The woman walks briskly across the room, not looking back until she comes to - a door! An honest-to-god door that is rectangular, and has a knob, and EVERYTHING! Written on the door is the word "INTERVIEWS" in several languages. The woman opens the door, revealing a long, dingy white hallway which appears to disappear into the distance. Doors are placed at intervals on either side.
Whipping up her clipboard once again, and apparently completely oblivious to the fact that there are only two travelers, she barks out:
The corridor smells vaguely of disinfectant, and the overhead neon lights flicker and hum at precisely the correct frequency to make one's skin crawl, bring on an almost instant headache, and influence victims to be cranky and irritable.
The number on the nearest door reads "835".
Leo looks around in confusion, then turns to Ariel. "Pleased to meet, Ms Black," he says with a small bow. "I'm Leo Barbeau, circus artiste extraordinaire." He bows again. "Now that introductions are done with, er... What do you think? left or right? Should we explore together or cover more territory by splitting up?"
He looks down at his feet (which are encased in oversized yellow and black shoes with purple laces), then back at the soggy Ariel, a little timidly. "For my part, I'd rather prefer to stick together, since this place is confusing enough, but I wouldn't want to impose. Besides, there's no reason to think cubicles will actually be numbered in consecutive order in this place!" He smiles.
Ariel smiles faintly at Leo, revealing perfect white teeth and extends a pale, delicate hand. "Lead on, Mr. Barbeau."
Leo nods, then starts walking down the corridor, hoping that they won't actually have to count 833 or so doors before reaching the designated cubicles. He starts to whistle a tune to cheers things up, but the unharmonious echoes and the generally depressed atmosphere seem to preclude cheerfulness. he shrugs, then gives a sidelong glance at his companion in dampness. "So, I guess we're both first-timers on Al Amarja," he comments. "Were you coming here on vacation?"
Ariel laughs bitterly. "Yeah. Vacation." Then, remembering her manners: "I'm sorry, Mr. Barbeau. I didn't mean to be rude." Her voice is faint and thin. I just meant..." She trails off into silence. "Never mind. Why are you here?"
Leo remains silent for a few moments, as they trudge down the corridor. "I'm... looking for someone," he finally answers. "A colleague of mine who disappeared almost without a trace. I say 'almost' because the one clue I found in the emptied dressing-room was a crumpled receipt for a plane ticket to Al Amarja." Leo shrugs, in a rippling, quasi-dislocated movement. "I had never even heard of the island before this."
Ariel smiles. "Neither did I. I'm starting to wish I hadn't come here at all. I had to, though. I... need something they've got here." She pauses a second. "Think we'll ever get off this island? Alive, I mean?"
Leo stops in his tracks and stares at Ariel, unnerved. "Alive?... Of course, we'll get off this island alive! Why shouldn't we?..." His brow wrinkles as he frowns. "Are you in some kind of trouble, Ms Black? I mean... I don't want to pry, but... Is there something you're specifically afraid of here?"
Ariel smiles again, nervously. Her tongue lolls out slightly. "No, Mr. Barbeau... may I call you Leo? Say, that's a fine outfit you're wearing."
Leo looks back at Ariel in confusion, then starts walking again, still looking for cubicles 1 and 2. "It is?" asks, perplexed, glancing down at his faded t-shirt, slack pants, rainbow suspenders and oversized shoes. "Er... thank you." He falls silent for a few moments, visibly at a loss for something more clever to say. Then he brightens up and turns to Ariel again. "Say, it's been a dreadful flight and all that, but it's bound to get better. We do get the free stay at the hotel - and food! I'm hungry again, the donuts just aren't real food. What I'd love would be a really delicate shrimp salad, with basil and garlic dressing, on a bed of very crip romaine, with a basket of warm bread and some fresh cheese." He's now looking into the distance, almost salivating.
Ariel laughs gently. "Down, boy... I'd kill or die for a real, thick, juicy steak right now... or even some fresh lemonade..." She trails off into silence. Beads of sweat gather on her pale forehead as you walk together.
Leo eyes Ariel carefully, a worried expression on his face. "Are you all right, Miss?" he asks. "If you're not feeling well, you can stay here and I'll go get some help. I'm bound to find a bureaucrat somewhere in here!"
The door next to "835" is "837", and as Leo and Ariel continue down the hall, the numbers keep getting larger.
Is it just me, or are the lights starting to hum a little louder? Hmmmmmm....
Ariel smiles weakly. "I'm fine, thank you. And you don't have to call me Miss. My name's Ariel."
Leo nods. "Alright, Ariel. And I'm Leo, not Mr. Barbeau." He gestures to door number 837. "It looks like, once again, things are going to get worse before they get better. This looks neither like number 1 or 2, nor like a cubicle." He chews on his lower lip for an instant, appraising Ariel; she seems very tired.
Ariel laughs a braying laugh, a little too loudly and a little too heartily given the circumstances. "What do you say we just open a door-- any door?" Leo nods, walks up to door number 837, and knocks on it firmly.
Nobody answers the knock, and any echos one might expect are deadened by the walls.
Damn, than humming IS getting louder.
Leo tries the handle to the door, and if this doesn't work, he intends to try every subsequent door until he gets to talk to someone. He keeps an eye on Ariel, worried that she might be sick. Ariel also starts trying any doors on her side of the hallway.
The very first door that Leo tries opens onto a small office. Leo glances back towards the corridor and calls to Ariel, not shouting but pitching his voice just loud enough so she can hear: "This seems to be my interview room, Ariel. I guess I'll see you in a little bit. Good luck with yours!"
Ariel, who has apparently also found the location of her own interview,
calls: "Good luck, Leo! I hope I see you again!" just before her door closes.
To Be Continued...