The Haunting Past [Original Short Story] #shortys2024

The Haunting Past

Title: "The Haunting Past"
Genre: Suspense, thriller
Sub-genre: Horror, mystery
Contest: SHORTYS 2024
Category: Flash fiction
Word count: 1984

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Rose Edwards, a sharp-minded 26 years old brunette, felt a wave of nerves as she approached the towering corporate building for her job interview. The sight of its imposing structure only heightened her anxiety, but she knew this opportunity was too important to pass up.

The name of the corporate building, “Nexora Corp,” shone brightly over the steely structure and glass windows.

“Ok, I can do it. You've got this, Rose.” She did a little self-talk, holding the important files closer to her as she entered the automatic glass gates of the tall building with a deep inhale of breath.

Upon stepping inside, her jaw dropped in awe as she took in her surroundings; a very spacious lobby with high ceilings and bright sleek lights, deep blue-coloured feature walls lined with extremely expensive modern paintings and company branding and announcements, along with various digital directories.

The modern seating area with gold coloured minimalistic furniture also didn't go unnoticed as well as the beautiful indoor plants that were placed along the feature walls, adding to the already overwhelmingly luxurious designs.

All of this is just so dreamy…!

Rose thought, her eyes roaming all around the lobby. The entire atmosphere was calm, but also eerily quiet. No employees were present; the lobby looked quite deserted, much to her discomfort.

There, she saw a centrally located reception desk, all wooden (probably the finest wood the CEO could find), and decided to approach the receptionist, seemingly the only employee in the sight.

“Hello, madam. Could you, uh, please help me out? I have an interview here today.” Rose asked the female receptionist, a red-haired lady. She wore black and white office attire with a matching pair of black edgy frames, which offered a look of high professionalism.

“Is this Rose Edwards?” The receptionist asked curtly, without looking away from the computer. “Yes, it is. It's me,” Rose responded.

“Very well. We've been expecting you for a long time.” The receptionist's comment left Rose with a confused mind. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the red-haired lady.

What on earth does she even mean?

“Anyway, please turn to the right of this desk. You'll find several lifts. Take the one in the middle; it'll take you to the floor where your interview will take place. The farthest room to the right on that floor is the room you have to go to.” The receptionist instructed.

Rose nodded in understanding as she clutched her files in her arms and with a subtle “thank you”, she fled from there.

She reached the lifts as the receptionist had guided, pressed the button to go up and waited for it to arrive. In no time, the lift arrived, and she got on it.

Just as the doors were about to close, she realized she didn't know which floor she was supposed to go to exactly. Her finger hovered above the many buttons which led to different floors but didn't know which one to go to.

However, it was too late as the doors had been closed and the lift was now moving upwards.

Without pressing any buttons.

“Ok, now this is getting weird,” Rose commented, now afraid of where this lift would take her. After waiting several minutes, the lift stopped at the 13th floor by itself.