Brimstone Incorporated < 2026 Edition >

Gregory sat behind a desk of polished obsidian that seemed to swallow the dim fluorescent light of the office. He didn't look like a demon; he looked like a mid-level bureaucrat in a cheap polyester suit, the kind who enjoys denying insurance claims. On the door behind him, gold leaf lettering read:

"This is the lobby, Elias. And your orientation starts now." Gregory pushed a single sheet of paper across the desk. It wasn't paper; it was thin, cured vellum that felt warm to the touch. "Sign here, and you’ll be our Lead Acquisitions Officer for the Eastern Seaboard. You'll have power, wealth, and influence beyond your wildest dreams." "And if I don't?" Elias whispered. Brimstone Incorporated

Elias felt a cold dread settle in his chest. "I want to go home. Where is this? Is this Chicago?" Gregory sat behind a desk of polished obsidian

Gregory leaned forward, his eyes suddenly glowing like banked coals. "We saw what you did to your partner. The way you framed him for the embezzlement you committed. That was the moment we scouted you. That was your 'application.'" And your orientation starts now

"I was just doing my job," Elias stammered, his eyes darting to the window. Outside, there was no city skyline—only a swirling, orange-tinted fog that never moved.

"At Brimstone Inc., 'just doing your job' is our corporate motto," Gregory smiled, showing too many teeth. "But we don't hire just anyone. Our clients are... demanding. They don't want settlements. They want souls. They want the kind of misery that ripples through generations."