I’ve been living a normal life. I go to a private college prep school, I have a lot of friends, I don’t get into (deep) trouble and I come from a loving family. I thought I had a stable and safe job but I’m rethinking this notion considerably. I would watch the news, stories of murder, rape, and other atrocities that surround me, never stopping to think “It could happen to me.” A little girl just went missing with no explanation, not too far from where I live. It makes me wonder, what horrors are occupying these people’s lives? Is it my turn?
I was shaking, but I ran over to the trash bags and started throwing them back into the whale. I was screaming obscenities at whatever it was that was doing this to me but I managed to make it out of the halls and down to the compactor before anything else happened. I felt like eyes were on me the entire time I was finishing, however. Just this little itch deep within my spine, telling me to turn around. I started to make my way back to the elevator when I noticed someone standing behind the door, looking through the little window. I yelled “WHO THE FUCKS THERE?” or something to that effect and they hurried away. I have a feeling it was a worker at the mall or something, so I wasn’t too worried. I felt bad if anything but in my state, I couldn’t care less. I just wanted to get the hell out of there.
The week went by normally, well, as normal as it could have. I only work during the weekends so I had time to think over the situation and establish a plan of action. I was going to work the same shift on Saturday night, so I equipped myself with a flashlight and a pocketknife. I thought about something more lethal but I don’t want to get fired and possibly arrested if someone found out. The knife would have to do.
The main projectionist, Jonathan, had just been fired when I walked in. He was getting his stuff together and turning in his uniform when I noticed him. We’d been friends since we started working together so I naturally went to talk to him. He seemed distraught, which makes sense since he was just let go, but it seemed to go a little beyond that. His eyes were depressed looking and he didn’t smell very clean.
We talked things over, but he was very quiet. Apparently he’d fallen asleep during his late shifts and let some of the film get damaged beyond repair. Explains why nothing was playing when I worked last weekend, but I didn’t buy it. Jonathan is one of the hardest working people I have ever met. He’s worked later shifts without falling asleep. I persisted but he got angry and told me to back off. I apologized, he accepted, and hurried out of there without another word. He knew something about what was happening and I was going to find out.
Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. Or at least I tried. Men In Black 3 opened so it was a pretty busy night, not to mention the storm outside was drawing in a lot of hungry moviegoers. I was extremely jumpy to say the least and most of my coworkers noticed. They asked me about it and I just played it off like I had a rough night beforehand. They seemed to understand.
To those of you wondering why I didn’t just quit, you must know I am friends with 99% of my coworkers. I feel like if I left without seeing this through, I would be dumping it on another person. If something happened to them, I could never live with myself.
My managers were cutting hours. I insisted on having more help but they dismissed it. They said I had to stay late again and do trash. No help. I almost ran the fuck out the door. I’ll let the trash stay there and get myself written up, I don’t care. But I remembered my obligation and I felt the knife and flashlight bouncing in my pants pockets. I knew I could do it. I bucked up and headed into the hallways.
I moved slowly along the walls, almost shimmying as to make sure I could catch anything moving in my peripherals. Nothing strange was happening and I managed to get all of the trash bags into the whales. I thought I heard footsteps but no one was to be seen. I blamed my imagination and pushed forward.
I hauled open the metal doors of the freight elevator and lifted the fence out of the way. The graffiti stained walls glistened in the fluorescent Saw inspired lighting. Every time I set foot in that dangerously out of date elevator I feel like it may be my last ride. That night was no different.
I pulled the whales in with me and shut the gates. I was feeling pretty good at this point. Nothing had happened and I was almost done for the night. Maybe this whole situation WAS my imagination. Maybe things could go back to normal.
I clicked the first floor button and felt the cabin rumble into motion. The ride was jerky as usual until it felt like the entire elevator shaft crumbled around me.
The light flickered and went out instantly. I screamed a little and reached into my pockets. Knife out and ready, then the flashlight. I clicked the button and the room lit up.
Nothing had changed thank god. The emergency alarm was ringing as I looked around the cabin, trying to find anything that could have caused what was happening. That’s when I heard the crawling above me.
It sounded as if a stampede of individuals on all fours were making their way around the top of the cabin. I heard strange whispers accompanying their disturbing movements as my heart beat faster. I hurried to the metal gate and lifted it up, then the metal doors. It was mostly concrete except for just the top portion of the exposed wall.
There was a crudely cut hole chiselled into the wall about the size of a large dog. It led pretty deep into the cement. A makeshift tunnel. That’s when I noticed people lunging forward.
They were ghostly white and naked. Blue veins and cuts covering their bodies as they scuttled across the opening, on top of the elevator, and then to wherever the hell they were going. I was completely horrified by the sight of these pale “people” before I let out a slight whimper.
They all stopped. Silence. I clenched the knife in my hand when I heard it. One step… TWO THREE FOUR. One step… TWO THREE FOUR. The whole cabin was shaking until the sound stopped directly above me. I heard the same moan-filled breath and then something lunged into the opening.
Dark hair slowly emerged from the top of the elevator, followed by a impossibly white forehead. As if the being before me had never seen sunlight in its entire existence. Bloodshot and shockingly round eyes followed, accompanied by the most disturbing and sinister smile I have ever seen. Tears were streaming down his face, dripping to the floor as he shook uncontrollably. His breathing and moaning intensified as he began to vomit through his clenched teeth.
I couldn’t take any more. I slammed the metal doors shut and the man released the rest of his vomit at my feet. The beings scuttled away from above me and the elevator began to move again.
I left the whales in the hallway at the bottom of the elevator and ran upstairs as fast as I possibly could. I was shaking all over and tears were streaming down my face. I finally made it back to the main floor of the theatre, completely out of breath and more terrified than I had been in my entire life.
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Credits to: thetermite
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