(The episode opens with urban night sounds, once more muffled by the listener’s point of view inside the car. The door opens and JENNY slides in with a shudder.)
JENNY
That was another one. God, that’s three this week? Three different stops with that same dark feeling. I can feel it clinging to me, it’s almost sticky on my skin.
(Her phone beeps with a notification.)
JENNY
Oh, where’s this going? Jesus Christ, it’s another fucking Cheer ad. I swear to God they’re replacing my orders with ads.
(She gets rid of the notification and sighs.)
JENNY
I’ve definitely noticed a dip in orders though. I guess that could be normal? Students are running out of money as the semester progresses? But I don’t know, it feels kind of weird.
(She turns on the car and starts driving again, the static of the radio gradually fading back into music. It’s the same song she shut off the other day. After a few bars, JENNY shuts off the radio.)
JENNY
Nope, definitely not ready for that one. That might’ve been your pump-up song, but if I never hear it again it’ll be too soon.
(She’s quiet for a moment.)
JENNY
I’ve been talking to other drivers about it. Weirdly, I’m seeing more of them around now. And a couple other guys have said they’ve felt it too, but mostly everyone just looks at me like I’m nuts. I don’t have your charm. I wish you could come in and talk to them with me. I always felt so much more confident when I had you to back me up.
JENNY
But yeah, I have some notes in my bag, details of what they remember and where it was. I’m not seeing any big connections. Different orders, different restaurants, different customers. But all of them end up with the driver in that sticky…ughhh.
(She shudders again.)
JENNY
It’s definitely affecting me. It feels like it’s like, coating my mood and making me feel draggy and depressed. A reasonable person would take some time off and recover. But a reasonable person also wouldn’t have spent ten years as a paranormal investigator without any sort of backup plan, then quit suddenly with no money. So it looks like I’m shit out of luck there. OH WELL.
(Her phone dings with an incoming message.)
JENNY
Shit, they want me to stop by headquarters. Maybe it’s about the reduced delivery load? Oh well, might as well head over there now.
(The scene fades out as she drives away.)
(The scene fades back in with JENNY getting back in the car. She doesn’t say anything, just turns the car on. JENNY sits for a moment before she speaks.)
JENNY
Well…I figured out why I’m not getting as many orders. Apparently one of the drivers my dipshit ass talked to tattled on me. They basically just told me to knock it off or I’d be fired.
(She buries her hands in her face.)
JENNY
Fuuuuuuuuck. Rory, you’d be so disappointed in me. I got zero new information, drew attention to myself, and didn’t choose my marks carefully. Complete amateur hour. And now I feel even shittier than before. I just…god, I don’t know what to do. I just feel like…
(Her phone dings with a notification.)
JENNY
What- oh. It’s yet another Cheer ad.
(JENNY sighs.)
JENNY
You know what, fine. I’ll give it a try. Not like I could feel much shittier than I do now. Maybe your mom’s right and this’ll help.
(The scene ends with her downloading the app. It opens with a catchy little tune as the episode fades.)
