After leaving my mother's room, I followed the woman beside me and soon found the workstations where Bethany and the others had been assigned. My father had separated them, refusing to let them stay together.I reached Bethany's workstation first. She had been given the task of sorting clothes. Looking at the piles stacked around her, I silently wished her good luck.The moment I entered the warehouse, Bethany started complaining. "Melanie Parker, didn't I tell you to get us cushy positions? Look at all these clothes! Do you want me to work myself to death?"But I tuned out her whining. Instead, I fixed my gaze on her. She had never seen me look at her like this. The intensity of my stare made her uneasy."What is wrong with you? Didn't you hear a word I said? Do you think you're special just because I've been nice to you? Let me remind you. You're nothing. Don't act like you're above me!" she snapped.Having said her piece, Bethany raised her hand and swung it toward my face. B
When I found Charlotte, she was already so tormented that she looked nothing like her usual self. My arrival was clearly a relief to her."That father of yours dumped me in this hellhole! I've been working nonstop, and now I'm exhausted. I haven't had a moment's rest since I got here. Let me out now!" she demanded.Judging by her frenzied state, I could tell she hadn't yet uncovered the factory's secret. "You don't have to keep working. No one's here watching you anyway," I said, feigning innocence. I glanced around after speaking. It was true. There wasn't a single living person in sight, but ghosts were everywhere."This place is cursed!" Charlotte snapped. "I can't even stop. The moment I even think about it, it feels like needles are piercing my hands."Even as she spoke, her hands kept moving. Fear flickered across her face at the scene before her. The terror in her eyes was truly a rare sight to behold."Is this your doing? Did you come up with all these tricks to scare
I didn't bother checking on the others. But I was certain their situation couldn't have been much different from Bethany's and Charlotte's.Soon, it was time for dinner, a rare moment of rest during the day. I arrived at the cafeteria early and waited for them to show up.When my bullies finally appeared, I almost didn't recognize them. They looked utterly drained, as if every ounce of energy had been wrung out of their bodies.Unlike before, they didn't lash out at me the moment they saw me. Instead, their eyes brimmed with fear."Melanie, please. We're begging you. Let us go. We promise we'll never bully you again. Just let us off the hook."I had never heard them speak to me with such humility. For a moment, I couldn't process it. But judging from their disheveled state, it wasn't hard to imagine what they had been through."Alright, that's enough. It's time to eat." Suddenly, a familiar male voice rang out behind me. My back stiffened, and I hesitated before turning to look
Sure enough, under everyone's gaze, the young woman who had just run out was instantly enveloped in black mist as soon as she stepped out of the cafeteria. A scream echoed from within, and the mist slowly transformed into a red, blood-like fog. When the red fog finally dissipated, all that remained on the ground were bloodstains and a few bones. At that sight, the remaining few abandoned any thoughts of escaping.It was the first time I had seen such fear in their eyes. Their gazes, however, were fixed on my father, who stood beside me."I just don't understand," he said, confusion written on his face. "Our factory offers you the best salaries and benefits. We fulfilled all your requests. So, why would you want to run away? My wife even prepared tonight's dinner just for you. Why won't you eat it?"With their horrified gazes fixed on him, he calmly picked up the head from the floor and smiled. He added, "I've told you that wasting food is strictly prohibited in our factory. If
It had been ages since the factory's dormitory was last renovated, and it looked like it could crumble at any moment."Isn't anyone else staying here? Why isn't there a single light on?" one of them asked cautiously.I checked my watch, then explained, "We spent quite some time at the cafeteria earlier, so the lights are already out. I'll take you to the dorm. Once you're there, just go to bed."With that, I escorted them up to the fourth floor.After they chose their bed, I turned and left. From this point forward, they were on their own.…Dawn was just beginning to break the next morning when terrified screams shattered the silence. Without wasting a moment, I ran to the dormitory to check.As soon as I opened the door, a dark liquid came streaming out. Inside the room, streaks of blood covered every inch of the floor.Charlotte stood frozen in place, her eyes locked on the bed across from her.Following her gaze, I saw the young woman who had chosen that spot lay sprawled.
The phones seemed to give Charlotte and her friend a glimmer of hope. To them, the clients listed were their lifelines. However, the phones in our factory were far from normal.I sat in the chair nearby, keeping an eye on them.Right then, the last woman snapped. The second the call connected, she cried out for help. "Please, save me! I've been abducted, and they're holding me at Prime Works Factory!"How could she think the person on the other end of the line was an ordinary human?"What are you talking about?" the person asked.The man's voice crushed her last shred of hope. The phone slipped from her hand as she collapsed onto the floor, resigned to the death that was about to come. I strode forward and picked up the phone from the floor. "Hello, Dad. I'll take care of this," I said before hanging up.A smile crept onto my face as I stared at the woman slumped on the ground.I remembered the time I had ranked first in the year. She had been the one to tear up my test pape
Just like the night before, a plate was placed in front of Charlotte. But today's plate was especially large.Seeing that, her face turned pale."I made more, just in case you're still hungry," my mother said, sitting beside me and casting a gentle gaze at Charlotte.However, to Charlotte, my mother's expression was far more terrifying than my father's.I reached out and uncovered the plate in front of her. The large amount of food came into view instantly. Then, I counted it. There were five human heads. Bethany couldn't even finish one, and now Charlotte was expected to eat five."T-This is too much… How could I possibly finish all of this?" Charlotte stammered. She was on the verge of breaking down."Hurry up and eat. Melanie's father really hates it when people waste food," my mother remarked with a smile. Yet, her words hung in the air like a death sentence.With no other choice, Charlotte began shoving the food into her mouth. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as it see
"Melanie, I heard your dad owns a big factory. You should get us summer jobs there."I trembled as I stared at the group of young women who had cornered me in the restroom. I kept my head down, too scared to respond."Hey, I'm talking to you! What, are you deaf?"One of them, undeniably beautiful, grew impatient with my silence and shoved me hard. The force knocked me off balance, and I fell backward into the filthy toilet bowl. In an instant, I was covered in filth. The others frowned and covered their noses in disgust."Ugh, gross! You're as nasty as you smell," one spat."Beth, why do we even need to work at her father's factory? Let's find somewhere else to work during the summer. Just look at her. She doesn't seem like someone from a rich family."Hearing that, memories of my father's factory came rushing back. Suddenly, I began to shiver uncontrollably. "But I heard the city's biggest factory belongs to her family," Bethany Reed replied. "The pay is supposedly the best
Just like the night before, a plate was placed in front of Charlotte. But today's plate was especially large.Seeing that, her face turned pale."I made more, just in case you're still hungry," my mother said, sitting beside me and casting a gentle gaze at Charlotte.However, to Charlotte, my mother's expression was far more terrifying than my father's.I reached out and uncovered the plate in front of her. The large amount of food came into view instantly. Then, I counted it. There were five human heads. Bethany couldn't even finish one, and now Charlotte was expected to eat five."T-This is too much… How could I possibly finish all of this?" Charlotte stammered. She was on the verge of breaking down."Hurry up and eat. Melanie's father really hates it when people waste food," my mother remarked with a smile. Yet, her words hung in the air like a death sentence.With no other choice, Charlotte began shoving the food into her mouth. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as it see
The phones seemed to give Charlotte and her friend a glimmer of hope. To them, the clients listed were their lifelines. However, the phones in our factory were far from normal.I sat in the chair nearby, keeping an eye on them.Right then, the last woman snapped. The second the call connected, she cried out for help. "Please, save me! I've been abducted, and they're holding me at Prime Works Factory!"How could she think the person on the other end of the line was an ordinary human?"What are you talking about?" the person asked.The man's voice crushed her last shred of hope. The phone slipped from her hand as she collapsed onto the floor, resigned to the death that was about to come. I strode forward and picked up the phone from the floor. "Hello, Dad. I'll take care of this," I said before hanging up.A smile crept onto my face as I stared at the woman slumped on the ground.I remembered the time I had ranked first in the year. She had been the one to tear up my test pape
It had been ages since the factory's dormitory was last renovated, and it looked like it could crumble at any moment."Isn't anyone else staying here? Why isn't there a single light on?" one of them asked cautiously.I checked my watch, then explained, "We spent quite some time at the cafeteria earlier, so the lights are already out. I'll take you to the dorm. Once you're there, just go to bed."With that, I escorted them up to the fourth floor.After they chose their bed, I turned and left. From this point forward, they were on their own.…Dawn was just beginning to break the next morning when terrified screams shattered the silence. Without wasting a moment, I ran to the dormitory to check.As soon as I opened the door, a dark liquid came streaming out. Inside the room, streaks of blood covered every inch of the floor.Charlotte stood frozen in place, her eyes locked on the bed across from her.Following her gaze, I saw the young woman who had chosen that spot lay sprawled.
Sure enough, under everyone's gaze, the young woman who had just run out was instantly enveloped in black mist as soon as she stepped out of the cafeteria. A scream echoed from within, and the mist slowly transformed into a red, blood-like fog. When the red fog finally dissipated, all that remained on the ground were bloodstains and a few bones. At that sight, the remaining few abandoned any thoughts of escaping.It was the first time I had seen such fear in their eyes. Their gazes, however, were fixed on my father, who stood beside me."I just don't understand," he said, confusion written on his face. "Our factory offers you the best salaries and benefits. We fulfilled all your requests. So, why would you want to run away? My wife even prepared tonight's dinner just for you. Why won't you eat it?"With their horrified gazes fixed on him, he calmly picked up the head from the floor and smiled. He added, "I've told you that wasting food is strictly prohibited in our factory. If
I didn't bother checking on the others. But I was certain their situation couldn't have been much different from Bethany's and Charlotte's.Soon, it was time for dinner, a rare moment of rest during the day. I arrived at the cafeteria early and waited for them to show up.When my bullies finally appeared, I almost didn't recognize them. They looked utterly drained, as if every ounce of energy had been wrung out of their bodies.Unlike before, they didn't lash out at me the moment they saw me. Instead, their eyes brimmed with fear."Melanie, please. We're begging you. Let us go. We promise we'll never bully you again. Just let us off the hook."I had never heard them speak to me with such humility. For a moment, I couldn't process it. But judging from their disheveled state, it wasn't hard to imagine what they had been through."Alright, that's enough. It's time to eat." Suddenly, a familiar male voice rang out behind me. My back stiffened, and I hesitated before turning to look
When I found Charlotte, she was already so tormented that she looked nothing like her usual self. My arrival was clearly a relief to her."That father of yours dumped me in this hellhole! I've been working nonstop, and now I'm exhausted. I haven't had a moment's rest since I got here. Let me out now!" she demanded.Judging by her frenzied state, I could tell she hadn't yet uncovered the factory's secret. "You don't have to keep working. No one's here watching you anyway," I said, feigning innocence. I glanced around after speaking. It was true. There wasn't a single living person in sight, but ghosts were everywhere."This place is cursed!" Charlotte snapped. "I can't even stop. The moment I even think about it, it feels like needles are piercing my hands."Even as she spoke, her hands kept moving. Fear flickered across her face at the scene before her. The terror in her eyes was truly a rare sight to behold."Is this your doing? Did you come up with all these tricks to scare
After leaving my mother's room, I followed the woman beside me and soon found the workstations where Bethany and the others had been assigned. My father had separated them, refusing to let them stay together.I reached Bethany's workstation first. She had been given the task of sorting clothes. Looking at the piles stacked around her, I silently wished her good luck.The moment I entered the warehouse, Bethany started complaining. "Melanie Parker, didn't I tell you to get us cushy positions? Look at all these clothes! Do you want me to work myself to death?"But I tuned out her whining. Instead, I fixed my gaze on her. She had never seen me look at her like this. The intensity of my stare made her uneasy."What is wrong with you? Didn't you hear a word I said? Do you think you're special just because I've been nice to you? Let me remind you. You're nothing. Don't act like you're above me!" she snapped.Having said her piece, Bethany raised her hand and swung it toward my face. B
My father's factory had been around for as long as anyone could remember. It was said that it had existed since some ancient golden age.Most people dismissed that as a rumor. After all, how could a factory possibly last that long? But I knew that was the truth."Ms. Parker, what made you decide to come back this year? The last time you returned was on Thanksgiving night, wasn't it?"Suddenly, a woman in a maid's uniform stood beside me. Her long hair fell over her pale face, but her eyes never left mine. Her movements were precise and formal. "I-I had something I needed to take care of. That's why I came back this year," I mumbled with my head down.I instinctively covered my arm with my other hand, trying to hide the scars on my skin. However, it was summer, and my clothes were thin. Sadly, there was no way to cover them completely."Were the wounds on your arm caused by the people who came with you today?" the woman pressed on, her piercing gaze sending a chill down my spin
In the blink of an eye, summer break had arrived. I had arranged for Bethany and the others to work at my family's factory, just as they had requested. Looking at the gates before me, I couldn't help but shrink back a little. Even though it belonged to my family, it had been a long time since I was last here.As for the reason…I shook my head, unwilling to dwell on it any longer."This really is the biggest factory in the city. It looks impressive," one of them commented. "I didn't expect Melanie's family to be so well-off.""What does it matter if she's rich? She's still our lackey."Another added, "Hey, what do you think our jobs will be? We've been walking for ages and haven't seen a single employee."I heard their conversation but didn't respond. Instead, I just kept walking ahead. "Are you messing with us? We've walked for so long and haven't seen anyone working." Charlotte spoke up first, her eyes full of hostility as she glared at me. I flinched at her words, loweri