BLACK EYE

Ghost in the Machine

Bill was a part of a floor crew that went into government, city, and banks to strip and wax floors along with cleaning carpets. The pay was alright for a young man trying to make his way through college. On occasion, mostly in the older buildings, there were distant voices, unusual cold spots, and shadows that seemed to move out of the corner of his eye. There was never really anything to mention until he had to do a floor for a state facility that was refurbished from one of the oldest buildings in town.

He had entered that place, past security, and into the cafeteria to get a vending machine coffee, and wait for the last of the employees to leave. Sally, the janitor, had passed by, seen him waiting, paused, and decided to have a word with Bill. She was a short, stout, latina woman in her early forties. Her face had the look of concern not for herself, but for him.

¨Are you waxing the floors tonight?¨ She had asked.

¨Yeah, me and my partner who's in the restroom right now.¨ Bill responded.

¨You know this place is haunted and I'm going to quit if I have to keep working by myself.¨ She had said.

¨Interesting way to start a conversation, but how do you know?¨ Bill wondered.

¨Voices, doors opening and closing, shadows moving on the ceiling, and the computers talk to each other.¨ She had said as if whatever is haunting the place would be listening.

¨How can computers talk to each other...literally?¨ Bill had to know accepting the other aforementioned occurrences as the natural part of ghost stories.

¨One would beep and then the one across would beep differently and then another one, but never all at once. It was as if they were taking turns and sometimes it sounded like they were laughing, but not how we do. It was like how you might imagine how a computer would laugh if it could.¨ She tried to explain.

¨I've been here a few times at night and never heard anything.¨

¨You've never been here by yourself.¨

Bill didn't know how to answer her, but the fact that she was willing to quit over it made him consider the possibility. The janitor continued on about another instance occasionally looking around cautiously. Sally had claimed that she had been searching for her keys certain that she had laid them on a counter near the exit. Upon returning she had discovered that they had disappeared. It had been close to the end of her shift and the company frowned upon any amount of overtime. Especially, in the search of your own personal keys. The last employee had left hours ago, so she was positive that no one had taken them. It had only been a few moments spent in the restroom. Yelling she had asked, knowing quite well nobody would hear her, where are her damn keys. Then the sound of keys rattling came from inside the cafeteria.

Sally had believed that it was her imagination and decided to retrace her steps. The restroom, janitor's closet, and copy room yielded nothing. So she had decided to enter the cafeteria putting out of her mind that the sound of keys jangling ever happened. The lunch area had nothing to offer only the gentle hum of the refrigerators. A more thorough inspection of the her purse that was at the exit was what Sally had settled upon.

A huge sense of relief came over her when she discovered the keys to be back on the table. Certain that they were not there before, Sally asked if anyone was there. No response, but an unnerving feeling of being watched came over her and she noticed how cold it had gotten. Wanting nothing but to leave, Sally turned off the lights, set the alarm, and made her way out the exit door. Before she had stepped outside, the very distinct sound of keys rattled once more. This time, however, behind her seemingly only a few feet away. Sally said she ran to her car and never looked back.

¨That's creepy.¨ Bill had said.

¨I gave them one week to transfer me or I quit.¨ Sally had told Bill as she left.

¨What'd I miss, bro?¨ Bill's floor partner had asked walking in just a few moments later.

¨Nothing.¨ Bill had answered softly. ¨More janitor's ghost stories.¨

¨Damn, I love ghost stories and always miss the good ones.¨

The two of them finish the floor in record time. So Bill was able to retell Sally's story the best that he could. Both of them have encountered strange things working in buildings on the graveyard shift. Bill's floor partner actually captured a shadow figure on his phone as he had taken a picture of a wax job he was proud of. Of course, he doesn't want talk about it and has the only smart phone that will not share the haunted photo.

After placing all the furniture back, the two of them made their way to the exit. Bill decides to raid the bowl in the computer section that is filled with miniature York peppermint patties and promises to be right back. He enters the large room filled with over 200 computers. No more than half way to area's center, where his heist can can begin, a ¨beep¨ stops him in his tracks. Sally describing her ordeal echoes across his mind. Fighting to dispel this notion of a ghost in a machine, Bill continues.

Another ¨beep¨ followed by another in front of him. This is ridiculous he thinks to himself. Soon after a dozen computers make themselves known in a circle around him. Bill moves to another aisle to test Sally's story and the devices follow him with their ¨beeps¨ and lit screens. Still wanting to debunk the haunted tale, he runs down several paths of machines making severe ninety degree turns and they keep up. They surround him, but the ¨beeps¨ have changed to different sounds. Each piece of equipment begins making their own distinct, electronic tone. Never out of turn, as if each computer is waiting for the other. Bill wonders how they could follow him so easily while the others, in the distance, remain silent. Then as quickly as they had began, they simply went blank. Bill looked up and he had seen his floor crew partner just staring at him.

¨You just see this shit?!¨ Bill had asked him.

¨No.¨ He had claimed. ¨I...I don't know what you're talking about.¨

Bill knew he had been lying, but he just wanted to leave and screw the patties. They drove back to operations that night not saying to much to other and never bringing it up again. Three months later, Bill found out Sally had quit the next day. The supervisor had told him she had left the building screaming. Bill never seen her ever again.