Latest / Shallow Nights: Scary Bedtime Stories / Journey into the Uncanny: A College Student's Surreal Experience in the World of Barista Training

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Journey into the Uncanny: A College Student's Surreal Experience in the World of Barista Training · Shallow Nights: Scary Bedtime Stories

• 0:12
  My head. Hurts.
• 0:14
  I don't even know why I'm here, why I'm writing this.
• 0:19
  I should be somewhere else, I should be doing something.
• 0:25
  But I keep thinking, I keep thinking I should post here.
• 0:30
  Maybe that would be a good idea. I've always wanted to be a
• 0:35
  barista, sure. It's never been an avid dream of
• 0:39
  mine like the fantasies we have as kids.
• 0:42
  Well, I don't know, maybe someone out there dreams to
• 0:45
  serve coffee for the rest of their life.
• 0:48
  For me, it wasn't really a fantasy like being a ballerina
• 0:53
  or an astronaut. Instead, like many other college
• 0:57
  students killing themselves to make a decent wage, I needed
• 1:00
  cash. I needed cash and I needed it
• 1:04
  bad. I've always marvelled baristas
• 1:06
  though. I've ordered a coffee at 8:00 AM
• 1:09
  before class and watched a sleep deprived teenager turn into some
• 1:13
  kind of artist with whipped cream, transforming my macchiato
• 1:17
  into their canvas. A piece of art worthy of an
• 1:19
  award. Seriously, what they do has to
• 1:23
  be magic. At least that's what I.
• 1:25
  Thought I always. Wondered how they do it, how
• 1:29
  they made these drinks without having a mental breakdown.
• 1:32
  It's the kind of thing I've always known I'd suck at, but I
• 1:36
  wanted to try. So I did some research.
• 1:40
  And by that I mean I went on YouTube and watched the barista
• 1:43
  vlogs. Yeah, they exist.
• 1:48
  I was surprised too. There are hundreds of channels
• 1:52
  all dedicated to half hour videos where you get to watch
• 1:55
  them make these weird and wacky drinks.
• 1:58
  It's kind of therapeutic to watch.
• 2:01
  When I wasn't in class or sleeping, I was watching these
• 2:04
  videos to get a basic idea. I knew I couldn't just go in
• 2:08
  without experience. They would all laugh at me.
• 2:11
  I spent maybe a few weeks researching and writing down all
• 2:15
  the different kinds of coffee, milkshakes and smoothie.
• 2:19
  There were so many combinations and the pace that was done at
• 2:22
  made my brain hurt. You might be sitting there
• 2:25
  thinking making coffee is easy, and it is when you can memorize
• 2:30
  an order and know the combinations by heart.
• 2:34
  After weeks of trying and failing and giving up and trying
• 2:37
  again, I handed in my resume to my local Star Brooks as well as
• 2:42
  pretty much every store in Walking Vicinity.
• 2:45
  Star Brooks had been my go to coffee shop all the way through
• 2:49
  my freshman and junior years of college.
• 2:51
  I'd watched baristas come and go.
• 2:54
  I could even name them Becca who couldn't use the coffee machine.
• 2:59
  Jake, who helped her out, Luca, who always gave me extra whipped
• 3:03
  cream. I wanted to be a part of them.
• 3:06
  They looked like a. Family behind the counter,
• 3:08
  laughing and chatting while making coffees and serving
• 3:11
  customers. I know it's not always like
• 3:14
  that. We're all human.
• 3:17
  Life can be a bitch and get in the way sometimes.
• 3:22
  They looked tired, and their smiles were lesser than shadows
• 3:26
  under their eyes, like they hadn't slept, like they'd been
• 3:30
  up all night. Luca wasn't always smiling.
• 3:33
  Becca wasn't always laughing. They were college kids, and I
• 3:37
  expected them to have at least some humanity, even if customer
• 3:41
  service demanded they shed it. But it was the kind of job I
• 3:46
  wanted. I wasn't expecting a reply.
• 3:49
  It's not out of the ordinary when I don't get replies.
• 3:53
  Most jobs ignore me. I've applied for the local music
• 3:56
  store multiple times, and according to my online
• 3:59
  application, it's still pending. It's been pending for two years,
• 4:03
  so I wasn't helpful. It was more likely that
• 4:07
  independent coffee shops would take me on.
• 4:10
  Still, I waited for several weeks with the application the
• 4:14
  back of my mind. I still watch the barista vlogs
• 4:17
  because it was something relaxing to sit back to after
• 4:19
  class when I was stressing over finals.
• 4:24
  I got a call maybe a week ago, in the middle of class.
• 4:27
  Normally it's my mom, so I have to mute it.
• 4:29
  I didn't recognize the number, but I found myself excusing
• 4:33
  myself from the lecture. The woman on the other end of
• 4:36
  the line had a voice like nails on a chalkboard.
• 4:39
  She seemed way too happy about calling me, like she'd been
• 4:43
  waiting all day. It was jarring.
• 4:46
  Hello there. Am I correct in saying I'm
• 4:49
  speaking to Miss Satori? Yes, I said groggily, suddenly
• 4:54
  forgetting how to speak English. As well as.
• 4:56
  Basic etiquette on a business call.
• 5:00
  I'd found myself falling asleep in the middle of my lecture.
• 5:04
  I tend to do that a lot. Sure, my lectures are
• 5:07
  interesting, but the room is cozy, the ambience of students
• 5:10
  typing and my professor's smooth voice like honey trickling in my
• 5:15
  ears. I shook my head of mind fog and
• 5:19
  pasted on a smile that I knew she couldn't see.
• 5:22
  Yes, speaking. Hello Miss Satori, I apologize
• 5:27
  for the delay in getting back to you.
• 5:29
  My name is Anna, I'm the assistant manager at Starbrooks.
• 5:33
  We love your application, we think you would be a great
• 5:35
  addition to our team. Would you be able to attend an
• 5:38
  interview at around 5? She laughed lightly.
• 5:42
  Again, I apologize for getting back to you so late.
• 5:46
  We've had a lot of applications to get through and you're
• 5:48
  certainly caught my eye. You're a student, right?
• 5:51
  I have to say, Miss Satori, with your current qualifications I
• 5:55
  have in front of me, we think you would be perfect
• 5:59
  qualifications. I had to mentally go over my
• 6:02
  resume. I left school.
• 6:04
  With a 3.9 GPA and I'd worked in my local Sephora in my hometown
• 6:10
  before college, I opened my mouth to correct her, but hey, I
• 6:14
  was going to turn away an opportunity to work as a
• 6:16
  barista. Yes, I said again.
• 6:20
  Anna's words were going in one ear and out the other.
• 6:23
  All I was. Able to say was yes and nod.
• 6:26
  My cheeks felt like they. Were going to burn off.
• 6:29
  She was speaking so fast I could barely understand what she was
• 6:32
  saying. I had to talk over her.
• 6:35
  Yes I'm currently in my senior year.
• 6:38
  I have class 4 * a week. I wasn't sure what I was saying
• 6:41
  and why I was saying it. The words were streaming out of
• 6:45
  me before I could stop myself. I know my roommate lied about
• 6:49
  her grades to get a job in social media marketing.
• 6:52
  They wanted straight A's and she didn't even pass math.
• 6:55
  Still though, they never checked.
• 6:58
  Mom always told me employers never do.
• 7:01
  Anna, however, didn't seem to care.
• 7:04
  It sounded like she was reaching for anything that I was
• 7:06
  apparently good at, instead of just admitting I was the ideal
• 7:10
  candidate because I was a broke college student with barely any
• 7:13
  social life and free nights. They were really exploiting
• 7:17
  kids, huh? Well, we can work around that.
• 7:21
  Anna seemed to say everything with expletive.
• 7:24
  Is five OK today? Yes, today would be preferable.
• 7:29
  We're quiet around 5:00, so that is when we conduct our
• 7:32
  interviews. All right?
• 7:34
  I felt stupid. Yeah, 5 is fine.
• 7:38
  I paused, my heart jackhammering in my chest.
• 7:42
  Do I need any experience? Anna laughed.
• 7:45
  Well, what do you? Think training is for missatori
• 7:49
  experiences of course preferred like in every job.
• 7:53
  However, we put our employees through an induction course
• 7:56
  where they learn all they need to know.
• 7:57
  I can assure you no first hand experience is required.
• 8:01
  She let out a sigh. I have.
• 8:03
  To say this a lot, you have no idea.
• 8:06
  Oh. I perked up a little.
• 8:09
  I'll be there after classes. And do I need to bring anything?
• 8:12
  Anna chuckled. Your brain is all we need, she
• 8:16
  said. And some common sense, of
• 8:17
  course. But no, we don't require
• 8:20
  extensive paperwork. However, we would appreciate.
• 8:23
  A physical copy of your. Resume and your Idi can bring
• 8:26
  them. That's no problem.
• 8:28
  I said. I felt like jumping up and down
• 8:31
  a job, An actual paid job, is a barista where I'd be fully
• 8:34
  trained. The store was maybe a 10 minute
• 8:37
  walk away from my apartment. It was perfect.
• 8:41
  Great, I'll see you there. Anna said, and I couldn't keep
• 8:44
  the grin off my face. She ended the call before I
• 8:47
  could respond, but I didn't care.
• 8:50
  All the way through class, I couldn't stop thinking about the
• 8:52
  interview. A million questions were buzzing
• 8:55
  around in my brain. Would the interview be with Anna
• 8:58
  or with someone else? What if I got choked up and
• 9:01
  messed up? Anna had explicitly said I
• 9:04
  didn't need any experience, but then I was overthinking
• 9:07
  everything she had said. It was polite not to ask for it,
• 9:11
  Right? So what if they did need it and
• 9:14
  Anna expected me to know that? What if she wanted me to make a
• 9:17
  double espresso latte with ten types of sauce and whipped cream
• 9:20
  right in front of her? By the end of class, I was
• 9:23
  sweating and my gut was twisting with nausea.
• 9:26
  I kept picking up my phone and then dropping it in my lap over
• 9:29
  and over again. I wanted to ring Anna and tell
• 9:32
  her I'd made a. Mistake, but that was.
• 9:34
  Just anxiety taking hold. To soothe my mind.
• 9:36
  I grabbed a coffee from the campus store and took slow sips.
• 9:40
  A triple venti half sweet non fat caramel macchiato was my go
• 9:45
  to when I was stressed but that day it was too sweet too.
• 9:49
  Sickly. I couldn't enjoy it without
• 9:52
  worrying about how it was made. On the way out of my last class
• 9:57
  of the day, I checked my phone. 4:45.
• 10:00
  I had 15 minutes to go to the bathroom and make myself at
• 10:03
  least look presentable and then head to the interview.
• 10:07
  By make myself look presentable, I mean comb through my hair with
• 10:10
  my fingers and put in a high pony and wash my face.
• 10:14
  I wasn't an avid believer in astrology, but I was convinced
• 10:17
  the stars were practically screaming that I was going to
• 10:19
  tank my interview. When I walked through the door,
• 10:23
  I was assaulted with the familiar aroma of crushed coffee
• 10:27
  beans and brownies. Here's the kind of smell I was
• 10:30
  used to, and I immediately relaxed.
• 10:32
  Anna greeted me at the counter. She was right, the store was
• 10:36
  pretty dead. I could only glimpse and dead
• 10:38
  eyed college kids and businessmen typing on Macbooks.
• 10:42
  There were 4 interviewees, the other 3 looked to be my age and
• 10:47
  seemed nice enough. Two guys and a girl.
• 10:50
  The girl had pretty hair, I remember thinking it fell in
• 10:54
  blonde waves in front of her face.
• 10:56
  She was way too pretty to be a barista.
• 10:59
  The guys were like no other guys I'd met before, I only knew the
• 11:03
  frat kind and ended up in my roommate's bed every morning.
• 11:06
  These guys, though, were different.
• 11:08
  Like they just stepped out of a Dungeons and Dragons convention.
• 11:13
  One of them had red hair sprouting from a baseball cap
• 11:16
  and had a strong British accent. The other didn't say a word and
• 11:19
  hid under a bright yellow hoodie which hung off a slimmer frame.
• 11:23
  Welcome. Anna was maybe my mom's age,
• 11:26
  with dark hair pulled into a ponytail and a permanent smile
• 11:30
  that seemed to be glued to her face.
• 11:33
  She was exactly the kind of person I'd pictured on the phone
• 11:36
  call. You're all here for the barista
• 11:39
  position. Anna pointed at us individually,
• 11:42
  counting us. Ah, all of you made it.
• 11:45
  That's a relief. None of us spoke, I guess We had
• 11:49
  made a silent mutual agreement to only communicate through nods
• 11:53
  and hums, though Anna didn't seem to mind.
• 11:56
  Great, why don't you follow me to the back and we can get
• 11:59
  started. Excuse me?
• 12:02
  The blonde raised her hand like she was in class.
• 12:05
  Are the interviews separate? Yeah.
• 12:08
  The British guy nodded, playing with a loose curl of his hair.
• 12:12
  Is this a group thing or? Anna shook her head.
• 12:16
  Oh, I thought it was obvious from what I told each of you on
• 12:20
  the phone. You all have the job.
• 12:23
  There is no interview process, I just need you guys to take a
• 12:26
  little test and then we'll be watching a training video as
• 12:29
  part of your induction. She folded her arms.
• 12:33
  Is that OK with you? For it won't take long.
• 12:37
  The guy with the hoodie lifted his head, confusion crinkling
• 12:40
  his expression. Wait, so we're all hired?
• 12:46
  He said something else, the latter of his words enveloped by
• 12:49
  the screeching sound of beans being grounded in the blender.
• 12:54
  I tried not to cover my ears, but that was loud.
• 12:57
  I felt it like knives sticking directly into my skull.
• 13:02
  Hannah was still talking, though I had to step closer to her to
• 13:05
  fully understand what she was saying.
• 13:08
  Yes. Now, if you'll follow me, we're
• 13:11
  going to go someplace quieter. She eyed the blender and the guy
• 13:14
  behind it. He looked several years older
• 13:17
  than the four of us, maybe his late 20s.
• 13:20
  He seemed unfazed by the noise, dancing with his torso to some
• 13:24
  pop song on the radio. Rich.
• 13:27
  Anna's voice broke through the machine's seemingly endless
• 13:30
  whale. Can you turn that off?
• 13:33
  The man, or Rich seemed to snap out of it and nodded, switching
• 13:38
  off the blender. I caught his eye for a moment
• 13:41
  and he held it. I'm not sure why it was awkward,
• 13:44
  so I looked away, but I still felt his eyes on me.
• 13:47
  He didn't speak, only shutting off the blender and turning to
• 13:50
  serve a customer. Thank you.
• 13:53
  Anna rolled her eyes. Please excuse Rich, he's a
• 13:56
  lovely guy. Not the smartest, however.
• 13:59
  She gestured behind the counter and we followed her through a
• 14:02
  pair of swinging doors. We were led onto a narrow
• 14:05
  corridor with stained and cracked Leno and bruised yellow
• 14:08
  walls. Not exactly the most hygienic
• 14:11
  place. Anna took us in the first room.
• 14:16
  It looked to be her office. There were already 4 chairs
• 14:19
  positioned behind a messy desk full of paper and old Star
• 14:22
  Brooks cups. I noticed a binder hanging off
• 14:25
  the edge. There was something printed on
• 14:27
  the front that looked familiar. I'd seen it before, it was a
• 14:31
  logo of some sort, but I couldn't remember where I'd seen
• 14:34
  it. Before I could look further,
• 14:37
  Anna placed a stray cup over it. She took a seat behind an
• 14:40
  expensive looking laptop which was idle.
• 14:43
  If you would like to sit down, I'll be with you in a moment.
• 14:47
  Anna started typing on her computer, grabbing paperwork and
• 14:50
  sorting them into a pile next to her.
• 14:53
  I grabbed a seat and watched her.
• 14:55
  I figured the mess of paperwork were our resumes.
• 14:59
  The four of us sat in the comfortable silent for a moment
• 15:02
  while Anna typed vigorously on her laptop.
• 15:05
  When my palms were starting to go sweaty in my lap, she finally
• 15:09
  lifted her head. All right, so there's something
• 15:13
  I'd like you guys to fill out first.
• 15:16
  It's just a small test so I can get to know you a little more.
• 15:20
  She stood up and grabbed a handful of paper before
• 15:22
  depositing a sheet to each of us, and then she gave us a pen.
• 15:27
  The blonde looked up. So we just filled these in?
• 15:31
  Yep. Oh, just wait a second.
• 15:34
  Anna disappeared out of the door for a moment, and the four of us
• 15:37
  exchanged the looks. The others looked like they were
• 15:40
  going to laugh. It seemed.
• 15:42
  Absurd that we were being tested like we were back in school.
• 15:45
  I was so used to. Using a laptop and typing, I
• 15:48
  struggled to remember if I was right or left-handed.
• 15:52
  Anna came back in a rush, her cheeks pink.
• 15:55
  She was holding 4 cups of coffee, depositing them in front
• 15:58
  of us. When I picked mine up.
• 16:00
  It was a simple black coffee. Anna told us we had 10 minutes
• 16:04
  to complete the test before wandering out of the room.
• 16:07
  Outside I noticed it had started to get dark.
• 16:11
  The sky was awash with pretty oranges and yellows.
• 16:14
  I took a sip from the cup and burnt my tongue.
• 16:17
  It tasted good. It was the type of coffee I
• 16:21
  worshipped when I stayed up all night to write an essay.
• 16:24
  There was a Tang to it and I wondered what it was.
• 16:27
  Maybe syrup or added espresso? Pushing mostly stray thoughts to
• 16:32
  the back of my mind, I focused on the first question.
• 16:35
  The scratching sounds of pen on paper filled the room and I
• 16:39
  hurried to follow behind the other 3.
• 16:41
  The font was weird, I noticed. I don't think I recognized it.
• 16:45
  It reminded me of a doctor's scrawl.
• 16:48
  Question one, what is your name? Simple enough by thought, I
• 16:52
  wrote Maki Satori. My handwriting wasn't the best,
• 16:55
  but I figured that didn't matter.
• 16:58
  Question 2, What is your age? Reading the text was hurting my
• 17:02
  eyes. Squinting, I scribbled 22.
• 17:06
  Question three confused me. It was a math question.
• 17:09
  Not an easy one either. I wasn't great at math, so I was
• 17:13
  automatically struggling with the pressure of trying to figure
• 17:16
  out some complicated problem. Combined with the text.
• 17:19
  My head was starting to hurt. After a while of trying to count
• 17:23
  on my fingers, failing to count in my head, and risking a glance
• 17:27
  at the blondes paper, I wrote my best guess, which I knew was
• 17:30
  wrong. I knew it was wrong because it
• 17:33
  was a random number. Come on, I thought, it's not
• 17:36
  like the math problem mattered. Exhaling out of breath, I moved
• 17:40
  on to the next question. Question 4.
• 17:44
  Read this paragraph very carefully.
• 17:47
  Do you suffer from sleep deprivation?
• 17:49
  Do you suffer from sleep deprivation?
• 17:52
  Do you suffer from sleep deprivation?
• 17:54
  Do you suffer from sleep deprivation?
• 17:57
  Do you suffer from sleep deprivation?
• 18:00
  Do you suffer from sleep deprivation?
• 18:02
  Do you suffer from sleep deprivation?
• 18:05
  Yes. No, my eyes felt heavy, a dull
• 18:11
  fog settling over my mind. It kept going halfway down the
• 18:14
  page. I couldn't stop reading it, like
• 18:16
  the words were leading my eyes further down.
• 18:19
  No, I didn't, I thought. But the more I read, the more I
• 18:22
  started to wonder if I did. I did stay up most nights
• 18:26
  because of my assignments. I circled yes.
• 18:29
  Question 5, Are you alone right now?
• 18:33
  Yes, No. My pen started to shake in my
• 18:37
  hands. I knew I wasn't, but it was
• 18:40
  clear the test was trying to mess with my head and wanted
• 18:43
  out-of-the-box answers. After hesitating, I circled yes.
• 18:48
  Question 6. Are you sure?
• 18:51
  Yes, no. When I glanced up my stomach
• 18:55
  twisted. I could see the girl's head
• 18:57
  bobbing up and down, one of the guys chewing his pen, but I
• 19:01
  still felt like what I was seeing was wrong.
• 19:05
  Slowly, I scribbled out my first answer and circled No question
• 19:11
  7. There are five of you in this
• 19:13
  room right now. Two out of the following does
• 19:16
  not exist. I dropped my pen, but something
• 19:20
  came over me, a sensation taking over my hands.
• 19:24
  I grabbed it quickly, my gaze skimming over the multiple
• 19:27
  choice answers. I wanted to leave, to throw my
• 19:30
  paper down and get the hell out of there, but something came
• 19:33
  over me, my hold on the pen tightening.
• 19:36
  I couldn't let go of it. Ben, Sam, Luna, Jack, me, I
• 19:44
  don't exist. When I risked a look up, I was
• 19:49
  seeing three faces. I knew there were three faces.
• 19:52
  I'd learned their names before we'd all walked in and shared a
• 19:55
  cigarette with Sam in the rain. I'd laughed at Luna's anecdote
• 19:59
  about her overprotective mother and smiled at Ben when he'd
• 20:03
  offered a shy wave. So why couldn't I remember?
• 20:07
  I remembered walking in the door.
• 20:09
  I remember Anna's bright smile, rich behind the coffee machine,
• 20:12
  shooting me a scowl. So why couldn't I remember them?
• 20:16
  The test wanted an answer, so I hesitantly circled Jack.
• 20:21
  Question 8. Are you enjoying this test?
• 20:25
  Yes, yes, yes. Swallowing something rancid,
• 20:30
  crawling up my. Throat.
• 20:32
  I circled Yes. The others weren't reacting to
• 20:34
  the test, and I couldn't help wondering why.
• 20:37
  It was some kind of trick, surely, but none of them were
• 20:40
  speaking. When I glanced up, they were
• 20:42
  embroiled in their own papers. My head was starting to pound,
• 20:46
  the taste of coffee still lingering on my tongue, making
• 20:49
  me nauseous. Outside, it was pitch black.
• 20:53
  When I looked around for a clock, there was none, though I
• 20:56
  could have sworn there had been one above Anna's desk.
• 20:59
  I'd seen it because I remember being surprised that it was
• 21:03
  almost 6:45. I'd arrived at 5.
• 21:07
  My head started to spin. Had we really spent an hour
• 21:11
  greeting Anna? How had I lost a whole hour?
• 21:13
  Not even realized it? And why was I only noticing this
• 21:17
  now? Blinking rapidly, I moved on to
• 21:20
  the next question. Question 9.
• 21:24
  How long did it take you to realize Jack does not exist?
• 21:28
  You have always known. You only just realized.
• 21:31
  I circled B. The next question stood out
• 21:34
  among all the rest. It was in block capitals.
• 21:38
  Question 10, Find the Red Square.
• 21:43
  There were no answers, no multiple choice options.
• 21:46
  After a disorienting second of staring at my paper like an
• 21:49
  idiot, I scanned the page and then turned it over, searching
• 21:52
  for any red squares. There weren't any.
• 21:55
  I was flipping my paper over, squinting, trying to see if they
• 21:58
  were hidden in the text or they could only be seen when you
• 22:02
  really concentrated, when Anna breezed back through the door.
• 22:06
  All right, pens down, she ordered.
• 22:08
  I didn't even get to recheck my answers before she was tearing
• 22:11
  the paper from my hands again. I expected the others to say
• 22:16
  something like the kind of thing that was burning in the back of
• 22:19
  my mouth. What the hell, I wanted to say.
• 22:23
  I wanted to stand up and walk out of there, but the way Anna
• 22:27
  positioned herself in front of us made me realize she wasn't
• 22:30
  finished. I felt for my phone to get a
• 22:33
  proper look at the time, but it wasn't in my pocket.
• 22:36
  I started to inwardly panic, but then I remembered.
• 22:39
  Oh yeah, that fog was back, encasing my mind in cotton
• 22:43
  candy. I left it in my bag, which was
• 22:46
  in the storage room. How could I forget?
• 22:49
  I was so, so clumsy sometimes. How did you find the test?
• 22:53
  Anna asked, her eyes piercing each of us.
• 22:56
  The blonde, Luna stood up with a shaky smile.
• 23:02
  Do you mind if I get going? Your voice was panicked.
• 23:06
  I don't think this is the job for me.
• 23:09
  Anna nodded, still with that bright smile.
• 23:12
  Of course Luna, after the training video, but I don't want
• 23:16
  the job. She whispered.
• 23:18
  Can I please go yes? After the training video.
• 23:23
  Now follow me. Anna said, her tone growing
• 23:26
  stern. I waited for Luna to give up and
• 23:29
  walk out, but she didn't. She nodded slowly, her cheeks
• 23:32
  paling. It was almost like the four of
• 23:35
  us were trapped under a spell. We couldn't move, we couldn't
• 23:38
  question authority. When alarm bells started ringing
• 23:41
  in our heads, they were quickly silenced.
• 23:44
  I stood up too, my body tipped to the left and then the right.
• 23:49
  The clock was back 1135. The time struck me as wrong.
• 23:56
  No, it couldn't be 11. We had only been in the office
• 23:59
  for 20 minutes. I opened my mouth to say this,
• 24:03
  but Anna was already ushering us to the door and back down the
• 24:06
  hallway. But we weren't going back to the
• 24:09
  storefront, we were going deeper.
• 24:12
  The corridor felt like it was going on forever and time, time
• 24:16
  seemed to slow down. I could see an ending to the
• 24:19
  corridor, but the closer I got to it, it got further away, like
• 24:23
  it was playing with me. When I was staring hard at
• 24:26
  Anna's back, I could still see the words.
• 24:28
  Do you suffer from sleep deprivation?
• 24:31
  Still flickering at the backs of my eyes when I shook my head, I
• 24:35
  glimpsed something small, something white bouncing along
• 24:39
  with the others. A tiny white rabbit.
• 24:43
  I shook my head again, but no, I wasn't seeing things.
• 24:47
  The tiny rabbit turned to look directly at me with beady eyes
• 24:50
  and lifted a small white paw. It was gesturing for me to keep
• 24:54
  going, bouncing between the boy's legs, so I did.
• 24:58
  I kept going until the corridor ended on a simple wooden door.
• 25:02
  When Anna told us to go inside, I stopped at.
• 25:05
  The threshold just. Looking at the room sent
• 25:08
  slithers of panic down my spine, but something pushed me forward
• 25:12
  despite my body refusing to follow.
• 25:15
  The room reminded me of an old classroom.
• 25:18
  The walls were starched white and there were 4 desks.
• 25:21
  That was it, 4 walls and four desks.
• 25:25
  The others were hesitant walking in, and I followed, keeping an
• 25:28
  eye on the door. The rabbit had disappeared.
• 25:31
  Anna stood at the front, still smiling like she knew something.
• 25:35
  We didn't. Sit down, please.
• 25:38
  She nodded at the desks. Any desk will do.
• 25:42
  Is this another test? Luna acted like the desk was
• 25:45
  teeming with spiders when she took an uncertain seat.
• 25:49
  Anna shook her head No, this is the last stage of your
• 25:52
  induction. When I slumped down at the desk,
• 25:56
  the boys falling suit the door opened and I recognized the guy
• 26:00
  who had been grinding coffee beans rich.
• 26:04
  He wheeled an ancient. Looking TV set inside.
• 26:06
  The room, positioning it in front of us, I felt like I was
• 26:09
  back at school, Back in middle school, when the teacher would
• 26:12
  let us watch Bill Nye the science guy.
• 26:14
  I'd always found the introduction kind of
• 26:16
  hypnotizing. The room suddenly went dark and
• 26:20
  the TV flickered onto a dark blue screen.
• 26:23
  Rich left, and Anna leaned against the door with her arms
• 26:26
  folded across her chest again. I wanted to speak, I think we
• 26:31
  all did, but the words wouldn't form coherently in my mind.
• 26:36
  The television flickered again like an old VCR before text
• 26:40
  appeared in bright white silver screen.
• 26:42
  Home Video system Raj Blue Introductory training test 1
• 26:47
  Intro test 2 Mirror Test 3 Lullaby I waited for something
• 26:54
  to happen. For a moment, there was nothing
• 26:56
  before the top option blinked like it was being selected.
• 27:00
  After a second, the screen erupted into.
• 27:02
  Static before a video started. It had reminded me of those old
• 27:06
  VCRS my parents still had at home.
• 27:08
  I could tell it was damaged or it had been used too many times
• 27:12
  because it kept skipping colors mixing into one confusing hue.
• 27:16
  I've seen some training videos from McDonald's on YouTube and
• 27:19
  it was similar to that. Music started.
• 27:24
  It was an upbeat and playful. A woman popped out of nowhere
• 27:28
  with a wide smile. She looked to be in the
• 27:30
  background of a star Brooks. There were people in the
• 27:33
  background making coffee and loud laughter and chat.
• 27:38
  The presenter looked directly into the camera.
• 27:41
  You've just landed your dream job with us.
• 27:44
  She said loudly, never losing that smile.
• 27:47
  So what next? Well, we have to train you up,
• 27:51
  of course. The screen flashed to three
• 27:54
  teenagers in 70s where the woman's voice continued while
• 27:57
  the camera panned on each one. We're going to show you the
• 28:02
  do's. It cut to the woman nodding with
• 28:04
  a smile and the don'ts. Her grin twisted into a frown.
• 28:10
  Of working at your favorite coffee chain.
• 28:12
  Now, without further ado, let's get started.
• 28:16
  Sarah's going to show you guys everything you need to know.
• 28:21
  The screen cut to a kid washing their hands vigorously and Comic
• 28:24
  Sans text popped up above her head.
• 28:27
  Let's talk about hygiene, the presenter said.
• 28:31
  Now you're going to wash your hands three times, OK, And then
• 28:35
  put on your apron just like Sarah.
• 28:39
  The camera panned to the girl doing exactly what the presenter
• 28:42
  was saying. I watched Sarah being LED
• 28:45
  through several steps which included checking stock.
• 28:48
  Making. Sure, surfaces were clean before
• 28:51
  she finally put a plastic cup on the counter.
• 28:54
  The woman appeared again, this time slightly off screen, and
• 28:57
  the screen collapsed into static.
• 29:00
  The video was still going on and I could hear the presenters
• 29:02
  voice but there was something overlaying.
• 29:05
  The garbled static. At first I thought I was seeing
• 29:09
  things before the screen turned a bright white.
• 29:12
  It was so bright I wanted to look away.
• 29:14
  I wanted to cry out, but I couldn't.
• 29:18
  There was text in front of me, those same words on my task and
• 29:22
  block capitals, practically screaming at me find the red
• 29:26
  squares, but there weren't any. I couldn't find any.
• 29:31
  The video jumped back into frame.
• 29:33
  Sarah was making a mocha and the presenter was standing behind
• 29:35
  her. While I was watching the
• 29:37
  demonstration, that same message played again over and over in my
• 29:42
  mind. Find the red squares.
• 29:45
  Find the red squares. I was looking for them.
• 29:48
  Forcing my way through the footage, through the static, I
• 29:52
  was half aware of Anna in front of me.
• 29:55
  I felt her breath on my cheeks. I felt her cold hands forcing my
• 29:59
  wrist to the armrest and pinning them down with something Velcro.
• 30:03
  I couldn't cry out. My eyes were glued to the screen
• 30:07
  when I tried to shut them. Anna's ice cold fingers were
• 30:10
  prying them open. Something replaced her fingers.
• 30:15
  Tape. Tiny pieces of tape held my
• 30:18
  eyelids open. I managed to move my lips, but
• 30:22
  all I can manage was a soft moan.
• 30:25
  I had no choice. I had to watch.
• 30:28
  I had to find the squares. I had to find the squares.
• 30:32
  I had to find the squares. I had to find the squares.
• 30:38
  The screen flickered from red to orange.
• 30:41
  Then the Star Brooks presenter was back making something.
• 30:44
  A mocha, I thought. Yes, a mocha.
• 30:48
  Her eyes flicked to the camera. OK, So what we're going to do to
• 30:52
  make the perfect mocha? Is she started to?
• 30:55
  Explain. And I found myself mouthing her
• 30:58
  words. They came so easy to me, pouring
• 31:01
  from my lips but with no sound. I noticed something at the
• 31:05
  corner of my eye. Something was pulsing at the top
• 31:09
  of the screen, a Red Square. When my eyes found it, the
• 31:13
  square moved to the middle, then was at the bottom left hand
• 31:16
  corner. I followed it eagerly, the
• 31:19
  faster it was. My eye movements tracked it
• 31:22
  perfectly. When the presenter had finished
• 31:24
  the drink and was holding it up in the air, I was tracking 12
• 31:27
  different squares flashing from corner to corner, left to right.
• 31:32
  OK then test 1. The presenter's voice dulled in
• 31:36
  my mind. It sounded less enthusiastic and
• 31:39
  over the top. No, it was a voice telling me
• 31:42
  what to do. It was giving me.
• 31:44
  It was giving me an order. Come on guys, I, I just showed
• 31:48
  you. The woman was laughing, her grin
• 31:51
  growing bigger and bigger. Step one I found myself saying,
• 31:57
  the others echoing. Wash your hands.
• 32:01
  Very good, the woman on the screen smiled like she could
• 32:04
  hear us. And what?
• 32:06
  Step 2. The red squares were back, but
• 32:09
  they were bigger, growing bigger and bigger.
• 32:13
  Step 2, we said. We grind the beans in the
• 32:17
  blender. That's right, the woman said.
• 32:22
  And what if your establishment does not have a blender?
• 32:25
  We use a rolling pin, we said back.
• 32:29
  The woman nodded. You're doing so well, guys.
• 32:33
  Why don't you give yourself a pat on the back?
• 32:36
  I strained to move my hands to do it, but I couldn't move.
• 32:40
  The woman's smile grew. There you go.
• 32:44
  Now Step 3. Come on, say it with me and
• 32:47
  remember service with a smile. I don't want to see any frowns.
• 32:52
  The red. Squares were glowing brighter.
• 32:55
  I felt my lips widening into a grin that hurt my jaw.
• 32:59
  The presenter's image wavered and she looked almost 3D, like
• 33:03
  she was coming out of the TV. Step three.
• 33:07
  Our voices fell In Sync with hers and I couldn't control
• 33:09
  myself. I couldn't control my body.
• 33:13
  I couldn't control my smile that had quickly become a demented
• 33:15
  grin. We start.
• 33:18
  Whipping the cream and clearing the surfaces of any unused
• 33:22
  ingredients. The red squares were flashing in
• 33:26
  every corner now. I caught each one and every
• 33:29
  question the woman asked me. I answered when the screen
• 33:32
  flashed to another bright red screen with the words Please
• 33:35
  stand by. I felt my left eye strain.
• 33:39
  Whatever was holding it open was struggling.
• 33:41
  And then something snapped. The tape or.
• 33:44
  Whatever it was came loose. My left eye was free, and once
• 33:48
  it was that something was screaming, piercing my ear, I
• 33:52
  felt it rooted inside of me, something alive, something
• 33:56
  crawling directly inside my skull.
• 33:59
  With my eyes free, I blinked, and then I blinked again.
• 34:02
  The training video seemed to snap out of existence, replaced
• 34:05
  by a white screen. The following footage is top
• 34:09
  secret. Unauthorized viewing of the
• 34:11
  following is punishable BY06-356-GM. 6C.
• 34:16
  Protocol. If a subject resists, please
• 34:19
  refer to protocol H912. Neutralization, please stand by.
• 34:26
  But the others were still talking.
• 34:28
  I realized I could hear them reciting another coffee recipe
• 34:31
  in a Symphony drone. Whatever the training video was,
• 34:35
  it wasn't playing for Anna. Only for us, only for me.
• 34:39
  When my eyes were completely open, it didn't take Anna long
• 34:43
  to notice the dull fog that had been choking my brain for hours
• 34:46
  was starting to lift all those thoughts that had been.
• 34:49
  Forced to back. Were drifting back into the
• 34:52
  forefront of my mind. I managed to tear one wrist
• 34:55
  free, but Anna was in front of me before I could try anything
• 34:58
  else. I remember crying out.
• 35:01
  I remember begging her, but she didn't listen.
• 35:04
  Her smile was gone. I didn't see a woman in charge
• 35:07
  of a coffee chain. I saw someone else, someone a
• 35:11
  lot higher up. When my eyes were held open once
• 35:14
  again, my panicked gaze found the screen, which once again
• 35:18
  flickered back to the training video.
• 35:21
  The presenter and Sarah were back in front of the camera like
• 35:24
  they were waiting for me. The presenter was shaking her
• 35:27
  head with a frown. Uh oh, she said.
• 35:31
  Looks like someone is lagging behind.
• 35:33
  Let's try this again, shall we? Yes, the others drowned.
• 35:38
  Let's try this again. If you're wondering what
• 35:42
  happened after that, I have no idea.
• 35:46
  I remember going back to my apartment.
• 35:48
  I fell asleep and woke up three days later.
• 35:51
  My roommate thought I was dead. Worse still, I keep blacking out
• 35:55
  at random times of the day. I'll be at home on my laptop and
• 35:58
  then I'm sitting in my kitchen talking to my roommate with no
• 36:01
  memories of the conversation. When I asked her what was going
• 36:04
  on, she seemed confused. This morning I woke up standing
• 36:09
  in the back rooms of Star Brooks.
• 36:11
  Sam, Luna, and Ben were with me. Anna was talking to us, but I
• 36:14
  don't remember what she was saying.
• 36:17
  There were two men in black standing either side of her.
• 36:20
  I think they were armed, though I can't be sure.
• 36:24
  I don't know if this is even real.
• 36:27
  I don't know if my mind is playing tricks on me.
• 36:29
  I keep blacking out and waking up somewhere completely
• 36:32
  different. I've had this recurring
• 36:34
  nightmare that I'm strapped down, the room is dim and there
• 36:38
  is no light. The only light is the one
• 36:40
  looming over me. It's so bright it.
• 36:43
  Hurts my eyes. Something sharp is pointed
• 36:46
  directly at my face. There are people in white
• 36:49
  dotted. Around me they wear masks and
• 36:52
  stare at me with quizzical eyes that don't blink.
• 36:55
  Every nightmare I have, the needle gets closer.
• 37:00
  My roommate thinks I need to go and see a doctor.
• 37:04
  I told her the star Brooks video did something to me but she
• 37:07
  thinks I'm playing around. I just know I'm not the same.
• 37:12
  I don't sleep. I barely.
• 37:14
  Eat. I can't remember the last time I
• 37:16
  went to class. I don't work at Starbrooks, and
• 37:20
  yet I'm always there. I'm always standing in front of
• 37:23
  Anna, but her words never make sense when I try to go over them
• 37:27
  in my head, I just know I have to do something.
• 37:32
  I have to do something important.
• 37:35
  I know something for sure. Whatever I'm doing, I don't
• 37:39
  think I'm making coffees.