A long time ago, I worked for a security company for a brief period, and I had a terrifying experience just once.
I'd like to tell that story today.
I did karate back in my school days, and working out was my hobby. I was pretty tough, decently tall, and had plenty of muscle... but I wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.
A total musclehead, as they say.
In my senior year of high school, I looked through job listings to figure out where to work, but every single one seemed impossible for me.
When I went crying to my homeroom teacher, he said, "I know a job that's perfect for you. Want me to introduce you?"
"Yes, please!" I jumped at the offer without hesitation.
What my teacher introduced me to was a small security company very close to my house.
It was run by one of my teacher's old classmates, so I landed the job offer effortlessly.
After finishing all the basic training, I officially became a guard at the company.
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Day shifts involved doing patrol rounds for client companies, facility security, and standing guard.
Sometimes I worked at the station doing paperwork or basic computer data entry, but nothing too complicated. There was a dedicated terminal used for when security alarms went off, and whenever that happened, we'd take a security vehicle to inspect the site.
Once I got the hang of the job, a senior coworker asked me, "Hey, wanna try working a night shift tomorrow?"
Wow, something different from the usual routine... I want to try it! Thinking that, I instantly replied, "I'll do it!"
Night shifts here ran from 6:00 PM to 9:00 AM the next morning, with a nap break included. However, if an alarm went off, you had to deploy.
But according to my senior, "We're out in the countryside, so alarms rarely trigger. Maybe once every three shifts, if that. It's an easy gig."
Ah... so that's how rare it is... I was a bit disappointed, thinking night deployments sounded fun, like a test of courage with weapons.
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The night of the shift. Basically, we were just on standby. You could take a nap, play games on your phone... it was super laid-back.
I took a one-hour nap at 1:00 AM, woke up at 2:00 AM, and was just about to hand over to my senior when the dedicated terminal blared with an alarm alert.
I checked the screen. "Senior, it looks like an alarm went off on the second floor of the XX Building! Should we go?!"
My senior peered at the screen and smirked. He let out a chuckle and sat back in his chair. I had no idea what he was doing.
Me: "Huh... We're not going!?"
Senior: "Look closely. Where in the XX Building was the alarm triggered?"
Me: "Motion sensor #2 on the second floor... Oh."
Panic from my first night shift alarm had blinded me, but usually, if it were an intruder, the first trigger would be at the front door, back door, or a window, with the motion sensor showing up as a secondary trigger.
Senior: "It's August, right? This time of year, when a motion sensor triggers first, it's usually just a huge bug. Still, an alarm is an alarm, so someone's gotta check it out."
Me: "Got it."
Senior: "Be careful out there."
Me: "...Wait, I'm going alone?"
Senior: "Standard procedure is one goes while the other stays back as backup."
Me: "..."
Senior: "The XX Building is a five-minute drive from here... Report in periodically. Got it?"
Me: "...Understood. I'm heading out."
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I drove over and arrived at the XX Building where the alarm went off. First, I checked the exterior perimeter.
Me: "All clear."
I called my senior over the radio. "Perimeter is clear."
My senior instructed, "Can't get ahold of the building manager. Go inside and check."
I had the keys with me, so I unlocked the door and stepped inside. Bathed in pitch darkness, I moved forward holding a baton in one hand and my flashlight in the other. Honestly, it was creepy.
Walking further in, I found stairs, climbed up to the second floor, and stepped into a shared hallway.
Shining my flashlight around, I saw two rooms. Looking closer, light was leaking from under the door of the room farther back.
How should I describe it... kind of like a school hallway with classrooms? A corridor with two rooms lined up next to each other.
Motion sensor #2 was in the back room, so that had to be the one...
Keeping my flashlight aimed while remaining alert to my surroundings, I approached slowly and reached the doorway. Just as I put my hand on the doorknob to open it, the radio crackled.
Senior: "Wait."
Stepping back slightly from the room, I replied in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Senior: "Where are you now?"
Me: "Right outside the room on the second floor where the alarm went off."
Senior: "What's the situation?"
Me: "Light is leaking through the gap in the door. I can't tell from out here, so I'm about to go in."
Senior: "Got it. But report back more frequently, alright? If there's any problem once you enter, contact me immediately. Understood?"
Me: "Sorry... Understood. Going in now."
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Steeling my resolve, I opened the door.
I immediately flipped on the room's light switch and looked around.
Me: "I'm inside. Nobody's here."
Senior: "What was the light?"
Inside the room were four desks, each with a computer. One of their monitors was turned on.
Me: "Someone forgot to turn off a PC..."
Senior: "I see... And? Anything moving around in there?"
Come to think of it, my senior had guessed a big bug was the trigger. I scanned the whole room, but couldn't find any bugs or other living creatures. The windows were shut tight, too.
Me: "I don't see anything unusual."
Senior: "Alright. Take a photo of the whole room and one of the PC that was left on for the report. Don't touch the computer or equipment, though. Once you're done, lock up and come on back."
Me: "Roger that."
I took a photo of the entire room and another of the computer that was left on, displaying its desktop home screen. A sticker reading "NW-14" was stuck on the corner of that PC's monitor.
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To be continued in Part 2.
