Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 95: A Claustrophic Experience

Jose Martin skillfully pulled up the door curtain, turned on the radio, and music flowed out. Then he picked up the broom and began to sweep, starting the day's work with a relaxed attitude.

As a funeral company, the daily work at the storefront was not busy. Customers would call after sending their loved ones off at the hospital, using the business cards provided by the hospital. Then they would personally come to the store to complete the arrangements and follow-up work. While there were occasional walk-in customers, it was relatively rare.

Jose was only going to start university in September this year, so he was just helping out at home. Since there wasn't much business, he only needed to take care of the store and keep up appearances.

With the broom in his arms, Jose suddenly spun around to the rhythm, as if dancing in a ballroom. Then he noticed a figure, which made him pause. He thought he was seeing things, but as he spun around again towards the door, he saw the figure again, and this time there were two. Jose felt flustered and stopped abruptly, but his body, due to momentum, spun two more circles. He stumbled and almost fell.

"Be careful, do you need help?" a concerned voice came from the door. Jose shook his head repeatedly, not realizing that his actions made him seem even more dizzy. He ended up sitting on the ground.

Jose wished he could just dig a hole and hide. He quickly stood up, apologizing profusely, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

After a brief pause, Jose realized there was no sound. He sneakily glanced up and saw two people standing there. The one on the right had a dull expression, with sharp brows that made Jose avert his gaze.

The one on the left, however, had a smile on his face, politely looking at him without saying much. He didn't pretend to ignore Jose nor did he overly inquire with concern. This made Jose slightly relieved, and he adjusted his voice, "Good morning, welcome to Martin Funeral Services. How can I assist you?"

"I need to find a coffin," the man on the left said, with his right hand in his pocket and a faint smile on his face.

Jose finally calmed down, carefully observing the two. They both looked very young, perhaps in their early twenties, around his age. Most likely, they had lost grandparents. Jose pondered his tone carefully, "I'm sorry for your loss. Who is the coffin for?"

"Oh, no, the coffin is for me," the man on the left's smile grew slightly, like the morning sunlight filtering through the wisteria leaves.

"So it's for you..." Jose kept his tone steady, as if suddenly understanding. But then his throat was gripped, his eyes widened, looking at the man in front of him in disbelief. He was momentarily at a loss for how to react.

Jose was so shocked that he stood there dumbfounded, which was quite comical. Renly chuckled lightly, "Don't worry, I'm not an undead soul crawling out of the grave." Then Renly explained his purpose, "I need to rent a coffin to lie in for about eight to ten hours. How is the cost calculated?"

In Europe, Gothic culture was not uncommon. Some enthusiasts of goth or loyal admirers of vampires would purchase a coffin as their bed, sleeping in it every night. Although it wasn't mainstream, it wasn't particularly shocking either.

So, someone like Renly wanting to lie in a coffin for a period of time was a bit peculiar, but Jose felt relieved. He didn't react too dramatically, "I'm not quite sure what you mean. Do you just want to take a nap in the coffin?"

"No, not exactly," Renly shook his head. "I hope you can nail the coffin shut... but leave some gaps for air circulation so I can breathe. I don't want any accidents," Renly added a joke, but Jose didn't find it amusing.

In fact, in "Buried" scenarios, Paul had only lasted less than three hours before the heavy sand pressed down on the flimsy wood, burying him alive. At the same time, the air in the coffin was gradually depleting, suppressing many of Paul's emotions to the extreme, to avoid consuming oxygen too quickly.

Fully simulating the experience of being Buried in real life was quite difficult and highly dangerous, requiring professional supervision. However, the risks and costs were high. The crew of a "Buried" scenario typically didn't have substantial funds, nor did Renly. So, Renly came up with a compromise.

Jose couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the situation. Renly's explanation seemed reasonable, but Jose still couldn't respond, "What exactly do you want to do?" Renly had considered the situation carefully. He knew that activities with such risks would lead to complex liability issues in case of accidents.

"If I said, I just want to experience the excitement, would you believe it?" Renly said half-jokingly, but Jose's forehead was already sweating and he was completely helpless. Renly toned down his smile, "I am doing an investigation on claustrophobia. The coffin is one of them, and the space is the narrowest. I need to personally experience the feeling of being in it to collect more data."

Renly didn't mention "Buried". If he framed it as an actor immersing himself in a role, it would attract not only media attention but also curious onlookers. This would complicate matters, not just by adding trouble but also introducing uncertainty, threatening not only the role's authenticity but also personal safety. That's why Renly came up with this excuse.

Although he had provided a reasonable explanation, Jose still couldn't formulate a response, "But, but..." He felt his brain falling short, sensing that something was off, yet he couldn't quite pinpoint it, causing him distress.

"But what about my personal safety?" Renly had considered this aspect thoroughly. He was well aware that activities with such risks would lead to complicated legal implications in case of a disaster.

Even companies specializing in high-risk sports would avoid huge risks. Take skydiving as an example, before the jump, everyone would sign a plethora of waivers, absolving the company of any responsibility in case of accidents. Even insurance companies were reluctant to provide coverage, except for specialized extreme sports insurance companies, and mostly for professionals.

Even with professional training and certification, there were significant risks involved. Renly's current situation—randomly approaching a funeral company and requesting such a risky challenge—was too much. If something went wrong, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves.

Matthew, who had been silent all along, stepped forward. "I am a licensed attorney. I will draft a waiver of claims, which he will sign, and then everything will be fine."

After saying this, Matthew glanced at Renly, unable to believe that Renly was planning to lock himself in a coffin today. Even for Renly, this was too outrageous. After a year of not seeing each other, they were reunited, and now Matthew had to draft a waiver of rights for Renly to sign voluntarily. He almost couldn't resist rolling his eyes at the absurdity of it all.

Renly shrugged with an open palm, looking completely nonchalant. Matthew sighed, feeling speechless.

Jose had given up trying to comprehend. He nodded vigorously in agreement with the man on the left's words. But then, hearing the man on the right, he didn't know how to react. Waiving rights? What did that mean? Could they or couldn't they do it? Wait, what did the man on the left want again?

"Um... I need to... um... make a phone call to inquire," Jose finally said, realizing he couldn't handle this alone at the age of eighteen; he needed to call an elder.

Renly spread his hands, looking at Matthew, "Well, simple things just got complicated. Now there's going to be a hassle." After drafting the waiver, if the other party was cautious, they would probably ask their own lawyer to review it, leading to further debates. It would be endless. "I should have just locked myself in the bathroom; it would've been easier."

Matthew decided to ignore Renly's complaints and observed the young lad, who was now in a state of panic, reporting the situation over the phone. The scene was unexpectedly amusing, and then Matthew suddenly remembered something, "Were you originally planning to do this alone?"

"Why not?" Renly shrugged, wearing a nonchalant expression. "There's no real danger as long as I ensure there's air circulation. It's not a big deal." While experiencing the confinement of a closed coffin was a bit offbeat, the fact was that there wasn't much risk involved, of course, provided that the coffin wasn't completely sealed.

Renly had courage, but he wasn't insane.

"Let me tell you, I'll be inside for at least eight hours. It'll be boring and quite unsightly. If you have other things to attend to, feel free to leave before I'm done." Renly advised with sincerity and consideration.

Matthew squinted at Renly for three seconds, then silently turned his gaze away. He remained where he was without any intention of leaving.

Renly spread his hands, "I have already warned you."

Two hours later, after multiple confirmations and checks, Renly's bold and risky plan could finally be put into action. All the nervousness and anticipation seemed to have dissipated. Now Renly just wanted to get into the coffin quickly, or he would miss lunch and possibly dinner too.

Jose watched as Renly climbed into the coffin without hesitation. After getting an affirmative nod from Renly, he closed the heavy coffin lid.

Renly's world plunged into absolute darkness.