I showed her the real me, for better or worse. Showed her what I was capable of.” He opened the folder and flipped through the pictures until he found a specific one. Then he handed it to the interviewer.  His eyes widened.

“That’s your mother?” Julian’s smile disappeared completely, but he nodded.

“She was.” The man stared at the picture. A woman’s corpse hung upside down. Her head sat inside the cavity of her disemboweled stomach with a pacifier in her mouth. Red, likely blood, flowers decorated her face around empty eye sockets.

“I knew the Horror Act would change things. Monsters working with humans is a great thing for our kind,” the man chuckled. He extended a hand over the desk. “But I never thought a human would want to work in the monster sector. Welcome aboard, Julian.”