Certain relationships can run dry with time as the pendulum swings forward. Maybe it’s time you grab hold of that pendulum and step into the unknown.

Now that’s a thought as you drive towards danger itself.

Tall buildings stood in the background as you approached the big city in your work car. Wind tickled your cheeks, making those fly away strands of hair harder to tame.

You were from a small town but often had to make a trip to the big city for work. It was a perfect escape from the small town drama you were constantly dragged into. As of late, that drama involved you and your boyfriend. And so you set off in hopes of escaping the gossip and slander. Not to mention, you just had a big fight with your soon-to-be ex-boyfriend.

Spoilers aside, work was your only escape for now. You were greeted by the hustle and bustle of a typical bustling city. Many small town folks would find the drive into the city chaotic and stressful. You felt calm, with a sense of belonging.

The GPS led you to the Airbnb condo you would call home for the next four weeks. Your new work assignment was to investigate a company for potential fraud by going undercover as an employee. You had done this gig so many times that it felt more like a vacation than work itself.

Once you secured your parking spot, you got out of the car while scrolling through your phone notifications. There were several messages regarding your Airbnb stay and the ‘new job’ you start tomorrow but nothing from your boyfriend. Not even a ‘hey did you arrive safe?’ The inevitable

break-up was cooking.

Speaking of cooking, your stomach did a quick rumble to remind you of your skipped breakfast. You wanted to get on the road early so you could make the four hour drive before noon.

It was 11 am and you were luckily granted an early check in, giving you the rest of the day to explore the city and get familiar with your surroundings. With a quick search on Google maps, you got yourself a decent brunch and some coffee to combat the mid afternoon crash.

As you sipped your coffee at a nearby café, you watched unfamiliar faces drift past. Back home, at the small-town coffee shop, you were used to seeing the same people and hearing the same stories day after day. Here, you felt invisible—just another face in the crowd, with no stories to tell and no gossip to share. The past didn’t follow you when you escaped to the city.

If it wasn’t for your boyfriend, you would have already moved and settled into the big city. He was never the one who cared for change and he was constantly preoccupied with his own ‘agenda’. You would think 12 years into the relationship he would put a ring on that finger. But no. He had to finish something before he made a big move like settling down. 12 years later and he has yet to finish that ‘thing’.

One last sip and you set the empty cup on the table. Now that your hunger had faded, you could concentrate on the assignment and explore the city.

—————-

You were hired as the new accountant. Fortunately for you, that was the right job for the assignment. You were better suited with a calculator than a chemistry set.

Which brings you to the company you were to infiltrate.

H.M. Pharmaceuticals.

They were already waiting for you. Eagerly waiting for you.

You were granted an entry pass and a temporary name tag. You began your first day, avoiding any suspicious behaviour, as you were the new shiny object in the room and everyone was craving for some small talk. The investigation could wait a day or two.

They started you off with a set of files to audit. Within the first hour, you noticed a major discrepancy in the finances. The further you dug into the files, the more they popped up. They didn’t seem accidental. They were intentional.

As tempted as you were to use the information for your investigation, you decided to notify someone regarding the ‘error’. Better to gain trust now and stick around a little longer in hopes of finding something more scandalous and news worthy.

Your manager was impressed at how quickly you worked, even though the issue was intentionally screaming at you as soon as you opened the digital file. News spread across the finance department and soon leaked beyond the department itself.

You were indeed the new and shiny object, and all eyes were on you.

————

Slam.

A hard drive of classified files finally landed on your desk. You had been working for a week at the company, silently gaining trust and dotting i’s and crossing t’s for your enemy.

As you reached for the digital files that would possibly end your investigation, you were told they were password protected and you had to personally visit the boss to get the passwords.

You hadn’t met the boss of the boss, the main boss. The company was huge and only a select few made it to the top floor. It was a bit of a hike to the 20th floor from your bottom third floor. The higher you climbed up the corporate ladder, the closer you got to the top floor. You had no intention to climb that ladder (or in this case, ride the elevator), however, if it was necessary for the investigation, you will make that journey to the top.

You could easily get lost in the empty hallways. The top floor was eerily quiet and felt forgotten. For once you could hear your footsteps as they clashed onto the white marble floors. Even your heavy breath created an echo that carried down the hallway.

The hallway seemed endless. An endless hallway with nothing but bleak walls and not a single door insight. The bright white tube lights illuminated your path to nowhere. You felt nauseous and dizzy from being trapped in what appeared to be an illusion. Fortunately for you, that illusion ended once you hit the end of the endless hallway.

You stopped in front of a set of giant white doors. Your mouth went dry. Your heart was still racing. Yet you continued to ignore all the warning signs and proceeded through the giant doors.

You knocked once.

No answer.

You knocked once more.

You could stand there all day and knock your knuckles raw. Or you could turn around and come back later.

You refused to do either.

Despite better judgment, you pushed through those giant white doors and invited yourself in. You expected to step inside a space full of expensive leather furniture and ceiling height glass windows that overlooked the city. Instead, you stepped inside what appeared to be a massive laboratory.

Your olfactory nerves were hit with a blend of ethanol and formaldehyde. If you thought the endless hallway was bright, the room (and the strong smell) brought tears to your eyes.

The laboratory appeared abandoned, but you know it wasn’t abandoned because it was meticulously maintained and organized. While rubbing your burning eyes, you decided to explore further into the depths of what appeared to be hell.

As you got lost deeper into the laboratory, it became apparent that some sick, twisted and unethical experiments were being conducted in this building. It felt like you stepped inside a low budget horror movie. You wish it was a low budget horror movie so you could pass off the suspended cadavers and fresh blood on the white countertops as movie props.

Although you worked in investigating financial fraud, you couldn’t turn a blind eye to this bloody mess. You reached into your back pocket to retrieve your phone. The thought of capturing some evidence was compelling and there was a lot to capture in this room.

With determination and a firm grip, you fetched your phone out of your pocket. Unexpectedly, there was an even firmer grip on that wrist, leaving your arm bent in the situation. It was a boney grip, as if one of the lifeless cadavers had popped out of their glass confinement and grabbed hold of your wrist.

You let out a scream with a quick burst of struggle. Another boney hand came around from behind you and muffled your screams. That’s when you realized that the hand was fleshy and very much alive.

“Now why would SS Corp send a little spy into my hive?”