The Office

I flew far away from that place.

Very far.

I couldn’t stop.

I saw the rain returning to the sky.

The drops rose slowly, and when they reached a certain height, they rose quickly.

Distant sounds passed by me extremely fast.

The streetlights were flickering.

I managed to see people walking backward.

I kept flying for hours and hours.

Until I felt my back hit something.

And then I fell face-first onto the floor.

It seemed like I was inside some place.

I was so weak, I couldn’t get up.

The faint sounds of keyboards in the background were making me sleepy.

I closed my eyes.

Time passed.

I opened my eyes slowly.

I was surrounded by a deep darkness.

I couldn’t see where I was.

I stood up.

But far away, I saw a very bright light where an elevator was.

And small lights that a figure was turning off.

One by one.

The figure turned off the last light.

Ran close to the elevator that was illuminated.

Pressed the button once to call the elevator.

Looked at the clock and pressed the button again.

That was familiar.

The person was wearing a black suit.

But he was too far away for me to see his details.

“HEY!” I called.

He turned his face directly toward me.

Then looked desperately at the darkness.

I walked slowly toward him.

I could feel the fear coming from him from far away.

The lights flickered and went out.

The figure turned his back to the wall.

He pressed the button rapidly.

I approached slowly.

Trying to see.

Wait… This is what happened before.

I started to smile.

Is that me?

I can’t believe it.

The elevator door opened.

But there was no light inside.

There was no floor.

There was no elevator.

Only emptiness.

He went in.

A strange sound of wind.

I heard a scream that kept fading.

It was my voice.

My scream.

I ran until I got close to the elevator and looked down.

It was too far.

It seemed like I saw the body thrown down there.

I stood there watching.

Staring.

Trying to understand.

For a second, I felt as if I were looking at myself from down below.

And I saw myself up there, looking at me at the same time.

I was the body, and I was looking at myself.

I felt the wind from up there.

At the same time that I felt the ice of the floor below.

But I didn’t feel the pain.

Only the emptiness of the darkness.

I panicked.

Was it really me?

Did I maybe mistake it for a second?

I looked to the side and saw the emergency stairs.

I went down as fast as I could.

The office was on the highest floor possible in the building.

My legs were shaking.

I went down step by step.

I lost my balance. I stepped wrong and fell.

I tried to grab anything.

I closed my eyes.

It was as if I had hit my head.

I felt the pressure, but I didn’t feel the impact.

I opened my eyes, and I was lying awkwardly on one of the stair landings.

I forced myself to get up.

I was fine.

Nothing hurt.

I kept going down as fast as possible.

I reached the ground floor.

No one was nearby.

Where were the people?

Who screamed?

It doesn’t matter.

I ran to the elevator.

The doors were open, with maintenance signs and tape around the door.

The body was inside.

I was sure.

I could feel it.

I took a few steps toward the elevator.

I could see the clothes.

I was almost seeing his face.

My head started filling with thoughts.

The cold took over my spine.

I turned my back.

I started trembling with fear.

I looked at the building entrance.

The lights outside were too inviting.

I remembered that night. It was so happy and lively.

Everything was so bright.

She gave me so much calm that day.

I thought about leaving.

I thought about running away.

I heard voices, murmurs. Also a siren.

Someone appeared. It was the receptionist. Behind him was the building guard.

I waved at them, but their eyes were focused only on the elevator. They ignored me.

When they were almost halfway there,

I heard metallic sounds.

It was paramedics carrying a stretcher.

A crowd of people started blocking the exit.

All with curious looks.

That was when it hit me.

I’m not going to be able to see the body.

At least not soon.

And did I want to see it?

I could just close my eyes and wait for them to take it away.

I didn’t need to interact with anything.

I was here, and I was alive.

I could just go home, see my cat. Sleep and then see Laura.

I clenched my fist hard.

No.

I needed to see.

I needed to be sure.

No more running.

I turned my face toward the elevator.

And ran there.

I came face-to-face with my own face.

Lifeless and limp on the floor.

I turned my back from the shock.

I stood petrified.

It isn’t real.

Now what?

I lowered my head and extended both hands, palms facing up.

I looked at them.

Am I not real?

Did I die?

How am I here?

No one can see me?

What am I?

The noise stopped.

It was too silent.

I looked up.

Something was wrong.

The people had stopped moving.

All of them were frozen.

The receptionist, the guard, the paramedics carrying the stretcher, and the curious looks.

All of them paralyzed.

I heard a groan behind me. It sounded like an attempt to communicate.

I turned my attention back to the body.

The head started moving.

It had quick, broken movements.

As if they were small spasms.

Am I alive?

The arms, twisted because of the impact, were stretching and using force to get out from inside the elevator doors.

That filled me with agony and nausea.

He was trying to get up, but fell a few times.

I could feel the effort.

Then he started dragging himself toward me.

He was groaning something.

I couldn’t understand. The sounds didn’t form words.

But I understood.

I was him.

“Don’t open the door.”

He started coughing, vomited blood, but kept groaning anyway.

I wanted to look away.

“The worst thing is in there.”

But I couldn’t.

“Don’t open it,” he repeated.

In the middle of the blood, I saw a dark object.

It looked like clotted blood.

It was something dark and black.

A key.

I blinked.

The body was back in the cabin.

As if it had never moved.

The paramedics passed beside me.

They ignored me.

In fact, it was as if I didn’t exist.

They placed the body on the stretcher and covered it with a sheet.

And then carried it away.

I approached the puddle of blood on the floor.

And picked up the key.

I cleaned it on my pants and put it in my pocket.

I looked at the elevator floor.

The floor was no longer there.

I saw an endless darkness.

That was my fate.

I tried to move away.

But my body was already falling.

I fell face-first onto the floor of the Room.

Now I could feel it.

And I was back in that cursed place.