ONE

I first saw the advert on Craigslist. I was looking for job offers in my area, having had trouble finding a job with good pay that had flexible hours.

What first interested me was the title:

LOOKING FOR WORKERS- DISCRETION NEEDED.

That was it. No information on the job- or at all, really. Hell, even the prostitute positions made it pretty clear what they wanted.

I clicked onto the page.

That was mistake number one.

The description read as follows:

WE NEED ONE WORKER. NEEDS TO BE DISCRETE AND LOYAL TO OUR LINE OF WORK. NO OTHER SKILLS REQUIRED. GOOD PAY, GOOD HOURS.

Then a phone number.

I was thinking that this seemed extremely sketchy, and although enticed by the promise of 'good hours' the emphasis on discretion worried me- I was certainly not interested in anything illegal or dangerous. I decided to sleep on it and put my laptop away.

Not closing the web-page was mistake number -

TWO

The next day, I woke up to my alarm blaring. Rubbing my eyes, I began my morning routine- I won't bore you with the details.

Anyway, I left my apartment roughly 15 minutes later. I walked to the train station, the smell of cigarette smoke and sight of drunk teenagers truly encapsulating the London experience. The sky was still dark.

I entered the train station, purchasing my ticket and going to my usual platform. It was oddly quiet- in fact, I don't recall seeing anyone else at all. No staff either. I began to fidget, leaning against a wall gingerly as the ceiling seemed to cave and the air grew thick.

Then the train arrived. I breathed a sigh of relief as I entered the doors. Empty once again.

At this point, I was strongly considering getting off at the next stop, and walking to my job.

Not doing so was mistake number three.

I sat down, my eyes darting up and down the carriage.

My pulse was rising, breath shallow.

My blood rushing in my ears.

Suddenly, a loud bang from behind me. I jump up in alarm and terror, only to see a number etched into the window. An eleven-digit number.

A phone number.

Somehow I knew, I knew what number it was. The job offer.

I collapse, breaking down into tears. I rubbed my eyes, only to shriek as my hands come away black.

The carriage starts to fill up, and I find myself frozen as the inky liquid rises rapidly, my shaking body still in the fetal position.

It reaches my knees, my chest, my neck, and I gasp in as it raises over my head.

Three... Two...

I gasp and choke, inhaling the thick black sludge that surrounds me. It tastes metallic.

Then I wake up.

/// Thanks for reading! :) I usually post my stories on Reddit under u/YetDarker245 . You can also find the rest of this story there! (damn word count) ///