A collection of horror shorts.
SHOWER SCENE:
One rainy night, Wesley Bishop lounges alone, sipping a Jack and coke. Though his girlfriend is on her way, Wesley browses a dating app, fantasizing about women he's only seen in photos. He's unashamed, e...
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9 a.m. First day of work. I'm excited, anxious to make a good first impression. It's my first job.
I enter the large building and take the elevator to the fifth floor. A woman approaches, hand extended to shake. She's petite with short blonde hair.
"Gillian," she greets me. I recognize her voice from the phone. "I'm Angela. It's so nice to finally meet you in person."
She smiles and we shake hands. Angela leads me to a conference room, where a handful of people are sitting. Other new hires. There are two women and one man. The man is middle-aged; a mustache and a combover.
I sit down and join them with Angela, who heads the table. It's our orientation meeting.
It's a mid-size publishing company called Pegasis Fiction. I'm a marketing associate. Angela walks us through company policies, but I keep zoning out. I'm excited to get to work.
After her presentation, which thankfully goes by quickly, Angela gives us a tour of the office. As we follow Angela out of the conference room, I notice the man is bald, his exposed scalp reflecting the fluorescent overhead lights. I wonder why I thought he had a combover.
I need coffee.
The office is bright, clean and modern. There are large windows lining the walls, showcasing the cityscape like artwork. Cubicles cluster the large open space, decorated with plants, family photos and teacups. Larger offices line the perimeter for the managers; they all keep their doors open. There are people coming and going, dressed in pristine well-tailored business-professional. I stare at every passing face, wondering if I'll be working closely with any of them. I'm eager to make the best impression.
I look around and realize the bald man and the two women are gone. Before I can ask where they went, Angela says, "And that concludes our tour. Let me show you to your desk." She looks tired. I worry I offended her by not paying enough attention in the orientation meeting.
The two of us enter the elevator. Angela presses the button for the ninth floor, which is labeled MARKETING. The elevator rises, dings and opens. We enter the marketing office, which is identical in layout to the floors below. She leads me to a large cubicle near the back corner. It's bright – large, clean windows line the far wall. I can't believe I got so lucky. There's a computer on the desk with two large monitors, a phone, a whiteboard, a white coffee mug.
I smile and turn to Angela, hoping my enthusiasm will cheer her up, but she's not there. I'm anxious I've offended her somehow. But maybe she had a meeting to get to. It's 10 a.m.
I place my bag on the desk, peeking around the office over the cubicle walls. I know my boss's name – Tina Flynn – but not her face, or where to find her.
Suddenly, the phone rings. It's so unexpected it startles me. I stare at the phone dumbly, watching the red dot flash with each over-loud ring. Panic rises in me – who could that be? I reach down to take the phone off the receiver, calming myself down. It's probably just Angela apologizing for running off in such a hurry.
