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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/Bradegan_um on 2026-08-03 18:57:06+00:00.

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“Sorry, Sport. You’ll have to stay late tonight.” Damn, guess I’ll be missing Friday night at the bar with my friends.

I just completed my first week as a custodian at Riverside Memories retirement community when my supervisor called me into his office and sat me down.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be getting overtime and double pay for the night, along with some training and guidance from another worker. He’s done this for a while, so he can go over everything more in-depth.” Drew’s watch sounded as soon as the clock hit 6, and he clicked the side buttons to turn it off. The mention of double pay made the FOMO of not seeing my friends disappear.

“You’ll be hosting the monthly bingo night this evening,” Drew said, returning his attention to me from his watch. I already didn’t like spending time with the residents; their horrible aim in the bathroom gave me reason enough, but having to spend hours with them in a cold, smelly, and nearly lifeless room? It was like my worst nightmare coming true, but the silver lining of double pay made it sound manageable.

“I know this wasn’t in your job description, but management would recognize you for standing up and going above and beyond.  Can we count on you tonight?” Drew said, his eyes flickering from his watch to me.

“Yeah. Yeah, I can do that.” I said, nodding in agreement. Drew clapped his hands together and stood up.

“Great! I’ll explain some things as we walk down to the event center.” Drew stood up, grabbed his raincoat and his leather laptop bag, and ushered me out the door.

We headed towards the elevators silently. Drew kept fiddling with his watch and turning his head to look at me. I kept my head forward, afraid of making eye contact with him. I really had no idea what type of person Drew was. I only interacted with him in my initial interview and moments ago when he called me into his room.

He seemed to pick up on the fact that his constant fiddling made me nervous, so he finally spoke again.

“Don’t worry. I’m nervous too. We’ve never had someone this new run a bingo night, but I’m sure you’ll be fine.” His words didn’t do much to quell the anxiety.

“The person who usually ran it quit so suddenly that it shocked us all! Even the residents. Not to hold you to too high a standard, but she was a great announcer, and she knew how to make the elderly laugh. She quit last month, but everything has been so busy around here, from dining services to event planning, that I didn’t even remember we had lost her until today.” Drew pushed the elevator button and quietly waited.

“May I ask why she quit?” I voiced a question that made Drew harden in hesitation.

“She got dealt an unlucky hand in life. Stuff outside of her control. I don’t think I can share anymore with you,” He said as we entered the elevator.

“Oh, no worries, I get it.” I figured some employer or employee act was made to protect her privacy. The rest of the ride was quiet as Drew continued to move his watch around with shaking hands.

The elevator doors opened right near the event center, where the wide glass double doors were open, and I saw a tall, dark-complexioned man setting up long, folded plastic tables and chairs.

It had a little stage with curtains and a projector, with a few closet doors on either side of the stairs and ramps up to it. The room was large and bare, with plaster white walls adorned with generic pictures of mountains and creeks. Each wall was also adorned with paintings or artworks from some of the residents, some of which were hard to believe they weren’t kept in a museum.

The carpet was thin and sounded more like a tile floor as I walked across it.

The tall man came out from a large closet with a few chairs under his arms. Once he noticed our presence, he attempted a wave but only managed to drop a few of the chairs. He was wearing a black hoodie with the company name and logo plastered on the front. He had long grey jean shorts and shoes that gave him another few inches past his already biologically allowed height.

“That’s Jayden. He’s been doing this for a while, so he can tell you all of the specifics. I have to talk with him really quickly, so it's best you set up some more chairs and the ball cage. Thanks again.” Drew hurried off to help Jayden pick up the chairs and talk with him, a conversation that got heated fast.

I couldn’t hear what Drew was saying, but Jayden was clearly animated. His voice was harsh and loud, as if he were scolding Drew. I could hear him protest even when I was deep inside the closet, struggling to hold on to a large folding table.

“You just keep bringing younger and younger people in, don’t you? Why is that? You know the type-” The remnants of Jayden’s voice echoed into the closet, as well as the loud and demanding shush of persuasion by Drew. I didn’t hear any more of Jayden’s complaints after that.

As I exited the closet, opting to drag the large table into the event room, Drew called for me one last time. I hurriedly set up the table and walked over.

“I almost forgot to tell you the rules of bingo night here! Jayden was kindly reminding me about rule two.” Jayden rolled his eyes and returned a second glance at me. As Drew spoke, Jayden did his best not to make eye contact while desperately trying to look at me, almost as if I were a car wreck.

Drew pulled out a folded piece of paper from his breast pocket and began to read.

“Rule one: Once the games start, no one is allowed to leave until the third game has concluded. No bathroom breaks, no smoke breaks, nothing. Residents know this already and won’t need to be informed. Jayden will enforce this rule at the start of the night. Drew spoke as if he were teaching me how to mop floors for the first time, despite it being my lively hood..

“What’s with the rules? These are rules for, like, high school tests, not a bingo night?” I asked in confusion, unsure about why there were such tight standards for such a boring game.

“Well, unfortunately, I cannot tell you more, as Rule Two states. Rule Two: Do not discuss the events that take place during the games outside of game time. Failure to follow this rule will lead to… Well, I can’t say that part. Strange how it's written down, what a loophole.” He flipped the paper around for a second while he shrugged. There wasn’t enough time to read any of the words, but I could tell Rule Two was the longest.

“Rule Three: Everyone in the room must play, including the announcer and the helper. Two employees must always be present. Refer back to Rule Two if this requirement isn’t met.” Drew mumbled something under his breath about updating the rule sheet while Jayden spun on his heels to face the opposite way. His foot tapped in nervous anticipation, no rhyme or rhythm.

“Final and fourth rule: all standard bingo rules apply to the match, and most importantly, have fun.” Drew’s face wrinkled as if he sucked on a lemon. His obvious distaste for the rules must have been applied to my face, as he swiftly reminded me of the overtime and double pay.

“If anything happens, Jayden will be here to help. I have to go now for a dinner date with the missus, but don’t be afraid to contact me either. Happy wife, happy life, am I right?” He said with a chuckle and an elbow nudge before stuffing the rule paper back into his pocket and tossing his jacket on.

Drew waved us goodbye and ran out of the room, as if he were already an hour late for dinner. Both Jayden and I sat in silence for what felt like an eternity before he finally cleared his throat.

“We should finish setting up; bingo starts in an hour,” Jayden said softly before returning to the utility closet. I almost spoke up to ask more questions, but caught myself. Rule Two forbade Jayden from telling more, so what was even the point? I followed behind him quietly and finished setting up for the night.

The next hour went by agonizingly quiet and slow. I tried my best to talk to Jayden during that time, but he either gave me short one- or two-word answers or completely cold-shouldered me. This didn’t stop the awkward staring. I’d catch him in a thousand-yard stare sometimes when I turned around, causing him to snap out of it and flick his head away.

The first resident showed up as soon as we finished setting up the bingo cage and set out three bingo sheets at each chair. Jayden was still placing a few daubers at each of the tables when she strolled in.

The frail woman placed all of her weight on her blue stroller. Her pink glasses barely sat on her long and slender face as she walked, and the little basket of items that dangled off the stroller looked like it could fall at any moment. I jogged over to help her find a chair.

“Oh, hello, sweetie! You're a young and new face! What’s your name?” She asked as I got close. Her knitted sweater and long brown slacks all smelled of tomato soup.

“I’m Mickey, and you, ma’am?” I said with a wide smile. The old woman fiddled with her kitten sweater and showed me her little name badge that all the residents and workers had.

“Paulliene. Will you be the new announcer? Shame what happened to Patricia. Smart young woman.” She asked as I walked her to the nearest seat. She had a collection of bright silver jewelry on her wrist and a silver key on a string around her neck to accompany it.

“I think so; Jayden will do the announcing. May I ask what happened to Patricia?” I let the noisy part of me win. I knew it was probably an incentive or a tab...

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