Necromancer and undead (Part 2)

“You done with that task, Leo?”

Leo turned his head away from the computer screen to take a look at his childhood friend, Kasian.

The office was still full, and many employees slouched in their cubicles, behind computers. But he was still able to detect a few female gazes lingering on his friend standing next to him.

Kasian had everything. Born as the son of the CEO, he was strolling around this place as if he owned it. It was maybe his confidence, or maybe his appearance, that caused each woman to stop and look at him. He had a tall, slender figure, golden blonde hair, and deep blue eyes. His face looked like straight out of a fashion magazine. His expensive suit only reinforcing this impression.

“I am still not done, Kas,” Leonard replied.

“How can we go to beer after work, when you are still stuck here?” Kasian asked and clicked his tongue. “Girls are already waiting there. Hurry up!”

“It will probably take me at least another two hours to finish this. It is much more complicated than I thought,” said Leonard.

“Two hours is too long! I don’t want girls to wait, otherwise, they will start badmouthing us again, like the last time. Finish this soon and join us in the pub later, okay? You know the place.”

Leonard nodded, and Kasian patted his back. Then he excitedly left the office, whistling some random song he heard on the radio during the day.

Leonard bit down on his tongue, turning back to the flickering computer screen. Kasian was telling people, he worked here. His dad employed him here, so he could gather important work experience before getting a decent job. Having his own family on the high seat did not mean he could slack off here. He had to earn his position. At least, that was the official version.

But the thing was, Kasian was never too patient to complete a longer and more difficult task. He went a few times to Leonard to ask for help, and Leo supported him as much as he could. After all, they have known each other since kindergarten and were good friends. But then, a habit formed out of a few instances, and Leonard suddenly found himself still sitting behind the desk in the cubicle which assigned to him three years ago, and his friend, Kasian, had been promoted twice during the same period.

Leo ended up living in an old, run-down apartment, wearing the same cheap suits. His wage was still the same as it had been three years ago, when he started at this company. He didn’t have any girlfriend or family. Although people were not avoiding him, he was never really popular. Sometimes, he just felt like a doormat, making everyone comfortable. When he got drunk and complained about it, Kasian always reminded him that without him, he wouldn’t be able to land such a good job and would probably be working somewhere as a construction worker or a clerk. This frustrated him the most.

As he was working on the task, which was supposed to be done by Kasian, the office cubicles around him emptied. Once he was finished and raised his head, he realized there was a darkness outside, behind the windows. He looked at the time. Not two hours, but three had already passed.

He sent the completed assignment to Kasian via e-mail and turned off his laptop. There was only one highlight awaiting him at the end of this horrible day – a beer with his friends.

He and Kasian had two other friends. Selena and Mira were also going to the same kindergarten as kids. Although all their paths separated after that, somehow, they still ended up meeting together regularly. Lena was born under the same lucky star as Kasian. Her family was wealthy, and she ended up going to the university, ready to take over their family business. Mira, on the other hand, ended up going completely the opposite way. She dropped out of high school and ended up working simple part-time jobs. She always wanted to start her own business, but her ideas always fell through, even though she received some investment money from Selena. At the end, she ended up working as a fortune-teller. As ridiculous as it sounds, she ended up making more money than he did.

Comparing himself to them now, he realized, he was the only failure in their circle. He wanted to go to them, to drink some beer and finally relax after a long day at work, but remembering all those nasty things now, he was not so into it anymore.

There was also another reason. He had adored Selena since kindergarten, but he never had the guts to ask her out. Mira knew about this and was constantly mocking him for it, but he always put on a poker face, playing a cold hero.

“Okay, just one beer and then I will go home,” he said to himself.

If he skipped their meeting even though he agreed with Kasian to come, he would have to listen to his complaints for at least another week or two. So he finally got up and left the office.

Just as he was turning off the lights in the empty office space, he could hear a message beep from his smartphone. He took it out of his pocket and unlocked the screen. There was a message from Kasian.

“I saw the e-mail you had just sent. Good job, dude. Now move your ass and come. We were too bored in the pub, so we decided to hit a club. You know which one.”

There was a luxury nightclub in the city, and because of Kasian, they were all able to get the VIP status and enter there anytime. Yet another thing, he was always bringing up to show himself as a messiah.

Leo hid his phone back in his pocket and left the office building. The taxi was too expensive and the subway too crowded. He decided to walk to the nightclub to get some fresh air and to clear his head of negative thoughts flooding his mind.

But the air in the city was full of smells and smog. The honking of the cars and shouting of people was making him crazy. The city was always like this, but why was it only now so irritating? He just was not in the mood for the club tonight.

As he was considering ghosting his own friends and going home instead, the phone in his pocket vibrated, notifying him of another message. He was expecting another text from Kasian, as he was fairly impatient, but it was Mira who texted him instead.

“Selena is too drunk already. You have an opportunity to play hero today.”