This is one shady job he thought as he wiped the floors with a wet mop but James had no choice in the matter, he needed a job he needs money or he would be kicked out of his tiny apartment he shook his head returning to his job cleaning the floors.
The newspaper he was reading said they needed a janitor at a genetic research facility called biotech industry it was one of the biggest companies on the planet aiming to improve all aspects of life and become pretty successful turning from a normal size business into a global size one everywhere you when you could see their logo projecting some medication or skin care.
James thought he just send an application in for the hell of it he can dream, right? he just needs a job can't to be that hard and to his surprise they called him telling him he's hired James and was gonna start next week he was gobsmacked he got a job at one of the biggest companies in the world...even tho it was a simple job cleaning floors.
Picking up the dirty bucket he journeyed to the service room to get some clean water and soon depositing the dirty water believing he was done for the night his emptied the bucket with glee now he can head home and relax but his boss came in and spoke.
"Hey they need someone to clean one of the rooms in sector B there a massive mess and you need to clean it before you head out," his boss Greg said with a gruff.
His boss was the manager of the security unit and Sector C everyone that held a mop or any other cleaning and repairing type tool answered to him and he was an ass to everyone except the higher ups and his boss but other than that he loved the control of his 'minions' and he was always worst on the new recruits making sure they knew what to do the threat of getting fired was one of his favourites to use.
"Come on sir I was just there five minutes ago to clean the hall and there another mess!?" James pleaded to his boss but in his boss's eye showed no remorse.
"Don't start getting lippy with me newbie and get to cleaning it see you tomorrow kid," he said with a smirk and left.
James now had another thing to do now he had to suck it up and refill his bucket and make his way to sector C, there were four sectors, sectors A was basically where the public go showing the history of the company and there 'grand plans for the future'.
Sectors B which was where all the offices and laboratory were it also where they were doing genetic researcher and making breakthroughs in medical science, making the gears of this company turn doing who knows what?
Sector C which was where all the staff go to do there daily jobs ready to be sent out and fix any problems that the other sectors had it was like a home base for us so if you needed a plumber or electrician you simply went here and this was where James spent most his time waiting to be used and returning to get supplies he also chatted to some of the staff they were pretty cool nice to hang around and chat with too this is also where trucks and such go and leave bringing in... well whatever they brought in James was never informed about these things only the people who took the crates in.
This was also where he heard about sector D from one of the older co-works, you see they only informed James that there was only three sector to this place so he was surprised to hear there was a sector D to begin with, however the things he heard about it was why this place was so shady to him each other co-worker he spoke to about sector D said different things they heard and saw some say they bring in criminal and random homeless people off the street to those elevators that apparently leading to sector D which was underground.
Some say they overheard scientist speak about something being a failure and improvements at a stunting rate which creeped the sectors C workers out but the worst thing James heard about this place was that whenever someone from any of the other sectors go down there...they never returned this one guy said that an undercover janitor was caught snooping around there and one day he just disappeared.
James was creeped out by this also to a point of fear but his curious mind couldn't stop thinking about it what was happening? what were they doing to those people? He honestly wanted to find out James has always been an adventure person exploring every nook and cranny just a constant thirst for discovery, exploring caves when he when on holiday and even sneaking in his school late one night just to see what it was like at night but he knows that if he went sneaking around in a sectors he wasn't even told about he probably get worst then simply fired.
James pushed the wheels being full of water to the place that apparently was dirty using his key card to get into the lab, quickly seeing where the mess was annoyingly no one was around to tell him what the liquid on the ground was as he guessed the one that made the mess just left it for someone to deal with this, it pissed James off that someone just left a mess this late what where they even doing?
But he just got to doing his job and stuck some gloves on carefully picking up the broken glass and placing it in a special plastic box to be disposed later as it had unknown chemicals in there, once he was doing he got his mop dipped it in the water (with a special cleaning against added to it) and begin cleaning the mess.
He did this was about half a minute and stopped suddenly when he heard a voice coming from the wall vent he placed down his mop down and went over to the vent to investigate the voice, he placed his ear to the vent making it slightly more clear as to what he was hearing.
"Please don't hurt me," the mystery person said in a panicked voice.
James didn't know what to think what the hell was going on?
"No no stay back monster," the voice sounded in fear.
James was even more confused monster? what did he mean but the next thing James heard made his blood go cold.
The voice was now only screaming could be heard.
That made James jumped away from the vent in a panicked something is down there and it was evil...he was breathing heavily staring at the vent and the sound suddenly stopped silence filled the room he slowly crawled towards the vent listening carefully to see if the sound returns or anything new happens he placed he ear gently against the cold metal to listen.
"I can smell you," came a mysterious female voice.
James froze out of complete fear sweating profusely breathing heavily against the vent unable to get his head around what just happen.
"You have a nice scent...I really really like it," said the unknown creature in a seductive, excited voice.
That was all James needed to hear before he ran out of the lab like a bat out of hell but he knew he would get in trouble if he left the cleaning equipment there so he quickly grabbed it and rushed to a supply cabinet in sector C and left the stuff there, he quick got to his locker and changed out of his uniform into his casual and rushed out the back entrance attached to sector C, he heads to the bus stop looking back at the tall building afraid out of his mind after what he heard but he bumped heavily into someone knocking both him and the person to the ground.
"Hey watch where you going asshole," said an older man in an annoyed voice.
"S-Sorry" James said to the man, looking up he realized he just bumped into his boss Greg. Greg also looks up realized who bumped into him.
"Oh it's just you watch where your going next time newbie you're lucky I'm in a good mood or I would have fired your dumb ass."
"Y-Yeah errs thanks I need to get going see you t-tomorrow sir," James said still breathing heavily in a panicked state.
James quickly gets up and moves past his boss but he is soon stopped by his firm hand holding him tightly on his shoulder, James turns his head looking up at his boss giving him an intensely deadly stare.
"Hold on now what's wrong kid? I know I can be pretty intimidating but you look like you've been scared half to death," he stares dead at James, "is everything all right?"
James just stands there staring back at his boss he couldn't tell him what he heard he would just call him crazy he needs to think of a lie quick to make sure he didn't arouse any suspicion.
"O-Oh I'm f-fine boss just...saw a-a rat running around the lab and it...just...scared me," he said with a fake chuckle trying to play it off as something silly.
Greg stared at James trying to guess whether he was lying, "A rat!? Huh, were going to need to investigate that tomorrow go to one of your supervisors and inform them about this rat it could be a massive health violation."
He released his grip from James's shoulder and he instinctively rubbed his sore shoulder.
"Y-Yeah no problem cya boss," he said to his boss quickly rushing away out of site to the bus stop.
Greg watches the kid go with the suspense of his strange behaviour but brushed it off he just a newbie he said to himself as he walked back into the shady facility.
###
It had been a few days since that strange event with the vent but James couldn't relax when he got home that night he went straight to the shower to cool himself off to try and understand what actually happened going through the event over and over again maybe it was just a horror film someone put on in another room? maybe it was just...James had a terrible night he was afraid of whatever that thing was would suddenly appear in his room to kill him he was paranoid but the curious at odd things the creature said.
What did it mean by 'you have a nice scent' James couldn't wrap his head around it, it was too
strange to think about but that vent must of lead down to the secret sector D where they were doing...some type of experiments down there? No, no, they couldn't this isn't some kind of horror story, these things happen in those not this but as James thought about it more all made sort of sense, disappearing people, strange conversations from the scientist and mystery crates not listed on the shipping list.
All this thinking finally made James go to sleep and he needed to go to work the next day which he serious didn't want too but again he needed this job so he got up had a shower and some breakfast got his clothing and set off to work hoping that nothing bad happened, luckily the day was honestly quite normal he hanged around the main staff room wait to be needed however the strangest thing was that his boss would sort of follow him were ever he went being close but not close for him to see which got James thinking that his boss might be on to him so he couldn't talk to anyone about what happened but this only lasted for one day before he just ignored him again, James could relax a little but still stressed out over what happened and his boss's strange behaviour.
James was sent to clean one of the dining areas because some kid spilled some coke on the ground and left it (annoying bastard), he saw in the corner of his eye two scientists leaving an elevator that was rumoured to be the access point for sector D they walked over to one of the tables and sat down away from all the people James thought that whatever these men were about to say was going to be something to do with sector D so he decided to try and listen in on there chat maybe getting some answers on what happened a few nights ago.
He slowly sifted near them he saw some headphones someone left on a table and decided to use them making people think he was listening to music so he could listen in on there chat. he came near them both scientist look at him and he just smiled and nodded and went to cleaning both saw he had headphones on so they assumed that he couldn't hear them so they continued there to chat.
"This is getting annoying the subject has really been testing our patience," one of the scientists said in annoyance.
"Yeah she is being feisty but we are making progress the thing I'm concerned with is her obsession with the damn vent she knows she can't get out so why is she even there," replied the older scientist stroking his white bread.
"Yeah I heard about that from some of the others what going on with that?"