Jenna Thompson had been to a lot of trade shows. Too many. But nothing—nothing—compared to the National Synergy & Innovation Expo.
It was massive. 600 exhibitors. Three convention halls. Carpet that looked like it had been designed by a man in the middle of a breakdown.
“Three days,” Jenna muttered, setting up her booth. “Just need to make it through these three days.”
Then… something went wrong.
Day four
Jenna woke up in her hotel room, groggy. Her phone blinked with a notification.
📅 Day One of the National Synergy & Innovation Expo begins today!
She frowned. That’s… weird. The show should be over.
She checked her badge. It still said EXHIBITOR – DAY 1.
Her stomach dropped.
Downstairs, the convention floor was exactly as she left it.
The same attendees. The same small talk. The same overenthusiastic booth neighbor who kept saying, “It’s all about synergy, Jenna! SYNERGY!”
She ran to the exit. The doors wouldn’t budge.
A security guard shook his head. “Exhibitors aren’t allowed to leave before the show is over.”
“But it IS over!” she hissed.
The guard only smiled. “See you tomorrow.”
Day twelve
No one seemed to notice.
Booth reps gave the same tired pitches. Attendees clutched tote bags filled with brochures for products they’d never buy.
Jenna grabbed a colleague. “Do you remember how long you’ve been here?”
He blinked. “Uh… since Monday?”
“What day is it?”
“Monday.”
Her stomach twisted.
She sprinted to her booth, grabbed a flyer from Pacific Tech Logistics, and checked the date.
January 18th.
It had been January 18th for twelve days.
Day thirty-five
Jenna had tried everything. Hiding in the storage room? Security dragged her back. Faking an emergency? No one reacted.
The worst part? The networking events.
Every evening, the same warm wine. The same pointless LinkedIn connections. The same guy from Booth 417 saying, “We should definitely circle back on this.”
She screamed. “CIRCLE BACK TO WHERE?! WE NEVER LEAVE!”
The attendees laughed like she had just made the best joke in the world.
Day seventy-two
She stopped fighting.
She set up her booth. She handed out brochures. She smiled.
And that’s when she saw him.
A man sprinting toward the exit.
He shoved past attendees, screaming. “IT NEVER ENDS! IT NEVER ENDS!”
Two security guards tackled him to the floor. One leaned down, whispered something in his ear.
Jenna caught it.
“Exhibitors aren’t allowed to leave before the show is over.”
She turned back to her booth, smiling.
“Hi, I’m Jenna. Would you like to hear about our solutions?”
Because she understood now.
The trade show never ended.
It never would.
