The Secret Keeper

Annabelle rushed off the subway and ran up the concrete stairs that led up to the street. She was going to be late for work. Her office was thankfully only one block away. She worked for a small internet based publishing house as a low level writer and wrote a weekly column called the "the Secret Keeper". People would email her secrets anonymously. As anonymously as anyone's email or Twitter account gets but she would find the juiciest secret and write about it along with a few embellishments and post it on her column. People loved it and she was getting popular. She had 80K followers just on her Instagram account alone. She loved secrets. Even as a kid. She was awful at keeping secrets and would blab about them as fast as she could. But people continued to spill secrets to her anyway. Now she got paid to tell those juicy secrets.

Sadly she was only paid pennies for only one column per week. To pay the rent she worked at an all night diner as a waitress. As her shift ended that morning the waitress that was supposed to relieve her came into the diner sobbing. She told Annabelle a big secret. It was scandalous and Annabelle stayed to hear every word.

Jessica, that was the waitresses name, was dating a married man and he got her pregnant. The man was apparently seeing Jessica's sister on the side and got her pregnant too. There was a mishap the previous afternoon and at respectively scheduled ultrasound appointments they all bumped into each other. The man had accompanied Jessicas sister to her appointment. They had the same obstetrician. It was apparently a very ugly scene. Jessica was 21 weeks pregnant and her sister was 19 weeks along.

Jessica listened intently to the story. She was so excited. Her next article coincidentally due that afternoon was being written out for her as they spoke. Jessica was never interested in Annabelles cloumn or anything else Annabelle wrote so she knew Jessica would never find out if she spilled her juicy secret to the delight of her readers. Jessica begged Annabelle not to tell a soul about her secret. Especially since the man in question was married and for whatever reason she still wanted to protect him. Annabelle crossed her fingers behind her back and promised.

Annabelle made it to her building and ran to the elevator. Her office was on the fifth floor. She climbed aboard and as the elevator doors started to close Cammie the office intern rushed into the elevator and bumped into Annabelle. Cammie was juggling eight cups of coffee in drink holders and a large bag of pastries. Cammie was about to drop one of those drink holders filled with steaming hot coffee but Annabelle caught it before it could fall. Cammie gave her a grateful smile filled with relief.

Cammie was the office gopher more so than an intern. She constantly ran errands and picked up coffee and dry cleaning. She was very shy and quiet. Annabelle could not remember if she had ever heard Cammie speak. She mostly texted and instant messaged as her preferred method of communication. Annabelle knew the intern position well as she was the previous intern before Cammie. But where Annabelle was extroverted and worked her way hard to a writers position in just a few months. Cammie was introverted and seemed to like the gopher aspect of her position.

The elevator started to ascend. Annabelle was busy constructing her article in her head when the elevator stopped on the third floor. Annabelle waited for the doors to open and for more people to board the elevator but nothing happened. The doors remained shut and the elevator wouldn't ascend. Annabelle pushed the button for the fifth floor and still nothing.

She waited what seemed like forever. Maybe one whole minute before pushing the open doors button.

But nothing happened again.

She pushed the emergency button and waited. She had no idea what was supposed to happen after she pushed it but nothing was happening. She pushed the emergency button several times but the elevator remained still and quiet.

Annabelle frustrated and kind of starting to freak out looked over at Cammie.

Cammie was smiling at her.

It was a creepy unreal smile her lips looked like they were stretched out to reach her ears. It was unnatural looking. A feeling of dread filled Annabelle.

Suddenly the lights flickered and the elevator went completely dark. Annabelle reached for her phone but her phone was dead. She had forgotten to charge it overnight when she was working at the diner.

The lights suddenly came back on and Cammie was standing just a few inches from Annabelles face. She was still smiling that creepy over stretched smile but this close up Annabelle could see Cammies teeth were razor sharp and very long. They were stained and rusty looking. Cammie then stuck out her tongue but it was impossibly long and it smelled of hot garbage juice. She licked Annabelles lips with that tongue and started salivating. Annabelle was about to scream but couldn't. She was terrifyingly mesmerized with the change in Cammies eyes. The pupils were the color of hot lava and the brown iris had a blood red ring around it. Cammie licked Annabelles lips and pried open her mouth. Annabelle tried to scream but Cammies tongue filled her throat full. Annabelle started to gag but stopped when an impossibly sweet child like voice emerged from Cammie.

"Some secrets are not yours to tell Annabelle. Can you keep my secret?

Hot tears were running down Annabelles face. The salty tears sizzled on Cammies tongue. Cammies eyes turned black and the lights in the elevator flickered again and went dark. Cammie pulled her tongue out of Annabelles throat. The sound the tongue made coming out was wet and thick. Annabelle coughed and gagged but remained where she was terrified that Cammie would assault her again.

The lights turned on and Cammie was standing on the other side of the elevator. She had both drink trays in her hands and the pastries. She was still smiling but the terrifyingly horrid monster face was gone.

Annabelle startled as the elevator started to ascend again. She was shaking and breathing erratically. She was afraid to take her eyes off of Cammie.

The elevator reached the fifth floor. The doors opened and Cammie exited the elevator. Annabelle slowly stepped out of the elevator but kept her eyes on Cammie.

Cammie started delivering coffees and pastries to staff members.

Annabelle started to walk faster towards her cubicle when suddenly Jeremiah one of the floor editors stopped her in her tracks and pulled her into his office.

"You are late" Jeremiah said.

Annabelle was still trying to watch Cammie from the doors window and was listening to only one third of what he was saying. Jeremiah was a good friend and Annabelle was positive he wouldn't reprimand her for being late. She was trying to figure out how to explain to him what had just happened to her in the elevator.

Jeremiah kept rapidly talking but Annabelle was also more interested in Cammies whereabouts. Annabelle was now terrified of her. She was afraid to let her out of her sight. Suddenly two words caught Annabelles attention they were "waitress" and "pregnant".

Annabelle spun around to face Jeremiah and said "what?"

Jeremiah looked annoyed and started his story again.

"That waitress I told you about. Jessica. She's pregnant. I was messing around with her sister too. She's pregnant as well. My life as of yesterday is completely over. Long story short we all ended up at the OBs office at the same time yesterday and things got really ugly. There was slapping and hair pulling and a nurse got a black eye. There are charges that were filed and now I have to explain to my wife that I am going to be the father of not one but two children. Wait does that mean I am also each childs uncle? The entire situation is extremely disturbing. My wife is going to destroy me and take me for all I am worth. My life is completely over....."

Annabelle was staring at Jeremiah but she was no longer listening. She felt Cammie enter the office and hand Jeremiah a coffee and pastry. She must have knocked but Annabelle didn't hear her. Cammie smiled at Annabelle and walked out of the office and closed the door behind her.

Suddenly she realized Jeremiah was talking to her and attempting to get her attention.

"I'm sorry, what?" Annabelle asked but she sounded very far away to herself.

Jeremiah now angry repeated himself. "Hello, earth to Annabelle. I asked, Can you keep a secret???!!!!!"