I had just finished getting off of work. After clocking out on my computer, I headed towards the elevator through two glass doors. I push the bottom of the two silver buttons between the elevator doors to call the elevator. Moments later I hear a “ding” sound and walk in to push the ground button so I can finally head home. Before the doors closed a lady with sun-colored hair and pale-white skin walked in. A nod sufficed the acknowledgement of each other’s existence within this confined moving room.

Upon arrival to the ground floor, I noticed that it was not my normal office lobby. Instead, it was a wooden home with dim lighting. The shag-green carpet left a smell of musk in the air. Exiting the elevator my eyes immediately drew attention to the oak bar where two men stood next to it on my right. They both wore weathered jeans and brown leather jackets that had seen better days. The taller man with a crowbar in one hand and continuously slapping it in the other hand approached us; his facial scars exposed themselves as what little light remained uncovered his face. “Prepare the grounds,” he commanded. The lady and I both nodded and headed outside.

I wasn’t entirely sure what preparing the grounds meant, but there was a door just beyond the bar. I grabbed a bat that was lying against the door and we headed outside lost in confusion. Night was approaching on this brisk night, so we knew we had little time to return before freezing our asses off. We both headed off in the same direction and she broke the silence barrier, “We should probably walk around the place.”

“Agreed. I’m not sure what they expect us to do. I see a guy lying down just head and we should probably ask him to move off the yard,” I responded.

“I don’t recall any of this being here.”

“Me neither and I’m not sure who these guys are.”

“Why are we even helping them?” She seemed concerned, almost afraid.

“I figured that if I help them for the time being it will help me figure out where we are and why.” I’ve always been the type of person that takes time when I come across any situation and try to think logically before jumping in with a conclusion. “Maybe these guys will protect me,” I thought to myself. “Then again, maybe they’re taking advantage of us.”

She broke up my thoughts, “We could just try to escape… it seems like the whole yard is surrounded by streets. Why don’t we go to one of them?” The streets were empty and not a light was visible.

We both looked at each other and then looked back in front of us at the person we had spotted earlier before I responded, “Perhaps we can clear the yard and slowly move towards the street. I don’t want to flee in case they have a plan, but I don’t want to be too hesitant.”

As we approached the man, I recognized him as a co-worker. He was about my height, orange hair, and had very profound glasses. He was fast asleep on the ground. I got on my knee next to him and gave him a soft jab. I whispered at an audible level, “Hey bud, you awake?” He turned around to get a look at me. His plaid shirt and his blue jeans were covered in grass and dirt. “Ray?” he asked as if he was surprised to see me.

“Yeah, it’s me. What are you doing on the ground?”

“I’m sleeping. I lost everything. No bed, no room, no house, no car. I have nothing. It’s all gone.”

I felt bad for him, but at the same time I knew my responsibilities. I calmly assured him, “Listen. I have been asked to get everyone off this property. I know it sucks for you, but I have a place. If you don’t mind waiting for a bit I’ll let you stay at my place.” He appeared happy with the response and replied, “Sure, no problem!” He stood up and walked towards the street.

I got back on feet and no more than a few seconds later a fence started coming up from the ground around the property. At first it seemed to be slow, but the sound produced was similar to that of a thunderstorm. “We should probably try to jump over it before it’s too late.” She calmly said. We took our time heading over to where the fence was closest to us, but it picked up speed. Before we knew it, the fence was too high for us to climb over.

We did the only thing there was left to do: we finished circling the building and headed towards the door where we came from. As soon as we entered the building the door was shut behind us. “Wait here,” one of the two guys said with authority. I started to worry, and she did too. The two guys went back to circling the bar and we joined them. One walked to towards a large window that was covered by a heavy dark-brown drape. He pulled the drape with one hand to take a quick look before letting go and heading back to the bar. Before a word was spoken, a violent knocking came from the door. The four of us looked at the door and then returned eyes to each other. There was a pause. The knocking came again, but this time more violently than the last.

The guy with the crowbar walked up to the door. He took a quick look at us before opening the door. I assumed he was going to start hitting the guy right away. Either way, opening the door was probably not the best idea. The person behind the door pushed on it with such force that the man with the crowbar went flying backwards. I never did get a good look at his face; I was too busy grabbing the girl’s hand and running the opposite direction where we found a bathroom to hide in. I asked her to hide in the bathtub pulled the shower curtain closed to hide her. I shut the bathroom door, locked it, and leaned against it just in case. The sound of two gunshots came from the room we had just left. Then it was silent.

I waited for what seemed about a minute before the doorknob started to wiggle. He was trying to get in. Another minute passes by. I hear a knocking on the door. It remains quiet for another couple of minutes and I open up the shower curtain and sit next to the girl. We stare into each other’s eyes as if to say, “We are safe.” I stand up and unlock the door. Slowly opening it, I try to peek into the room only to see no one, not even the two men who were there before. There are still no sounds to be heard. The lady grabs my hand as I am leaving the bathroom and we look around together. There are no signs of life outside of us. We open the front door only to find the same world as we normally see when we leave work. It is sunny outside, there are cars on road, some are parked in front of the building, and there are people walking on the sidewalk.