To the right he notices a worn out wooden desk and a key card that seems to have been left by the previous mechanic beside an open ledger which looked like it had been left in a hurry. He sat down in the chair and began flipping through the pages trying to get a feel for what needed to be done. The first few pages seemed like typical recordings of time, temperature and a consistent list of machines that had been monitored and repaired, nothing out of the ordinary. He then flipped to the last entry, the evening before he showed up in the woods and he paused as he read it “ Machine four broke down again and I can hear scratching at the back wall and I am not sure what it is. The clock says it's almost 4 pm but if I hurry I can fix it and be out of here.” After that nothing else was written. All that remained was a key card and a cheap little clock that counted down the hours. A humming sound that seemed to vibrate the desk snapped him out of the daze he was in and he remembered that he was there to do a job but as to what he was still not sure. He closed the ledger and pushed back the chair and stood up following the sound till he came across a panel with a red light flashing on it. Apparently the machine it was attached to was over heating and he needed to figure out what exactly was causing it and fix it. He searched around the area, running his hands over the surface of the metal trying to find a switch of some sort to de-activate the machine so he could locate the source of the issue.
His thumb brushed across what felt like a small indent in the smooth metal and he pushed in on it. The humming slowed down to a whine before it completely went silent and the red light stopped blinking. The air was completely filled with silence for exactly thirty seconds before he began to hear a scratching on the wall at the far end of the building just like it was mentioned in the ledger but it was only noon so he had plenty of time. Carefully he examined the machine, not quite sure what he was looking for but he managed to find a manual of sorts. It had vaguely written instructions on what to do if it started humming and to not waste time in getting it up and running again. He fumbled around with the machine for a few minutes then held his breath as he pushed the button again and the machine came back to life, no other sound than the quiet whirring of the gears, the scratching on the wall had quietly stopped as well. He returned to the desk and sat down, opening the ledger and began writing down the date and time followed by the entry -Machine number 4 began to overheat so I shut it down so I could fix it. I heard a scratching noise but it subsided when the machine was turned back on. He thought it was unusual that he was the only one working in such a large facility and he was beginning to regret the offer that was given to him. No amount of money was worth giving up his sanity which he felt he was in the process of losing.
The rest of the day seemed to creep by rather slowly and nothing else seemed to really need his attention. The clock ticked slowly as he stood up and paced back and forth in front of the desk. Why were they willing to pay him so much to sit at a desk alone with very little to do plus did he imagine hearing the scratching after reading the ledger. He picked up the other key card from the desk and studied it more closely. The edge of it had a reddish brown stain and as he lifted it closer to his nose he could detect the faintest smell of iron and something else…blood. The card slipped from his hand and clattered on the desk next to the open ledger and he stood frozen for what felt like forever then he heard it. It was a click as if something had been unlocked but he had not seen anyone else in there with him. He looked at the clock and it read 3:55 pm, the same time that was written down by the last person.
He grabbed his keys, leaving everything else behind as he rushed for the front door and pushed it open. He was not interested in waiting to see what made the sound and he bolted down the path towards the iron gate afraid to even look behind him. The gravel crunched beneath his heavy work boots as he ran, his chest burning as he pushed his way down the path. It was still daylight but the sun was filtered out by the heavy canopy of the trees that seemed to almost swallow the path as he headed straight towards the cabin where he knew he would be safe or at least he thought he would be. Rushing up the dirt path that led to the front door of the cabin he nearly tripped on the steps as he climbed them, thrusting the door open and diving inside, kicking the door shut with his feet before he caught his breath. Before he could think of anything else he slammed the deadbolt into place and hoped that he was alone inside and did not lock himself in with something or someone. He steadied himself on his feet before he ran to the back door and engaged the lock before making sure every window was closed and secure, closing the curtains tight so nothing could see inside. He sat down on the middle of the living room floor in front of the fireplace, shaking with fear hoping it was just his imagination that had gotten the best of him then he heard it. It was quiet at first then a creaking of the steps as something heavy was pressing down against the wood then a scraping sound as if something was being slowly dragged across the front porch. Whatever it was, it was not trying to get in or at least not yet, but it seemed to be testing its boundaries looking for a weakness.
He curled up into a ball and finally fell asleep until the sun began to peek through slits in the living room curtain and he stretched, the only sound to be heard was the faint chirping of the birds outside. He creeped to the front door and pressed his left ear against it and listened but there was no other sound so he cautiously unlocked the door and slowly pulled it open. All across the front of it were deep gouges like claw marks with yet another envelope attached to it. He ripped open the envelope and pulled out the letter. Its message was very cold.
“You left 5 minutes early and we lost 30% of our power due to your early departure. Mistakes like this can not be tolerated and will be very costly. Today you will repair machine number two and you must remain inside till 4 pm. Any more mistakes and you will not like the results.
He did not bother to change out of his wrinkled overalls, he just made himself a cup of coffee, attached his key tag and headed out the front door. His legs felt heavy as he forced himself to walk the path back to the factory which was starting to feel like a prison. At the gate, he swiped his card and followed the path to the front door a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach as he pushed his way in and returned to the desk setting his coffee on top, noticing that the old ledger that had been there was now gone and had been replaced with a new one. Next to it sat a rusty looking tool box with a note on top that simply said machine number two. He took a quick sip of his coffee and picked up the tool box, heading down the main floor of the factory and past the machine he had fixed the night before searching for the one he was meant to work on today. He paused as he looked up, seeing the number two marked clearly on the back wall, the same wall where he heard the noise the day before.
Carefully he sets the tool box to the floor and pulls the manual off the hook that hangs from a nail and flips it open. The instructions seemed quite simple- open the box attached to the wall using the tools provided, make sure all the wires inside were securely attached and functioning by testing the codes provided in the list and making sure to flip the switches in the exact sequence in the diagram. The task seemed easy enough and he pried open the box and began to check the wires one at a time. Satisfied, he turned his attention to the levers, paying close attention to the diagram. It was as he was turning the second one, he heard it well and felt it at first. A vibration that seemed to shake the floor beneath him followed by pressure as if something was pushing against the wall in front of him from the outside. A quick glance of his watch told him that it was only 2 pm and the note had clearly said that he is not to leave before 4 pm. He tried to ignore the noise and continue switching the levers but it was becoming more difficult to concentrate. It felt like whatever was on the outside was desperately trying to get inside to him. He took a step back and the flash light which he had been using slipped out of his hand and hit the floor rolling under the machine. The movement behind the wall suddenly stopped and there was silence or so it felt like it but he could hear something and he leaned in a little closer to listen and all he could hear was breathing, something heavy and labored but it was still breathing.
He rushed to finish the rest of the levers, the sound getting louder and deeper and once he pulled the last one the breathing turned into a growl. He grabbed the tool box and ran through the main floor back to the desk dropping it next to the ledger before sitting down. According to the clock it was only 3 pm and he had an hour left. He tried to pick up his coffee mug to take a sip of the cold coffee but his hands were shaking so much he could not get a good grasp on it.
He stared intently at the clock as if he could will it go faster but the time seemed to drag out. At least he could no longer hear the sound behind the wall. Finally the clock read 3:59 pm. Less than a minute to go. He stood up, still holding his mug as he waited and listened to the sound of the front door unlocking at exactly 4 pm. He didn't waste any time shoving the door open, almost tripping over his own feet as he rushed to the front gate and barrelled through it like his life was depending on it and perhaps it was. He did not hear the birds, the movement in the woods surrounding the path all he could do was focus on getting back to the cabin and locking himself inside where he felt safe or at least he thought it was his only safe place. He rushes up the stairs, throws open the door and almost jumps inside quickly slamming the door shut and locking it securely behind him before he leans against it and takes a breath. Something felt off though, like he was not alone but a quick glance around the cabin reassured him he was since it was small enough there was no place for anyone to hide. He however noticed a piece of paper laying on the dining room table that he had not seen before. He approached it with caution and picked it up reading the words written upon the page.
“Tomorrow you will be required to take the tool box and go down the stairs to the left just behind your desk to the basement and follow the path until you reach the large valves. You will be required to open each one and clean out any debris that might be in them before closing them and securing the lids back in place. There is also one more rule to be followed for your own safety. If you hear a knock on the door tonight, do not open it, do not look out the window. It is not us.”
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