I spent the twelve minute drive questioning whether or not I’d made the right decision. Leaving everyone and everything behind to take this job.

Melinda, who had temped in my position, warned me about the rest of the building. “Fucking creepy,” I think that was her characterization. “And watch out for the doctor’s office next door – ugh,” she shuddered.

I took the bathroom key (it took months until they gave me my own; a rite of passage. Took even longer for them to invest in a nameplate). Next door, on the first door for the doctor’s office, was a large metal box. Below a stain which trailed on the ugly green carpet even for several yards. Hm. A post-it on the metal box claimed, “SPECICIDE” in black Sharpie scrawl. What the hell kind of murder was that, I kidded myself. And then stood there. No, really… what the fuck is SPECICIDE? I noticed a space and spent time decoding… SPEC ICIDE. SPEC INSIDE? SPECIMEN INSIDE?! Shit. Fucking creepy… and it explained the stain.

I wasn’t ready for this.