The exterior of the building was indistinguishable from the others around it, an office structure that towered higher than Claire felt comfortable looking. Despite it being after midnight, she had double-checked and confirmed her interview time: 1:30 a.m. Unlike the cold, dark, and silent buildings nearby, this one was lit up, with its front doors unlocked.

Not wasting any time, Claire headed inside, not wanting to be out in the street with her luggage in the middle of the night. She entered the unassuming building, an uneasy feeling settling over her as she stepped into the lobby. Despite its apparent emptiness, the room was under constant surveillance, with cameras monitoring every corner with precision. Yet, the lobby was entirely devoid of people.

Approaching the solitary check-in desk, Claire noticed a manila envelope bearing her name, left conspicuously exposed. Skepticism crept in, suggesting the possibility of a reality TV prank, yet her curiosity prevailed. Cautiously examining the contents of the envelope, she discovered a map and a set of instructions indicating that her evaluation would continue in the fourth-floor library. To access it, she needed to input a specific code on the elevator’s touchscreen, arranging esoteric symbols in the correct order.

Puzzled but intrigued, Claire made her way to the elevator, marveling at its futuristic design. Instead of traditional buttons, a large touchscreen greeted her, prompting her to decipher the symbolic code to progress further into this enigmatic evaluation process. As she looked around, she started to detect hidden patterns within the room’s decor, reminiscent of a video game puzzle. This observation only heightened her suspicion that this might be some sort of reality show, but the little puzzles excited her and kept her moving forward despite any doubts.

Confident she had found the solution, Claire entered the code and felt the elevator start to move. Oddly, it felt as if she was descending, but there was no way to see outside the elevator, leaving her unsure. The elevator moved smoothly to the fourth floor, confirming her success and pulling her deeper into the mysterious evaluation process.