The Janitor’s Key
One day, a kid got what he thought was a genius idea. He’d find a way to stay overnight in his school. Just to be able to say he did it, the idea of the story that it would make thrilled him. He had no idea how right he was.
The major problem of the plan was getting a key. He couldn’t just hide in corners the whole night, he wanted to explore. He also wanted to scope out the best places in the school for some after school activities with any girls interested. He began to think of himself as the king of the brick castle that he spent most of his time in. He just needed that key.
The only people that he thought would have a key to the entire school would be the janitors. They kept their keys on them, and had a spare set in their break room. He went in during lunch, when the janitors were on cafeteria patrol. He came into the break room and picked up the keys. He’d figure out what they were for later. As he was walking out of the room, amazed that it actually worked, he walked right into one of the janitors.
What are you doing back here?” inquired the custodian. The kid stammered for a few seconds, and ultimately decided to tell the truth. There was something about the man that said “You can trust me.” The janitor laughed and said “You know, I wanted to do the same thing when I was young. Something about having the whole place to myself, it was an intoxicating urge. I made the mistake of going to the top, thinking I could get the keys there. I got caught, and the old man expelled me, for lack of a better word.” Then he took a key off of his key ring and gave it to the kid. It was an odd key, he couldn’t properly tell what color it was. It seemed to keep changing, even when he held it still. “That key will open any door in the school for you. Enjoy, son.”
The kid couldn’t believe his incredible luck. He ran off once the janitor finished talking. He thought that he caught a whiff of something odd coming from the janitor, but thought nothing of it. The guy did clean up after teenagers for a living, after all.
That night, the kid came out of the corner that he was hiding in. He told his parents that he was sleeping over his friend’s house. He promised the friend a tour of the school in exchange for covering for him. He went through the school, finding out what teachers kept in their desks, playing with chemicals and fire in the chemistry room, and generally enjoying himself. He had no problems getting into any of the rooms, desks, or even lockers. He had to use a flashlight instead of turning on the lights, but that just heightened the thrill.
When it was around three o’clock in the morning, he decided to call it a night and sleep in the janitor’s break room. He brought an alarm clock so that he could wake up in time to make his perfect escape, but if he was to be found by anyone, it would mean he would never be able to do this again. Plus, if he was caught by the janitor, he didn’t think he would get in as much trouble.
He woke up early. He heard some thumping, but couldn’t tell where from. It sounded like footsteps. The smell that came off of the janitor permeated the air. The kid thought it smelled familiar, but couldn’t place it. He turned on his flashlight. He pointed it around, and the beam fell on a figure in the corner. The kid let out a yell and dropped the flashlight. It went out. As he was picking up the flashlight and preparing to run to beat the devil, he realized that he hung up his coat in that corner.
“Dumbass,” he said to himself. Now that the flashlight was out, he noticed that it was a little brighter. Morning already? No, a glance at the clock told him that it was little over an hour after he fell asleep. So what was making it brighter? He felt his way out of the office until he was in familiar territory. He took his hands off of the walls, now walking fairly confidently. It seemed to be getting even brighter.
Then it occurred to him. If the figure in the corner was his coat, what made that thumping noise? He stopped and looked behind him. He saw a shadowy outline behind him. It was wearing his coat. Even though he couldn’t see the face, he knew that the figure was smiling. He ran like hell, aimlessly turning until he reached a stairwell. He went down it. Funny, he didn’t remember there being a down stairwell there, he thought he was on the first floor. Too late to turn back now. As he ran down, it got brighter and the faint odor he detected was getting stronger. When he noticed the light flickering like a fire, he placed the smell. Sulfur. He looked around him and noticed the walls. They looked like cave walls with odd runes covering them. He saw the end of the stairs, and the figure at the bottom waiting for him.
The janitor looked up at him, smiled, and laughed.
Posted in Strange & Unknown
August 4th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
i dont get it…
August 4th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
THEN WHO WAS PHONE?
August 4th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Hello.
A fine lesson in fear and consequences.
August 4th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
so that janitor basically told that kid to ‘go to hell’, and the kid’s all ‘okay. i’ll take your key, thanks!’
i wish there was a bit more detail. the end of this seemed pretty rushed.
August 4th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
I don’t much like this one. It’s basically: “I’m staying at school”. “I AM THE JANITOR FROM HELL”.
August 4th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
I didnt like this one much.
It had a good start but…The ending was kinda wierd.
August 4th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
This one had a lot of promise that wasn’t quite indulged.
August 4th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I’m not quite sure what exactly the janitor’s plan was. Was he just trying to scare the kid or was he going to kill him? Plus whats up with the cave stuff It doesn’t make sense to me.
August 4th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
I plotzed.
August 4th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Okay, here’s how it goes down:
The janitor is the Devil. The smell is good ol’ Fire and Brimstone. The story the janitor tells is an intentionally vague recounting of his own experience of attempting to take the Keys of the Kingdom from God, and being cast out as a result.
So, the Devil is here offering the kid something he really really wants, and the kid impulsively accepts, and now the path to Hell has been opened to him. By the time he realizes where he is headed, he’s already lost, and the story is over.
August 4th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
BUT THEN WHO WAS COAT?
August 4th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Eh, I was expecting a better ending.
thepizzaelemental - your explanation made it clear. I get it now.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
So the kid basically traded his soul for anight in the school? Wow. That’s a horrible trade. lol. I liked this one.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
This story should have made everything a bit more clear IMO. That would have made it scarier.
August 4th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I liked this one well enough. The way I was led up to the climax was thrilling, and I got a little jolt when I realized the thing chasing him was wearing his coat after all.
But I didn’t like the ending. It was rather anticlimactic.
August 4th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Probably conceived from the old saying “School is hell”
August 4th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Probably conceived from the old saying “School is hell”
August 5th, 2008 at 12:21 am
thepizzaelemental: I love you.
August 5th, 2008 at 4:49 am
aiight anonymous COAT was the fuckin devil, so WHAT WAS WEAPON??
August 5th, 2008 at 5:39 am
This is like some kind of biblical fable. Not very creepy and kind of preachy.
August 5th, 2008 at 6:07 am
Nice start, could sort of see where it was going a bit with the ’shifting’ key but I wish he actually opened a strange door with that key. Ending wasn’t scary unfortunately.
August 5th, 2008 at 6:30 am
I second that sentiment, LMYUT. We need more allegorical creepypasta, naow!
August 5th, 2008 at 11:09 am
I didn’t love the ending here, but I think it’s because I prefer “unsettling, strange” creepypastas to the ones with the bigger, bolder endings.
August 5th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
That was so set up for a “and then the kid woke up and there was a monster eating his face” ending. I’m glad it was something semi-creative.
August 5th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Completely anticlimatic.
Bravo.
August 5th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Thanks thepizzamental. You actually gave it a meaningful ending. I figured a pointless meaning was what had happened… Just a janitor trying to scare a kid.
August 6th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
I thought the Janitor was going to shove the kid into a furnace.
That would have been a better ending.
August 7th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
I liked this one. It COULDVE ended with a little more detail.
August 9th, 2008 at 5:20 am
That janitor just needed a quick left hook to the kidneys.
August 11th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
…..AAAHHHHHHHHH. Just kidding. Anyway, creepy story! Just the thought of a kid WANTING to stay after school is scary enough XD
August 14th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
I’m actually a coat full of dimes. Swing me around and I’ll knock men down.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
it could have been better, but the questions from comments 2, 11, and 19
still remain unanswered…
August 15th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
I liked it, but I was really expecting a better ending…
the begining was really good though.
lol school is HELL.
August 18th, 2008 at 6:27 am
i liked
August 19th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Too bad it didn’t really have an end :[
August 25th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
…fail
there was no point…the devil wud need a little boy for what? amusement?…to do his bidding? if so what bidding?
and who the hell wants to spend a nite in skool? i spent enuff days there [with my mom as a teacher] and now that im dunzo with skool i cudnt b happier
the end was anticlimatic…oooh a coat, oh noes its the devil..whatever ><
August 28th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
yeah, comment no. 10 by thepizza elemental makes the story all better. makes more sence. and makes me actually like it XD lool. nice going
August 30th, 2008 at 1:53 am
what an asshole :O (the janitor)
August 30th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
if i was gonna be spending the night some where ut would be a wal mart not a stupid school >:3
September 13th, 2008 at 1:26 am
no moomoon!!!
not walmart, there’s a man requesting lemons there! D=
September 24th, 2008 at 5:09 am
Didn’t scare me quite so much. I thought the janitor would eat him or something. Why was there a need to wear the kid’s coat?
September 25th, 2008 at 2:50 am
Man, this totally could have had a better ending. >_> It was a nice set-up, but a downer of a conclusion.
October 8th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
read paradise lost
the janitor “tried stealing the key froem the tope and was expelled in a way”
Satan tried stealing the power from god and was hurled headlong from paradise
November 1st, 2008 at 11:04 pm
i love chickens…
November 14th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
What’s up with all the “WHO WAS” questions? Like “WHO WAS PHAONE?” and “WHO WAS COAT?” I don’t get it.
…
I seem to be the only one not understanding anything.
November 20th, 2008 at 8:45 am
After reading the explination, this story made a lot more sense, and was a lot better. I still liked it beforehand, though.