Chapter 5

"Alex, did you get a good look? I couldn't squeeze in! I heard the pen went all the way through his neck, blood was everywhere on the printer, and there were even blood spatters on the ceiling!"

Chad slid his chair next to me and whispered, leaning in.

"Man, that's wild! Alex, do you know who died?"

"I've seen him before, but I can't remember his name. I just remember… he always wore a blue plaid shirt, carried a thermos like an old man, and was balding at such a young age…"

Chad slapped his thigh: "???! The King of the Grind died?!"

The mention of "King of the Grind" made my mind buzz, and I remembered too.

The King of the Grind was Kyle. He was a textbook example of the 'overzealous underachiever.'

Constantly teetering between promotion and promotion failure.

He held the record for failing six promotions in one year!

"Ugh, well, that's a relief. The group chat will be a lot quieter now. I was so sick of seeing his damn thumbs-up! Right, Alex?"

Every time overtime was announced, Kyle was always the first to respond with a thumbs-up emoji.

And he’d drag everyone else down with him.

His work intensity was comparable to two full-time employees and a caffeinated dog.

He wasn't even a programmer in our tech department, but at such a young age, his head was balder than Chad's.

I thought, the man’s dead, why keep mocking him?

I didn't take Chad's bait.

*Boom!*

From the direction of the print room, a dull explosion suddenly roared!

Then, a cloud of black smoke drifted out.

Across from me, Chloe jumped up with a start, tears streaming down her face.

"Holy crap, was his grudge so strong he blew up the printer?"

Chad clicked his tongue playfully, dragging his chair back.

My heart was pounding like it was caught in a snare, twitching harder with every beat.

*Click!*

Just then, all the lights in the entire company suddenly went out!

Everyone’s computer screens went black too!

"Ah!!!"

"It's haunted!"

"What a crappy company! I'm out! Screw this!"

Instantly, screams and angry shouts erupted.

At first, when someone died and we weren't allowed to leave, everyone held it in.

But now that the lights were out, even if nothing was wrong, it was enough to terrify everyone!

In the darkness, I felt a hand blindly reaching out, grabbing mine!