The Big Red Button

I am Jack Arron, and I have one job at a dark shady factory that is on a mountain. All I do is press one button. A big red button to be precise. I have no clue what the button does; I was only told to press the big red button every time it lights up. I do this for three hours every day. Then go to a rented apartment and relax until my next shift. I am happy with my job, but I am curious about what the button does.

I didn’t know until one day…

I was sitting at my cold, hard, metal desk pressing the button, and then I heard the bell and a mysterious voice say in a loud booming voice, “NEXT SHIFT!” And that was all. I didn’t know where the voice came from, but I started walking back to my apartment. Then I saw a door open, and a tall hunched dark figure walk away. I didn’t know why I never saw the door before. I wanted to walk into the door; but knowing I would get in trouble, I walked home.

I pondered the reason for the door and the button for hours. During my dinner of grits and cold biscuits, I decided I would try to find the reason of the button and the door. I felt the door and the button were linked. I was up all night thinking about the button. The button. The door. The man. The man. I had never thought of the man. Who was he? I didn’t know.

I woke up the next morning to the same old routine. But that day was different. I would find out the meaning of my job. I was so anxious. The hours passed so slowly.

“NEXT SHIFT!” the voice boomed.

I got up and immediately bolted away. I reached the door and stopped to catch my breathe. I started to rethink if I should do this. I decided I would. Then I creaked the door open. I saw a small green light shining from around a corner. I crouched and slowly creeped to the corner. I saw no one around so I stood up and walked to a big control board that had lots of big green pipes holding a luminous green fluid around it. Then I heard a noise. I turned around. Seeing the tall hunched figure, the lights went out.

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I woke up in a chair. One light was above me. A small wooden table in front of me. A stale smell was in the room and I felt a warm breath on my neck. Then a voice that was as foul as the air around me. “What did you see in that room?”

“Nothing,” I responded with much thought. I felt deep in my gut that the man behind me was the one that struck me on the head and that he knew I was lying.

“LIAR!! You saw stuff in that room, and I want to know what!” The man was furious and pounded on the table.

“Ok, all I saw was a board with green tubes around it.”

The man storms out of the room and slams the door behind him. I was thinking about why the man was so scared of what I had seen. I was also thinking of where I was. Maybe it was some cave in the mountain. I heard that same voice boom, “What else did you see in that room? Otherwise you will find out what that button you push does! Muhahaha!”

The man seemed very sinister, and the button seemed very deadly. So, I answered very honestly, “Like I said all I saw was a board filled with buttons and switches and green tubes surrounding it. I promise you I have no other information.” Then two robots came in and grabbed me roughly and threw me out of the room. I was back in the hallway but how. I went home very disappointed that I was not successful in my mission. I went to bed as soon as I got home. I had a restless night. I was tossed and turned. I needed to know. Next morning. Same routine.

After my shift I decided to just go home. But I saw another door, so I creeped it open and all I saw was tons of cages. But all the cages had people or animals in them. All the people were doing the same thing. They all seemed like they had no brain. As if they were controlled by someone. Then I realized something. On that control board was a microphone. The people were hypnotized and were controlled by the tall hunched man. Then I heard the man speak from a speaker.

“Do you like my creatures. They have been brainwashed. And do you know what that button does... it hypnotizes people that way I am not responsible for their memory and you are. They will listen to whatever I say. Do you want a demonstration? Here is an example. Minions attack him.” And the lights went black.