A job is a job

We all have to work a job at some point in our lives. Normal jobs, weird jobs, sometimes it's enough to make a living, and sometimes you might be lucky enough to make a lot of money doing your job. However, as long as money is involved, you can count on people doing the darnest and weirdest things.<br><br>My job is weird, but it pays a lot, and my needs are simple, so it's enough to live a comfortable life. All I have to do is sit down and watch some random, old VHS tapes twice a week and take some notes.<br><br>I don't know how, but these people always find me. They pay off my tuition when I'm in need of money, they find me a good paying job when I'm done with my studies, and they even paid for my parent's funeral. <br><br>All they ask is to watch some tapes. <br><br>They're a bit freaky, sometimes a bit terrifying, but I know better than to refuse them. You see, you can't say no to your benefactors. All those they helped in the past that tried to end the deal are now all gone, so I just keep doing the only job I know how to do.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>"Hey." I said, as I entered the room, breaking the silence. "I'm here for my tapes."<br><br>Mr.alsner took off his glasses, put them on the table, and looked at me with a big smile on his face. <br><br>"Always punctual, that's why I like you." He said. "Alright, here are today's tapes."<br><br>He pointed to two VHS tapes on the table.<br><br>"You know what to do?"<br><br>"Yes, sir." I replied. "I watch the VHS tapes on that television set, take some notes, and leave them here when I'm done."<br><br>"Exactly. And do you remember what you're not supposed to do?"<br><br>"Yes, sir." I replied again, trying to hold my irritation. "I am not to pause, stop, or fast forward the tapes at any time, or else this will be considered my last time here."<br><br>"Exactly." He said. "You may leave now."<br><br>"Thank you, sir." I said, as I took the tapes and left the room.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>I walked to the room they've assigned to me, turned on the TV set and popped the first tape in and sat on the couch. The moment the screen turned on, I started taking my notes.<br><br>The first tape was about some woman doing everyday chores. I took some notes, nothing too weird, but the thing was that the tape didn't stop. <br><br>A bit into it, the tape started to show some woman doing her everyday chores, but in a different location, with a different hair color, and at the end of it all, the tape ended with her being arrested and put in jail.<br><br>*Subject: Woman, 42.*<br><br>*Initial Location: Unknown, possibly a police interrogation room.*<br><br>*Followed by: One camera man*<br><br>*Filmed using: One camera.*<br><br>*Starting Point: Purchase of several large kitchen knives from a store, noting she already owns all of them.*<br><br>*Locations: House, police car, police station, jail cell.* <br><br>*Events: Purchased several kitchen knives from the market, went home, cooked a large meal, stabbed someone outside the house multiple times, bleeding on the kitchen knives, got arrested, put in jail.*<br><br>*Notes:* She seemed to be talking to someone other than the camera man at multiple times throughout the tape. She couldn't see the people following her, she could only hear them. The tape also included a segment where she agreed to do what she did, and another where she read something out loud with her own voice. The tape included several scenes where she was talking to a lawyer in a way that suggested she was in a police interrogation room, and the last segment before she went to jail showed her being sent back home. It also showed some scenes where she was walking around the house, with the words "Two weeks later" popping up on the screen.<br><br>The second tape was totally different, and it was a bit weirder than the first tape.<br><br>It was about something called the "Test Tube Travel". I don't know how they did it, but I saw a real scene of a girl getting abducted, being put in a bag, then getting out to find herself on a beach. I wrote countless notes on it, and I took a phone call from the people following me as I watched it.<br><br>*Subject: Girl, 20, possibly 21.*<br><br>*Initial Location: Parking lot.*<br><br>*Followed by: One camera man, possibly one more, but I couldn't tell.*<br><br>*Filmed using: Two cameras.*<br><br>*Starting Point: Leaving parking lot, going into bar.*<br><br>*Locations: Parking lot, bar, beach, forest, bar, parking lot.*<br><br>*Events: Left parking lot, roamed around, went into a bar, walked out, was abducted by two people, put in bag, woke up on the beach, wondering what all this was for, walked a bit, found some fruit, found a slice of cake, found a slice of cake with a candle, blew out the candle, and the screen went black. Later, the screen showed her in a forest, looking around, then got abducted by two people, put in bag, woke up in the bar, was confused, got a text, left the bar, walked to parking lot, got an "End of test" stamp on the screen, as the tape ended.*<br><br>*Notes:* She seemed to know that she was being followed, she knew where the cameras were but couldn't see the people, everything she did was so weird, as if she knew it was all a test, it was so weird, she kept sending texts, she kept getting texts, she was singing, she knew way too much, she was too prepared, she blew out the candle, it finally ended, thank God.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>I was done with the tapes for today, so I left the room and knocked on the door.<br><br>"Hey, sir." I said, as Mr. Alsner opened the door. "I finished the tapes, sir."<br><br>"Alright." He said. "How did you find the experience?"<br><br>"I found the tapes weirder than usual today." I replied. "But I was able to take my notes."<br><br>"That's all I need." He said. "I'll see you next time, and I'll probably bring your notes for you to read."<br><br>"Thank you, sir." I replied.<br><br>"Alright, off with you now." He said.<br><br>"Thank you, sir."<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>As I left the building, I couldn't help but think about what I just watched. The woman was a bit sad, she was a criminal, I probably won't see her again soon. But that girl, the one in the second tape, was different, and I couldn't stop thinking about it as I walked home. <br><br>I don't know how, but they always find me, and they always do the weird and freakiest shit. The tapes keep varying in weirdness, but the people in them are always weird and do weirder things. <br><br>I guess in the end, a job is a job, as long as you get paid.