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the ground in exhaustion. Knife shaking dangerously, I
hesitated to venture forward. I kept thinking the body would just explode
upward with a scream. At the same time, I was morbidly curious as to why it was
still there. The others reanimated and took off. Was this one just…in sleep
mode? Or something?
     
                It
was a guy, and I recognized him instantly. He often stocked the totes we
pickers needed near the conveyer belts, and I had never said anything to him
– just acknowledged him with a nod whenever I saw him. My flashlight
crept over him, over his awkwardly sprawled legs and tossed arms. My heart was
thudding hard against my ribcage. I held my breath, unsure if I actually wanted
to see this.
     
                My
knife shook and my wrist grew weak. I was sweating so badly that my shirt clung
to me, and the tactical vest was making it worse. When I spotted no obvious injury
on his body, I ventured forward. Lifted the light up towards his head.
     
                Well…where
should have been his head. There was nothing there. Just a mess where the neck
would have been.
     
                I
turned and vomited. Not much came up, so it stung as I tried to stop myself. It
went up my nose. I coughed and gagged and tripped over my own feet. My
flashlight fell out of my hand, and I hit the concrete with a pained cry. Panic
overwhelmed me, told me the guy was getting up. So I clawed the cold floor for
my dropped flashlight, picked myself up, and went running from him, further
into the darkness.
     
                Once
I reached Gold’s bottom level, I stopped to catch my breath. To hock up a
disgusting logie and spit away from me. Only I looked really stupid doing it,
because I normally don’t spit loogies. Spittle dribbled over my lips and chin,
and snot hung from my nose. I was so disgusted, wiping frantically at myself.
     
                The
light bounced everywhere, illuminating all sorts of books in the shelves around
me. The silence only amplified my attempts to clear my sinuses and my throat. I
coughed and spit onto the concrete. I then paused, cupped the light with one
hand, and listened hard for any sort of movement or sound. Nothing. I was
alone. It was so weird, so scary.
     
                The
darkness was so thick and full that the flashlight didn’t seem to do much
against it. Looking around, I spotted light far away from me, and realized it
was the open door leading into the 1 st section of the warehouse.
Nearly a mile away – this fulfillment center was nearly two miles long,
three wide – I wasn’t exaggerating the miles I walked per ten-hour shift.
I sniffled and wiped my nose with the back of one sweaty hand, and found the
staircase I’d used to come down. Taking every step carefully, I ventured upward.
I kept pausing to listen and look. I only heard my heart thundering loudly, so
I continued on.
               
                By
the time I made it onto the third level, I was slightly out of breath and had
to shake my legs out. They were stiffening up, and I was thirsty. I found the water
station on that level, and took some time to sip at a fresh cup of water. I
heard nothing but thick silence. It was so unnerving. There was never silence
like this – it’s impossible to fully describe. I finished my water and
flashed my light at the shelves open to me. They displayed sex toys, the
occasional book, cartons of snack food. I took a break from key searching to
rip open a carton of protein bars. Stuffed some in my vest and then continued
searching. I didn’t find them on that level, but I found a backpack, a bigger
first aid kit, a long sleeve athletic shirt that I immediately put on
underneath my Halo tee, and some orange juice. I had a warm juicebox while I
gathered some strength in heading down to the first level, to look for my keys
down there. Made plans to retrace my path from the Exit door to the