I winced and shivered as the rain hit my brow. It was storming like the end of days as I crossed the street. Thunder echoed through the clouds as far as the eyes could see and it felt like the storm of all storms was raining down on my umbrella. I let out a sigh as I silently cursed myself for not buying a new umbrella that didn’t have holes in it for the weather to get through. Every time it rained, this happened. I would be walking and completely forget about it, and suddenly a drop would hit my eye and make me wince.

This was an important day, too. It had been 2 months since I had work. Working at a nice job for over 2 years and suddenly gone for good because of an anxiety problem that was getting in check. The mere thought of it filled my mind and heart with rage. I’m not one to hate or have a grudge, but I know when I’ve been wronged. I know when I’ve been lied to and discriminated against. The past 2 months have almost been constant thinking about it whenever my girl isn’t trying to console me and get my mind off of it.

But I was desperate for work now. Unemployment refuses to give me money and I can’t live off of Rebecca’s paycheck forever. As much as I love her for supporting me in these dark times, I knew that I had to get out there for myself. I knew that I had to get a job, no matter what. That’s why I had signed up for this job in the first place. It was mysterious and sketchy, but it was work. Anything is better than being stuck at home all day to dwell and soak in my own self-pity. Anything is.

I stopped at the corner and grabbed the printed ad I had taken with me. I had to, because I’ve never been to this part of town before. The damp paper almost looked faded thanks to my faulty umbrella, but it was readable. It took a few minutes for me to be able to focus on it. My own eyesight was sketchy, thanks to the raindrop from a few moments ago. “8890 Ridgewood Lane”, I softly spoke to myself. I was close, at the corner of Ridgewood and Elm. Just a little further to go and I can go in and get in on this experimental job.

I didn’t know much about the job in question. However, as soon as I read “Technical Skills Needed”, I got interested. I don’t have a huge variety of professional skills, but technical skills were some that I did have. The ad, itself, listed an odd organization name, presumably a new company. It also said that the company dealt in experimental products. The whole thing sounded fishy to Rebecca, but in my opinion, it didn’t matter what they did. They could be a sick cult for all I cared. The job was for an IT Support position, not for a Lab Rat position. The job market was so bad I was willing to do it.

Before long, I finally made it to the building. Across the top, it read “Tiny-Giant Industries: Turning Small Ideas into a Huge Success”. Kind of cheesy slogan, if you ask me. But I had made it, regardless. I came under the front door and took a few minutes to close my umbrella and dry off before heading inside. There was no way I looked anywhere near as professional as I did before with all of the rain that had managed to leak in on me. Once I dried off, though, I re-combed my hair and headed inside.

With a loud latch, the door shut behind me, making my presence known to the large hall in front of me. A blond receptionist with a smug look on her face looked up at me. No, look isn’t the right word. More like she snapped. Like an animal shifting its glance in a split-second to look at their prey. Immediate intimidation came from this woman. Even still a good 20 feet from me, her stare just screamed “Who the hell are you and what do you want?” I didn’t like it. I just hoped that she wasn’t the person interviewing.

Little did I know, in the days to come, a smug receptionist would be the least of my worries…