Chapter 5

It turned out the message was from Hitomi. But… why was she showing this kind of concern now? After everything? I typed back slowly, “Thank you for the advice, but I don’t need it.” Her reply came instantly. “I’ll try to get you a recommendation letter. You can still change your mind.” Just as I was about to type a response, the lights suddenly went out. The room was instantly swallowed by shadows. Only faint daylight from the windows kept it from going completely dark. “Guys… can someone help me open the door?” Syifa called out from near the entrance, her voice strangely uneasy. Eric and a few other men quickly moved to help. “You should probably stop dieting. Might actually help you open a door,” Eric joked, his tone light, but there was tension beneath it. “Oh, shut up! Just help me open it! I want to go buy some fruit from the minimarket downstairs,” Syifa snapped, her annoyance not hiding the nervous edge in her voice. “Yeah, yeah… fine, fine…” Eric reached for the handle. Click. Nothing. He tried again. Bang! Bang! Bang! Still nothing. The door wouldn't budge. “Tch… Maybe you need to eat more,” Syifa said mockingly, but the humor was gone from her voice. More people gathered. Hands gripped the handle. They all tried, together. Still locked. Then it happened. The window blinds began to lower. One by one. Slowly. Mechanically. Click… click… click… The office was just recently renovated, and these window blinds look different. They resemble the metal rolling doors you see at Asian shops. The room darkened further with each blind that fell, as if someone, or something, was sealing us in. No one moved. No one spoke. Only the low hum of silence… and the faint sound of someone breathing faster than the rest. Everyone stood frozen, eyes darting, minds trying to make sense of what was happening. Then I felt it, that creeping chill crawling up my spine. “I… I think we’re locked in…” I whispered, barely able to hear my own voice over the thudding of my heart. "HELP!!!" "Help me!" "HEEEELLLPPPPPPP!!" The office area suddenly filled with scream and tears. All of us got panicked. Just a few minutes ago, our lives were normal. But look at us now! Locked up and crazily screamed for help. This seems like a dream. "You guys will never succeed in breaking down the door even though there are many of you," someone said over the loudspeaker. I could not tell whether the speaker was a man or a woman. The voice sounded familiar to me. I had heard this voice on television. It sounded like the voice of a disguised borax meatball seller. Hearing those news made me think about how chaotic Indonesian street food was sometimes. "Hey, open the door! Don't play around with us! Just call the technician now!" Eric shouted over the loudspeaker. "Technician?" The speaker just silent for a moment. "Wait... Are you just saying technician? HAHAHAHAHA..." The person laugh so hard. "Why should I call a technician when nothing is broken here?" asked that person. This person is a bastard! I will punch "this person" when we meet! "Stop playing around with us, you bastard! Open the door now! Get us out of here!" Rizal shouted. Rizal, who usually sounded gentle when he spoke, was now cursing and calling to all of the zoo citizen. "You pig! Bastard! Don't play around, hey!" Rizal shouted again. "Relax, Rizal, just enjoy the night. You are be able to spend the night with your mistress. What's the difference between here and out there?" Rizal was silent. I don't know how he looks right now, but the atmosphere says he can't find the good answer. I can also feel that everyone is turning to look at me. "You can dress her in a maid's outfit here if you want," the person continued. I know exactly what everyone is thinking right now. They're picturing me in a maid outfit. Not out of admiration—no, it's something else. Something twisted. Their stares aren’t innocent; they’re intrusive, crawling under my skin like a silent judgment I can’t escape. "You're crazy!" Bianca shouted to the loudspeaker. "Pfft... His taste is a maid," Eric laughed. I pinched Eric's arm so hard. "Aaaaaawww! It hurts!!" said Eric while rubbing his arm. I could only click my tongue in annoyance. "Are you stupid? This is not the right time for jokes!" I whispered angrily to Eric. Before Eric could answer me as usual, the person spoke again. "Uunncchhh, this is so cute! Are you admitting that you are Rizal's mistress now?" the person asked in a cute tone of voice. Hearing those "cute" sound makes me sick. I didn't expect to hear a voice that pretended to be cute amid this horrible situation. But wait, what does it mean to claim to be Rizal's mistress? "Wait... Wait..." I finally gathered the courage to speak. "The only one who called you crazy was Bianca, and that was after Rizal started screaming like a madman. Does that mean Bianca is Rizal's real mistress?' I asked this person, my voice low but unshaking. "Of course, Monica. I suggest you pull that woman’s hair, she was outrageously bold to trap you like that. Ooh, it’s just like the saying: kindness repaid with betrayal. And to think you were kind to her." replied that person. Bianca is an intern in the accounting department. She was brought in to assist with my workload, especially since the past few months have been overwhelming with year-end closing and the external audit. I don’t think I’ve ever treated her badly... Could it really be her who set me up? "Monica... please, don't believe this person. This person is a liar! There's no way I would be like that! I have no problem with you," Bianca screamed at me. I don’t know where she was, but her voice sounded distant, as if it was coming from far away. "I warned you, jerk! Don't say nonsense! What do you want? Get us out of here now!" Bianca shouted loudly to the loudspeaker person. "Kill you," answered the person briefly. I was stunned to hear the answer this person gave. Kill? Am I going to die here? "What? Stop joking! Get us out of here!" Bianca shouted again, louder than before. Bianca was very annoyed just by hearing this person's voice. "Are you stupid? I told you that what I want is to kill you. Kill people like you," the person continued. BAAANNNGGGG!! Right after this person stopped talking, a gunshot was heard. An unexpected thing happened in the midst of us, who were still confused. Was it true that what we heard earlier was a gunshot? Who was shooting in the middle of this darkness? "Cellphone... cellphone..." said someone. I can't recognize whose voice this is. "Oh yeah, cellphone..." "Where's my cellphone..." Hearing that, we looked for our smartphones and turned on the flash simultaneously. The lighting had improved now. AAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!! "Bianca... Bianca!!" someone screamed while pointing to the floor.