There were 9 people in the circle. Every single one of them he had had in classes at MIT. Charlie sat down in one of the empty seats. Carol Jean sat in the seat next to him even though there were two other seats she could have picked. It made Charlie nervous to have her so close. He wished she'd picked a different seat.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here to discuss what Charlie did," said the woman with the clipboard. "My name is June. We're expecting two more shortly but we'll go ahead and get started. I'm here to help."
Charlie wondered what she was talking about. There was no way he was going to open up to these people what he had done. He wanted out of here now. Carol Jean didn't matter to him anymore.
"What do you mean what Charlie did?" asked a man Charlie recognized from his electrical engineering class sophomore year. "Where the hell are we and what happened?"
Charlie really wanted to leave, to be anywhere else. How was he to explain what he did when he didn't even understand it anymore. How could he get out of here?
June replied, "I'm sorry to inform you that you are dead and that you are currently in transition. We are here to discuss the details of your death, which Charlie will explain, and what will be happening from here on out, which will be my responsibility to explain. Charlie..."
June looked right at him. Charlie jumped up and turned to run but the door he'd come through had disappeared. He turned and faced the people he had been responsible for killing and he had no words to tell them what he had done. He tried to remember the letter, what he'd written to explain to everyone why he'd had to detonate the bomb, but he couldn't remember the specifics now. It had all seemed so clear before. He knew he had to be with Carol Jean and this was maybe the only way. He just didn't know, and what was he to say to all these people looking at him. And there was Carol Jean.
"Charlie....", said Carol Jean.
Check back tomorrow to see what Charlie has to say...
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here to discuss what Charlie did," said the woman with the clipboard. "My name is June. We're expecting two more shortly but we'll go ahead and get started. I'm here to help."
Charlie wondered what she was talking about. There was no way he was going to open up to these people what he had done. He wanted out of here now. Carol Jean didn't matter to him anymore.
"What do you mean what Charlie did?" asked a man Charlie recognized from his electrical engineering class sophomore year. "Where the hell are we and what happened?"
Charlie really wanted to leave, to be anywhere else. How was he to explain what he did when he didn't even understand it anymore. How could he get out of here?
June replied, "I'm sorry to inform you that you are dead and that you are currently in transition. We are here to discuss the details of your death, which Charlie will explain, and what will be happening from here on out, which will be my responsibility to explain. Charlie..."
June looked right at him. Charlie jumped up and turned to run but the door he'd come through had disappeared. He turned and faced the people he had been responsible for killing and he had no words to tell them what he had done. He tried to remember the letter, what he'd written to explain to everyone why he'd had to detonate the bomb, but he couldn't remember the specifics now. It had all seemed so clear before. He knew he had to be with Carol Jean and this was maybe the only way. He just didn't know, and what was he to say to all these people looking at him. And there was Carol Jean.
"Charlie....", said Carol Jean.
Check back tomorrow to see what Charlie has to say...
