Sunday Short: Vacancy 2
- Faiz Faisal
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Nadia had been unemployed for almost four months when she found the advertisement.
She had stopped being picky.
Marketing executive.
Customer service.
Administrative assistant.
Receptionist.
She had applied for all of them.
Some companies never replied. Others sent automated rejection emails. A few invited her for interviews, only to disappear afterward.
Her savings were almost gone.
Her landlord had already sent her a reminder.
Her mother kept asking whether she had found anything yet.
Nadia had stopped answering that question.
Then, one Tuesday morning, an advertisement appeared on her screen.
RAVEL DYNAMICS INC.
ADMINISTRATIVE EXECUTIVE
NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
HIGH SALARY
IMMEDIATE START
Nadia stared at the salary.
It was almost twice what she expected.
She applied immediately.
The reply arrived less than five minutes later.
INTERVIEW TODAY. 9:00 AM.
No video call.
No recruiter.
No questions about her qualifications.
Just an address.
She almost ignored it.
But desperation has a strange way of making suspicious things look like opportunities.
So Nadia went.
The building looked familiar.
She couldn't explain why.
It stood between two newer office towers, its concrete exterior stained by years of rain. Most of the windows were dark.
A bronze plaque beside the entrance read:
RAVEL DYNAMICS INC.
The lobby was empty.
Nadia approached the reception desk.
A woman sat behind it.
She didn't look up.
"Excuse me?"
Nothing.
Nadia cleared her throat.
"I'm here for an interview."
The receptionist slowly pointed toward the elevator.
There was no interview form.
No visitor pass.
No security check.
Just the elevator.
Nadia pressed the button.
17.
The doors opened immediately.
The interview was strange.
The man across the desk barely looked at her résumé.
Instead, he asked one question.
"Are you prepared to work hard?"
"Yes."
"Are you reliable?"
"Yes."
"Are you willing to learn?"
"Absolutely."
He nodded.
"Excellent."
Nadia blinked.
"That's it?"
"What else do you need?"
She laughed nervously.
"I don't know. An interview?"
The man smiled.
"You seem suitable."
He slid a contract across the table.
Nadia read it quickly.
Salary.
Benefits.
Paid leave.
Medical coverage.
Everything looked legitimate.
She signed.
The man shook her hand.
"Welcome to Ravel Dynamics."
"Thank you."
He smiled.
"Don't thank me yet."
Nadia laughed.
She assumed it was a joke.
Her first day was surprisingly normal.
She received an employee ID.
A laptop.
A desk.
A company email.
She was introduced to her supervisor, Mr. Tan.
Then came the strangest part.
Everyone was incredibly friendly.
The office was filled with employees quietly working at their desks.
Nobody seemed stressed.
Nobody complained about their bosses.
Nobody talked about quitting.
Nadia thought she'd finally gotten lucky.
Her first assignment was simple.
Update spreadsheets.
Send emails.
Organize documents.
Nothing unusual.
At lunch, she sat with three colleagues.
"How long have you worked here?" she asked.
The woman beside her smiled.
"Long enough."
Nadia laughed.
"That's not an answer."
The woman returned to her food.
"You'll understand."
Nadia thought it was an inside joke.
She didn't ask again.
The days passed.
At least, Nadia thought they did.
She worked.
She ate.
She went home.
She slept.
Then she returned.
Every morning felt strangely familiar.
Sometimes she couldn't remember what she had done the night before.
Sometimes she woke up in bed still wearing her work clothes.
Her mother complained that Nadia never visited anymore.
"I've been busy," Nadia said.
"Busy for how long?"
Nadia paused.
"A few weeks."
Her mother went silent.
"Nadia..."
"What?"
"You started that job almost six months ago."
Nadia laughed.
"No, I didn't."
Her mother frowned.
"You started in March."
Nadia checked her phone.
September.
She stared at the screen.
Six months.
Impossible.
The next morning, Nadia asked Mr. Tan about it.
"How long have I been working here?"
He didn't look up.
"You're doing well."
"No, seriously."
He smiled.
"Six months."
Nadia laughed.
"That's impossible."
Mr. Tan finally looked at her.
"Why?"
"I only remember starting recently."
"That's normal."
"What do you mean?"
"Everyone forgets their first year."
Nadia stared at him.
"Why?"
Mr. Tan returned to his computer.
"You'll understand."
She began paying attention.
That's when she noticed things.
Nobody brought photographs to work.
Nobody decorated their desks.
Nobody talked about holidays.
Nobody seemed to have plans after work.
At exactly 6:00 PM, Nadia would pack her things.
At exactly 6:01 PM, everyone else remained seated.
Typing.
Clicking.
Staring.
Working.
At first, she thought they simply worked overtime.
Then she noticed something else.
Nobody ever left.
Not once.
One evening, Nadia decided to test it.
At 6:00 PM, she stood up.
"Goodnight."
Nobody answered.
She walked toward the elevator.
The office remained silent.
She pressed the button.
Nothing happened.
She pressed again.
Still nothing.
She turned around.
Every employee was still at their desk.
Not one had moved.
"Is everyone staying late?"
Silence.
Nadia walked toward the nearest employee.
"Hey."
Nothing.
She touched his shoulder.
His head slowly turned.
His eyes met hers.
There was no expression.
No irritation.
No surprise.
Nothing.
Nadia stepped back.
"Are you okay?"
The man stared at her.
Then slowly turned back toward his computer.
Nadia noticed something.
His hands were moving.
But there was nothing on the screen.
Just a blank document.
He had been typing on it for hours.
Maybe years.
She looked at the woman beside him.
Same thing.
Typing.
Breathing.
But barely.
Nadia's heart began pounding.
She looked around.
Hundreds of employees.
Hundreds of desks.
Hundreds of people who had apparently forgotten how to go home.
She ran to the bathroom.
Locked herself inside a cubicle.
Her hands shook as she searched the company database.
Employee records.
She typed her own name.
NADIA RAHMAN
The result appeared.
EMPLOYEE SINCE: 14 MARCH 2026
Her blood ran cold.
It was September.
Six months.
She opened her employment history.
There were performance reviews.
Monthly salary records.
Leave applications.
Medical claims.
Everything.
Someone had even uploaded a photograph of her receiving an employee award.
She opened it.
There she was.
Standing on a stage.
Smiling.
Holding a plaque.
She didn't remember any of it.
The photograph was dated three months earlier.
Then she noticed the people standing behind her.
Her colleagues.
All smiling.
All looking directly at the camera.
Except their eyes were completely black.
Nadia closed the file.
She decided to leave.
Immediately.
She packed her belongings.
Laptop.
Phone charger.
Notebook.
Employee ID.
She didn't care about the salary.
She didn't care about the contract.
She just wanted out.
At 6:00 PM, she walked toward the elevator.
This time, it opened.
Nadia stepped inside.
The doors closed.
The elevator descended.
The numbers changed.
Then stopped.
B1.
Nadia frowned.
She hadn't selected it.
The doors opened.
A corridor stretched into darkness.
She heard something beneath the building.
A low vibration.
Almost like breathing.
Nadia stepped out.
The elevator doors closed behind her.
She walked forward.
Then she heard footsteps.
She turned.
Mr. Tan stood at the end of the corridor.
"Nadia."
She ran.
She found a staircase.
It led downward.
One floor.
Two.
Three.
The vibration grew louder.
The smell changed.
Something metallic.
Rotten.
She reached the bottom.
A massive underground chamber opened before her.
Rows of cables covered the walls.
Machines pulsed beneath the concrete.
And everywhere she looked...
there were employees.
Thousands of them.
Sitting at desks.
Working.
Some had been reduced to skeletons.
Some were little more than dried skin stretched over bones.
Others still looked alive.
Barely.
All of them were connected to the building through cables running from their backs and necks.
Nadia covered her mouth.
A voice spoke behind her.
"You weren't supposed to see this yet."
She turned.
Mr. Tan stood there.
Nadia backed away.
"What is this?"
"Our workforce."
"They're dead."
"Some are."
"And the others?"
Mr. Tan smiled.
"They're still productive."
Nadia's eyes filled with tears.
"How long have they been here?"
"Some longer than this building."
"Why?"
"Because the building needs them."
The walls trembled.
Something enormous moved beneath the floor.
Nadia felt the vibration inside her chest.
"What is this place?"
Mr. Tan's smile disappeared.
"You really haven't figured it out?"
A deep rumble shook the chamber.
"The building is alive."
Nadia ran.
She didn't know where.
She simply ran.
She found the elevator.
Pressed the button.
The doors opened.
She jumped inside.
The elevator rose.
B1.
Ground.
She watched the numbers climb.
Then she felt something touch her neck.
Nadia froze.
Her reflection in the elevator doors smiled.
She didn't.
The reflection slowly raised its hand.
Nadia stared.
The doors opened.
She screamed.
The next morning, the office looked normal.
Employees sat at their desks.
Phones rang.
Printers worked.
Coffee machines hummed.
At 8:57 AM, a young woman walked through the lobby.
She looked nervous.
Excited.
Hopeful.
She approached the reception desk.
"I'm here for an interview."
The receptionist pointed toward the elevator.
The young woman smiled.
"Thank you."
She pressed 17.
On the seventeenth floor, Nadia sat at her desk.
Her skin was pale.
Her eyes were empty.
Her fingers moved across the keyboard.
She couldn't remember her name anymore.
She couldn't remember her mother.
She couldn't remember ever having a life outside the building.
But she remembered her job.
That was all that mattered.
Her supervisor walked past.
"Everything going well?"
Nadia smiled.
"Perfectly."
Mr. Tan nodded.
"Good."
He placed a new employee file on her desk.
"You're handling recruitment now."
Nadia looked at the file.
A photograph was attached.
The same young woman who had just entered the building.
Nadia stared at her.
Something stirred inside her.
A memory.
A desperate woman.
A job advertisement.
An interview.
A first day.
A year.
Then nothing.
Nadia opened the recruitment system.
Her fingers moved automatically.
She typed:
URGENT HIRING.
NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED.
HIGH PAY.
IMMEDIATE START.
She clicked POST.
The advertisement appeared online.
Within seconds, applications began arriving.
Nadia smiled.
She finally understood what everyone had been doing.
They weren't working toward a promotion.
They were waiting for replacements.
And once a replacement arrived...
the building could keep feeding.
Deep beneath Ravel Dynamics, something enormous shifted.
The entire building groaned.
Every employee stopped typing.
For one brief second, thousands of dead faces turned toward the ceiling.
Then they continued working.
The building was hungry.
And the vacancy had been filled.
For now.
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