Chapter Text
Your ever-annoying alarm wakes you up. With a tired groan, you whack the top of it, unintentionally knocking it off the nightstand and onto the floor. At least it's stopped beeping.
After a small breakfast, a quick shower, brushing your teeth and getting dressed, you leave your house and set off to work. It's your first day and you want to get there at least on time. The morning Miami air is cool against your face, helping you wake up completely as you walk to the cinema. Palazzo is currently closed to the public, with work still being done on the building, but the interior and everything within needs maintenance, which is what you've been hired for. A caretaker of a quaint little picture house, look at you go.
Of course, you've heard all the talk about the place. 15 people going missing, only to suddenly appear after 3 months. The previous caretaker dying in the mysterious explosion that happened on the same day the missing people came back. Something resembling a cartoon character floating out of Palazzo. You don't let it get to you, it's probably just rumours made up to explain the work being done on the building.
It doesn't take you long to get there, your boss -The owner of the cinema- is standing outside on his phone. There's still scaffolding around the building, with people already up there. At your footsteps your boss looks up, smiling and putting his phone away when he sees it's you. “Ah, you're here early.” You give a bashful smile in return. Of course you got up earlier than necessary to get here. There's a part of you that's ecstatic about looking after the interior, making it look all fancy and new for when it reopens. Plus, there's all the machines and film reels to take a peek at. Who could blame you for wanting to get here first thing?
“Well, you said there's extra theatres being added. I wanted to, you know, get started right away with what's currently inside so I don't get a pile-up of maintenance that needs doing.” It's not a complete lie, you know there's already a lot that needs doing. Getting ahead never hurt anyone.
Your boss’s smile grows at your enthusiasm. “Yes, things are moving along quite quickly. It'd be good to clear up any urgent maintenance now before the new projectors and whatnot gets installed. Just hope you'll get more done than the last few before you run out screaming.” You stare at him as he chuckles.
“Why would I do that?”
His smile becomes sharper, like a kid that's about to tell some ghost story around a campfire. “I hired, well, three other caretakers before you took interest in the job. All of ‘em claimed that there's something in there. Moving stuff around, footsteps coming from empty rooms, lights and other things turning on by themselves. Seem to think that the guy who died in the explosion is haunting the place. None of ‘em lasted a month before they quit.”
Holy shit, there was some truth to those rumours. Now you're going to be playing caretaker in a haunted picture house. Fantastic. Forcing down the shivers that threatened to run up your spine at the thought of some ghost roaming the theatres, you give a hopeful smile to your boss. “Well, maybe he'll like me more!” You share a laugh as he pats you on the shoulder.
“Let's hope so. Oh, and avoid the first theatre -its projector room in particular-, if you could. They're still doing work on the roof, that's where the explosion blasted through. I don't know how stable the ceiling is, wouldn't want you getting hurt.” You nod, then he gives a wave before getting into his car and driving away. Well, haunted cinema, let's see what you have in store.
The inside is what you'd expect. Most of it looks untouched, still the same from when the place was first built. It's a little tacky, but nostalgic at the same time. Could definitely do with some cleaning. You walk down the hallway, checking your phone for the list of tasks you were sent. Huh.. it's taking a while for things to load. Surely the service can't be that bad in here. No matter, it's on the screen now-
-Hi there!-
That.. wasn't there, at the top of the list, when you checked earlier this morning. It stops you in your tracks, turns your blood cold. Your eyes dart around you, breaths picking up. No, no, don't let something like this get to you. It's probably just your boss trying to spook you. This and that story about the previous caretakers, it's just him teasing the new employee, it has to be! With a deep, calming breath, you carry on your way, ignoring the feeling of eyes drilling into the back of your head.
At the moment, the only “urgent” things were bust lightbulbs and other minor repairs. Things you could handle yourself without needing to get in an actual technician. God help you if any of the complicated machinery breaks. After a needed stretch, you remember that there’s food and refreshments in the diner connected to the building. It was a recent installment, something to keep customers in, but your boss said that you were free to grab a snack or drink if you needed it. No one but employees and construction workers would be using it up for a while. You've just gotten to the start of the hallway when the sound of a door slamming has you swiftly turning around. The fear from earlier surges back, you struggle but manage to force it down. It was probably just the workers banging about outside. There's no one but you in here.
The lights of the kitchen are already on when you get there. Ignoring that fact for your own sanity, you get a drink out of the fridge and take a generous sip before putting it on the counter while you check your list. As soon as that page opens you let out a yelp, your phone falling out of your hand. The text at the top of the list has been replaced.
-Good job!-
What the hell is going on?! No, wait, maybe it's just your boss sending a random message of encouragement. Yeah, it's weird that he's communicating on the list of tasks he sent you, but that has to be what this is. Right? Pick up your phone, butter fingers. Just out of curiosity, you check when the page had been edited. 1:24. The exact time you'd stopped to take a break. You know that because you'd checked the time before you came here. That's either a spooky coincidence.. or..
You look up from the list, just in time to watch a blur of something small and blue duck behind the door. What in the everliving fuck was that?! Nothing! It was nothing! Stop working yourself up. There's no ghost, the only thing in this building is you. And by the whistling getting closer, also a construction worker. Thankfully it is, the guy gives a polite wave before he grabs a couple drinks out of the fridge. He opens one and takes a sip. “You the new caretaker then?” You just nod, nursing your own drink, which he returns with one of his own. “The lights by the front door were flickering when I came in. Dunno if they just don' like me or if they're actually faulty.” You look to the side with furrowed eyebrows while he chuckles. They hadn't been flickering at all when you passed by them earlier, both times in fact.
“I'll have a look at them.” Maybe the bulbs were starting to go. Something he'd said catches your attention. “Do the lights usually pick and choose who they like?” Just saying that puts a smile on your face. What a ridiculous question.
Still, he just chuckles again before answering. “Seems like the whole building does. The last caretakers before you, well, one of them was a bit of a jackass to be honest. Don't know how he wasn't fired on his first day. Not even a week had passed, that guy came sprinting out the front door like the devil himself was chasing ‘im. And I can't lie, always feels like there's eyes on me in here. Something's just.. not right.” Well.. that's reassuring! “Just don't tell your boss I said that. We've been trying to act all stoic about it, but.. yeah, something's off about this place.”
“Have you or the other workers ever.. seen anything?”
“Oh, we don't hang around in here long enough for that!” With his drink empty, he crushes the can in one hand before chucking it into the nearby bin. “Speaking of, I should get these to the guys. Nice meetin’ you.” He gives you a wave before walking out with the other drinks in his hand. Now you're alone in here again. In a building that's chased multiple people out and unnerves even more. Great. Just great! After finishing your drink and scoffing a protein bar down to keep your hunger at bay, you walk to the entrance to take a look at these supposedly flickering lights.
They're perfectly fine. Nothing seems wrong with the bulbs, they're bright as can be, consistently bright too. Maybe this cinema does have favourites. But.. why don't they flicker for you? You stare up at them as you ponder the strange stories you've heard today, along with your own experiences. The more things that happen, the less your theory of all this being one elaborate prank makes sense. That construction worker seemed fairly genuine, and he hadn't wasted much time leaving after your conversation. And those messages on the list, surely they couldn't have been from your boss. But only you and him have access to it, who else could -or would- put stuff on there? And so directed at you? Whoever it was either has impeccable timing or they can see you too, evident by that second message. Was someone.. watching you?
The jingle of your phone ringing makes you jump. It's your boss. “Hey! Just wanted to check in, see how you're doing in there.” Huh.. so phone calls came through fine, but a shared doc takes a good minute to load?
“I'm doing good, got just about all of the urgent jobs done.”
“Well I know that, you sent me that message!”
A cold, sharp stake drives into your heart. “I.. never sent you a message.”
“What?” You can just hear him over the blood pumping in your ears. “But.. I got a message from you like, 10 minutes ago. It says all the stuff you've done.”
Fear has you backing up towards the door. “No, no that wasn't me. I've only been using my phone to check the list you sent me.”
There's silence on the other end for a few seconds. “I.. um, w-well that's.. odd.” Yeah no shit. “Uh, if you've done all of that then I don't see any reason for you to hang around in there. Sounds like it's spooked you plenty for one day.” You're instantly out the door, not daring to take a look behind you. “Tomorrow I’d like for you to test some of the projectors currently in the building. We have plenty of new film reels after the explosion destroyed basically all we had in stock, but since then no one's gotten around to taking a look at the actual machines. Anyway, good work today. See you tomorrow morning!” The call ends with a beep, but you're too busy speed walking away to move it from your ear.
Back in Palazzo, a little figure watches you leave from the window, his little antennae drooping as you walk out of his eyesight.