“Help wanted. Easy work. Big Pay”.

This roughly made and atrociously designed advertisement almost made me burst out in laughter upon reading it again. Any five-year-old who can open google docs and print a piece of paper could have replicated it. The only other thing on the entire sheet was a phone number. Even worse, this number didn’t appear to have any local area codes that I know of.

It was posted inside a classroom building at my university, right next to where various clubs, student groups, and local employers would post their advertisements. I am not the most social and so I hadn’t been looking for student groups or clubs as much, but potential employment was something I was going to need. As classes started and summer ended, so did my internship and only source of income. I picked up the ad.

As much of a joke or scam as I assumed this had to be, I thought, why not? I’ll try calling. I did need some money right now so I figured taking a minute to entertain the possibility of this being a legitimate opportunity was worth it.

I picked up the paper. Walking to my apartment window to get a better look, I couldn’t help but shake my head in disbelief once again at how incredibly ridiculous it was. The cool light from the cloudy skies illuminated the sheet of paper in my hand. I pulled out my cell phone and typed the numbers into my keypad before dialing. The taps of raindrops on the window filled the gaps of sound between each ring.

I began to rethink my choice of even attempting this nonsense, then the ringing stopped. I paused for a few seconds. Hearing nothing, I slowly moved the phone away from my face. I thought I had been disconnected or that the call failed. The screen lit up and at the top of my screen displayed the call time. Someone did pick up. I held the phone back up to my ear and controlled my breathing.

If I pick up a call that I suspect to be spam, I typically stay quiet and wait for someone on the other end to say something first. That’s the strategy I tried to employ here. This went on for longer than I would have expected. Usually, the person on the other end will disconnect or say something after ten seconds or so. Whoever this was wasn’t saying anything. After two whole minutes of this, I decided to finally speak.

“Hello?”

“Hello”

A monotone voice returned. I hadn’t expected it. With how long I was on the phone, I assumed it to be a bogus number or some sort of bot. I waited a moment before remembering my reason for calling.

“I’m calling about this advertisement that was posted at my school. Are you still looking for help?”

The man on the other end breathed out heavily before replying.

“Yes, we are still looking for help. If you accept, the payment is $4,000 cash for this job, in any denomination of bills that you would like. It will only take one night of work. We can pay you by tomorrow if you complete the job tonight”.

“I’m sorry, you said four grand?”

“Yes, it is very important to me that this gets done, and done soon. And one more thing, I neglected to mention it first. We can’t let you tell anyone that you are taking this job. This needs to stay confidential. If anyone were to know about what you’re doing for us, the consequences would be disastrous for not only you and the people who fund out but for me as well”.

“I…Alright. I need to think for a moment”

Of course, the money excited me, almost to the point of accepting it right then and there but this mention of confidentiality put me on edge. For all I knew, this was a serial killer with a burner phone looking for a way to attract his next victim. I think the man on the other end could tell what I was thinking. He broke the silence.

“Listen, I know this seems weird and suspicious but I can assure you that what I am offering you is legitimate. I work for a very large, very powerful company that just needs a small job done on the side, off the records. I…I don’t know what to say to you that would…look, we just need this done. I can meet you in an hour, at a location of your choosing and it can all be done right then and there”.

What the hell was he on about? I didn’t believe his “powerful company” nonsense but hell, if he was offering to meet me in an hour, this would be the easiest $4,000 I could have ever imagined making. Of course, I would choose somewhere public on the University grounds that I knew like the back of my hand. I didn’t see how it could go wrong. I adjusted the hone back up to my ear.

“So you can pay me on the spot too?”

“I…well I suppose I could. Fine. If you want to be paid tonight, you can but I need a promise that the job will be done. I’ll have the cash ready”.

“It will”

I replied, assuringly. I’ve always been true to my word and I’ve certainly never been a lousy worker. There wasn’t much I could imagine not doing for a night’s work to earn $4,000. Then again, I hadn’t a clue of what this man wanted me to do.

“You still haven’t told me what the job is”.

“I will tell you when we meet. That information cannot be given over the phone. It isn’t much, I can promise you that”.

Though the doubts were mounting in my head, I couldn’t help but be blinded by this opportunity thrust upon me. I was willing to risk it.

“Alright, I’m in. Meet outside the building you posted the advertisement. I’ll be there but if you don’t have the money on hand, this is all off”.

I acted tough, but I was still skeptical and unsure about all of this. I think he and I both knew that I wouldn’t really "call it all off” when that much money is on the line.

“I’ll be there at 4:30 with the money. Be ready”.

The phone went silent. There was no feedback on the other end anymore. He hung up. I stood, stunned by the fact that such a conversation just took place. I spent the next half hour looking out my apartment window, to the dark clouds above down the wet street they rained on, laughing occasionally at all my thoughts of this uncanny scenario.

The trip from my apartment to the university building I agreed to meet him at felt like walking to an awkward first date except the awkwardness presented itself in an even more unorthodox fashion. Well, this was all very unorthodox, wasn't it?

I arrived a little early so I decided to sit inside the entryway of the building. I browsed my phone, looking up every few seconds to see if someone was waiting. My eyes were on my phone the moment it turned from 4:29 to 4:30. Looking up, I saw one man who stood out.

He wore a formal suit and a long black coat, holding a black umbrella over his head in one hand and a leather bag slung over the other shoulder. His appearance resembled something you would expect of a professor walking around on campus. He stood still, unlike the students passing around him. They had somewhere to be, it was clear that he was where he intended to be.

I hesitantly pulled open the door, turning the smooth and soft ambiance of rainfall back to a coarse static to accompany me as I approached the man under the umbrella. He noticed my approach and attentive stare as he turned around to face me.

“Are you here for the job?”

“Y-yes”

I almost couldn’t believe anyone showed up. The fact that someone did frightened me a little. They were serious. He tilted his head down, in the direction of my hand holding my cell phone.

“I need you to turn off your phone”.

“Uh…okay?”

I showed him my screen as I powered it off completely and put it back into my pocket. He watched but didn’t give any sort of acknowledgment.

“As I said, the job is a simple one”

The man undid the straps on his leather bag and pulled the flap up. I took a step back and braced myself to run, as the images of handguns and knives or needles full of tranquilizers filled my imagination. What he took out of the bag was much less threatening. He pulled a plastic bag out by the handle and the label and design on the front looked familiar. It was a bag from the university bookstore. He slowly reached his arm out to me with the bag in hand.

I accepted the bag, looking down to take a peek inside as soon as it was handed to me.

“Wait”

The man said softly, placing a palm over the opening.

“You need to know the instructions first”.

I looked back up.

“You need to plant it in the dirt, standing straight up. It can be anywhere you like but it needs to be on soil with grass. That’s it, that’s the whole job”.

The man slowly removed his hand from the plastic bag. I opened it. Inside was a wooden cross, not more than a foot tall. The wood was old and worn down with cuts and chips along its surface. The center was bound with twine. I stared down in confusion as I talked to the man.

“So…I just have to put this in the ground? That’s it? I could just do it right here?”

I asked, pointing to the grass only a few steps away from us.

“I wouldn’t”

The man replied.

“Well, why not? You said I could plant it anywhere that has dirt and grass”.

He sighed.

“I would get far away from here before you do it but it’s your choice in the end”.

The man had a look in his eyes as if he had lost all hope and he broke eye contact.

“I just need to be sure that you’ll do it”

“Have you got the money?”

He reached back into his leather bag before pulling out an envelope. To my surprise, he handed it to me faster and more gracefully than he had handed me the cheap wooden cross. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but It wasn't for him to deliver on the money. My eyes went wide as I quickly pulled one bill from the envelope and held it up to the dimly lit sky. I’ve worked plenty of retail jobs before and know what to look for in a fake bill. Everything checked out. I quickly counted out every bill. There were 40. My draw would have dropped to the floor if it were possible. I couldn’t believe this man seriously brought $4,000.

“Four thousand, as promised. You will do as I instructed? I need it done tonight”.

“Certainly”.

I assured, pocketing the envelope excitedly. The man nodded before turning around and walking off. I watched him until he turned a corner around the building, out of sight. I broke down in laughter. What a fool, I thought to myself. I just got paid $4,000 to stick a wooden cross in the ground. I contained my excitement enough to get serious for a moment.

I couldn’t forget why I was being paid and as I said before, I am true to my word. I looked at the grass before me, this perfectly kept lawn between all these buildings. Why not just put it here? No one would care. If the school had a problem with it, they could simply pull it out of the ground. After all, I was paid to stick it in the ground, not watch over it.

I walked along the path that connected two rows of university buildings until I was near the center. My shoes squeaked on the wet grass as I moved off the stone path. I knelt and began a little hole with my fingers. Though I wasn’t all that worried about anyone having a problem with what I was doing, I didn’t want to stick around to find out either. I removed the cross from the bookstore bag and placed it neatly into the ground.

I crumpled up the bag and stepped back to admire my work, the work I did to secure a few months worth of food and rent. I laughed once again and shook my head as I walked away, depositing the bag in a nearby recycling bin. My walk back to my apartment was fueled by brisk excitement. I couldn’t wipe the smirk off my face the entire way home, nor could I contain the random giggles I coughed up every few seconds. When people walking by made faces at my silly behavior, it only made me laugh harder.

That night I could hardly concentrate on school work of this excitement. It took a three-hour gym session to calm me down enough to sleep, the stack of hundreds on my desk smiling back at me as I turned the lights out.

I found it easy to get out of bed the next morning. I stuffed my backpack and grabbed my newly acquired wad of cash. I know it’s not smart to walk around with that kind of money, but I felt better carrying it than keeping it in my apartment. The wind that met my face as I stepped outside never felt so good. I don’t remember the last time I walked to class in such a good mood, with such excitement. That was until I walked past the lawn.

I crowd of students stood around where I had placed the cross the day before. The smile melted from my face as I picked up my pace in their direction. I squeezed my way through the crowd to the center. I almost fell into the hole that lay before me. That’s right, a hole. The cross was gone and all that remained was this six-foot, empty hole surrounded by the dirt that had once filled it.

“It looks like a grave”

A voice from someone around me commented, accompanied by affirmations by at least a half dozen others and I can’t lie, that is exactly what it looked like. I must have stood there for a good five minutes before I checked my phone and realized I was about to be late for class. I walked away, peeking back one last time before heading in.

That lecture, along with all of the others I attended that day, was impossible for me to give focus on. I was sunken in my thoughts, drowned by the confusion. Why would someone dig a grave? Why on that cross? What had I done?

I forced myself to spend the rest of the day at the library. From where I sat, I could see the hole being covered back up by some of the groundskeepers. What little studying I managed to accomplish was overshadowed by all the questions I had in my head.

By the time I left, it was dark. I got a call about halfway to my apartment. I took my phone out to find the familiar number on the screen. I answered immediately and didn’t hold back my questions.

“What was that cross? A fucking grave got dug up right where I put it. What the hell is going on?”

The man said nothing but I could hear his breath on the other end. I got frustrated.

“Hello?!”

Still no response.

“Answer me god fucking dammit”

He paused but eventually spoke.

“You’ve unleashed hell on yourself”

He hung up without another word.

“Fuck”

I exclaimed. What does that mean? My conclusion was that it was some sort of sick game. Maybe this man had a dark web audience that loved a little prank. Maybe he’s got a way of entertaining them with all of this. In any case, I quickened my pace and was back at my apartment minutes later.

I set my backpack down and sat on my desk, resting my head on my palms. What have I done? I knew that little job had to be too good to be true. A thought came to mind. If that creep did have a way of entertaining some sort of audience, he might be looking through my window right now. I stood up and walked to my window to shut the blinds. That's when I saw him.

With a wicked smirk, a pale man looked up at me from the street below. He stood in the narrow walkway between two transit train tracks. His skin was white as snow, his hair blacker than the night, his suit crimson like blood, his boots long and pointed, his hands covered in black gloves and his fingers intertwined. He was waiting for something. Waiting for me.

I turned around to fetch my phone, turning back to see that he had vanished. A heavy knock at my door made me jump in shock. I began to walk over to see who it was before a voice carried itself through the metal. A voice that seemed split into many. A voice that spoke loudly yet had the tone of a whisper.

“Who…dug my grave?”

I stopped in my tracks, not sure what was happening or what I should do. I didn’t have time to decide before the voice appeared behind me.

“Who…dug…my…grave?!”

I felt the scream from his last word like a lion’s roar. I felt it fill my chest, shaking my heart. Suddenly my vision went black and the last thing I remember was falling.

I woke up, hours later on my bed. The lights were off and my blinds were closed. I sat up with a raging headache. What kind of nightmare was that? I checked my backpack to see if the money was still there. It was. I checked my call history. I had, indeed, gotten a call from the number. When did I fall asleep? I began to piece it all together again when the shades on my window were pulled back up in one quick motion. I gasped and jumped out of my bed, and back onto my feet.

Outside, the wooden cross was pressed against my window like it had been hung there. I stood, staring and breathing heavily in my fearful and shaken state. It started to turn, slowly and consistently in a circle until it hung upside down. I looked around to see if something was attached or if there was some sort of string that someone was using to pull it around with. I got closer to the glass to get a better look. The moment I placed a hand on it, the upside-down cross burst into flames.

My body froze, against my own will and I was left with a hand on the glass, looking at the burning cross outside. I couldn’t pull away. I couldn’t so much as move my eyes. Something had control of me. The voice came again, talking from behind me, whispering right into my ear.

“You have awoken him from a long, long rest. He comes to lay waste to all before him. He comes to engulf the world of man in flames and destroy his kingdoms. He comes to devour all. He comes to claim the throne for his father, for it is he who is the true king of kings. For it is he, who will raise his throne above the stars of god. You will serve him, you will serve his father. For eternity you are bound”.

I passed out once again, only to wake up the next morning in my bed. I proceeded through the next day and every day since like nothing had happened. I don’t have free will anymore. I don’t have any control. I don’t have a sense of right and wrong.

Every day when I go to class, I see the man in red above me, on the ceiling. He’ll walk, he’ll crawl, he keeps a watchful eye. Every night he stands down on the street below and looks up. I want to close my blinds but I can’t. I stay glued to my schoolwork. I don’t talk to friends anymore. When family calls, the words that escape my mouth are not my own, and they assure my family that all is well. Now and then, I can force a tear through the cage that is my own body, but that’s it.

I don’t know how I can write what I’m writing now. I suspect he allows me to do this to warn of his coming. Maybe he wants the world to know.

He has awoken from a long, long rest. He comes to lay waste to all before him. He comes to engulf the world of man in flames and destroy his kingdoms. He comes to devour all. He comes to claim the throne for his father, for it is he who is the true king of kings. For it is he, who will raise his throne above the stars of god. I will serve him, I will serve his father.

For eternity we are bound.