The Job With the Window

Okay new job... My only instructions:

1.    Do not leave the room unless instructed

2.    Only face the window

3.    Keep an eye on the 3 buttons on the desk

It was midnight, funny to think only 12 hours ago I thought it was a little bit weird that this was my whole job... Now I knew it as a lot weird and within the next few minutes it would become clear why.

12 hours ago....

So, I just started looking for a job, and having only completed a high school qualification, I had very few options. I had taken two years of Rhee Taekwondo, couple of boxing classes and I had done a little school student admin here and there, nothing special.

Then an email popped up on my computer screen. I wiped the Dorito dust off my chest, and signed out of my video game.

The email simply read, “A.P.O. would love to have you!”, reading further, it gave details of when and where the interview was to take place. I couldn’t remember when I had or what I had applied for or even who they were, and they didn’t give me much notice for the interview. It was in 1 hour!

A quick Google search found that it was a small private security company, called Authorised Personnel Only.

“Must be an intern or admin job,” I pondered.

1 hour later, I was researched up, dressed up and hopefully ready for the interview.

When I got there, it was a small, very plain looking building that looked like it had been designed and built by someone with no talent and an obsession with white and beige. Inside there was barely anything, a few chairs, no pictures and a lone desk, which held a single speaker. It was eerily silent. Until...

“Come through Miss Tate,” said a very polite yet obnoxiously loud female voice.

As I recovered from my near heart attack and quickly checked my new interview outfit for an accident, a door I thought was a wall opened.

It felt like déjà vu as I stepped into another slightly smaller white box room. This time there was a…what I could only describe as a human giant in white pyjamas, sitting behind a desk. His handsome features almost had me trip, his skin looked so smooth and tan, which was a contrast from his uniform.

As I sat down and did the usual interview chitchat, it looked increasingly likely that I was not going to get the job. I tried to keep my focus on the questions as 1. They were incredibly boring (how are you? How long have you worked in a reception role? What is your favourite colour?); and 2. He was so handsome.

Apparently, I was wrong! I got the job!

I started that night; they had offered me a whopping $25k a week! Which at first seemed too good to be true, but I checked my bank account while filling out some forms and waited for my uniform. They had already paid me for the week! Somehow despite all of this it didn't really sit right, but cmon I'm rich now, meh.

The human giant returned (I couldn’t remember his name for the life of me). My uniform looked just like his only mine was black.

As he led me down a confusing combination of corridors and more walls that were doors, I found myself wandering how in the world I was gonna remember how to get out. The last door led to a small boxy room with nothing in it except and extremely comfortable looking desk chair, cream (of course), a desk with 3 buttons on it and a medium sized window looking out into a now dark, empty lawn.

My only main instructions:

1.    Do not leave the room until assigned to do so

2.    Only face the window

3.    Keep an eye on the 3 buttons on the desk

The first button was green, square and shiny, second was blue, square and also shiny, the third was red and covered with a hard case and a lock. Simply place a key in the lock, twist and the case pops open. However, the human giant became very ominous when he uttered his next words… to the point where he was almost not handsome.

“You are not to walk away from this window or press that button unless I say so. Got it?”

It wasn’t really a lot of information to absorb but there were still about a million questions, but in order to make it look like I wasn’t a complete moron and to keep Mr Hunk happy, “Yep sounds good boss ha ha," I quavered nervously.

Apparently, my subpar sense of humour was not a winner with this guy, as he simply looked at me with a mild sense of amusement and stuck out his hand.

I took it, shook it and all he said in his low gravelly voice and no expression,“Welcome to A.P.O. Miss Tate,” he left.

The door closed behind him, and suddenly a minor sense of claustrophobia set in. Only mild so I decided to just put my uniform on over my other clothes and sit in my chair.

Oh my goodness was it the most comfortable thing I had ever sat in, it was soft and moulded to me almost immediately. I also noticed that the seat didn’t swivel or even move closer to the desk, it was fixed to the floor!

I settled down and took in my surroundings, the lawn outside was perfectly manicured, there were no trees, no cars or people. There was only one singular light standing outside the front gate. I didn’t even realise they had a front gate; I came in a normal entrance car park.

This sparked a whole plethora of questions, like, why didn’t I see this massive building structure behind the small boring one? Why am I in a room with a window I can’t open, buttons I can’t push and a chair I can’t move? And why are they paying me a butt tonne to do it?

In the middle of my mini existential crisis, the blue button started to flash, a disembodied, soft voice spoke to me.

“Please press blue button, authorisation AlfaSun1 Sargent Brody.”

Hmm that must be the name of the human giant, I thought as I pressed the blue button.

The gate, which was like the rest of the walls around here, looked just like that, a wall and as it opened, a small white truck drove out. It looked pretty heavy duty. Then the gate closed again and the blue button stopped flashing.

Well that was exiting, I pushed a button! Thank god, I was paid for this at least.

As I sat there looking out my window, my mind wandered. What happens if the red light flashes? What would have to happen for it to even flash in the first place? What company am I actually working for?

In the middle of my second mini existential crisis, I realised I had been sitting here for close to 3 hours.

Something better happen soon or I will actually either fall asleep or smash my head against the desk…

As that thought appeared in my head, there was a massive explosion sound from inside… Then there was silence, I stood up and looked closer out my window at the now rising plume of smoke coming from behind the wall gate.

I should have been careful I wished because then, the red button started to flash… my heart dropped and my... everything was sweating.

Then the voice of the Sargent giant came over a now crackling speaker, his voice sounded panicked and harsh.

“Push, the, button!” he said between deep breaths.

I woke up to myself and grabbed the key from the desk, unlocked the box and finally pressed the button, I looked back out of my window and what happened next I could never un-see…