5 : Hell Is Other People Today

He looked at the exit. He could leave. He could walk out into the fresh air, forget the registration, and live as an outlaw. But as he stood up, the egg-sandwich man sneezed, a fine mist settling over the back of Elias’s neck.

Elias looked back at the room. The sandwich man was opening a second bag. The toddler was reaching for his other leg. The TikTok loop started again. 5 : Hell Is Other People

He looked at his ticket: .The red digital display on the wall read: B-002 . He looked at the exit

Elias checked his watch. He had been here for three hours. He began to calculate the collective misery in the room. If human irritation could be converted into electricity, this room could power a small city—or at least a very large microwave to cook everyone in it. But as he stood up, the egg-sandwich man

The fluorescent lights in the DMV waiting room didn't just hum; they vibrated at a frequency designed to loosen tooth enamel. Elias sat on a plastic chair that had been molded for a body type that didn't exist in nature.

"Next! B-zero-zero-three!" a voice crackled over a blown-out speaker.

He realized then that the doors weren't locked. They didn't have to be.