The Stall

Finally I get time to myself, I never thought I would get finished through all of that paper work. It’s ridiculous. It doesn’t seem like any of the day shift did anything.

I walked through the dimly lit halls of the office, with a full tank, trying to reach the bathroom. I always preferred working nights, no boss hovering around your kneck, can actually sneak in my music while filing these stacks of papers. It made the job digestible.

I reached the elevator and pressed on floor four. I leaned against the wall and checked my watch. The time read 4:30 AM. A sigh of relief washed over my face.

Another dreadful day of work has passed; thank God!! The hours have been building up lately. Before heading home, I always use the bathroom.

Some would think going through and empty space like this would be creepy, with only yourself, a few janitors and a security guard downstairs. But to be honest I felt more comfortable on nights than I did with daytime.

Hmm. I reached the bathroom door, odd, usually it’s further down. But then again these hours have been killing me so I probably was getting it mixed up. I never went to the fourth flour to do my business, whatever. I flung pen the door. Thank God it's dead here; I choose the stall towards the end and pull out my cell phone. This was the only time I got to myself; the entire building was already empty so no one could bother me. The entire restroom is all mine; I love it.

A long silence filled in the bathroom, the only thing that could be heard was the loud taps my thumbs made to my phone and the constant yawns I would cry out. Paradise.

I have never heard the whole building sound this quiet to be honest. Usually you could hear some significane of life out there. It seemed unnatural for a moment But then already jinxing myself, the bathroom door blasted open and echoed across the stalls and made me almost sink.

Odd could have sworn I was the only person in the office, but it didn't matter. Two minutes go by, and I don't hear anything. Weird, but still, I think nothing of it. Five minutes passed by, and it was strange. As loud as that door slammed, I would've imagined this guy was having an emergency. Maybe he left... No, I hear breathing, though, so someone was in here.

The door then slammed shut nearly giving me a heart attack.

It was quiet again, only faint breathes could be heard. What the hell was wrong with this guy. I ignored it and went back to my phone. After finishing my business and cleaning up I couldn’t hear anything else. I washed my hands thoroughly and glanced at the mirror. Ugh the bags under my eye’s were getting thicker. I was almost finished with todays work, then I can just die in my bed. I stepped over to the door but looked behind myself to scan the restroom. I didn’t hear anything, it was completely silent. Did he leave or was he still in hear? I’m overthinking it to much. I continued my march towards the door and as I grabbed the knob a large bang came from one of the stalls. I froze, to afraid to turn my head. What the fuck was going with this guy. Another bang rang out behind me. I quickly snatched the knob but it wouldn’t move. I tried with both hands, then throwing myself to the door. Over and over until I started to match the constant bangs in the stall. The noise stopped and it went quiet. Fuck..fuck…fuck what do I do now. I slowly turned back and heard nothing, it was quiet again. What do I do…what do I do. I am trapped in hear with a maniac but the doors won’t budge. Maybe I should reach out to him, he already knows that I am in hear.

Scanning the stalls from afar I couldn’t tell you which one he was in. I slowly walked forward. “Um hey…uh are you….are you alright man….it’s uh cool I work hear too.” No response. “ I um work night’s sometimes too… I didn’t know someone else was staying late too.” No response. Fuck this, fuck this fuck this fuck this. Was this actually a worker, or was I just sleep deprived. But there could be a chance I could be jumped by whoever was in here. I crept closer to the sink and crouched a little. Maybe I can see there feet or something to get a better look at what I am dealing with. This bathroom had seven stalls, a bit larger than the usual bathrooms from our office firm but like I said it must have been recently added in.

Okay…okay…let’s go…I slowly walked forward, tracing my hand agasinst the cold grhaphite sinks. Stall 1 clear….next stall 2 clear…..next stall 3 clear…..so far so good. Stall 4…….clear………stall 5…………..clear….almost there almost there. My breathing was getting louder, my eye’s were wide open the sprinkle of tiredness faded from my body, I just needed to know. Stall 6…………..clear….okay so he must be in the last stall then. I wanted to say something but better judgment told me to just stay quiet just in case. I slowed my breathing down and took a small quick glance but I could not see any feet under nor shadows of someone being on the toilet. I was taken a step back. My palms were shaking was this all in my head. No those noises sounded pretty legit maybe if I open it. It was crazy but I had no exit and whoever I was trapped with could be dangerous and was acting pretty strange. My left hand rose, while my right was balled up into a fist. I then slowly moved it towards the stall door. Please be empty…please be empty.

My adrenaline was pumping through my veins and in a burst of fear and survival I pulled open the door and yelled out, my eye’s darting around ready to take over this stall, to find it completely empty.

What… that didn’t make any sense.

I looked underneath each stall. I would’ve seen, feet, shadow, or heard something. It was impossible, I rechecked each stall leaving there doors open and found nothing. Maybe I was losing my mind but it didn’t make any sense, none of this did, a locked door, strange noises coming from thin air and noises from an empty stall. This sounds crazy. I walked over to the faucet and washed some of the sweat from my forehead. Then stared through my brown eye’s to see if I could think of a way out of hear.

I don’t know why but my eye’s moved from my face to the stall doors behind me. Maybe still trying to make sense of it or maybe being drawn to something. But in that short instant, the door on the fourth stall slowly moved backwards to close itself. It must’ve been trying to hide itself because it was moving slowly very slowly. I froze and turn back towards it. The door stopped in place, but it was too late. I had already caught it in it’s act. I kept staring at it. And for a minute or two it did nothing, but my eye’s were fixated on it. How was this possible, I didn’t even see a hand. Now caught in in the act the door then slammed shut. I jumped and headed for the exit again, then it went dark. Dammit, I thought, I plunged into the nearest stall and closed it’s door behind me. Standing over the toilet bowl with a hand clasped over my mouth.

My hands felt warm and moist against my mouth. My eye’s were darting left and right through the pitch black scene in the bathroom. Was I safe in here? If I was completely quiet maybe it wouldn’t notice which stall I was hiding in. Time goes by and my eye’s adjust just a little to the dark. All I can make out is the back of the door of the bathroom stall.

My legs start to cram up losing the flow of blood and start to get numb. Gently I try to stand up to stretch them out as I do I can ssort of see the edges of some of the stalls. All pitch black except for the last one. The last one is dimly lit, I can’t make out what is in it but from the top various colors can be made from it, Green, yellow, orange and red.

My mouth hung open, I crouched back down, what the hell is that. My breathing picked up faster and faster. The pounding in my chest started to hurt, the room felt like it was spinning but it was all to dark to tell. Is this some kind of alien or Ghost ? I thought to myself, maybe I should try looking again….maybe those lights might show a shape or something. Slowly just like before I stood again seeing the same similar order of lights as before. A drop of sweat poured down from my chin. What had I stumbled upon, I was transfixed by these lights unable to take my eye’s off of them. They then got brighter. They were about to do something, I was right the glow of the lights slowly moved forward opening it’s stall door. I crouched back down and covered my mouth. Please don’t find me please don’t find me, over and over the words orbited around my brain.

Silence only can be heard but under the stall I see the shadow from the lights moving closer getting brighter under my stall, until it’s light’s are underneath it, even bleeding through the small slit’s of the door.

Ten minutes go by, but the lights stands still. I then act as if I call the police to ensure the stranger could hear; but my phone had no bars, but I warn this being that they are twenty minutes away. Time passes, a curiosity mixed with adrenaline pumps through me. I can’t just stay here. It’s not moving fuck me, ok….ok it looks like I am going to have to fight my way out. I ball my sweaty palms into a fist, I try taking a breath but cannot manage it. Fine, fine then I’m sick of this, the intensity of this fear was too claustorphbic. I had no way out of here but if I was going to die then I would die fighting. I took in three more breaths and slowly unlatched the door. I pulled open the door and was met with…was met with with something unreal, it’s shape was impssible, it’s skin was beautiful, was I still on the same planet?

Music Credits-

@CO.AG Music