Bend & Break

Bend

~~~~~~

On a stressful morning, you enter the office feeling exhausted and disheveled. As the clock reaches 10 am, already your willingness to work an entire day has been knocked back.
Thanks to the fact that you slept through your alarm twice and burnt your toast into something that can only be described as 'inedible.'
To top it all off Barry Clarke from upper management decided to be a selfish asshole and steal your designated parking spot. In doing so, the fat lazy jerk had the nerve to give you his pudgy finger (just as an added bonus.)
So dealing with this unpleasant chain of events, should have you prepared for the misfortune that awaits your arrival. But to see it sitting so boldly on top of your bulging day planner almost causes a scream of horror and outrage to erupt from your throat.

Already you can hear the twisted laughter of fate, gaining joy from your suffering.
"Shit!"

Startled into panic you move to the lock up your office door, preventing the unwanted attention of passers by from seeing it.
But in your haste to save your own ass, you nearly spill a steaming cup of coffee all down the front of another brand new blouse.

"Shit, shit shit!"

The sound as the lock clicks sharply into place doesn't help reassure your anxiety, if anything it makes it worse. You begin to think it might be safer to put some distance between you and the piping hot caffeine hit that seems to be wobbling precariously within your weakening grasp. It's a good thing that you have the sense to discard the drink before you have to make a trip to A&E with third degree burns.
Again you hear the ominous laugh of fate enjoying your distress. It rings cruelly in your ears bringing your focus back to reason your so afraid.

With a closer inspection you find it easier to read his message left scrawled across an ordinary powder blue napkin and you can tell that the tissue likely comes from the cafeteria down stairs. You have seen a few patients wipe their drooling mouths with similar cloth. But this one in particular doesn't hold a single crumb, only a message written in bright red ink. Wait no.. that's not ink?
It's blood!

I've got a surprise for you Doc.
Come and get it.

Mr J.

He has signed the mysterious note with his signature. The initials expressively drawn in a way that reveals who's unbalanced mind penned the ink. The longer you study the warped penmanship the more frustrated you become. Letting out a growl to vent your annoyance, you fall back into the leather of your desk chair and distort the message inside the fury of your fist.

"Damn it!"

Even when screwed into a lump of uselessness, you can still feel the power that the Joker's little note holds over you.
Your mind suddenly fills with questions. What does he mean by a surprise?
Is this one of his tricks? How in the hell did he manage to get the note into your office in the first place!?What do you do about it, do you really need to tell someone and risk losing your job because of it?

Logic and sensibility beg that you report the incident. It's the kind of situation that will blow into something much larger otherwise.
But selfish intrigue is curious to discover the answers hidden behind his request. It won't hurt to follow his instructions will it?
No need to report this to HR even if your patient has violated your privacy. Just go down there and tell him who's boss.

For now you go with neither. Leaving the problem right at the bottom of your waste paper basket ready for the night janitor to dispose of its evidence after lights out.
There's no point in dredging up one harmless little note when Arkham has enough to deal with.
Oh if only you knew what was going to happen in the next 24hours. Then you might not be so caviler in your decision.