How We Need Eachother [TSP Oneshots]

Cruel Like Him

"Stanley walked upstairs to his boss' office."
Like usual, Stanley obliged to the command.

His footsteps echoed through the empty walls of the office building, the sound of his shoes hitting against metal. Walking up the stairs, he stood in front of the open, welcoming doors of his boss' office. 7th attempt. This is 7th attempt trying to escape the office once and for all. It started first when he had gotten sick and quickly backtracked, the doors closing in front of him and trapping The Narrator in the office. He was confused at first, scared that he'd be forever alone now in the empty building.

Now he realizes he can't be alone.

Stanley turned around, ignoring the open doors for a second as he stepped back down the stairs.

"Stanley, where are you going? Your boss' office is the other way around." The Narrator said as Stanley walked back to the meeting room, confused by his choice. Stanley ignored his words, looking around the main office that he had just entered. He wondered if The Narrator was opening doors for him, considering that they were originally closed when he walked through them.

"Stanley walked the wrong way, because he was too stupid to understand how walking works. He would never fit in with the real world." The Narrator remarked, earning an eye-roll from Stanley.

Stanley walked inside the the broom closet, The Narrator scoffing quietly from his poor choices. His eyes eventually landed on a bucket in the corner, grabbing it by the handle. He dragged the rusty, metal bucket with him back into the meeting room and back upstairs.

"Just so you know if you damage anything in the office that will cost you. Even if you have no money." Stanley didn't care either way, now back in front of his boss' office's doors. He set down the bucket in-between the two large doors, before running into the boss' office and watching the doors get stuck between the bucket. He quickly slipped through the small crack the bucket helped widen.

"Stanley, what are you doing? There's no point in doing this.." Stanley, yet again, ignored what The Narrator was saying, walking back through the now open doors.

"Stanley." The Narrator repeated, Stanley showing no signs of listening to what he had to say still. "Get back on track. We've already been here."

The Narrator was slowly getting more aggressive with getting Stanley's attention back. "What are you, deaf? Or is it that you think I won't give up on making you pay attention to the story again?" Stanley didn't care, walking towards the open door that led to the escape pod.

"Stanley, don't go through that. I don't know what that leads to." Stanley, of course, did the opposite. He also knew the opposite as well.

"Stanley, just listen to me for one second! I'm not letting you go somewhere which I don't know of." Talk about possessive, Stanley would think to himself, walking slowly down the stairs.

"Just...ugh!" The Narrator groaned, before a brick wall blocked Stanley from going any further down the stairs. "Why do you have to be so difficult at times?? It's just..so annoying, for you to not follow my instructions! You could've escaped already Stanley! You could've had your freedom!"

"But no, you just had to break my game!"

Stanley paused, staring at the still open door behind him. He wondered if it was worth even trying to help both himself and The Narrator, while The Narrator was just selfish in keeping Stanley here with him. Fine, he'll continue the story like The Narrator wanted. But he's going to tell him what would had been his fate in an earlier time.

'The stairs lead down to an escape pod where we would both leave the office, together.' Stanley signed, The Narrator slowly trying to interpret what he had just 'spoke.' His eyes widened when he realized what had been signed. "Oh, well why didn't you say so in the first place—? I'll unblock the staircase now. I'm sorry, please go ahead." And just like that, the brick wall had disappeared within a quick second. "It may not seem like it, but I am glad we can leave. Exhilarated, even." For once, The Narrator actually seemed happy about a wrong choice he didn't make, his chipper change in reaction leaking through his attitude. Stanley just stood there, still staring at the door. It was open, nobody can stop him from walking out there.

Nobody.

"Well?" The Narrator asked, quickly growing both nervous and impatient. "Are we going? Come along now, it can't be that far away!" But Stanley didn't answer, let alone pay attention. He was slowly walking back up the stairs. "Stanley? Where are you going? Y-you said the escape pod was..was that way..." He quickly grew desperate, hoping Stanley wouldn't deny both him and himself a  true chance at freedom. 'Was.' Was all that Stanley simply signed, before continuing. 'Since you enjoy your story so much, we can both follow through it and never escape this office, hm?' The Narrator's eyes widened from behind his screen. "Stanley, you can't be serious! You want this..we want this!"

'Haven't you terrorized me enough?' Stanley had signed, furrowing his eyebrows. A realization came to mind as he thought about how he was having the same snarky, mean attitude as The Narrator. Perhaps he had finally gone insane, it wouldn't be the first time he's thought that. "I'm sorry, but we can just.." The voice trailed off, not knowing much to say in response. Stanley glared, walking in front of the still open door that would lead back into the office. "Stanley, please! I.." Stanley whipped around, staring at the security camera mounted on the wall. 'I?' He signed, aggressively and sloppily. 'It's always about you. And yet you never think about what I wanted.'

"You can get what you want, now! Please Stanley, just turn back, and we can both be happy!"

Stanley thought to himself, almost in a taunting or teasing way. What has The Narrator done to deserve this freedom? All he's done is trap him in this parable. Even still Stanley doesn't know what time is displayed on the clocks, the ever-changing clocks each reset. Sometimes it's 3am, others it will say 8pm.

"—S-stanley? Please I..I can't close this door....please just—make a choice. A good choice th-that'll benefit the both of us...please?"

But Stanley finally made up his mind, walking out the door back into the office and shutting it behind him. His one chance to escape, gone. But why would he leave with The Narrator if all he does is antagonize him in this story of his? This parable?

The Narrator would keep talking, pleading even though the door was shut and not opening again. He wants to leave. He wants to leave with Stanley. But Stanley didn't care, not listening anymore as he would slowly walk back to the boss' office. It wouldn't matter if The Narrator stopped talking all together, Stanley had already memorized what the ending and its instructions were. To the point where The Narrator was as useless to him as much as Stanley was viewed as a pawn to The Narrator.

He could still hear the pleas, the cries for help.
But he ignored them.
Perhaps he's as cruel as The Narrator now.