Trapped

Celia had a terrible experience at her former place of employment. Her boss was a difficult woman, and her colleagues made life even harder because they saw her as a threat. It was not her fault that she was exceptionally good at her job. Instead of learning from her and asking how she delivered results so efficiently, they chose to bully, isolate, and victimise her. The office became a place of constant tension, and every workday felt like a battle. When an opportunity came to join another company, she accepted it without thinking twice.

She became anxious when she discovered that her new boss was also a woman. Female bosses had left a bitter memory in her heart, and she expected history to repeat itself. She prepared herself for hostility, gossip, and unnecessary competition. But from her very first day, she realised she had been wrong.

Her new colleagues welcomed her warmly. They were kind, patient, and genuinely happy to have her on the team. Within a week, it felt as though she had worked with them for years. They laughed together, supported one another, and celebrated each other’s achievements without jealousy.

Her boss was nothing like the woman she had left behind. She was beautiful, calm, approachable, and remarkably generous. She encouraged her staff instead of intimidating them and treated everyone with respect. For the first time in a long while, Celia looked forward to going to work every morning.

The friendship among the staff extended beyond office hours. They regularly organised weekend gatherings that had nothing to do with work. They simply met to relax, eat, laugh, and enjoy one another’s company. They also held sleepovers where they spent the night singing karaoke, playing games, acting out charades, eating delicious food, and sharing drinks until morning. It felt less like an office and more like a family.

Celia could hardly believe she had finally found the perfect workplace.
One afternoon, while admiring her boss, Celia complimented the older woman’s flawless skin. She wondered what expensive skincare products she used. To her surprise, her boss said her secret was nothing more than ordinary, inexpensive black soap. She then offered to give Celia some, and Celia gladly accepted.

A few days later, the package arrived. Inside was a neatly wrapped bar of black soap with a rich, earthy smell. The scent immediately brought back memories of her childhood, reminding her of the many times her grandmother insisted she bathe with black soap whenever she visited.

Not long after using it, strange things began to happen.
The nightmares started quietly.
Every night, Celia found herself inside the office. It looked exactly the same as it did during the day, except everything felt darker and unnaturally silent. Her colleagues were always present. They gathered around long tables, discussing projects, making decisions, and assigning responsibilities. Her boss was always at the head of the meeting.

The meetings felt real.
Documents were passed around. Deadlines were discussed. New business opportunities were announced. Promotions were mentioned. Everyone participated as though it was another normal working day.

Then something even more disturbing happened. The discussions from those strange meetings began to happen in real life.
Every conversation she remembered from her dreams unfolded in the office exactly as she had seen it. Every assignment, every decision, every announcement became reality.

During one of the dream meetings, the team celebrated the successful completion of a major business deal. Everyone received generous bonuses as a reward for their excellent work.
The following morning, Celia woke up, picked up her phone, and found a bank notification confirming that a bonus had been paid into her account.
The amount matched what had been announced in the dream.
Her hands shook violently.
She threw her phone across the room in terror.
She could no longer dismiss everything as a nightmare.

Something impossible was happening.
Frightened and desperate for answers, she began asking questions around the office. Everyone simply smiled. No one answered.
From that day onward, Celia changed completely.
She became withdrawn and avoided unnecessary conversations. The office that once filled her with joy now filled her with fear. She could not understand why she was working during the day and then returning to the same office every night in her sleep.

She stopped attending every gathering outside work. No more weekend outings. No more karaoke nights. No more sleepovers.
Nothing changed.
The meetings continued every night.
No matter where she slept, she always woke up inside the office before eventually waking up in her bed.
She was exhausted, terrified, and trapped.

One afternoon, while sitting alone during lunch, her colleague Edna joined her.
Edna gently reassured her and admitted that she understood exactly what Celia was going through because she had experienced it herself. Over time, she had accepted it because no one in the company was hurting innocent people. Being part of the company in both the physical world and the dream world had given her the wealthy life she had always wanted.

Edna revealed the truth.
Their boss was the leader of a cult.
It was not an ordinary cult. It was designed for ambitious young professionals who wanted success, influence, wealth and rapid progress in life. Membership came with extraordinary rewards but everything had a price.

Edna explained that Celia’s initiation had already begun the moment she bathed with the black soap.
That had been the first step.
The second step was the blood initiation.
Unlike the first, this stage was voluntary.
Celia was horrified.
She could not understand how anyone could initiate another person without permission.

Edna explained that Celia had already given her consent the day she accepted employment at the company. Accepting the soap had only made the process easier. Even if she had refused it then, another opportunity would eventually have been created.

The blood ritual, however, remained her decision. If she accepted it, she would become a full member and enjoy everything the organization offered. Luxury homes, expensive cars, international vacations, financial freedom, influence and opportunities beyond imagination. If she refused, the consequences were severe.

Edna had watched employees become terminally ill after rejecting the ritual.
Others slowly lost their minds after attempting to seek help from clergymen.
Some simply disappeared.
It was a choice between two horrors…the devil and the deep blue sea.

Celia suddenly remembered the colleagues at her former workplace who had bullied her and made every day miserable. For the first time in her life, she wished she had never left them.
Compared to where she was now, that toxic office felt like the safest place on earth.

Edna warned her against trying to run away. Leaving the company would not change anything.
Their boss would always find her in the dream.

From that day, sleep became Celia’s greatest fear. She stayed awake for as long as she could but exhaustion always defeated her.
Every night she returned to the meetings.
Every morning she woke up more frightened than before.

One night, she entered the meeting room again. Everyone was already seated.
The atmosphere was unusually tense.
Her boss slowly stood and looked directly at her.
A silver bowl rested on the table. Inside it was a white envelope. The boss opened it. The room became completely silent. Every face turned toward Celia.
Then they began to smile. She woke up screaming before she could see what had been written on the paper.

On her bedside table lay a sealed envelope she had never seen before. With shaky hands she opened it and brought out a piece of paper, written in neat black ink, were just five words.

Your answer is due tonight.