Update here: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/16r5k8w/what_the_hell_is_going_on_at_my_job_the_basement/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
Hey ya’ll. You can call me Stella, if that matters. This seems like one of the only spots I can talk about this. Things are getting wild but no one would believe me. I hope ya’ll can help, I need to go to work tonight, but I’m scared as hell. Or maybe even just believe me so I know I’m not going insane. I feel like I’m becoming unstable. I’m so worried for the people and the dogs.
To start out, I work at a doggy daycare/boarding/grooming facility. We board dogs overnight, have a play area for daycare and certain boarding guests, and a grooming section on the side. I love my job. It’s physical work that keeps me busy, and I get paid to hang out, play, and take care of dogs. I mainly work with the daycare and boarding dogs, I only clean the grooming room sometimes after the groomers all leave for the day. But I mainly work during the day, during the busy hours.
Times have been tough and we don’t always pay well. It’s really the worst part of the job and our workers are constantly at odds with the owners. It’s a small business, so wages aren’t always great. So sometimes we lose staff, mainly our closers. Generally we have people to cover, but this time we have people out sick (season changing) and a few on vacation before the holidays and busy season. So, they asked me to close. Normally I’d say no since I am a small single female, I don’t feel safe being out at night. But this time they offered me a dollar raise and dinner for two weeks so I graciously accepted. I really needed the money.
The first few days went fine. I fed the overnight dogs dinner, rotated them all out to play and poop before bed, and got them settled in for bed and made sure any dogs that needed medication got it. I’d clean any kennels that were dirty, clean up all the poop or pee, made sure they all had fresh water and didn’t need any special accommodations. After I finished I went out to finish my cleaning tasks in the store area.
All went smoothly until last night. I’d just got done with all the dogs in the back and went to start my cleaning tasks. Normally I’d have earbuds in, but mine were dead so I just hummed along to the radio playing as I swept.
I started hearing some strange noises, however. Working with dogs, I’m no stranger to weird noises. You wouldn’t believe some of the sounds that come from these dogs. But these were different. They were coming from the ceiling and the walls. Thumping, scratching, and maybe panting? Heavy breathing? It freaked me the fuck out, to be frank. I dropped what I was doing and went to the back to see if maybe one of the dogs had escaped. It doesn’t happen often but some dogs do learn how to open the kennel doors from the inside. We have locks for those dogs, but you never know when one will learn.
I went to the back with all the kennels located in a row and walked down the line looking into each one to make sure said dog was in where they were supposed to be. No doors were open, no dogs running amuck, all was quiet though only half lit for night time. All the dogs were settled in and most were sleeping. I shrugged it off, heading back out into the lobby. Making a mental note to write a message to the openers about the noises and possibly some critters living in the walls.
The rest of the night was uneventful and I finished my shift between 11:30pm-12am, which was honestly amazing. I locked the doors and stood outside ordering a late night Uber. Luckily this town was big enough to have services like that this late at night. The arrival ETA was 10 minutes, so I lit up a cigarette as I waited outside. I tried not to smoke but it helped me stay awake.
I sat on the curb while waiting and stared at my phone. It was dark and fairly quiet here, but something crept up inside me, like a cold chill going from my spine to the back of my head. I heard distant noises again, and I sat straight up, frozen. The same scratching, thumping, and panting noises, with some gnawing and biting as well. I looked up and down the street but didn’t see anything alarming. I stood up and looked back into the bay windows of the lobby. It was incredibly dark since I turned the lights off but it almost seemed… too dark?
Back towards the left corner of the shop where there was a door that lead to the basement area was completely pitch black. Like the black that the one artist owns. But it also looked like there was some sort of movement there? Slowly and carefully I crept over closer to the windows, step by step. The sound was louder as I got closer but I couldn’t see much. I brought up my phone and turned on the flashlight, holding it flush to the glass to try to see the back corner. Everything looked as I had left it except that back corner, it was still shrouded in darkness. It looked unnatural, and it was moving and emanating the noises I was hearing. I put my face closer to the glass, squinting my eyes to try to get a good look, when the misty shadow seemed to turn and snap at me. It bore glaring yellow teeth and whitish red glowing eyes, drool spraying out from its black maw as it barked and bit at me. You could tell it was a dog-ish figure, but everything about it was misty and undefined.