The Last Laugh

Alan Dunphy enters the company party, knowing he won’t stay long. It’s ironic how he hates insurance companies, yet he works for one.

He stares at the people around him. They are smiling and having fun. He hates them, and they hate him.

He hates how they bully him, how they make fun of him. They make Alan’s life miserable. But today will be the best day of Alan’s life. These people don’t know what is coming.

Lidia and Sarah approach Alan with smiles, giving the impression that they are kind people.

“Wow, you came! What a surprise!” Lidia says with a big smile.

“Yeah, I don’t plan to stay long, but I came to say hello.”

“I’m glad you came! We prepared a surprise for you! You’ll like it!” Sarah adds, while Lidia laughs.

“I can’t wait to see it!”

Alan had also prepared a surprise for them, and they would definitely like it.

“Good! I’ll see you around, Alan.” They say, leaving him alone.

He wondered what kind of surprise they had prepared for him. Nobody here seemed to care about him, maybe just one person, Betty. He looked around, searching for her. He didn’t want Betty to be involved in the surprise he had prepared.

He spotted her in the corner of the room. Betty sat completely alone. They bullied her too, but he felt she was stronger than he was. He admired her strength. She was the only one who hadn’t bullied him, the only one who was always kind to him. The only one. He approached her, and when their eyes met, Betty gave him a genuine smile.

“I didn’t expect you to be here.”

“I didn’t expect to see you here either.” Alan replied with a smile.

“I think you should leave. You don’t deserve to be around these awful people." Alan tries to persuade her to leave.

"Neither do you. I just came hoping that if I showed up, maybe things would be better. If they saw that I wasn’t isolating myself, maybe they would accept me more. But I feel even lonelier around these people. I think it was a mistake to come."

“We can get out of here and go somewhere else…” he hoped she would accept the invitation.

“That sounds like a great idea. I was feeling bored being here.”

It would be better if he got away from this place, but on the other hand, he felt a sense of sadness at not getting to witness the end for these people.

As Alan and Betty walk toward the exit door, someone shouts.

“ALAN, WAIT!”

Alan turned around and saw Lidia running toward him and Betty.

“You need to see the surprise we all prepared for you. Come with me.”

Alan looks at the clocks. He needs to hurry. He can stay much longer. He hopes this surprise doesn't take long. Lidia led him to the stage.

On the stage, Sarah and Erick are waiting for them. As Alan approaches, he looks out at the crowd. His eyes meet Betty’s. She looks worried about him, as if this wouldn't be a good surprise.

“Everyone, may I have your attention, please?” Erik begins the speech.

“Today we’ve prepared something special for one of our colleagues. We really appreciate Alan’s efforts and how funny he is. Please watch this video.”

Alan turns around to look at the screen. The video begins. Deep within, he knows it won’t be a good surprise. The video shows moments of his colleagues bullying him. It shows him crying in the corner of the room. He feels a whirlwind of emotions inside him. Everyone in the crowd laughs - everyone except Betty. He hears comments like, “You are so funny, Alan.”.

These people are laughing at him, making fun of him. But suddenly, he remembers—this will be their last laugh. He rushes off the stage and moves quickly toward Betty.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

Alan grabs Betty’s arm and pulls her to keep up with him.

“Come on, let’s get out of here!"

They move faster. Alan keeps watching the clock—only a few minutes left. He quickens his pace.

They only stop when they reach the other side of the street.

"Sorry for walking so quickly, but I didn’t want to stay in that place any longer."

Alan turns around and looks at the building. He stands still, staring at it.

“I’m so sorry for what happened there. You need to report this to HR. This is harassment."

Alan ignores her, standing still, staring, waiting for what’s coming.

Suddenly, a bang echoes as an intense beam of light pierces the darkness. An explosion rocks the building.

Betty’s face shows sheer horror, while Alan smiles. In his mind, he imagines them all laughing—until, suddenly, hell comes crashing down on them.

He imagines Erick, Lidia, Sarah— all of them dancing as flames burn their skin. He hears their screams of agony. It delights him. They bullied him, but they didn’t even know that Alan loved building bombs and making things explode.

They messed with the wrong guy.