r/nosleep | Reddit Horror Stories • Collection

I'm a Company Man

I'm a good Company Man. I shop at the Company Store, and I work a Company job as a lineman. It's hard work, but it's honest. Like the Company. The Company is the most honest thing in this town, the heart of our lives. My whole family goes to Company Meeting every Sunday, so we can make sure our two little boys grow up knowing who their provider is.

Lately there's been a problem in our little Company town, and that problem is Daniel.

Daniel has missed three scheduled shopping trips at the Company Store in the past month. It's not hard to make it to the store - they're open every day but Sunday from three til' nine, when the high school kids get out of school to work the registers and stock the shelves. Daniel's work as a manager at the Company Cinema interferes with his getting to the store some days, but we all know he has time. He gets two days off a week, after all. Just like all of us. And the store is only closed one.

But despite this, Daniel has still missed his trips to the store. Daniel is my neighbor, and his plight is my plight, and all our plights are problems for the Company. So, as a good neighbor, I decided I'd stop by his house and talk to him. Make sure he knows the consequences of his actions against the Company.

When I went over and knocked on his door, it took three minutes for him to answer. That was incorrect behavior on his part. The Company wants us to always be friendly with our neighbors, and ignoring them isn't friendly. But I am forgiving, unlike the Manager. Daniel's transgression has done me no harm.

I respond to him with a smile as wide as I can. He does not smile. His eyes are tired.

"You should go to the doctor if you're feeling ill, neighbor. They have medications that can help fix the issues that are keeping you from sleeping."

I should've started with a hi, I know. But it needed to be said. Daniel's haggard appearance worried me. Whether his issues were mental or physical, the Company wants us all to be healthy. Even those who commit transgressions, like Daniel. I keep my smile as I wait for him to respond. I notice he is shaking.

"Yeah, yeah. Been meaning to do that - to get over there. Yeah." His response is unsatisfactory, and the Manager would most definitely not find it acceptable.

"You should get over to the Company Store too, Daniel. I've heard they miss you there."

"I... haven't had a chance. Yeah. Haven't had a chance. Been sick."

"If you are sick, you should see the doctor. He can see if a Company employee may be able to bring you your food instead. Or your wife could get it, perhaps?" I hadn't seen his wife in days. And she should've come to the door. It's always Company Policy that both homeowners answer the door, unless one is occupied with important tasks.

"I know, yeah. She's... sick too." He offers me a halfhearted smile and a weak nod, before stepping into the darkness of his home and motioning to close the door. I can't let him leave like that, though.

I step forward a little more, sticking one foot in his doorway. "May I come in, Daniel?"

He knows he cannot refuse the offer. All Company folks are welcome in each other's houses, and to deny a friend entry is almost a guarantee that the Manager will pay you a visit. So he doesn't say a word, just opens the door, steps out of the way, and buries his face in his hands. I should have called the Enforcers right then, because Daniel clearly needed to seek medical attention, but I would forgive him for now.

My eyes take a moment to adjust to the darkness. Daniel has blocked his windows with thick blankets, letting barely any shards of light through. I notice seed packets on his floor. Vegetables. The Company does not frown on gardens, but they do frown on self-neglect. And not going to the Store is self-neglect. The pieces snap together in my mind like a puzzle.

"Daniel, have you been eating these vegetables instead of Company food?"

His body folds and collapses, like his legs have struggled too hard to support the weight of his crimes. He kneels on the floor, his overgrown hair catching more sunlight than it probably had in days. His back rises and falls, and I hear his deep, choking sobs as he struggles to speak.

"It - it was just... she got so sick, Matthew. So, so sick."

"What do you mean, neighbor?" I had no need to ask. The Company food makes us all sick when we are new. Half of my teeth have been replaced by the Company since I have been here. Now I am sure to drink extra of the Company's milk, so I can preserve the rest. But we did not talk of these things in polite company. You never know whom might be listening.

He did not respond. My question was out of obligation, not curiosity. But a long, high whistle pierced the air. I knew it was time to leave. When the Company issues a siren to come inside, it means the Manager is out. And you don't want to get caught by the Manager.

I close his door and leave him in his darkness. My own home is only a short walk away, but I feel the prickles of cold on my neck as I walk to it. I know who the Manager is coming to visit today.

Daniel screams while he is being removed by the Manager. They always do.

I just hope that my next neighbor takes Company Training a little more seriously. And maybe my next neighbor will be you.

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By: u/swinglifeaway3

https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/el4szg/im_a_company_man/