Billy pays dearly for his honesty and is fired just two hours after being hired. Not sure how he will pay for his wife’s emergency surgery, Billy finds $70,000 and a scary note in his mailbox the next day.
It was Billy’s first day on the job. The 70-year-old veteran smiled warmly as he walked the aisles, organizing new inventory. Suddenly, a customer in a crisp suit approached the register and distracted him.
“Excuse me. Can you tell me how much this toy costs?” the man asked the manager, pointing to a box marked “limited edition.” “I left my glasses at the office, so I can’t see very well.”
“Of course, it’s $800, sir!” the manager said.
Billy was stunned when he heard this. He had just put the toys away in the section and was sure that the price was only $200. When he checked the price, he realized that he was right.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I think there’s been a mistake!” Billy approached the manager worriedly. “The toy is only $200, not $800.”
The manager frowned and looked at Billy sharply. “He’s new here and he’s still learning the ropes,” the manager told the customer. “The toy is $800, sir. It’s part of a limited edition collection.”
Billy realized that his manager was trying to cheat the customer. While he couldn’t openly oppose him, he couldn’t let an innocent customer pay extra. So he told the customer that the manager must have mixed up the prices because he handled a lot of items on a daily basis.
And the manager didn’t like that. “Is this gratitude for giving you a job when no one else did? I can’t believe you discredited me in front of our customers on your first day on the job! Get out! You’re fired!”
Billy then realized what he had done to his manager. He couldn’t afford to lose his job because his wife needed urgent care. So he pleaded with the manager not to fire him. But all his pleas fell on deaf ears.
“Get out before I have to call the guards and have you thrown out!” the manager hissed, pointing to the exit.
Billy, heartbroken, left the store. He had no idea what to do next or how he was going to pay for his wife’s treatment. He trotted through the streets, trying his luck at shops and cafes with “We’re Hiring” signs. But fate wasn’t on his side. Still, he remained hopeful that he would find something soon.
The next day, Billy casually walked over to his mailbox to see if he had received any mail. His curiosity was piqued when he pulled out a thick brown envelope. He wondered who had sent it, but there was no return address on the envelope, just the words “To Billy” scrawled in bold.
Billy carefully tore open the flap and his eyes widened in horror as he casually peered inside. A thick wad of bills was tucked inside. “Is this really true?” he gasped softly. He looked inside again and noticed a note.
“The $70,000 is for your wife’s treatment, and it’s all yours, Billy,” it said. “But that’s only part of what you can really get. You have a golden chance to get $500,000 more. Come to the park tonight at midnight sharp. Alone.”
Billy rushed home with the money and counted it. It was indeed a whopping $70,000. He immediately called his wife’s doctor. He finally had the money for his organ transplant. But there was unpleasant news ahead.
“Market prices have been rising in recent weeks, Billy,” the doctor said, “and you’ll need an extra $30,000. We don’t have much time. I wish I could do something to help you, but… I’m sorry.”
Billy collapsed on the couch. Time was running out and he knew he had no choice but to accept the invitation he’d received.
That night, Billy toured the deserted park. It was eerily quiet and he couldn’t see a soul up close until a series of blinding headlights cut through the darkness, surprising him from behind.
But before he could turn around to figure out what had happened, a dark figure in a hoodie and mask emerged from behind and put a black bag over his head.
“Let go of me! Hey!” ” Billy yelled, trying to break free, but his screams went unheard.
Two hands grabbed his arms and shoved him into a van. He heard the engine roar and knew he was being taken somewhere. But Billy didn’t dare speak when he felt something like a gun near his hip. He found himself pinned between two men who remained silent.
After what seemed like an eternity, the vehicle stopped and he was driven into an abandoned building. As the bag around his head was untied and removed, Billy’s vision slowly adjusted to the surroundings and he realized it was an old factory.
The men left and the door closed. Billy looked around and his eyes widened in amazement at the sight before him. Nine people were standing in the room. Ten neatly arranged beds lined one wall, each with an identical black uniform draped over it. Suddenly, a loud, sinister voice boomed through the loudspeaker mounted on the wall:
“You are all in dire straits and need money. Our goal is to see how far you are willing to go for it! Put on your uniforms and get ready. The first task begins soon!”
Billy’s mind raced. He knew he couldn’t leave because the door was locked and there were no windows. He looked at his fellow prisoners and saw the same fear and confusion in their eyes.
No one knew what time it was—their phones and watches had been confiscated. A few hours passed before the metal door opened. A man in a suit and a gas mask entered the room.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
“Stand up and follow him,” the voice on the loudspeaker ordered.
Billy realized the masked man was just a supervisor, not the organizer.
“Where are they taking us?” Billy whispered to another captive, but no one knew. Soon, they were all led into a dimly lit room where their right hands were cuffed to a chain hanging from the wall.
“Welcome to your first assignment!” the icy voice said. “Find your key and free yourself within ten minutes or face the consequences. Your time starts in three… two… one, and go!”
No fewer than a thousand keys hung from various hooks on the wooden board in front of them. And they had only ten minutes to find the right key and free themselves.
Billy’s soldier instincts kicked in when he saw the commotion in the room. “Each of you take a key and pass it around.” If it doesn’t fit, throw it in the middle,” he told the group. “That way, we can weed out the bad keys and find the right key.”
They formed a circle and began to pass the keys around in a tense and terrifying manner. The first five minutes passed. Four contestants managed to find their keys and free themselves. The circle was disrupted, making it even more difficult for those left behind.
“Four minutes left! Faster!” the voice said.
Three more contestants managed to unlock their restraints and rushed out of the room.
Billy was stuck with an older man and a woman who were still desperately searching for their keys.
“Who’s going to make it?” the voice continued its live commentary as the hearts of all three contestants pounded with anxiety.
Billy only had one minute left to finally find the key and unlock it himself. However, he decided to stay behind and help the other two.
Finally, the older man was freed. He and Billy frantically searched for the woman’s key when a high-pitched siren sounded in the room.
The supervisor reappeared and the voice on the loudspeaker ordered Billy and the other man to leave the workroom immediately.
The metal door slammed behind them as they left. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out in the hallway.
“What was that?” one of the captives shouted in terror.
“They shot him!” a contestant stammered in shock, and chaos broke out. The contestants screamed and protested to be released. They even ran frantically in all directions, hoping to find an escape route, but to no avail.
Soon, they were taken back to their room and locked up. A supervisor stayed behind to watch over them. At that moment, none of them knew that their fate was sealed in a grim game of survival and that of the nine remaining competitors, only one would make it out alive.
Billy suddenly got up from his bed and crossed the room, but a guard blocked his path. “Where are you going?” he barked.
“I want to go to the bathroom,” Billy replied, but the guard followed him.
Billy knew this was his chance. Entering the narrow bathroom, he turned on the tap to make a noise. Then he took off his shoes, leaving them neatly stored in his stall, and crawled into the adjacent stall.
“Hurry up, old man,” the guard outside said, growing impatient, and began banging on the door.
Billy remained silent. A few minutes passed and the guard’s frustration reached its peak. He crouched down and peered under the stall door. When he noticed only a pair of shoes, he became suspicious. He burst inside.
In a flash, Billy came out of the adjacent stall and charged at the unsuspecting guard. He grabbed him and slammed his head against the wall with a sickening thud, using all the force he could muster.
Soon, the guard fell to the ground, unconscious but alive.
Without wasting any time, Billy quickly changed into his guard uniform and tied the unconscious guy up with his own restraints. Then he put on the gas mask and exited the bathroom.
He sneaked over to the metal door and opened it with the guard’s access card. He was wandering down the hallway looking for the exit when he encountered a guard on duty.
“Hey, wait, man. Where do you think you’re going?” the guy asked Billy.
Fear gripped Billy as he searched for a quick lie. “I… I’m just following the boss’s instructions. He ordered me to check the building and report any anomalies, if there are any,” Billy stuttered nervously.
“Anomalies? What kind of anomalies? Did he say anything specific?” the guard asked.
“I don’t know, man. But orders are important,” Billy replied, trying his best to sound convincing. Finally, the man gave in.
Billy couldn’t believe his eyes. His eyes were shining with tears and he thanked the officer with all his heart.