Episode 1: Benjamin and the Bull
Krriiiing…. Kriiiinnnng….
“Is it morning already?” I yawned as I looked at the alarm clock. It was already 7:30 a.m. “Shit! I’m late again!”
I quickly got out of the bed and switched off the alarm clock. I rushed to the bathroom to take a quick shower. I remembered that I was warned twice by my boss for being late twice and the second one was already my last chance. My boss told me that if I wanted to keep my position as an accountant for Kepper Corp., I have to come to work on time.
“Oh god…” I muttered to myself as I turned on the shower. While I was rinsing my hair, the water suddenly stopped. I turned off the shower and turned it on again. “What the fuck!!” I screamed as I tried to ‘fix’ the shower by turning it on and off again and again. My hair still has some lather from the shampoo but I could not rinse it completely.
Well, the shower's not to blame nor the landlord. It was me who picked this damned apartment. Although the neighborhood has a questionable reputation and the guy next door fucks his girlfriend like there's no tomorrow, the rent was cheap. You see, I once lived in a nice and comfortable apartment but in my case, I chose to live in a cheap apartment. Why? Shit happened.
"Ahhhhh!!! Ahhhhhhhh!" Scratch that; Shit happens. It happens every midnight and morning.
Okay, you might think that someone was screaming but actually, this was the girlfriend of the guy who lives next door. When the guy moved into this apartment a month ago, it became a daily habit to bring his girlfriend and have an all-you-can-fuck buffet in his room. They would fuck night and day like horses in heat. The girl's moan or should I say squeal was clearly an overreaction. I bet that girl always do that to every guy she fucked. I couldn't sleep at night and trust me, I tried to do something about it. I asked him and his girlfriend to at least make their love sessions quiet especially at night but the guy told me to "Fuck off..." while giving me the finger.
If there's only a legal and direct way to murder someone, the world would be a happier place.
Cursing myself for oversleeping, I quickly get dressed and went to work. Unfortunately, this time in the morning is a rush hour. Heavy traffic and congested roads were to be expected. Even if one takes the train, there will be a long line for a ticket. I had no choice but to take the train as taking a bus would take me forever to arrive at the office.
As I boarded the train, I tried to calm myself and think of an excuse. ‘Calm down… Calm down. Try to think a good excuse.’ I enumerated all excuses I had ever made whenever I was late. Of course, heavy traffic was not a good excuse since I could have gone earlier to avoid the rush hour. I knew that because I already tried that excuse when I was late for the first time. In the end, I arrived at the station and had to get off the train. Perhaps it would be better if I tell her the truth. I’d say I overslept and I have no valid excuse for being late. No wait… I think it’s a bad idea.
Having no excuses for being late, I ran to the office building and I was greeted by a guard. “Good morning, Ben. Late again?”
“Yeah…” I looked down as I swiped his time card.
“Miss Hopkins called from the 10th floor. She asked me to tell you to come and see her when you arrive.” The guard smirked.
“Okay…” Ben replied. Well shit...
I don't know what the smirk was for but that guard was starting to piss me off.
You see, the problem with some people was that they like to snoop with other people's lives. This particular guard always asked me questions like: How's my family? What's the news? Do I eat right? Do I have a girlfriend?
I mean what the hell? It's not like he's my best friend or something. I don't even talk to him much but still it seems like he's getting close to me or something. Is he gay? This is why I don't like socializing with other people. Maybe this is the reason why I don't have that many friends.
I shrugged off the idea and went to the elevator and pressed the button to take me to the 10th floor. Once the door closed, I clasped my hands together and prayed. ‘God, don’t let me get fired! If I ever get fired, please end the world.’ Of course, I did not truly wish to end the world.
I sighed heavily as the elevator stopped and the door opened. I was already on the 10th floor. My co-workers were staring at me. Truly, I'm already done. I saw their faces and I can tell that they pity me. I knocked on the door of Leah’s office.
“Come in…”
I came in and closed the door.
“Ah, Benjamin Cruz…” A young woman said. I gulped as I saw her smiling face. Although she’s smiling, her eyes were not. It was filled with rage if not annoyance. For me, Leah Hopkins was one of the prettiest women I ever met. Fair and flawless skin, heart shaped face with a long black hair. What I liked about her was her body, slim built and the size of her breast was just right for my taste. I estimated it’s a C.
“I thought we had an agreement. You promised that you’ll come to work on time.”
I couldn’t reply. Not because I was out of excuse but because of her beauty, it always stunned me whenever I see her. I couldn’t even look at the young beauty in my eyes. I'm two years older than her and she’s definitely more intelligent than she looks and gained her position as the vice president of finance department at 26 years old. She holds her position for almost a year now.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Impatiently waiting for a reply, she asked another question. “What’s your excuse this time?”
I shrugged and gave myself a mental slap. “I overslept and I don’t have a valid excuse to give…” I said in defeat.
She looked surprised with my answer. I don't know why. Perhaps, it was a good idea to tell the truth after all. Am I off the hook? I hope so.
“I’ll give you a week to properly turnover your work to Julie.”
Alright, perhaps it was a bad idea. Wait... Maybe I'm hearing it wrong.
“Talk to Marcy about your separation pay.”
Nope, I heard it right. I was fired goddamn it!
I left her office with a nod. I didn't expect that she would fire me just like that. I spent seven years of my life in this company and all I got was an increase in salary with no promotion in all those years and they just fired me like I was nothing.
I went straight to the restroom in order to clear my head.
‘What now?’ I thought to myself. I hated job hunting and Kepper Corp. was probably the best company I could ever wished to work for. I opened a cubicle and sat on the toilet. I remembered that I didn’t take a proper shit this morning and it has to be done. I closed my eyes and wished it was just a bad dream.
As I flushed the toilet, the lights began to flicker.
It's not like I'm afraid of the dark or something. I'm just uncomfortable in the dark and especially when it's dark and tight space, that's all. I don't believe in horror stories like a ghost in a restroom. I don't believe in ghost at all. It's all complete bullshit if you ask me.
Finally, the lights gave out and it was dark.
Alright I admit, I'm freaking out. I am afraid of the dark.
The earth began to shake violently and now, I'm totally freaking out. If my legs got its own mind, it would say: "Adios!"
The first thing that came into my mind was the building evacuation plan. No one took the lessons and the drill seriously as I did. They all laughed at me whenever there was a drill, whether it's a fire or earthquake drill, I always took it seriously because I believed that practice makes perfect.
When the real situation arises, what would you do? If you prepare for any situation, it is sure that when the real one arises, you will know what to do and if you panic, you will not be able to think straight. Now that a real earthquake has come, who's laughing now, huh? Apparently, no one...
The intense shaking of the ground kept me in place. I ducked and covered. That’s all I can do for now.
The earth stopped shaking after a few seconds. “Wew, thank god it’s over”
RAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWRRRR!!!!
Ahhhhhh! Help me! Help me!!!!
I heard a monstrous roar outside. Since it was dark I could only hear the cries of my co-worker. ‘Wh-what is that?’ My legs were shaking in fear. Something monstrous is outside and its footsteps cause a loud thud in each step. Whatever it is, it is huge.
I remembered my Zippo lighter on my pocket. I'm a smoker so I never forget to bring a lighter and pack of cigarettes.
I ignited the lighter. I looked at the floor and there were no tiles. I looked up to see the ceilings and concluded that I was no longer in the restroom or the office.
“Where the hell am I?” I muttered to myself. From the looks of the surrounding, I was in a cave or underground.
Noooo!! Noooo!! Please don’t!!! Ahhh….
The voice seemed familiar. I went to see what happened and tried to do my best not to make loud steps. Even if it’s dangerous, I cannot deny my curiosity. I was shaking and I felt my cold sweat run down on my forehead.
After a few steps from the ‘restroom’, I crouched and looked at where the voice came. My eyes widened in disbelief. “What the fu…”
The creature was busy feasting on its prey. I looked at the body and it was Julie. No wonder why the voice was familiar.
The creature stood and faced me. It looked me in the eyes and licked its lips as if another meal was served to him. I just stood like a statue and could not believe it. It was huge. The creature stood at ten feet tall and it has a head of a bull like the one I read from Greek mythology books. My legs were shaking and I was frozen in fear.
RAAAAAAWWWWWWRRRR… The creature roared loudly.
“Ahhhhhh!!!!” I screamed at top of my lungs. Adrenaline surged through my veins and as if a my legs were thawed, I ran.
I ran and the creature chased me.
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Author's Note: I edited the story from third person narrative to first person and added some of the character's thought. I edited chapter 1 to 5. Sorry...