Gestorben

I love my new job. It’s the final piece of me I didn’t know I would need yet it all is so amusing.
It’s only the second job I’ve ever had, but this job is amazing. It truly is the best thing in the world.

This happened a while ago at my My last job which was working retail at this 24 hour dollar store. Why there was a dollar store that was opened for 24 hours in the first place is a question that no one could answer, not even the store manager as he seemed like he wanted to get rid of the night shifts anyway.

It was fine I guess; especially for a first job or so I was told. I was stuck with the night shift and It was slow like every other night shift. We never got any customers during the night other than your classic crazies that would be walking into a dollar store at 12 am at night. You could imagine how fun that was; makes me all the more grateful for my new job.

I was sitting at the register trying to pass the time as the internet usually went out every night to cut on costs so I couldnt use my phone. I had finished just finish an internal rant in my mind about how dumb being open during the night was when the tv suddenly turned on in the store playing static.

I was confused for a second, but then saw a good opportunity to have the tv play through my shift. I would go over to the remote and act like I was turning it off, but really I would just change the channels and watch whatever was on to pass the time. I was bad at acting so I was slightly afraid that I would get caught and fired for turning on the tv, but I hated this job and it was necessary to keep it since at the time I was living with my parents. Plus I had gotten enough money to buy one of those huge boxes of Pokémon packs so I was set.

I walked over to it and changed the channel to this random game show. I thought that if I kept on changing the channels it would be more obvious that i was purposefully not turning the tv off and it looked entertaining enough so I let it play “anything could make this night more bearable I thought”. Of course if I new what would have happened my feelings towards leaving the show on would have been much more different.

The tv show looked like it was from another country yet it was fully in English and it didn’t seem like it was dubbed. The show was called Gestorben and the host was this crazed looking guy in a green suit and almost bulging eyes. He had slicked back hair and was tall and lanky with lips that were cherry red and all a round looked like he was some creepy doll. His aura was creepy, probably due to his eyes that looked like they would kill for a drop of water, as if he Hadn’t slept for days. After the title card he stained at the camera still for a couple seconds as if he was making sure that he was live before speaking.

“Welcome everybody to another episode of Gestorben!” “In tonight’s episode we look at our new contestant! One with passion and determination. Cast in your bets now wether you think he will win or not.”

He talked odd in a cartoonish way with sudden outbursts of energy, reminiscent if many cartoon characters like Micky, before sounding like he didnt want to be there, almost as if he was being forced to do this and to this day I can’t fathom why. He would get the energy at what seemed to be the wrong places in his lines, yet always with that creepy smile on his face making the whole thing unsettling.

That was when I noticed that the show had cut to a live feed of me from one of the cameras as the man said “If you haven’t voted vote now because time! Is almost out.”

My heart sank looking at the footage. There on screen was a top down view of me from the security camera in the comer of the room. Showing the whole world me with my long hair and worker outfit.

My mind went blank for a couple of seconds before coming back with a gushing river of explanations filled my mind for what could be happening. It took me a couple of seconds to get out of my shaken upstate and to come up with a logical solution that the store had been hacked. All the electronic le stuff cam from the same room, and though I had never been in there, I assumed that it must’ve been hackable somehow.

I stood up and ran to the doors, but ended up just running into them instead. I was a little startled at first since the doors were automatic and they didn’t open, but then I remembered that there was a mode that kept them perpetually closed. A feature that had been installed in the doors to keep people out that seemed like a threat. I couldn’t see the irony of the situation before the man said “Alright. Voting time is up! Let’s see if our hero will prevail.”

I grabbed my chair and went to try to break the door with a chair and after hitting it once I saw the dark silhouette of a man standing outside. I stared at him startled when we made eye contact for a second and that’s when he flashed his gun at me. I started freaking out realizing this had been fully organized by a group of people, but before I could finish the thought I heard:

“That’s not going to get you anywhere hero!The only way to set sail is to prevail.”

I slowly backed away and turned back at the tv not having another choice when the man said:

“Alright. Your first task is simple and easy! Don’t open the employees room door! Your timer starts now.”

As I saw a 5 minute timer go on screen I began to hear muffled screams coming from inside the room. It sounded like my boss.

“Let me out of here you freak shows! Let me loose!”

My heart began to race and I yelled

“ hey whatever your name is what happens to my boss if I don’t open the door!?”

“The names Gestorben and the bigger question is what happens to you!”

A laugh track played I look back at the front door to see that man still standing there watching me from a distance.

“Is somebody out there!? Get me out of here! I have money if that’s what you want.”

I began to think about wether or not I should open the door when

“4 minutes remaining! Looking good.”

That’s when the screams got louder.

“Please somebody help me! I’ll do anything! JUST GET ME OUT OF HERE!”

Another laugh track played as the tv went back to static for me. I could only assume that they were being showed what’s inside at that point.

I new that beyond that door something horrible must have just been revealed to him in there judging from his voice.
My mind was a mess thinking about the morality in this situation and before I knew it.

“3 minutes remaing. This is where it gets tough!”

My Veins ran cold as my body froze and my mind went blank as I heard a saw begin to run.

“SERIOUSLY HELP! PLEASE ILL GIVE YOU ANYTHING!”

My mind was thinking about the situation and why it had to be me, my emotions were everywhere, as I stood still as a statue. The screams of my boss not stopping.

“2 minutes left! This guy is resilient.”

The saw began to slowly get louder along with my bosses screams. I started to panic thinking about the fact that his life could really be in my hands and if I didn’t open the door I would be willingly ending a mans life. I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t bear to keep hearing his voice when the buzz saw went quiet and heard my boss whisper

“Thank you”

And just as the same thing ran through my mind I heard:

“1 minute.”

The saw suddenly started again louder and faster! I didn’t know what to do. My boss started screaming again. The saw getting louder fast.

I started to consider everything. My life and his. Thinking about my future and his. I couldn’t take it anymore. Then I collapsed to the ground crying.

“30 seconds.”

I slowly rise and grab the door handle about to open it just to make it all stop before thinking to myself that I hold more value then him right? I mean after all I am more young and still have my life ahead of me ... and he was old and he had lived all of his life already with white hair that already seemed king gone. His kids had already moved out and his wife had already died and my parents siblings and friends were all still here so it would be less impactful if he died right?

“10
9
8 ...”

“Just another drop in the bucket” I thought although even I couldn’t fully agree with the statement at the time. I slowly backed away as the count down ended.

“3
2
1
ZERO!”

I heard my boss scream from the inside and I collapsed again. A few seconds after the saw stopped too and all was quiet for a couple of seconds before a small golden pin half covered in blood came out from under the door.

“Take and wear it with pride! There’s only two more pins until your reward! Let’s move on to our next game.”

Before I even had enough time to fully process the fact that some old mans innocent blood was on my hands and before I could regret anything I hear:

“Next up is a slightly more difficult game! Restock the shelves before time runs out.”

I began moving as soon as I saw the timer with only 3 minutes thinking that it would be a waste of a life if I didn’t make it out alive. I knew this store like the back of my hand and easily put all of the items back; after all this was my job. I had just finish putting back the last can on the shelf when I hear:

“2 minutes left.”

I started to panic thinking if I had missed something so I shouted “am I right?!”

“The timer will stop when you’re right!”

I ran to the item thinking about what could be wrong when I noticed that the cans said in small text Gestorben and I realized that these weren’t the real tags. I ran peeling the tags off and seeing what the real items were. Running I put them all on the right spots when

“1 minute! While he prevail?”

I ran thinking what could be wrong looking though all of the cans one by one. Making sure that it was on the right spots.

“ 30 seconds.”

I was nearing the end when I noticed that I didn’t fully take off the tags of some of them and realized that it must be what was wrong. Quickly peeling off thefake stickers as Gestorben counted down
“10
9
8 ..”

I barley finished at five during the count down when he announced.

“Good job. Everyone who voted that you would win must be ecstatic right now. Will we have our winner?”

I bent down to to pick up another pin that came out of seemingly no where on the floor.

“Your next task is to wait for the timer to end.”

I noticed while getting up that there was a slight hatred of his voice when all off a sudden I fell to the ground with my right shoulder hot. I put my hand on it and realized that I was bleeding. I had gotten shot from the outside even though I was behind a shelf and you couldn’t clearly see me form any windows. That’s when I heard 5 more shots and then the sound of a gun hitting the floor.

I stood up when I made eye contact with the man. He was the same guy from the outside; I knew form the gun, his dark suit, and his general big figure that it was him. We made eye contact and I noticed that he had a similar crazed look in his eyes like Gestorben and he had a clever in his hand. I took one last glance to see a 7 minute timer counting down barely at 6:30 when he took a swing at me.

I dodged barley with the skin of my teeth and I began to run. The man ran after me catching up insanely fast. I knew that this was not his first time doing this. He swung again and again and again each time I barley dodged. I noticed that he wasn’t going for something that would kill me like my head or chest, he was going for my limbs. “What the hell was this guy trying to do to me!” I accidentally blurted out.

“Why don’t you stick around and find out.”

He said sinisterly as if he really wanted me dead as another laugh track played. After I dodged I managed to get a good hit in a blind spot although I knew I would be able to beat him head one I knew that it would buy me sometime. That’s when I looked at the camera the revealed a loose shelf that could be knocked over. I remember getting things from under the shelves all the time and never noticing any of them loose “is this part of the game too!?” I thought.

It was my only bet so I ran in between the shelves pulling down on the loose one to knock them down. He caught up with me and sliced my right arm. My right arm was practically a useless piece hanging piece of meat like it for sale in a butcher shop. The adrenaline gave me just enough strength to know the shelf down, trapping us both. I would be lying if I said that I fully hated this; the adrenaline and this whole experience was amazing in a twisted, horrific sort of way.

I looked up at the timer and saw only a minute left. I sighed in relief when suddenly the cans from the shelf began rolling around and the weight on my chest began to be lifted. I began to think of ways out of this, but it seemed that I was out of luck. I began to try to get up and run, but the cut on my shoulder was to painful to push myself to my feet. The man drew closer as my life flashed before my eyes and all I could think was “why me? Why today? why why Why WHY!?”. I hadn’t realized yet, but it all happened to help me realize the end what I truly care about.

I closed my eyes preparing to go through all of the pain when his body fell limp on top of me. I looked outside and saw another man with a gun who looked similar to the one in the store with me. He simply got back into a car and left. In the blood of the crazy man there was the final pin. I shouted:

“Hey i beat your game now let me out of here!”

“Congratulations you can now claim your prize!”

He shouted. All of the joy in his voice gone with only anger left. The doors went open and I sighed in relief at the end of the night when I saw the same green suit that Gestorben had put on. I turned back and yelled

“Is this a joke!”

But was greeted with only static on the tv.

What I did next probably isnt a surprise. It’s what anybody like me would have done. I was faced with a choice and... if I could... I would watch people in this situation over and over again.

After all I love my new job. I only have to work once a month and I get to see idiots fumble around and fail at everything. I love my knew job. I really feel it’s my true calling.

I love my job. I love Gestorben.