Writing Prompt #11: Retired Permanently

Abe had just spent twenty minutes making the marble floor sparkling. He was proud of his work, even though no one else noticed. He placed the caution sign out and moseyed on over to the vending machine—a relic from a time before Abe can even recount—the damn thing had been there before he even started.

He always mused about it. It was like an old friend, keeping him company, offering him his favorite chocolate bar when he took a break. That, along with the old plant which stood for over twenty years… yeah, he’d miss them all after his shift tonight.

His boss, Gordon, was working late tonight. He liked Gordon, too. Not as much as the old vending machine, because Gordon liked to yell when Abe forgot to put away his bucket or fill the towels in the men’s bathroom on the third floor. He couldn’t help it. If he left his access badge in his car, he wouldn’t be able to have time to take his break. It’s okay. The new kid had been managing to pick up his slack. After all, he was retiring… only four more hours to his shift and then he could pick up his pension starting next week. Not sure what he’s going to do. Maybe old widow Donaldson would like to go dancing. Maybe he’ll learn golf. Nah, seems boring.

As Abe was putting the mop bucket back into the closet, the alarm sounded. He had never in all his years seen it go crazy like that. The lights shut down and the red emergency lights came up. Weird. Oh well, it’s loud, maybe he’ll call it a night now, he only has five more minutes anyway.

Gordon came running around the corner and ran full on into Abe. Gordon’s papers went flying everywhere.
“Goddamn it, Abe! Get up! Run!” Abe had never seen Gordon move so fast. He was kind of fat and old, not as old as he was, but up there in the years.

The door exploded into a shower of shrapnel and rock- it was hideous- it’s heavily veined muscles boiling under it’s sparsly haired skin- it’s fangs were razor sharp- it’s eyes- it had none… but it turned and looked at Abe and smiled.

Abe never knew what hit him. The hellspawn ripped him apart as it galloped through the lobby, spraying blood and feces all over Abe’s freshly mopped floor.

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