I have to start this off with a recap of last year.
April 2022
I finally landed a job close to the field that I studied in college. I graduated with a Film Major and had an emphasis on Screenwriting. I watched hella movies as a kid, it stuck into adulthood. After college, I could never get a job with anything even remotely close to my studied field. It was all retail. Until finally in the spring of 2022, I applied for a marketing job for an appliance company. It was a local company, nothing major or big boxed.
I’m still surprised I got the job. But hey, they loved my writing so much, they brought me on as the company’s head writer for all their marketing tasks. I was ecstatic, finally! It happened a real job. A career!
The excitement didn’t last long though. On my first day, my boss gave me the rundown of the office space. He showed me all the normal stuff: break room, my office, and bathrooms, and introduced me to everything. You know, the usual stuff. He also walked me into our warehouse that’s directly attached to the offices. It’s a pretty big warehouse, probably the size of a baseball stadium. We walked the warehouse and he gave me the lowdown on my day-to-day tasks.
“If you ever wanna blow off some steam, or feel antsy, come out and walk the warehouse. I do it all the time. Get your steps in and get lost for a while.”
“Uh, sure thanks,” I responded, not ever thinking I’d want to get lost in the warehouse.
“Just be careful…workers will tell you it’s “haunted”.” He said while doing air quotes.
“Haunted? I don’t believe in that stuff haha, I think I’ll be fine.” I told him.
I don’t believe in ghosts, the paranormal, monsters, demons, or whatever you wanna call them. Never have. I’m grounded to the earth and have always thought humans are much more scarier.
In the weeks that followed, I was nailing the job. But it was stressful. Tight deadlines, so many writing drafts, and loads of meetings. It was a lot for me. So, one Friday while on lunch, I looked out my window that overlooks the warehouse. I figured, I know there’s no ghost, and I really don’t wanna sit here. So, I went for a walk.
It’s actually kinda eerie, just stacks of appliances piled high. Some of them nearly went as high as the ceiling, way over 60 feet tall. The walk was actually pleasant, cold, but pleasant. I was on the opposite side of my office space when I thought I heard a voice. It was faint, muffled almost. I turned in all directions trying to find who or where it was coming from.
“Hello?” I called out.
Nothing. No immediate response. I was going to walk off until I heard it again. Only this time, as clear as day.
“HELP ME”
My blood ran cold.
I ran down some aisles. Looking for anyone who may have injured themselves or anything really. It wasn’t until I found a normal warehouse worker that I ran up to them and ask if they heard it too.
“Hey! Is everyone okay? I heard someone scream for help!” I said outta breath.
“What? I doubt it, the warehouse team is in a meeting in the conference room. I only came out to get something from my locker.” He told me.
Impossible. I heard it, it was clear. HELP ME. The worker continued on his way. But I couldn’t leave, I know what I had heard. But who? Where? I did walk the warehouse for a few more minutes, but I didn’t hear it again. So, I continued the rest of the day as normal. Still, I couldn’t shake the thought of that voice I heard. It was ingrained in my mind. By the end of the day, I walked to my boss’s office.
“Hey John, uh I was out in the warehouse earlier…”
“Oh yeah? For a good walk?” He chuckled.
“Uh yeah…kinda. It’s weird, I thought I heard someone scream for help.” I told him.
His smile stayed plastered onto his face.
“That ghost I told you about! Some people say they hear it, and others see it. But don’t worry, no one’s ever been killed!” He laughed again and turned back to his computer.
“Uh right right. Okay…well, have a good night then.” I responded with a feeling of dread.
As my time there went on, I noticed something odd about the turnover rate. A lot of people would get fired. Like I mean A LOT. It seemed every time I met someone, they’d be let go the next week or month. Whether it was an office worker or a warehouse worker, it was ongoing. There wasn’t a specific pattern, but it was noticeable. One day I asked Tim, from accounting, why there was such a bad turnover rate.
“Performance. They’re not good enough. You gotta be the best of the best to be here. This is a serious company…with serious consequences.” He said with a lot of emotion. He meant it.
I didn’t doubt it or think twice about it, I mean, that’s exactly why I would fire someone too. Poor performance. But this often? Is it that hard to find the right people? Regardless, with this in mind, I knew I’d have to knock it out of the park every day. So I did. I made sure to work harder than ever every day. I did so well, in fact, the CEO thanked me personally for getting our marketing so leveled and exciting our KPI goals. It felt great. Another win for me, a great feeling.
A feeling that again, would not last long.
April 2023
It’s my one-year anniversary. Again, people came and went. It was hard to make friends with so many people being let go immediately. It was today that I noticed Tim from accounting hadn’t been around for a while. I considered him a friend. We’d talk during lunch, at the water cooler, or outside in the parking lot. I wondered if maybe he was on PTO or Sick Leave.
A few days went on and I finally asked Eric in Accounting where Tim had been.
“Hey, is Tim around? I haven’t seen him in a bit. Is he on PTO or something?” I asked.
“Tim? Who’s that?” He responded.
I frowned.
“Tim, the dude that sits right there…”My voice trailed off.
I pointed toward Tim’s desk, it was empty. No files, no desktop, no phone, and photos are gone. It was like no one had ever sat there before. I was baffled. At a loss.
“He sat right there!” I reclaimed.
“Uh no, we’ve never had a Tim. That’s a desk we brought out for a new hire.” Eric told me.
I stared off at the empty desk for an eternity.
Am I going crazy? Tim had been there longer than me! 5 years I think. And now the guy he sat across from doesn’t remember him? What the fuck is that all about? The thought of it all gave me a headache so I left accounting and went to my office. I brought out my lunch and started to eat, I quickly downed some ibuprofen to help with the headache.
The pills didn’t help. I was too worked up thinking about Tim. I swiveled my chair and turned to face the warehouse. I thought, fuck it, I’m too antsy. I need to get outta my office.
I walked around for maybe 20 minutes. Going through all the aisles and entering spaces I hadn’t been to. I was near the very end of the warehouse when I heard it.
“PLEASE…SOMEONE HELP…”
I froze.
Not again. Am I GOING INSANE?!
“SOMEONE PLEASE!”
I turned toward the direction of the voice. Slowly, I walked towards it. Making my way down the aisle of tall boxes of refrigerators, I could hear the voice getting closer and closer until finally, I heard it directly above me. I looked up to see the mile-high stack of refrigerators towering over me. It’s coming from one of these.
It was 12:03. The warehouse team was having their annual OSHO meeting, which ends at 12:30. This meant I had 17 minutes to find the refrigerator and investigate. I didn’t have to, I could’ve just kept walking…I wish I did.
There was an unmanned scissor lift by the stack. It couldn’t be that hard to drive it, right? I hopped on. Not knowing if I’d get fired, killed, or scared by what may happen next. It was 12:15 by the time I figured out how to use the scissor lift. But I got it! And up I went.
The voice was loud but still muffled. I had been going up and down continuously trying to find which box it was coming from.
12:25, I found it. I stepped onto one of the high racks and jumped off the lift. I kneeled aside the box - the voice, though weak now, continued on.
“Please…someone…anyone….”
I pressed my face into the box.
“Hello?” I said.
Rustling began to come from the inside.
“HELP! PLEASE GET ME OUTTA HERE!”
That voice. It seemed so familiar now that I was up close.
I got up quickly and broke off the heavy-duty zip ties with my keys. I tore off all the plastic wrap and finally got to the lid. I took off the lid of the box and looked in.
“Tim?” I said as I looked down at his body.
It was indeed Tim. Only he was missing both arms. They had been cut off clean. He was poorly bandaged as blood seeped out of his clothes where his arms would be. He cried and shouted as he started to shake the box for me to get him out.
“PLEASE! GET ME OUT!!”
I’m too in shock. I can’t move.
It’s 12:30.
The warehouse team is coming any second.