The Unwanted Job

I was staring up at the ceiling. My mind was going in all sorts of directions. I turned my head down again because my neck was starting to hurt. I looked at the man in front of me, the one that just gave me my job interview. I didn't know what to do. He didn't say anything for the longest time after he asked me my last question. My hands were starting to get sweaty because of how hot it was in this very gross building. 

 “Thank you for coming in today. Well, I will get back with you as soon as I can.” 

I looked at the person standing in front of me. His navy blue tie didn't even match his navy blue shirt, his cacky pants were way too short for his body and his hair looked like an atomic bomb went through it. Everything that he was wearing looked like it came from a thrift store. 

I found this job in the newspaper, now I know why it's here. Nobody in their right mind would want to work in this place. When I first saw the building, it looked like something from a Halloween movie. The outside paint was peeling on each side of the building that you looked at and the inside, oh god the inside. I don't even want to tell you about the inside. I think the only nice thing about this whole place is their elevator. Let's just say that I will not be working here, even after my job interview. 

“Did you just get interviewed too?” I turned my head to the left, where the voice was coming from. The person sounded excited. 

“Yes,” I said. 

She walked over to me, only inches away from my body. We were both waiting for the elevator. I wasn’t sure if the decrypted stairs could withhold my weight. 

“Maybe if we both get a job here, we can work together.” I had to focus hard on what she just said, which made no sense. If we both got a job here, we WOULD be working together. 

The lights started to flicker, then stopped. Please just get me out of this place! The elevator beeped, telling both of us it was here. The doors creaked open and I walked in. The girl waited for about five seconds before frantically jumping into the elevator. 

The two doors slammed shut. 

“I don't like elevators very much,” she said. 

I could tell that. Her whole body was shaking. She looked like she was going to have a panic attack. 

“My name is Jade, by the way.” 

She smiled at me, then turned her head. The elevator lights started to flicker again. 

I looked at Jade then up at the lights. They stopped flickering then completely shut off. Uh oh. This can't be good. Suddenly, the elevator was dead quiet. It was pitch black, I couldn't even see the outline of this Jade girl. Jade's breath started to rise very quickly. I stepped towards her and kicked her leg. She was sitting down. 

“Sorry,” I said to her. 

Her breath was still rising. I sat down on the dirty elevator floor to try and comfort Jade. I slowly tried to feel her arm. I bumped her face by accident, feeling a few tears rolling down her face. 

“Are you okay?” I slowly asked her. She sniffled but said nothing. 

I had no idea what to do. I wasn't the people person. 

“So Jade, what is your last name?” I asked her, trying to get her to forget that we are in a trapped elevator because of this stupid place. 

“My last name is Kingsley. It’s Jade Kingsley.” 

I couldn’t tell what way her head was tilted but it seemed like her voice was muffled against the elevator wall. We just sat there in silence. I couldn’t even hear her deep breaths. I couldn’t even hear her. There was no movement coming from her body, no rumble of the stomach, no fingers twitching, nothing. 

“Jade,” I said to her. I read her for her arm, but it was cold. 

“Jade,” I said in a louder voice. 

“Jade, Jade wakes up” I screamed.

Nothing. Nothing happened. Oh my god. Did she just freaking die! No, I wouldn’t let her die. 

I quickly cuffed her cold body out into the middle of the elevator floor. I tore open her shirt and put my hands on her chest. 

One, two, three, I counted in my head. While I was counting chest compressions I thought I felt her finger twitch up against my right leg. 

“Come oh Jade, WAKE UP.” 

There was still nothing. She was ice cold. I felt her mouth, pulled it open, and breathed into her lungs. I remembered from my seventh grease CPR class that our school required its students to take that after about thirty chest compressions you need to breathe into the victim's mouth twice, or something like that.

“Come on Jade please” I begged. Two tears started to roll down my cheeks. My mental health state of being couldn’t take this anymore. 

“Please wake up,” I said one last time.

Suddenly the elevator lights burst on. I squinted away from the lights. Thirty minutes in complete darkness then bright lights, it hurts your eyes. 

But where did Jade go? I looked down at an empty floor, there was nobody. 

The elevator door squeaked open, at last. 

“Congratulations, you have passed the test.” It was the guy with the unmatching navy blue outfit. He was standing at the entrance of the elevator. 

“What the heck are you talking about?” I asked, still pondering over the fact that Jade wasn't there anymore. 

“I'll explain everything if you come with me.” I was Jade, standing right next to the man wearing navy blue. 

“No, no I can't do this. I have to get out of here.” I frantically ran down the stairs and out of the door. 

I never went to that place again.