Our building was probably the worst. It’s partially underground. So most of the building goes dark when the lights go out. It creaks like crazy. Which means its always sounds like there’s someone in it moving around.

For the most part that doesn’t really matter. During work hours people are always in the building. It feels busy. There are things to do and you’re constantly passing by people as you’re rushing about. Simply knowing there are other people going about their business makes a difference.

But standing in it now… I had never seen our library so dark before.

Every time I had been here the lights were on. The only time it was anything close to dark and deserted was closing time. Even then it wasn’t creepy like this.

If I had known that this was what it was going to be like—what is was going to feel like—to empty out the book drop while we were closed for the holidays, I don’t know that I would have agreed without hesitation like I did.

There was a strange abandoned building feeling to it. Alarm bells went off in my head. I knew I was supposed to be here, but I definitely felt like I shouldn’t be here. Which was dumb. I had a job to do.

I tried to push down the worry as far as I could so I could just get it done. Emptying out the book drop bins and sending the books through the sorter wasn’t a problem. The problem was actually being in the building to carry out the rest of my shift.

I pulled over a cart to empty out the bins and tried to ignore the vacant building as best I could. Easier said than done.

Our office windows take up half the wall that looks out onto the main floor. It was odd to see it dark and empty. It was odd to stand in the middle of the office and know there was no one else here.

There was nothing but a counter behind me, but I felt like someone was there. I glanced behind me. There was no one, unsurprisinly. I tried to shake it off. It was just me being paranoid.

I pulled out my phone and put on some music. I turned the volume all the way up, hoping it would make me feel better. It didn’t.

How is it that it just made me hyper aware of how empty the rest of this building was?

The music felt out of place. It made my skin crawl with discomfort and my heart beat faster, but I refused to turn it off. As out of place as it felt, it was better than the silence.

In the silence I was waiting for something to happen. With music I was still waiting forsoethjng to happen but at least I wasn’t alone with my own thoughts.

Even though I most likely wasn’t going to need them, I turned on the lights for the main floor. I hoped that would make it feel more normal and ease my jitters. It didn’t.

I focused on emptying out the bins and loading up the carts in the office. I tried my best not to think about anything else. If amI let my mind wander too much I wouln’t like where it ended up.

When I finished with the bins I moved to the front desk to check in the newspapers. The building creaked and groaned. It made those sounds all the time, but it was worse when you were the only one here. It really sounded like somwone was moving around.

Part of me was prepared to hear a cough from somewhere among the shelves. I really hoped I didn’t. I didn’t want to check the library to make sure it was clear and risk finding someone.

As I walked across the main floor to put the newspapers away it felt like I had eyes glued to the back of my head. If I tried, I could picture someone—or something—peering at me through the shelves. The thought sent a shiver up my spine.

I put them on the rack as quickly as I could and made my way back to the office. I had to emtpy out the carts. I had just passed the front desk when our air freshener spray went off. I turned around. There was no one there.

My heart raced but I tried to push my fear down as I took the cart up to the Children’s Room. Weren’t those airfreshener things motion sensored? I wasn’t close enough to set it off, was I?

What would I do if I wasn’t as alone in here as I was supposed to be?

Man, what the hell? Being in that building by myself made my skin crawl.

I returned the cart back to the office. After I emptied out the cart for the main floor, I was done. If I had time I would have done some shelving. I was so glad I wasn’t going to have time.

Walking through the main floor was infinitely worse than going up into the Children’s Room. I had the eerie feeling that I wasn’t alone. I eyed the air freshner canister as I passed by.

I worked as quick as I could to put everything away. I felt the air behind me crawl along my shoulders, like there was someone there to disturb it. I turned around, but of course there was no one there. I emptied the cart in a panic—that I tried to control—and rushed back to the office.

I turned the lights back off and put the cart in the office. The library was still. The building shifted. It sounded like there was someone, somewhere, in the library moving around.

Not eager to hang around any longer, I turned and walked out of the building.