The Morning Shift

SHORT STORY — HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

PART 4 — THE MORNING SHIFT

At 6:00 a.m., the factory opened as usual.

The missing operator was already at his station.

Nobody asked where he had been.

His face was pale.

His eyes never blinked.

And his breath was still visible in the warm morning air.

At 6:17, three knocks came from another machine.

Then another.

And another.

Across the factory, the lights began to flicker.

The supervisor checked the dashboard.

Every indicator was green.

Every machine was running.

Every operator was accounted for.

He smiled.

“Everything is back to normal.”

Behind him, every worker slowly turned toward the sound.

Except the missing operator.

He was already looking at the supervisor.

Smiling.

Then, from somewhere deep inside the factory, a voice whispered:

“We’ve always been here.”