That's...Not What I Expected.

"Ah shit" I sighed, watching as the snow piled higher and higher, completely covering the only point of exit in the office, the front door. My boss and the other doctors had already gone home, and I was stuck in the cramped little office...alone.

Turning the TV on, I sat in the miniature lobby, staring as the staticky news lady told me what the weather was like: “Snowstorms...three feet...piling up. Families stuck at work….traffic stopped...power out--” The TV went black, and the only thing I could see was my reflection. 

I really need to shave, was my first thought. My second thought consisted of mass amounts of curse words as the lights abruptly shut off. I clumsily made my way through the pitch black lobby and to the front desk, where Sandra sat. 

“Sandra,” I started, “Where’s the flashlights?” I remembered then, that Sandra had gone home about four hours ago, and that I was asking questions to nothing.  

When nobody answered me, I realized my mistake, “Oh, right.” I began to hunt through the drawers, finding nothing, at first, except for staplers, pens, and other normal receptionist things. 

As I felt around for more drawers, my fingers found a top drawer, and I sifted through it, finding two flashlights. I flicked the first one on, while putting the other in my pocket. They were the nice kind of flashlights, the ones that could last forever and were as bright as the sun.

I picked up the chairs I’d dropped while I made my attempt to get to the receptionist desk, and then sat in one. I made shadow puppets on the wall, starting with the basics. Y’know, the dog, and the rabbit. I then moved on to the bird, interlocking my thumbs, and making the wings flap. 

As I made the puppets, I wondered when the storm would stop and I’d be able to get home. Of course, I thought, there’s not much to go home to. I mean I have Wilbur, but he’s pretty much good on his own. 

I thought about my furry friend, Wilbur, the one I left at home. I wondered if he had food, and wondered if he was even missing me. Probably not. He’s one independent--

“Hey!!” 

My thoughts were interrupted by a cry of...pain? Fear? 

“Hey, is anybody there?!” It called again.

“Wha-” I sat up a little and waved my flashlight around, trying to see where the voice was coming from. “I-I’m here!” I called to the voice.

“Hey! Hey! Can you hear me?!”

I stood up, putting the beam of the flashlight on the floor so I didn’t trip on anything. “I can hear you. Wh-where are you?” 

“I’m here!!” The voice seemed far away. It couldn’t be too far, though. It’s a pretty small building.

“Alright, where is ‘here’?” I walked slowly through the hall leading to the office and patient room block.

“I...I don’t know!! Here! Can’t you hear my voice?!” The voice sounded more panicked than it had when I first started looking.

“Yeah, I can hear it, but you gotta calm down. How long have you been here?” I was just trying to get the voice to talk so I could find it sooner.

“I don’t know! I woke up here!” 

I stopped, “What do you mean ‘you woke up here’? Did you have an appointment?”

“No! I just woke up here!! I’ve been trying to call to someone but he won’t let me!!” 

He? I started to walk again, this time a little faster. I reached my office, and looked around inside it as I asked, “Who is ‘he’?”

The voice didn’t answer me, and I started to worry about the voice. How weird is that? Worrying about somebody you don’t even know, have never met, and have never even seen before. Minds are weird, especially human ones. We worry over nothing.

“Hello? Are you alright?!” 

Still no answer. 

I walked out of my office, and to the hallway where my two other coworkers have their offices. I knocked on the walls, asking, “Hey! Hey, are you in there?! You OK?” 

I heard a faint scream when I put my ear up to the wall by my coworker’s office. The scream sounded muffled, like somebody’s hand was over the source of the noise, not wanting me to find what (or who) the panicked caterwauls were coming from. It was like a shooter silencing the gunshot so the guys looking for the shooter didn’t hear it.

“Hey! Can you hear me?!” I shouted, knocking on the walls, still.

There was no answer. 

I heard the snap of a footstep behind me, and as I turned around quickly, I tripped on my foot and fell on my stomach, dropping the flashlight and watching it propel across the hallway. The flashlight had turned to face me on its adventure across the hall, and it was blinding, not allowing me to see what was behind it. 

I looked up, at about the height a person’s waist would be, and tried to see if somebody was standing there. 

Remembering the spare flashlight I had in my back pocket, I grabbed hold of it, and turned it on, thinking, Danm! I am smart! 

As I aimed the light above me, I saw that there was no one there. I was just freaking myself out. Well, that’s what I told myself. You’re only freaking yourself out, I had said. 

I stood, not wanting to walk into the darkest part of the building, which at the time was the lobby. I lowered the flashlight, pointing it at a small scrap of paper on the floor. 

At first, I honestly didn’t want to pick it up. I mean, I’ve seen plenty of horror movies, and picking up the piece of paper that mysteriously got there is how you get killed. I’m not stupid, I thought.

But then, being the absolute dumbass I know I am, I decided to go ahead and pick up the paper, anyway. It read:

Find Me.

I sighed, whispering to myself, “This is stupid. ‘Find me’? What kind of horror movie shit are you trying to throw me into?” I dropped the piece of paper back onto the floor--

BANG!!! 

There was a massive crash on the wall next to me, and it shook the whole hallway. I lost my balance for a second, as the hall shook beneath my feet, and couldn’t breathe for a second. I felt like I was drowning.

There was a cry out of pain and a thump, as (I’m assuming) the source of the voice hit the floor. It was like the voice was right next to me, breathing down my neck.

“Are...are you alright?!” I called, putting my ear back on the wall.

“Help me,” the voice cried weakly. 

“I-I just need to find you. Make some noise, alright? Can you do that?”

“Ok.”

“Alright, let’s play Marco, Polo....Marco!” I started to walk further into the hall, my flashlight pointed at the floor, and my ear to the wall.

The voice said, “Polo!” It sounded close, and terrified.

“Alright,” I said just to myself, “Marco!” I yelled to the voice.

It answered, “Polo!”

I was close to it! “Alright! I-I’m closer to you! Marco!” I walked into my boss’s office, and to the back.

“Polo!!” The voice sounded like it was right in front of me, now.

I neared the door at the back of the office. The one that read ‘Keep Out’. It’s the one place that I’d never been in because my coworkers and boss, and also that ‘Keep Out’ sign tell me not to. When I had asked what the door led to, they told me, “Oh, nothing. Just stay out of it,” so I’ve never been in there. I was about to, though.

“Alright, I’m right here. Marco.”

“Polo! Polo! Polo! Help me, please…” The voice trailed off and silenced.

I turned the door knob slowly. I didn’t know what to expect when I opened it. I expected a tied up victim, or a cannibal trying to eat the victim, or the victim chained up, or something. I didn’t want to look when I finally got the door open.

I opened my eyes, and shoved my hand forward with the flashlight, trying to see what the voice was coming from. I didn’t though. As my eyes adjusted, I saw nothing. No victim, no cannibal, no chains. Nothing. 

“Hey! Are you here? Marco!” I called into the dim-lit room.

There was a hand on my shoulder, and I turned quickly, facing Sandra in the lighted office. My flashlight was off and I was talking into an opened closet in someone's office. I've never seen that office before then.

“Sir, are you OK?” She asked me.

“Yeah, I’m...I’m fine, Sandra.” I answered, feeling slightly dazed.

“Alright. The doctor can see you, now.”

“I don’t work here,” I whispered, looking out the window at the sunny day. I walked out and to my therapy appointment, keeping the flashlight in my pocket.