We Happy Few (Indie Survival Fanfic) (SNEEK PEEK!)

Prologue

"Well good morning to you!"
"And to you also." Smiling and waving at the receptionist whos name I'd have forgotten, I entered the office and met with the Boss; Miss Victoria Byng.
"Morning Arthur, I got a few assignments for you already sent into your office."
"No worries mum, I'll send them in a jiffy."
"Right, and don't forget to take your Joy!"
"I won't as long as you don't." Chuckling to myself, I entered through the corridor towards my office just before someone bumped into me.
.
"Ah! Arthur! Te-terribly sorry bout that, got-got lots on me mind, yeah?" 
"Did you forget your Joy, Hopkins? I know its been a few hoarded days, with Prudence not answering calls and all." 
"N-n-n-no! No! Of course it isn't that, I just...blimey?! Is that the time! Forgive me Arthur but I got lots to do." Dashing out the door I shrugged just as Bucher Wind-bastard, excuse me, Clive Birtwhistle, shoved shoulders with me. 
"Good morning Arthur, shouldn't you have gone home today?" 
Standing tall, I stayed in place as I spat out my words--I will not be bullied by him. "And why should I do that, eh? You trying to take my position?" Scoffing with a smirk, I stared at him. "Wouldn't be the second time, and it always fails." Leaning into him, he backed off after I made my comment. "You're not as charismatic or joyful as you may think, Birtwhistle." 
"Just watch Hastings, I'll give you something to think about." Storming away pissed, I held my chin high with a smile, today is going to be a good day and no one will ruin that. 
After making a right turn, I glanced at the canisters and the tubes, shaking my head as a silly question tried to arose. Entering my office, I breathed a large breath before releasing it, happy with how this point in my life has turned out. 
Setting my bag on the windowsill, I headed over to the Redactor and began my work. 
.
.
Tsking and groaning at the unmeasurable amount of Downer articles, I was about to just be lazy and censor everything when I stopped in me tracks. 'This article, it's--' "Percy?" The name whispered past my lips while chills rang through my body; distant noises 'bout the station and the catastrophe that happened that day kept popping like bubbles in my mind. 
Taking my joy out, I was about to take it when I forced myself to stop. 
'This is Percy...no matter how worse things may get, I can't forget about him like every other bad memory. He's my family.' Throwing the pill to the ground in disgust, I grabbed either side of the Redactor and began to yell at it as if that would somehow bring him back. 
Staring at the clock after some time, it felt as though seconds were passing even though the clock handles were moving, speeding faster than light...is it perhaps broken? Should I get it fix? 
Other thoughts rang through my mind till someone barging through the door caught my attention. 
"Where have you been? No ones seen you for hours!" Miss Byng--my boss, frown at me. 
"Oh, you know. Nose to the grindstone." Nervously chuckling to myself, Miss Byng started walking over to me as she spoke. 
"Then how come I haven't heard a single "whoosh" through the door since earlier this morning? Did you forget that we're celebrating Deirdre's birthday today? We've even got a piñata." 
'Her eyes are frenzy like, almost killer. How have I not known that look in her eyes before?' Stopping in her tracks, I continued to talk as she picked up the joy I threw. "Right, brilliant--of course." 
Fastening her pace, she whispered to me with angry bobby-like eyes. "Have you forgotten your Joy?" 
"Course not! Snug as a bug on a drug." Why did I say that? How could that be perfectly normal to say! 
Giving her my best convincing smile, her face relaxed a bit but she still glared at me in suspicion. "Well hurry up then, the party will start any minute now." 
"I-I just got a few more pages, I understand that you're very busy." 
"Then don't take too long to finish." Swallowing the pill I threw, I almost wanted to gag. Holding my expression back, the Redactor's power cell beeped before turning off. 
"Seems the power cell ran empty." 
"Oh whatever will you do?" Speaking sarcastically, I chuckled to make it seem more human like. 
"I'll replace it with a new one?" 
.
Once I stood and grabbed the extra power cell under the clock, my boss still kept an eye on me to see if I'm really working. My heart felt as though it'll burst straight out my chest as I replaced the empty power cell. 'We're brothers, you know that. I'll always look after you.' Censoring the paper, I placed it back into the tube and began working on the next when what Miss Byng said struck my curiosity. 
"Brilliant, glad we can put that behind us, now hurry and finish, you don't want to miss the piñata." 
"Um, wasn't Prudence suppose to be back today?" Trying hard not to swallow to show that I was afraid she'll notice my mask slipping, she left. After a moment or two I breathed and relaxed in relief before censoring everything to speed things up, I'd best be gone after the party as to not raise anymore unwanted attention. 
Stopping in my tracks just as I was making my way out the door, I glanced at the power cell, debating whether or not I should take it my body spoke for me; snatching the power cell from its Redactor as I made my way out the door, stuffing it in my pocket. 
.
Gazing at the canisters, my previous thought surfaced to light. 'Do you think the canister wonders what life's like outside the tube? Of course it'd have to break the tube to get out.' Shaking me head, I slapped my cheeks lightly, continuing to walk when I saw a letter sticking out of Clive's office door. 
Taking the letter, I looked around and entered Clive's office, closing it behind me as I read the letter from Victoria. 
"That little shit!" Covering my mouth quickly, I waited until I knew it was silent again, feeling furious as I whispered. "He's really trying to take my job, bet your off at the party aren't you? Kissing up whenever you can." Scoffing, I left the letter on the floor and walked to the end of the hall where Prudence's office is. 
Entering, I tried to reminisce but almost gagged out my breakfast as the aroma of rotting apples reeked its way into my nostrils. 
"You're not coming back, are you Pru?" 
Closing the door behind me, I glanced at the welcome back sign and stared confused at it, some words fell apart and it now read "come back" on the lop of string. 
Shaking my head at this ominous feeling, I walked over to the pictures she had hanging up. "Where did you go?" Hearing a crash, I darted out the door and towards Hopkins office, trying my best to pry the door open but it wouldn't budge. About to bang on the window, I stopped frozen in my tracks. 'A Doctor? Why he's here?' Chills ran through my body and my blood ran cold as the doctor injected the pleading Hopkins with a needle. 
Glancing at me, I was about to wave a "no" signal but too late. "Oh, hey there Arthur." Waving at me since I still had my hand in the air, the Doctor walked over to the window and stared at me, closing the blinds as a sort of warning I suppose. 
Gulping, I slowly walked out the hallway and into the Central Processing Unit --better known as a breakroom-- when I noticed buildings of stacked paper on top of the desks. 'Well we seem more than a bit behind in our work I reckon.' 
Passing by Uncle Jack, I stopped to stare at the man everyone's known to love and...there just seems to be something sinister about him now? 'Honestly Arthur, making accusations based on what exactly? You've been off your Joy for nearly ten minutes and you think you're suddenly a know-it-all? Although it wasn't just nearly ten minutes, you've been out of it for six hours but it doesn't even feel like it?' Getting a grip on myself, I slapped my face almost harder than the last to make me come back to my senses. 
Pulling a smile, I entered through the door and witness my co-workers and boss smashing a piñata, but it sounded...weird? 
.
"There you are!" Grabbing my arm, Miss Byng brought me closer to the stripped color...piñata, as she noticed my confusion. "You nearly missed the piñata, it's an adorable Spanish custom for birthdays, Uncle Jack did a whole show about it--you'd smash the piñata until all the candy comes out!" Handing me a wooden broom, she grabbed her infamous riding crop as she encouraged me to hit the thing in front of me. 
'Well...here goes nothing, I suppose.' Getting another round of encouragement, I brought my arms up; tightening my grip around the handle as I brought the broom down. The piñata popped opened but something squirted on my glasses, causing me to momentarily close my eyes, but when I reopen them...I placed a hand to my mouth but it was already too late, my barf landed on the ground behind me as I held witness to my boss and co-workers devouring a seven-inch dead rat, it's blood and organs hanging from their mouths. 
Miss Byng licked her fingers with scrunched eyebrows before realization appeared on her face. "You are off your Joy." Taking her Joy pill from her trousers, she waved it in my face. "Here, take one of mine." Her smile began to creep me out. Taking the pill, I lunged it across the room as my stomach churned in disgust. "Oh my god...he's a Downer! Quick, call security!" Gasp filled the air just before Deirdre fainted and I made a run for the storage room as Clive ran for security. "Tell them we got a Downer!" 
Breathing heavily, I slammed the door shut, sliding the broom through the handle of the door and wall as Bobbies tried to enter by force. 'Well now seems like a rather bad time to ask for that raise.' 
Chuckling at my own morbid sense of humor, I scanned the inside and felt like I was truly trapped till I saw a gap above a few cabinet files, jumping up and over, I witness an open vent that went to another room. Crawling through the vent, I scrambled to grab my marbles as I ran out the door, but more than one Bobby broke through the bloody door like an angry mob. 
"There he is!" 
"Get him!" 
Turning around, I went through the basement door but tripped on a flight of stairs--by some god-awful luck though it got me farther away from the Bobbies. "Hurry and catch him!!" Whistles blew for backup as I continued to run straight ahead past numerous sewer entrances, bridges, and a tunnel as I tried my best to open another bloody door but it was sealed shut from the other side. 
Grunting in frustration, the Bobbies were coming in hot and my lungs felt as though they were about to burst. Having no time to make a plan, I yanked a pipe off the wall and got a few swings in at a Bobby before my field of vision became blurred and darken.