I took up a job as a night guard. It's time to end this. [Final]

Originally Posted by: rikndikndakn123

Originally Posted on: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/deqfo3/i_took_up_a_job_as_a_night_guard_its_time_to_end/

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I knew I couldn't afford to waste any more time, so I went through the gate, leaving Sam's body behind. I listened as the gate closed and the ground beneath my feet started moving. Then the lights came on and I realized I was in a big elevator which started descending. Part of me had somehow come to terms with the fact that I was probably going to die here, but for some reason when you're in a situation where your life is at stake and you desperately want to get out by any means necessary, your body defies your wish to give up and pushes you to fight on.

The elevator stopped and the gated door opened, revealing a damp, dark room in front of me. There was a little cart next to the door on the other side. A folder lay on top of the cart. A circular logo with the name 'THE COMPANY' was on the front. Below was the motto 'Your safety is our success'.

When I opened the folder, I saw Sam's face. It was his file. In it I saw everything about him, including age, family and even behavioral patterns observed by these freaks. And then the next page was my file. They knew everything about me. Not just my age, nationality, etc., but also my ways of thinking and everything I have been through during the test so far. They even had predictions about my behavior before I even did something. They knew my every move. The last page underneath my file was a note. Here's what it said:

Congratulations on surviving this far!

You have only one last task to complete before you earn your reward, which is to reach the elevator on the other side of this area. The list of rules for the final part is as follows:

Once you are through this door, proceed straight through the corridor. Do not look, get close or touch the glass on the left and right side, despite the irresistible urge. Don't stop for longer than two seconds at a time. During the entire time, you will hear whispers coming from the other side of the glass. If the whispers suddenly stop, run as fast as you can do the door.

Once you reach the door, you will find yourself outside on a wide bridge. There will be one person aimlessly wandering there. He may look weak and drunk, but don't underestimate him. Only move when he is not looking at you and when he faces you, stand as still as you can. If you see him stop all movement suddenly and go silent, he may have sensed you. The best thing to do is to stand still and not breathe. He may approach and inspect you, but do not move a muscle until you see him calmed down and facing away.

Do not even think about making a break for the door when you're close to it and him being a distance away. If he sees you, he will catch you no matter how close to the door you are.

Close the door behind you and you will find yourself in a dormitory. You will see pebbles on a wooden plate next to you. Put them in your pocket and make sure to always have at least one ready in your hand. Proceed through the next area as quietly as possible, especially if you hear footsteps and sniffing close by (be especially aware of creaking floorboards). If you assume you may have attracted its attention, toss the pebbles at a distance to distract it (do not run while it is distracted). Do not go for the exit yet, as the creature is standing in your way.

Look for room 109. By this point the creature will most likely be aware of your presence, so get inside the room and lock it as fast as possible. You will see that there is nowhere to hide, since the room is empty. That's not a problem, since the creature is blind. Run to any corner of the room and stay there as quietly as you can. Try to remain calm as the creature screams and rams the door.

Once it is inside, it will inspect the room and sniff the air. You'll be safe as long as you make no sound. After a minute or so, the creature will leave and you will be able to get to the next exit safely. Exit the dormitory through the back door and close it. When you turn left you will see-

The rest of the note was unintelligible, save for a few words and the signature 'The Company' below. I narrowed my eyes, scanning the page over and over, but no matter how many times I read it, the text remained the same. I cursed loudly and put the page in my pocket, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Final stretch. No matter what happens after this, it would be over and I knew it. 

I opened the door and as soon as I did, the whispers came from both sides. It sounded unnatural, as if whoever was on the other side of the glass was mocking me with their friends behind my back and trying to be quiet, but failing. I proceeded for a whole minute before the whispers suddenly stopped. And then loud slamming on both sides of the glass started. Handprints started to appear on the glass. First one, then two, then ten, a hundred, a thousand, all within the span of ten seconds or so.

I sprinted across the corridor and rammed the door with my shoulder. I turned around to close it, but the corridor was calm again. No sounds and no handprints. I took no chances as I closed the door behind me.

I turned back and faced the sight before me. I was on a wide metallic bridge in the middle of nowhere. There were street lights on it, illuminating the entirety of the area. A very frail-looking person stood in the middle of the bridge, hunched forward and looking like he could barely hold his weight on his own legs. I couldn't see below the bridge, because it was too dark, but I was definitely somewhere that looked like outside.

Slowly, I started to cross the bridge, making sure to stop whenever the person on the bridge looked in my direction. He seemed completely oblivious to my presence when I stood still, since he cut in front of me a few times without even looking in my direction. It wasn't until I was close enough that I could hear the wheezing sounds coming from the person, as if he had difficulty breathing. Could he really overpower me?

Nevertheless, I carefully crossed the bridge and closed the door. As soon as I entered the dorm, I took the pebbles and perked up my ears. No sounds yet.

Hastily, I found room 109 and as soon as my hand touched the doorknob, a blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the hallway. I quickly entered and locked the door and then rushed into the corner, standing as still as possible, doing my best to steady my breathing.

The door started to rattle violently as whatever was on the other end rammed it over and over. I could see with my peripheral vision that the door was about to give way and soon enough, it fell straight from the hinges. A naked, skinny-looking creature with no eyes and a sharp row of teeth burst inside, jerking its head in all directions, looking for me. It then started to intermittently sniff the air and stop to listen.

I had to clasp my hands over my mouth to stop myself from whimpering. Soon enough, the creature left the room. I waited for a whole minute before peeking out into the corner, still scared shitless. No one was there and I proceeded to find the exit. After opening the back door, I found myself in another hallway. I turned left and braced myself, ready to face whatever was there. In front of me at the end of the hall was an elevator. But between me and elevator stood none other than the staring man.

Our eyes locked and I knew what I had to do. I heard screams in my ears and felt things brushing against me from behind and touching my neck and face, but I didn't take my eyes off him. I hurried up to the elevator, and it opened on its own. I entered and continued staring at the man and just before the door closed, something unexpected happened.

The man nodded and looked away.

The elevator started ascending this time. I had no idea where it was going to take me, but before I could process that thought properly, it opened again. In front of me was a room engulfed in darkness and only a small beam of light shone in the distance ahead. Hesitantly, I stepped out of the elevator and started walking towards the light. And then more lights turned on from the ceiling, blinding me for a moment and illuminating the entire room.

"Excellent work." – a voice in front of me said.

It didn't take me long to realize that I was in some sort of control room and the voice was coming in front of me, from the place where the beam of light had previously been. There was a big rotating chair there and whoever was talking was facing away from me, so I couldn't see them.

"You have successfully completed your assignment." – the voice said again.

"Who the hell are you? What do you want from me?!" – I shouted.

The chair swung around and a man in a suit revealed to be sitting in it.

"To congratulate you." – he said – "I usually don't like to go out on the field, but this is a special opportunity."

Anger started to boil in me when I saw how nonchalant he was about this whole situation. I started to stride towards him, but then heard the distinctive sound of a gun being cocked behind my head.

"It's okay, Sam." – the man said.

I turned around to look at my assailant. It was Sam, the security guard, alive and well.

"Sam?" – I asked – "I watched you die. What the hell is this?"

"Sam is an amazing actor. I'm starting to think he should've gone for a different career." – the man in the chair said.

"You were in on this the whole time? I don't believe this." – I asked and then faced the man in the chair again – " Well your test is complete, right? Time to kill me?"

The man threw his head back in laughter and said:

"Kill you? Don't be silly. This was necessary for evaluation. We have to go through a very strict hiring process, because we hire only the most suitable candidates. I know the test was stressful, but you passed with flying colors! Forget that whole 80$ per shift thing. The money we'll be paying you will cover all your debts, medical bills and then some."

I let out a chuckle at the absurdity of the situation and said:

"Hiring process? This was what, some kind of job orientation the entire time?"

"Well… yes. What our company deals with here is not ordinary guard duty, as you saw back there. And this is why we need to make sure our candidates don't do something to endanger themselves… or others."

"So all those things back there? They weren't real?" - I asked.

"Oh they're as real as they come. And you were in actual danger the whole time. We have intervention always ready, but sometimes... accidents do happen. This is the process candidates are subjected to. And out of 43 applicants, you were the only one to make it to the end!"

"So you want me to work for you?" – I looked at Sam, who had a neutral expression on his face and then back at the man – "What if I refuse?"

"Then you get a slightly higher compensation than was mentioned in the ad and you go home and look for another job." - the man shrugged.

"I could go to the police and rat you out." - I replied.

"You could. You could tell them everything. But you'd find that the police found no trace of anything you mentioned. No ghosts, no monsters. Not even an ad listed by any company you mentioned. In fact the company itself is not registered anywhere. There's nothing, except an old abandoned building."

He motioned for someone on the side to come. A woman approached me with a paper and pen. She handed them to me. At just one glance I realized it was a contract for the company as a security guard and the compensation was shocking, to say the least. The amount they paid would cover all my bills and I could finally move out of the shithole I live in now. The man continued:

"You could walk away and go to the police. Or you could work for us. Help the world and the fragile residents by keeping them safe from the horrors you witnessed. Because their safety is our success." - he smiled.

I frantically clicked the pen over and over, looking at the man's smug face and then at Sam. He nodded subtly to me as I looked at the contract once more. So much money...

Before I could change my mind, I signed the contract and handed it back to the lady. The man smiled widely and then stood up and shook my hand as he said:

"Welcome to The Company."