It seemed like just an ordinary day as Colton rode into the Grand Creek Public Library parking lot. It would be another day of keeping the library secure. Perhaps there would be an unruly patron to beat. Good stuff.
Upon entering and getting into his office, he saw a letter on his desk with his name on it. He opened it and read, "Come to the fifth floor break room...if you dare." Could there be a situation on the fifth floor? He made sure his gun was loaded before heading up.
Once he arrived on the fifth floor, he carefully opened the door and peered through into the wide-open reception. It was a ghost town, when it was normally busy. This could be serious. He stepped through and whipped out his pistol.
From where he stood, the breakroom was about 150 feet north. The corridor was lined with offices along the left wall. To the right, there was a partition that rose up about seven feet, leaving roughly three feet of clearance to the ceiling. The partition ran from the door to about thirty feet before the breakroom entrance, before breaking into an open area containing employee office cubicles. If this was a trap, there'd be plenty of opportunity to be attacked.
He proceeded cautiously down the hall until he got to the breakroom entrance, where he stopped short. He peered in. It was dark. The light switch was just inside the door to the left. He would flip it, asses the situation quickly, and blast some heads if need be.
One. Two. Three. He hurried around the corner and flipped the switch with one hand while looking around and aiming his gun with the other. Much to his surprise, there were many staff members gathered, including the manager and Aisha, but he could identify no threat.
"That's our Colton," a librarian said.
"Congratulations on twenty years of serving the Grand Creek Public Library," the library manager said. "Now could you lower the gun."
He holstered his pistol. "I received a poorly written letter and hurried up as fast as I could. I thought there was a situation up here."
Everyone knew exactly was, looking at a page. "Whoops," he said.
"Anyway," the library manager said, "you've kept the library secure for so long, we just had to do something for you." He opened a box on one of the tables, revealing a cake. "The first slice is yours."
Colton wasn't really a cake eater, but how could he refuse? This whole shindig was for him. If something went down, he and Aisha could dart into action. Some relaxation wouldn't kill him.
After some cake and conversations, everyone started chanting, "speech, speech, speech."
May as well. He cleared his throat and everyone got quiet. "When I came to the library twenty years ago, I swore the Security Guards Oath. I swore to protect, serve, and beat. Since then, I've come across some of the best co-workers a man can have. I've protected a lot of library property, served a lot of people, and beat a lot of criminals." He raised a cup of pop he'd poured earlier. "Here's to another twenty years and twenty more after that, then twenty more."
After the party, it was business as usual. It was a quiet day. Nobody was trying to fight, argue, or steal. It was almost too perfect.
Then, his phone rang after he did the rounds. "Security. This is Colton."
Someone let out a maniacal laugh. Was it the same person who called last time.
"Listen, maggot," Colton said, "I don't know who you are, so you'd better quit while you're ahead."
Seemingly not hearing Colton, the person said, "The one you love most will betray you." Then he let out another maniacal laugh and the call ended.
Colton wondered what he meant. Who was he talking about. His parents? They lived in another state. He didn't have a wife, kids, or a girlfriend. He was an only child, so it couldn't be a sibling. Maybe it wasn't worth thinking about too deeply.
A few incident-free hours later, it was time to shut the library down. The manager, Aisha, and a few other employees hung back to talk to him in the parking lot. "It really is amazing what you've done, Colton," Aisha said. "I can only hope to be half the security guard."
Colton shook his head as he sat down on his motorcycle. "I'm not anything special. I'm just a guy who shows up to work and does his job." Then, he cranked up the ignition, heard a boom, and saw a flash of white.
"Colton!" he heard Aisha scream before he blacked out.
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