22:59

12:24

Someone screamed out of Roger's thoughts, strangely getting closer and louder, like a train arriving at a station. Before Roger had time to realize what was happening, something fell from above onto the multi-colored awning, and continued to spew terrible sounds of horror.

The fabric, designed only for protection from the rain and already leaky, could not stand the weight and ripped apart. About three meters from the table at which the two former classmates were sitting, a man fell onto the floor.

Roger froze with surprise and horror, a person never died in front of him. He had of course seen enough corpses during his studies but this mess of bones, skin and blood had just been a man uttering his death scream. Roger couldn't take his eyes off what had once been a head. The skull was split open, something white flowing out of it, like an undercooked protein omelet, which he once loved but now realized that he would never even be able to look at one again for the rest of his life. Not to mention eating one.

Dan was the first to snap out of his stupor and rushed over to the man, or rather to what was left of him. He sat down next to him, felt his pulse, then looked at Roger and shook his head. There was no pulse. But Roger already knew that, so many fluids cannot flow out of a person and have them still be alive.

"Roger! Roger!!!"

It took about fifteen seconds before Roger realized that they were yelling at him.

"Don't sit there like a pillar, call someone! And dial 911!"

Roger came to his senses and ran down to the front desk, dialing the emergency number on the way.

About five minutes later, the police arrived, an ambulance and, perhaps reporters.

Roger and Dan recounted what had happened on the balcony, their phone numbers were taken down and they were let go.

"Sorry," the administrator called out to them at the exit. Her face was so white that it almost shone in the semi-darkness of the first floor. "Our establishment apologizes for... The incident... And invites you to dine for free in a separate room, it's free now.

Roger and Dan exchanged glances. Roger felt bile rise up in his throat at the thought of food, and looked at his watch, he still had twenty minutes left for lunch.

"Okay," Roger decided, "only if the food is very fast, I have to get back to work."

"Sir, we'll serve you our signature burgers in five minutes! Please, follow me," the administrator led them down the corridor to the right, pushed open a heavy wooden door and stepped back, letting them pass.

Roger and Dan ended up in a room that was apparently rented out for business negotiations. The setting was very much like a meeting room. In the middle was a large oval table.

They crouched down on one end. Nobody wanted to talk about what happened on the balcony, and Dan, hesitating a little, began again to talk about his difficult life.

"Roger? Are you listening to me?" Dan leaned forward, trying to get the attention of his interlocutor, who seemed to be far away.

Roger realized that he had clicked off.

"Sorry Dan. I was thinking... So you say that you need medicine, but you cannot go to a doctor and you still have no money."

"Yes, Roger." Dan covered his face with his hands. "You have no idea how humiliating it is for me to ask you this." He looked at Roger again. There were tears in the eyes of the joker and the merry fellow.

"The point is..." Roger tried to find the right words. "The thing is, I can't help you, Dan," Roger paused, but noticing that his former friend was about to explode with another tirade of abuse at Medicol, he hurried to continue: "I have no access to pills."