The lobby was full of people. They walked hurriedly from one end to the other, not sparing Adam even a glance as they passed. It felt like he'd stepped into the past, like the chaos of the last several weeks had been just a dream.

  "Adam!" Natalie hissed, pushing him forward. "You're blocking the door."

  He stepped forward into the path of one of the figures hurrying past. The man didn't look up from his phone and walked straight into him. His phone flew from his hand and clattered to the floor and was immediately kicked away by another passerby.

  "Sorry," Adam said.

  The man looked up as if seeing someone for the first time. His eyes twitched in rapid, jerky motions, flickering left then right, but never quite settling. They paused for a fraction of a second, lingering on Adam’s face with a vacant stare before darting away again.

  "Hey, can you hear me?" Adam asked, waved his hand in front of the stranger’s face. Nothing. When the man finally turned to leave, Adam reached out and touched his arm.

  The entire room froze. Every figure stopped and turned in eerie unison, their eyes unfocused but all staring right at him. Adam quickly pulled his hand back, raising both arms and backing away.

  The man turned and walked across the room to retrieve his phone. The crowd continued to stare until he disappeared around the corner. Then, as if nothing had happened, they all turned away and resumed their march, appearing from the elevators and vanishing down the hallway.

  What the hell was that?

  "Is anyone else getting serious body snatcher vibes?" Natalie muttered as a woman in a bright red blouse rushed past, almost jogging as she rounded the corner and then darted out of sight.

  "That movie scared the hell out of me as a kid," Hector said, visibly shuddering. "If any of them turn and start shrieking I'm out of here."

  "I don't think that's what this is." Samantha pointed at a receptionist's desk. The woman behind the counter looked like she was caught in a loop, nodding off over and over again. She'd lift her head, eyes fluttering open just long enough to glance around, then her chin would sink back to her chest and then she'd do it all over again.

  “Okay. Just don’t touch any of them,” Adam said, waiting for a moment then slipping through a gap in the stream of bodies. He motioned for the others to follow, watching as they crossed one at a time. Jessica came last, nearly colliding with the woman in the red blouse as she made her second circuit from the elevators to the hallway.

  "That's definitely not good," Adam muttered, watching her vanish again.

  Hector glanced at clock above the entryway. “Maybe it’s some kind of time loop?”

  "I don't think so," Samantha said after a minute. "The clock’s still running, and nothing else is resetting."

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  The seconds ticked by as they watched and the woman in the red blouse jogged by again.

  Adam turned and approached the receptionist, gently knocking on the countertop until her eyes fluttered open. They focused for a moment then glazed over again with the same vacant stare.

  "Excuse me," Adam said.

  "Hello. How can I help you?" she replied mechanically. The woman's voice was thick and dreamy, like someone talking in their sleep.

  Adam exchanged a look with the others. "Um... We need access to the roof?"

  "The roof is currently closed for construction." Her eyes started to droop and her head leaned forward.

  "I think I get it," Natalie said, pointing at the crowd continually passing by. "What time was it when we heard The Announcement? A bit after noon? I had just finished my shift and I was heading home.”

  "Yeah." Jessica tucked herself against the desk, narrowly avoiding being hit by a passing briefcase. "I was making lunch when I heard it."

  "So, maybe all of these people are just going through the motions?” Natalie shrugged. “Repeating whatever they were doing during The Announcement or right after?"

  "What about her?" Adam asked, pointing at the dozing woman.

  Samantha frowned. "If I had to guess, she was falling asleep when she heard it. We perceive sound a little differently when we're half awake, so maybe that’s why she’s more responsive? It almost seems like she's stuck somewhere between being awake and asleep."

  “I doubt she’s going to be much help, then,” Hector said, leaning against the desk.

  Adam nodded. “Agreed. Alright, let’s try the elevator. Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

  He waited for another gap in the crowd, then jogged to the elevators. The four sets of doors opened one at a time, disgorging their passengers before immediately closing again. Adam counted the repetitions until he had a grasp on the pattern, slipping forward and attempting to hold one of the doors open. It continued to close, ignoring his hand until he had to pull it away or be crushed. Frowning, he tried the up button. Nothing. He jabbed it again, but the elevators kept spitting out their human cargo one at a time. With a growl of frustration he slammed his fist against both buttons and stalked back to the others.

  "Elevators are a no go," Adam said.

  Hector drummed his fingers against the countertop, nerves visible in the motion. "I checked around the corner. There's another set of doors, but no way we're shoving past without pissing someone off."

  "Stairs?" Jessica asked.

  "Yeah, but the door looks serious," Hector said. "I think it could shrug off a bomb."

  "Fantastic." Adam turned back to the receptionist. "Hi. Can you help us?"

  Her eyes fluttered open again. "Hello. How can I help you?"

  "We need to go upstairs, but the elevators aren't working."

  The woman's eyes fluttered and she seemed to really see him for the first time. "You don't want to go upstairs," she whispered.

  That was new.

  Adam's skin prickled at her words. He swallowed his unease and leaned forward. "I won't tell anyone if you help us."

  She shook her head violently, tears suddenly appearing in her eyes. "No. I can't..." She nodded off again before she finished speaking.

  Jessica suddenly leaned forward. "We don't have time for this." She slapped the woman across the face. The impact cracked through the room like a whip.

  Adam flinched. "What the hell are you doing?!"

  "Getting us what we need," Jessica said. "Now, give us the goddamn key."

  The woman's eyes snapped open, the red handprint on her cheek matching the bloodshot hue of her eyes. She focused on Jessica and peeled her lips back into a snarl.

  "I really thought that would work..." Jessica said, her voice tight with alarm.

  Adam turned and saw that every figure in the room had stopped and was staring at them. Their faces were twisted into expressions of rage and their hands clenched and unclenched at their sides. He had just enough time to draw his bat before the crowd fell upon them.