Deal Sealed!

I stretched a bit and turned to see the time with bleary eyes. ‘Well, there are still five minutes for the alarm to go off,’ I said, drowsing off. 

‘Tring…Tring,’ “Ughh! I need to change the tone of this,” I thought as I rubbed my eyes. Though I had tried that before, this was the only annoying tone that woke me up no matter what. I slapped the alarm's off button and... Wait, what is this? I reached out to pick up the golden, shining card on the bedside table. Did I bring this home yesterday? I don’t remember this at all. 

“Your heart’s deepest wish, the stars will bestow,

To realms of your dreams, the golden path will show.

Yet the price is steep, a truth you must confide.

Leave behind what you cherish most to step inside.”

What kind of joke is this? I’m sure this would be a discount coupon in newspapers, but I couldn’t find anything written apart from that cryptic message anywhere. I huffed and left it there. I had to go for my job interview today, and I couldn’t let anything distract me! 

With that, I went about my day. Since it was getting late, I rushed out with my laptop and picked up a sandwich on the way to the office. The office was posh, and its appearance suggested they didn’t hire people like me. However, since I had gotten a reference from my previous employer, they were willing to give me a chance. 

I couldn't help noticing that it was pristine as I entered the building. I looked at my outfit: beige pants and a brown semi-formal top. It was decent enough, but not as sharp as others. I asked the receptionist where my interview was supposed to be held. She gave me a once-over, clicked her tongue, and told me to wait. 

That wasn't polite!, Even if I may not be dressed like the people here, I was still dressed well enough. I sat in the lobby, with business magazines set in a pristine manner on the table. I wasn’t even sure what the company did. Markus (my previous employer) gave me the reference, and I thought, ‘Why not?’ When I tried searching, there was nothing except a basic website. Well, I have to wing it.

After about 10 minutes, the receptionist, Ms. Daisy, whose name I learnt from her nametag, gave me a form to fill out. The form had basic questions like name, age, skills, past experiences, and greatest desire... Wait, what? What would an employer even do with this data? There were more questions like, ‘What has been your greatest disappointment in life?’ I think this is decent enough because they usually want to know how you handle setbacks. 

But this was just the start , the list of questions went like this: 

• Would you be willing to relocate to a place that doesn’t officially exist on any map?

• If you could erase one memory from your life, which one would it be and why?

• Are you comfortable following orders without question, even if they defy logic?

• Are you willing to work odd hours, sometimes at night, in locations you might not recognise?

What exactly do they do here? And what kind of questions are these? A place that does not officially exist on the map? I desperately needed a job. I had no savings, and the amount left from my last salary would, at best, allow me to eat for just two days. 

“You know you have to fill it, and not just stare at it.” I looked up, startled. It was Daisy, the rude and now nosy receptionist. “I am filling it out, but I’m not even sure about the role, and what kind of questions are these?” She stared into my eyes for a beat too long; well, this was getting uncomfortable. “Uhh…” I uttered. She seemed to come out of her stupor and said, “You may be desperate for a job, but it’s not your regular thing, it will make you— "Hey!” said a male voice from behind Daisy. Daisy's eyes widened; all the color left her face. She looked at me with a pleading look and then masked her face with the same indifference she had greeted me with. I wasn’t sure what just happened.

“Hey, Niel, Fancy seeing you out here greeting people.” Daisy drawled out, with raised eyebrows. He completely ignored her and looked directly at me. “Hi…” I said, unsure of what exactly was happening here. “I believe Daisy briefed you about the role.” Now I looked confused. “No, I have no idea about my role; I was just asking her about these questions.” I showed it to him. “Oh, these? Well, we have a common form for all kinds of roles; but if you are uncomfortable filling them out, its not necessary” 

“Follow me,” he said and strode ahead. I hastily picked up my bag and put just a foot forward when Daisy held my arm and, with pleading eyes, whispered, “ Don’t take this job.” This left me flabbergasted, and just as I was about to reply, Niel called out, “Are you coming?” Daisy left my arm and went back to her desk. 

I followed Neil up to the 14th floor. Niel's face seemed friendly and trustworthy, but Daisy's look and warning creeped me out. Well, I could understand what the job was and then leave if I didn't want it, right? 

As the lift opened to the 14th floor, Niel entered a password at the door, and it opened into this huge room with glass walls, which gave a view of the whole city. "Wow!" "Beautiful, isn't it?" Neil said, Well, maybe I had spoken out loud. I just nodded. "Make yourself comfortable," he said, pointing to the chair nearby. I sat down tentatively. 

"From what I understand, you were actually fired from your previous workplace because of being violent?" Niel asked.  'Did they talk with Markus? Did Markus really tell them this?' I'll give him a piece of my mind after I leave here!' I thought, "Yes, I had been violent, but had a good reason for that. That guy was harassing my friend for days, but just because he was a hotshot and had friends in the police, Markus didn't really want to file a case, so I had to take matters into my own hands." Niel looked at me and spoke in a soft tone as if to placate a child, "I understand how it feels to not be in control and be fired for doing the right thing. Rest assured, that isn't a treatment you would receive here. Our employees are like our family, and we don't just want them to work for us, but we also work for them, and we will make sure that all your desires are fulfilled." He smirked a little but quickly masked it and said, "We believe in transforming lives, not just careers. Here, you don’t work a job, you fulfil your destiny, or what you believe your destiny is". A shiver went down my spine; those words excited me, but also gave me an uneasy feeling, I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. 

"Though we believe in 'trust' more than any papers, I would want you to sign here, just as a formality." The print on that contract was in very tiny letters, but some things jumped out to me. 

• You may be required to abandon all prior affiliations.

• Certain elements of your life may need to be erased or altered for your safety.

• Your compensation will be tailored to your most immediate desires.

• Non-disclosure is paramount; violation of this clause results in irreversible consequences. 

"What do irreversible consequences mean?" I asked Niel, who simply smiled and said, "Trust me, you don't want to find out.” Without giving me any time to think, he tapped at the place to sign on the contract page. 'Well, I didn't really have a choice; it was either this ominous job or no job at all since I was fired from my previous one, and if Markus told Niel about the violence, well, he would tell everybody else as well,' I signed. 

"Well, great!" said Niel, clapping his hands. To test your commitment, we will give you the first task today, and your role will be more task-based rather than 9-5 every day. "You can go ahead to the lobby, and Vincent will give you the first task. Have a great day." With that, Niel turned away and left. 

I went out to the lobby area on the same floor. A man was leaning on the wall nearby; he was lean-built with a crooked nose & sharp eyes. He gave me a once-over and clicked, "Are we so desperate to hire?" he said with contempt marring his lips. Seriously! What is it with people at this office? Daisy had kept her opinions to herself, but this guy was something else; he didn't even care that he said all that in front of me! "Maybe you shouldn't judge someone by their outer appearance," I sneered. "Oh, sweetheart!" he said, coming near. "Trust me when I say that I may know more about you than even you." He came really close and made me face up by putting one finger under my chin. I hadn't realised how tall he was until now. His eyes seemed to hold me in place. He had a perfect face, I realised up close, but he was in my personal space, really close, with just a hairbreadth separating us. He seemed to have come to the same realisation and pulled back. "This is an envelope that contains very confidential items, and you have to deliver it to the address written there. You can't open it, nor can you tell anyone about this." He handed me the envelope and seemed to be waiting for something. As soon as I touched the envelope, a slight zap went through me. I looked up confused, but Vincent either didn't feel it or it was just my nerves. I rotated the envelope, and the address was somewhere in the old town. This task seemed pretty simple; can't some mailman deliver it? "Why—" I looked up to see I was alone in the room; sometime between my contemplation, Vincent had disappeared.

I exited the building, and the sunset formed a beautiful hue in the sky, breathtaking. It was 6:32PM. 'It would take more than an hour from here and another hour back, so it would be better if I just delivered it tomorrow,' I thought. 

 I took the envelope home. To say I was curious was an understatement. 'What was inside it that the mailman couldn't deliver? Why did I feel foreboding about this package with me? Well, I wasn't going to get my answers here anytime soon, and thinking so much would kill me, so I trudged home. I felt a prickling sensation on my back. I looked behind me but couldn't see anyone watching me. It was nerves, I guess. I felt the same prickling sensation again, but it felt more pronounced this time. I looked around—I could see everyone from the crowd boring holes into me as they went about their day. I blinked and everything was back to normal. Wow! I am imagining weird scenarios now; I need sleep. 

As soon as I reached home, I kept the envelope on the coffee table and slammed onto my bed. I really didn't have the energy to change; it felt like my energy had been sapped. Just as my eyes were drooping, a golden light captured my side-eye. I blinked and saw that it was the golden-coloured card I received in the morning. But it was shining. I picked it up with trepidation and saw that more words had been embossed on it now, apart from that cryptic message—Deal Sealed. I had a very bad feeling about this. But keeping my eyes open was an effort, and soon I succumbed to sleep. 

I awoke with a start. I removed the blanket and sat up, trying to determine what had woken me up. It was still dark outside. I saw the time on the clock was 4 a.m. Wait... how am I in a blanket? The last thing I remembered was my drooping eyelids as I stared at the golden card with the deal sealed written on it. And I had a different outfit than what I had worn while I slept. 

I panicked and looked around because it is not every day that someone tucks you in bed while you live alone. I picked up my phone to call the police, though I highly doubted that they would believe me. I had to make sure that nothing was stolen because that would make it a more plausible case not just for the police but for me as well, but who in their right mind changes the clothes and tucks people in bed while robbing their place? I picked up the lamp from my bedside table. I know you're thinking, Why a lamp!? But I had no other option that would serve as a weapon if someone was still in there.

I slowly padded outside, making sure not to make a sound, and looked around, but no one was there, and nothing seemed to be amiss. With a start, I looked for the envelope and saw it was still where I left it. I sighed in relief. Now I was seriously doubting if anyone had actually come in. I checked the main door, and it was still locked, and all the windows were closed. Maybe I had gotten up sometime during the night and changed, and due to my sleep, I didn't remember it. 

Well, now I couldn't go back to sleep anymore, so I made coffee and sat at the kitchen island. It was going to take an hour for me to reach the envelope address, so I could start at 8 a.m. But after that, I didn't know. Well, baby steps, girl. 

The cab stopped beside a beautiful but gothic building with high arches and angels built around it. "Are you sure? This is the building?" asked the driver. "Yeah, that's what was written on this envelope," I responded. "Well, take care because this place is..." he trailed of, "what?" I asked "well it's famous for making people dissapear" I gulped, thanked the driver, and stepped onto the pavement. I couldn't spot anyone on the outside, and the doors looked locked. I rang the bell and waited, thinking that I'd hand this over to whoever came out and not go in myself. No one came out. But the door opened a crack, and I had to go in. I disregarded the driver's paranoia and went in. 

The inside of the house was breathtaking; it had a huge chandelier in the middle with stairs on both sides going up. "Hello, is anyone there?" The house was deathly silent. I thought of keeping the envelope there and leaving. But suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I caught a shadow. I looked there and found no one; maybe my mind was playing tricks on me. But then I heard a 'thud,' and the doors behind me closed. I rushed towards them and realised that it had been locked. How am I ever going to go out? The driver's words came back to me; I should have listened to the driver. But won't my company try to find me if I don't report back? It had just been a day, though, and they would probably have various people employed. Why would they even remember me? 

"AGH!" I jumped, startled, and looked around. No one seemed to be coming, but that was a man's scream and seemed to be coming from a certain room. Curiosity took hold, and since I was locked here, I had to know what I was in for. I stuck to the wall; since it was morning, the only lights coming in were from the outside. Making sure to make no noise, I went towards the room where I heard the sound. I quietly peeked into the room, and it was empty! But I was sure that I had heard it from this room. The screaming started again, and curiously, it seemed to come from the same room, but I couldn't see anyone there. What kind of place is this?

I went inside the room. It was a rustic-themed room with wooden panels, and it looked like people actually lived there. There was a bookshelf on one side and a sofa with a side table that had spectacles and also a cup, which, when I touched it, was slightly warm, like it had just been a while since whatever was in the cup had been drunk by someone. I felt along the walls, and suddenly the floor below my left leg gave way, and I heard a creaking sound behind me. My leg had just gone halfway down, and it seemed like a deliberately built block. I slowly turned behind me and found that a staircase door had opened up on the slightly raised platform at the side of the room. I couldn't see anything down since it was dark. 

But curiosity got the best of me, and I slowly went down. I didn't know what or who was downstairs, so I didn't want to switch on my phone's flashlight even though I had zero visibility. I kept my hands on one side of the wall and slowly went down. My hand felt something like a handle along the wall. I wanted to know what it did but was afraid to mess something up, so I slowly pushed it down and saw the entrance to the stairs, which joined it to the room, closing, so I closed it fully just in case someone came in the room, they shouldn't be aware that I had gone here, though I was skeptical that whoever's house this was already knew about my presence. 

Slowly, my eyes adjusted to the dark, and I climbed downstairs. The walls were dry, and in some places, they were peeling off. Even though the house seemed fairly modern, this place was ancient. And you'll call me mad, but it appeared to be alive, like a living entity with a mind of its own. I shuddered, and suddenly, a wall loomed in front of me.

I peeked around it, and all the breath left my body. Hundreds of people were crammed into the space, in various stages of malnutrition, but they seemed happy. I didn't know what else to make of the weird smiles on all of their faces. Their eyes had a sheen to them and were focused on a different place, not in the room around them. I scanned around and saw that there were no cameras. I cautiously stepped out. 

I sucked in a huge breath because, in looking around, I hadn't noticed that some people were standing near the wall. A man was looking directly at me. I stood still. But he just kept looking at me. I looked around and noticed that everyone here was at a standstill. I waved my hand in front of his face, but he didn't even blink. I moved around the hall; there were people of all kinds, from kids and teenagers to adult men and women. I couldn't understand what had happened to these people. I saw an opening on the other side and went through it to come to a long corridor filled with white light and doors on the sides. I had no idea what or who was on the other side of these doors. 

"Thud, thud," someone was coming! I tried opening the nearest door; it was locked. I tried two other rooms, and the 3rd one opened up. I closed it and leaned on it with my back on the door. I couldn't see a single thing; it was so dark. I felt along the walls; my hand hit something hard, and the lights suddenly turned on. I couldn't hear the footsteps outside the room, but this room was huge. With beds lined up like in a hospital dorm, with some machines kept nearby. There was a shelf on one of the walls with different shapes of vials and bottles filled with liquid. On the other side of the walls were some computers. One of the computers was switched on, with a page open"Plan D." 

I scrolled down, and there were a bunch of formulas written beside each element, like 'Beach (a chemical formula)'. I scrolled down and saw the same formulas. What is this? I couldn't understand, so I left it there and looked at the drawers, which were on the table. There were only some papers. I was expecting to see some sort of document or something that told me what this place was, but I couldn't find anything. I closed it with a bang, 'Click.' I stilled but couldn't hear anything else, so I turned my head slowly, but no one was there. I breathed a sigh of relief. And closed the drawer, which had half opened again because I banged it closed. 

I just pushed the drawer, but my hand remained still. There was something here that wasn't there before. I opened the drawer completely and saw that a compartment had opened up. I took out the paper from there. It wasn't that old. It was a printed document with the name of the company I had just joined yesterday written on top. 

What kind of place did I join? I scanned the whole document, and apparently, my new company was involved in making a kind of drug that, when taken, puts your mind in your desired location or fantasy. And there were phases of experimentation on this. In the 1st phase, people couldn't do anything once the drug was administered to them. So the people I saw outside were those!!

In phase B they could just walk but nothing else. Where were they kept, though? In Phase C, the drug administered was stronger and thus produced more realistic fantasies. In Phase D, the same drug as in Phase C was used, but they can do basic activities like sleeping and waking up all the while being in a trance? But what was the purpose of this? Why put people in their desired fantasies? 

Oh! That's why in my form I was asked about my desired fantasy; it was because I was to be a test subject. It filled me with horror that I wouldn't be able to do what I wanted to do! But why send me here? And not administer the drug as soon as I signed?

What shit had I gotten into just to get a job? I had no idea how to get out of it, but first I need to get out of this place. I slowly went to the door and peeped through the keyhole to check if anyone was there. The visibility region was less, but the coast was clear from what I gathered. I slowly turned the handle and opened the door. I felt a hand on my mouth and someone taking me back to the room I came out of. I tried to scream, but his hand was tightly closing my mouth. As soon as the door closed, I bit the hand, and he yelped and left me. I turned around and was shocked to see Vincent. He was the one who gave me the letter to be delivered. 

"Why was I sent here? Why make me see all of this? Was this a plan?" I bombarded him with questions because I was confused and frustrated, and attaining the information seemed way too easy, like it was a setup, and looking at Vincent's face, my doubts came true. 

"But why tell me all this?" I shouted, "Shh…someone will hear you," he said. "Don't fool me now; they all know I am here." "That's where you are wrong," said Vincent. I looked at him in disbelief, and he said, "It was my plan to make you see all of this. No one else is aware of you being here; this is the place where everything takes place." "How and why should I believe you?" he was in that office and gave me this envelope, which is what Neil told, then how can he tell the truth? "You may not believe me but just hear me out, I got into all this because I had no one and used to pickpocket. I was lured in with money and the promise of a better future and the world, and being a naive person, I joined in. But one day I actually discovered what they were planning to do." 

"What exactly do they do?" I asked, fearful of the answer. He looked at me solemnly. "They want everyone to become their slaves by putting them in a state of trance" They initially put in a drug so people would keep on wanting to do what's told to them to want to keep living in the fantasy, but in this phase D, they are making something where they seem normal, but their brains are not theirs anymore. The drug will act out and make anyone who drinks it into their army." 

"What!" I hadn't thought that the plan was so sinister. "But you were also doing it, right? How can I trust you?" I asked Vincent. "Once I got to know the reality, I have been trying to collect evidence to reveal it to the world because it can only be revealed by media but all important people are involved in this. I can only ask you to trust me; I have no proof or anything about myself to make you trust me," said Vincent with sadness in his eyes. The sadness was so profound that I felt myself pulled in. But what if all this is a ploy? How do I know if I can trust him? 

"Why did you not leave? if you know the bad things they were doing?" I asked. "Once someone joins in, they are either all in or they die; there is no other option here, and I had the will to live my life and wanted to expose them," he said, coming near me. "Most people who they recruit to take drugs are weak, but I think due to Phase D starting, they took in strong people," he said, looking into my eyes. "But I'm not strong; I barely know what I am doing." "You're strong here," he said, tapping my forehead, "and honestly, that's what matters the most," he said affectionately. 

"But why could you not reveal the evidence?" I asked him curiously; I desperately wanted this to not be a trap because if it was, I was already falling into it. "After I got to know the reality, very naively I went to Neil to resign, so they put trackers in me. It's only yesterday that I could convince them that I am trustworthy, and thus they removed the trackers." 

"But how did they start trusting you?" "I had to do certain things that make me hate myself to get that trust because I knew that till I had trackers, I would be of no help, though it doesn't justify what I did." 

Suddenly a shrill ringing sound started. We were startled and broke eye contact. "Shit," he said, and I blinked several times. "What's that?" I asked, "It means they know someone is down here! We only have a few seconds before all gates close up. We rushed out of the room and headed the way I had come in; we could hear the footsteps coming behind us. We crossed the room full of people, and I hesitated. Vincent pulled me while running. "Once the evidence is out, you can then save them; now's not the right time!" We could see the staircase closing in and ran up. I felt my heart thudding and my legs protesting. 

We made it outside to the room before the staircase closed. I sighed in relief. But as soon as the staircase closed, it started to open, and we heard footsteps coming up. Panicking, we got up and ran to the main entrance. I heard them closing in. 

A gunshot rang out, but I think it missed me because I didn't feel any pain. Just a moment later, I heard a thud. I looked behind and saw Vincent with a bullet wound on his left leg. I saw them in blue uniforms coming behind us. They were so close, but I couldn't leave him behind. I picked him up with his hand around my shoulders and him limping. We ran to the gate. Only if we make it outside will we be safe. I could hear Vincent groaning in pain. "Stop, or we will shoot," said the blue-suited soldiers. We reached the gate, but it was locked. I panicked. Vincent scanned something, and it opened. "C'mon, let's go!" I told Vincent and held him in my arms, but suddenly he fell down. I saw that another gunshot had hit right in his chest. I couldn't walk away; I stared in horror. I couldn't leave him.

"Go! Go! Evidence," he said haltingly in between coughing up blood. "We don't need more people to suffer, please," he said. I couldn't stop my tears and saw that the soldiers were closing in. I kissed his forehead and ran away, such a coward I am; I couldn't look behind. I ran so hard and fast that I didn't realize when I reached the main road, and a car honked when I saw where I was. 

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I may be alive now, and the company people have been caught because of media and public outrage, but there's a hole in my chest that I can never seem to fill in, no matter what I do. Bruno came running to me and splashed all the water on me. "Yes, you definitely did fill some part of it," I said while petting him.