[ilikeoldchangke]

Ok calm down. I have to calm down. It’s important to be rational about this.

It’s my first day of work and I’m not about to do anything to jeopardise my career. I decided to just play dumb and keep quiet, at the same time, I would discreetly observed and try and see what the fuck is going on at my work place.



There must be a logical explanation for this . This is Singapore afterall, I don’t think this is some area 51 shit with biohazard zombies running about.


Those things only happen in movies. Perhaps it’s a joke they play on all newcomers, just to freak them out or something.



For the entire 1st month, I did what I was told and I observed and recorded everything the moment I left for home.

It’s pretty mind fucking the weird things that happens at my work place.


First let’s talk about my work.


Right, as a facility manager, aside from calling a few contractors for quotes to fix some of the maintenance issues, I pretty much had nothing to do. It’s not that the role had nothing to do, it just felt like I’m an intern of sort.



Everyone was watching me, seeing how I would fit into the organisation.

I was given minimal work.

Real minimal.




The building itself is pretty new, there were hardly any issues with it to begin with. I thought of conducting a fire drill but the moment I brought it up during my team’s weekly meeting, it was shot down by Uncle Lee.


Uncle Lee : No Jude…. Don’t do anything like this…. The management will decide if there needs to be one….. we recently did one already to comply with the authorities’ requirements.


Jude : Oh… ok…

I shit you not, I spent only about 2 hours clearing my email and work every day, the rest of the time I spent surfing the net on my phone and wandering around talking to people.


Talking to people is interesting.

It’s interesting because I could see them looking at me at the café, waiting to strike up a conversation. Aside from office going crowd, I saw staffs in lab coats as well. I’m not stupid, I know I’m being observed, so I played my role as expected of me.


The smiley, jovial and all too happy to get the job at the company earning my pay yet doing so little.



I hung out with Kathy pretty regularly, especially during tea break hour and lunch. I cannot help but feel Kathy was sort of assigned the role of keeping me in check.

I did not ask about what happened on my first day at work, Kathy did not bring it up too. However, during one of our coffee session, I tactfully asked Kathy why I was selected and not the other candidates.



Kathy : Because you strike Joanna as someone very obedient … hahaha…

As she laughed, I caught the hidden meaning in her statement.


I nodded and indicate to her I understand what she meant and she gave me a wink.

Everyday when I reach home, I would pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.


Immediately after I pinch myself I would have this sinking feeling that maybe after a month, they would reveal that this was all a joke. There was never any job offer and I would not get paid.

Maybe it’s some social experiment or something.


I was wrong.

My pay cheque did come in.


I spent some time staring at my bank account as my first pay cheque was credited into it. I’m getting paid well for doing so little.

Maybe I should just really play dumb and move on.



The blue siren came on regularly, about once a week but I never encountered anything like what I did on my first day. In fact I was beginning to feel as if perhaps it was a test in the first place . Maybe it was done just to fuck with my head or to see if I would spill the beans on what was going on.


I don’t know.

Uncle Lee’s routine is pretty standard. He leaves his access pass at the same spot, hangs his keys at the same place. If I wanted, I could easily take it after he leaves work, after all, everyone leaves work on the dot at 6pm.


Then again, I don’t have a good reason to stay late either, there’s just nothing for me to do.

With all that is going on, Uncle Lee might be just laying a trap as well, perhaps looking to see if I would take the bait.



I know. You must be thinking I’m thinking too much into this but ask yourself this question.

If you see and encounter the same stuff as I did, would you not question the same way I do now ?




22nd October 2015

Thursday

11am



I was done with my work for the day. When I opened my office door, I saw Nina painting her nails at her reception desk. I wanted to shake my head but I can’t. I wanted to ask her to do something but there is none for her to do.

Mrs Fong was loitering around the staff pantry while Uncle Lee reads his newspaper on the couch.


It feels weird not having anything to do.

I walked out of the office and went towards the café. Along the way I bumped into Thomas and Gary.


The same guys I saw grabbing the girl on my first day of work.


Thomas got a little friendlier, we started with just a nod acknowledging each other along the corridor, then the occasional hi. Nowadays, we get by with a ‘hello, going for coffee ?’


Something along the line of knowing you are co-workers yet not close enough to engage in a deeper conversation.

They look a little different that day. Their forehead were peppered with sweat and their shirt was drenched.


Jude : All ok ?

Thomas : yeah.. yeah… all good…


Gary panted too as they jogged down the corridor and passes me by.



I waited for the lift to take me up to the café when I heard a bump at the service riser behind me.

The riser door where the M&E services ran was ajar.


There was tinkling in my spine as I turned and looked at it. It’s just a narrow cupboard space with services and ducts where cables run. I know the cleaner keeps some stuff in it but it’s usually closed. The space is small, barely 30cm deep but if you want, you can probably squeeze yourself inside the narrow space.



Curiosity got the better of me as I ignored the chime of the lift arriving behind me.

I walked towards the door but before I could reach it, it wooshed opened and I saw this girl charge at me with one of the broom the cleaner kept inside the riser.



Girl : AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!...AHH!!!!.. AH!!!

Jude : Woah .. woah !! woah!!... stop.. !!


She just screamed and swung the broom wildly at me, screaming in a hysterical manner.



Now unlike the girl I saw in a white gown on the first day, this was dressed in her homw clothes. Nothing fancy, just a grey shorts and a white singlet. Her hair was messy but I could tell she’s quite pretty.


Her eyes were red from crying I guessed but other than that, she seemed fine. Her legs were toned and her tummy was flat. Her skin looked tan and she definitely looked like someone who worked out a fair bit.



Jude : HEY!!... HEY!!!.. fuck !!!... hey !!


Girl : ARHHHH!!! ..FUCK you !!! fuck off !!! AHRHHHH


I kept skipping backwards trying to avoid the swing of her broom as she pushed me a good 8 to 10 metres away from the lift lobby with her swings.

Then she ran inside the lift and tried to get it to close.


The commotions attracted the attention of a few other co-workers. I saw a couple on lab coats texting away on their phone while one of the older security guard hurried back to the fire command centre. A Auntie who worked in the kitchen hurried away as well.

The lift door would not close.


You needed the access card to activate it.


I could hear her scream and she kept kicking and hammering the control panel in the lift.


Footsteps thundered down the corridor and I saw Thomas, Gary and 3 other guys coming towards the lift lobby. The girl could hear their voices and she dashed out of the lift, screaming and crying for help.



Girl : NO!!! NO!!... no!!... help !! PLEASE!!!,..fuck…. no!!! don’t do this !!! sob… sob…. NO!!!!

She was running towards me and I could see Thomas and guys barely 20 metres away.


Our eyes met, and I could see the same desperation I saw in the girl I met in white gown.


Jude : Here !... follow me. !!


I don’t know what I’m doing.


I really don’t but I knew I had to do it.



If I were to get to the bottom of this, I needed to do this.


Thomas : STOP!!! ..JUDE!!! ..