The hallway leading to the interview room was long, the kind that made footsteps sound louder than they should. Rose's heartbeat followed the rhythm of her shoes against the polished floor. She felt the weight of unseen eyes, though no one else was there.
She shook off the unease. It was just nerves.
The man who called her name, Mr. Alden, led her to a sleek glass door with Lacourte Industries engraved in silver. The company name. She had researched it, but standing here now, something about it felt off—as if she had seen it before, long before applying.
Mr. Alden gestured inside. "Take a seat. The panel will be with you shortly."
Rose stepped in. The room was cold, unnaturally so. Three empty chairs stood across from the single chair meant for her. A dark screen on the wall flickered to life, showing nothing but static for a split second before going black again.
She exhaled, sitting down. Calm. Focus. Professional.
Minutes stretched. The silence deepened. And then—
Click.
The door shut behind her.
The interview had begun.
---
Three people entered. Two men and one woman. Their faces were unreadable, sharp in a way that made her feel small, like a specimen under a microscope. The woman, dressed in charcoal gray, sat in the center. She was the first to speak.
"Miss Delacroix. Do you know why you're here?"
The question threw her off. She blinked, quickly gathering her thoughts. "For the position of research assistant."
A pause. The woman exchanged a glance with the man to her left. He scribbled something in a notebook.
"Tell us, Miss Delacroix," the man on the right said, "do you believe in déjà vu?"
Her fingers tightened around her resume folder. "Excuse me?"
"Have you ever had the feeling that you've experienced something before? Even if you know it's impossible?"
Rose hesitated. What kind of question was this? Was this part of the interview?
"I suppose," she said carefully. "Sometimes."
The woman leaned forward slightly. "And do you ever dream of places you've never been?"
Her breath hitched.
The nightmare.
The fog, the shadows, the voices calling her name.
Rose swallowed. "What does this have to do with the position?"
The man with the notebook spoke for the first time. His voice was calm, almost too calm. "Everything."
The screen on the wall flickered again. For a split second, an image appeared.
A hallway.
Dimly lit.
Fog curling around the floor.
Exactly like in her dreams.
Her pulse skyrocketed. "What—"
Before she could finish, the image vanished, and the woman in gray stood up. "Thank you, Miss Delacroix. That will be all for now."
---
She barely remembered standing, barely remembered leaving the room.
The moment she stepped outside, her breath came in short gasps. The receptionist didn't even look up as she hurried past, out into the warm, real world.
She had the overwhelming feeling that she should run.
That she had just stepped into something much bigger than a simple job interview.
And that it was far too late to turn back.