In Too Deep

Shocked to the core

The news of her appointment as Group HR in a leading meat processing and packaging company made her scream in excitement. The company also made minced meat and sausages, from animals hygienically and carefully reared on their many farms.

She was to resume the following day, but that didn't bother her. If she had been asked to come in immediately, she wouldn't have hesitated.

She arrived at the fifteen-story headquarters and was ushered to her office. It was bigger than her whole apartment. After her induction, she was introduced to the different directors and then to her team, including her new driver. Next, she was shown the pool, the gym, the relaxation room and the game area. She was over the moon. Lunch was in the cafeteria, which occupied all of the tenth floor, and food was free for all. She had pasta and minced meat sauce.

Afterward, there was a lengthy meeting with the MD and his deputy who both intimated the job expectations, values, compliance and success factors. She was knackered when it was all over. Exiting the room, it was already evening. She wondered where time had gone, and looked around also wondering where her office had gone. She had made a few turns and gone through some doors, and was lost.

The office had closed for business, so she was alone in the maze. She tried to make it back to the meeting room, but couldn't retrace her steps.

"Hello?" she called.

Absolute silence.

She pulled out her phone and dialed the number that had been used to call her the previous day, but it rang out. There was no use. She had to find her way out herself, even if it meant going down all fifteen floors to the lobby.

The elevator stopped on the fifth floor and she wasn't sure why. She was disoriented and couldn't remember the layout of the building. She heard the sound of engines and followed it, then opened a door with her badge to a Management Only car park. She went down the stairs.

Armed men patrolled the floor, and her first instinct was to hide. Looking closely at them, she ascertained they were company security. But why were they a lot? And there this late?

A fleet of more than twenty trucks drove in suddenly, waking her from her thoughts.

"Offload and take them to the lab," a voice bellowed. "We need every single one of them processed tonight, and dispatched to site offices for packaging and distribution tomorrow morning."

She recognized the speaker as the Production Director. She was about to call out to him when the trucks were opened and some human and animal cadavers fell out.

She gasped, then remembered the minced meat sauce she had for lunch and almost vomited. She held her hand over her mouth, shocked to the core but also nauseated. She had to get out of there fast.

She turned around and bumped into the MD and his deputy.