Dustin found out that he was a retired electrician. There was a mention in a local newspaper from twenty years ago about a union dispute. There was also a Facebook page with the privacy settings cranked up, though the profile picture was visible: a heavyset man with a graymustache, squinting at the camera like he wasn't sure why someone was pointing a phone at him.
Dustin clicked through to what little he could see. There were only a few public posts, years apart. A photo of a fish he'd caught, captioned simply:Big one.A birthday message to someone named David that had gotten zero replies.
The most recent post was from eight months ago:Moved to new apartment, loving the quiet neighborhood. I could use a couch if anyone's getting rid of one.
Three likes. No comments.
Dustin stared at the screen for a long moment.
The man was sixty-seven years old. He was in a hospital, probably alone. And tomorrow, sometime between 11:23 and 11:30 AM, something was going to happen in room 4W-12 that would end his life.
Dustin leaned back and stared at the ceiling.
This wasn't like Sarah Meadows. Dustin wouldn't be able to jump in front of a truck for him. If Marco was dying of organ failure, if his body was just... giving out... then what was Dustin supposed to do?
Yell at his kidneys?
Yeah, right.
But there was still a chance that Marco's death would be caused by a nurse or doctor making a mistake. Maybe someone would administer the wrong medication or miss a warning sign. Maybe the doctors would be slow to respond to a code. Maybe there was a piece of equipment that would malfunction at exactly the wrong moment.
The odds that Dustin could affect any of those things were low. Less than ten percent, probably. Maybe less than five.
But not zero.
And he knew himself well enough to know he wouldn't find peace unless he tried.
Dustin sat back on his bed and exhaled.
He needed a distraction. Before he could stop himself, he opened his email.
The first unread message was from Apex Energy.
From:Apex Energy Partnership TeamSubject:Expanded Collaboration Opportunity + Exciting Merch News!
Hi Dustin!
Just following up on our previous message about expanding our partnership. We're thrilled to announce that our new Xtreme Doug merchandise line is launching next month, and we've shipped a box of samples directly to your home address!
The collection includes:
•Xtreme Doug keychains (rubber, collectible, very squeezable!)
•Xtreme Doug phone grips
•Limited edition Xtreme Doug plushies (12” and 24” sizes)
We'd love to discuss promotional opportunities and get your input on the upcoming campaign. Maybe a fun unboxing video? Our analytics team thinks your audience would really respond to something lighthearted after the recent incident. Turn lemons into lemonade!
Let us know your thoughts!
Go longer, go harder, go Apex!
Dustin read it twice.
Rubber ducky keychains. They were sending himrubber ducky keychains. And they wanted him to do anunboxing video.
He should close the laptop. Go to sleep. Deal with this tomorrow.
