Corporate Pyramid Blues

Marcus dragged himself through the glass doors at 7:45 AM, feeling like a **zombie** in an expensive suit. Three years at Apex Dynamics had hollowed him out, leaving something that moved and spoke but didn't quite feel alive anymore. The building rose thirty stories above him—a gleaming **pyramid** of corporate ambition where he existed somewhere near the base, supporting people who didn't know his name.

He stopped at the **water** cooler, watching the bubbles rise and break. Sarah joined him, her eyes tired.

"Big merger announcement today," she said. "Rumor has it they're restructuring the whole department."

Marcus nodded. Sarah was his only real **friend** in this place. They'd bonded over late-night deadlines and shared cynicism, but he sensed she wanted something more. Last week, she'd lingered after drinks, her hand brushing his arm. He hadn't responded.

"You got something..." Sarah reached toward his teeth. "Spinach. From lunch yesterday, I think?"

He wiped his mouth, shame heating his cheeks. She'd noticed yesterday and hadn't said anything. That was Sarah—kindness he didn't deserve.

The email came at 11:00 AM: mandatory all-hands meeting. His stomach churned. The CEO spoke of synergies and efficiencies while Marcus watched **water** bead on his cold coffee cup, condensation sliding down like tears.

"We're eliminating middle management," the CEO announced. "Flattening the structure."

Marcus's division. Sarah's division. Half their floor.

Afterward, in the elevator, Sarah turned to him. "I'm sorry about your job."

"You knew?"

"My boyfriend works in HR. I tried to warn you, but I thought... maybe you'd transfer."

The elevator doors opened. Marcus stepped out, then turned back. "The spinach. You could have told me."

"I wanted you to figure it out yourself. Sometimes that's the only way."

He walked toward his desk to pack his things, feeling somehow lighter. The **zombie** was dead; something else was waking up. Outside, the city waited—vast, terrifying, and full of possibilities beyond the pyramid.