A Beginning

John stirred from his slumber to the familiar sounds of his family's laughter and chatter. He relished the feeling of warmth that spread through his chest, knowing that he had the weekend off from his job as a security guard. With a smile on his face, he rolled out of bed and shuffled down the stairs to join his wife and children in the living room.

As he took in the sight of his wife's loving smile and the infectious energy of his children, he couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment wash over him. The simple joys of spending time with his family and hearing about their day were what made life worth living. He savored the taste of his wife's coffee as he listened to his children's tales, feeling grateful for these precious moments.

But as the morning wore on, the tranquility was broken by the insistent ringing of his work phone. His heart sank as he answered and heard his boss, Stephanie's voice on the other end.

"John, it's Stephanie. I'm sorry to bother you on your day off, but Steve called in sick, and we need you to come in."

John sighed, knowing that he didn't have much of a choice. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can," he said before hanging up the phone.

As John turned to his wife, Huiqian, he could see the disappointment in her eyes. "John, you promised to take the kids to the park today. They've been looking forward to it all week," Huiqian said, her voice filled with concern.

"I know, Huiqian. I'm sorry. I really wanted to spend the day with you and the kids, but I have to go in today. Steve is sick, and I'm the only one available to cover his shift," John explained, hoping that she would understand.

Huiqian let out a sigh, still disappointed but understanding the situation. "Okay, John. I understand. Just promise me that we'll spend some quality time together when you're back," she said, giving him a reassuring smile.

John nodded, grateful for her understanding. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before rushing to get ready for work.

As John left his home, he felt a sense of guilt and sadness gnawing at him. He wished he could be with his family instead of heading to work, but he knew that it was his responsibility to provide for them.

The drive in always felt long, but today seemed even longer, and with every mile, a feeling of dread began to build up in John's stomach. He knew this was just in his mind since he had to leave his family on his day off, but the feeling persisted. In an attempt to ignore this, he turned on the radio to wash these blues away. He just needed to find the right station.

Thud!

He pulled over to the side of the road as fast as he could, thoughts rushing through his mind at lightning speed. He had only looked down for a second, there was no way he hit someone! Rushing out of the car, he began to look around, but the road was empty, with not even another car on it. He could have sworn he hit something, but he couldn't see anything.

Thud!

There was that sound again! He hadn't hit something, but it sounded like it was coming from the woods along the road. John stood staring at where he thought he heard the sound, straining his ears to listen for anything, but not even a bird could be heard.

RING! RING!

His phone started to go off, nearly giving him a heart attack. Looking at it, he saw Stephanie's name again.

"Hello."

"Where are you?" Stephanie sounded slightly annoyed.

"I am sorry I thought I hit something."

"You hit something? where?"

"No, I didn't I thought I did. I was just making sure; I will be there soon."

"Okay, just hurry up."

John got back in his car; the sound already forgotten as he drove off to work. As he drove, he couldn't help but think about the close call he had just had. The feeling of dread and guilt from leaving his family on his day off began to dissipate, replaced by a new sense of unease.

He tried to shake it off, turning up the radio and tapping his fingers along to the beat, but the feeling persisted. His mind wandered back to the sound he had heard in the woods. Was it an animal? Maybe a fallen branch? Or was it something else entirely?

The rest of the drive to work passed in a blur, and before he knew it, John was pulling into the parking lot of the office building where he worked as a security guard.

He stepped out of his car, taking in the grey concrete and steel of the building. It was just another day at work, but today he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

He made his way inside, nodding to his coworkers and checking in with his boss. Stephanie was grateful for his quick response to cover Steve's shift, and John tried to push the earlier incident from his mind as he settled into his post.

Hours passed, with little to break the monotony of his job. He made his rounds, checked the security cameras, and chatted with his coworkers. But despite his best efforts, the feeling of unease never left him.

It wasn't until the end of his shift that something unusual caught his attention. As he was making his final rounds, he noticed a door.