Franny's last words

Jordan came back about an hour ago.

"Peter," he began, without preamble, "do you remember Franny saying anything about Allen?"

"No," I answered, running through the few conversations we had enjoyed with Franny before she escaped.

"Think," Jordan urged, "think hard Peter."

I racked my brain.

"I'm sorry, Jordan, but she never mentioned Allen that I can remember," I said, frustrated that Jordan wanted something I so clearly did not have.

"But there is one thing I do remember....." I trailed off, not sure if it mattered.

The air seemed to get very still around us as I remembered Franny's first day down here, and how I was covertly watching her.

I remembered Allen making his usual rounds with the memo's, but when he stopped at her desk, he had put a memo on her desk, then lingered. I had only caught her putting something in her pocket.....

"Did Allen give it to her?"

I shut my eyes, trying to slow the memory frame-by-frame.

"ATTENTION!" the crackle of the loudspeaker shattered my thoughts.

"TOMORROW AT FOUR O CLOCK THERE WILL BE A NEW MEDICATION TESTING. PLEASE FILL OUT FORM 366B AND HAND IT IN BY THE END OF THE DAY. THANK YOU."

"Peter, " Jordan whispered, "you have to remember everything you can before tomorrow at four."

I nodded, my scalp tingling.

What did they do to Allen?

I can not believe it! Allen is back, although to be honest, he looks a little wiped out. I said hi and asked him how he was, and he didn't look up, just muttered something.

"I'm sorry?" I asked.

Allen acted like he didn't hear me, just set down a memo, muttering unintelligibly.

It sounded like the same word, or maybe words, over and over.

The diary?

Diaries?

Running diary?

I looked over at Jordan, lifting an eye. He shook his head, watching Allen move down the row.

"I gotta go talk to Luka," Jordan pushed back his chair. I sat there, completely flummoxed.

No one has ever been gone this long, then returned, but what did they do to him? This was creepy, even for here.

Where did everybody go?

For the last week or so, it has really felt strange around here. We are very used to seeing the same faces doing the same things, writing memo's every Tuesday, handing them to Allen, the editor, who checks everything, then sends it out on Thursday. Last Tuesday we were worried, because we were not finished with the pile of work to be done, and were not ready with them, but he never showed up. At the time we were relieved, but then this Tuesday he didn't show up again. We thought he was out sick, but no one has come around in his place. In fact, there seems to be no new information concerning anything at all, since sometime around mid-June. It's weird. Somehow it feels slightly deserted, and not just in our department.

Maybe we don't need to plan our escape at all. Maybe we're all going to get fired.

But nobody gets fired here. They just.......disappear. Like Allen.

I'm nervous. Very nervous.