The Pied Piper of Construction (hypno)
by irrcapt
Kevin walked into the construction yard. He was glad for the work since ti paid well, and he hadn't had a job in six months. But it was his first time working like this, and he was terrified that he would screw it up.
The foreman, talking to one of hte works, saw him and came over. "Hey, Kevin! Welcome to the site. Good to you have you on the team."
Kevin smiled nervously. "Good to be working, sir."
The foreman raise an eyebrow. "I think you'll do fine here," he said, with a small conspiratorial smile Kevin didn't understand. "I'll have you working just to move material around at first, but keep your eyes open, and I'm sure you'll learn some other tricks to get the better paying jobs. Over there are some bricks and rebar, and there's a barrow. I need them there." He pointed to a spot where three men were working on a wall.
"Yes sir," Kevin said and got to work.
Over the course of the next hour, Kevin worked hard, but also noticed some odd things. No one seemed to talk. Oh sure, when someone needed something, they spoke up, but from the stories he'd heard, he expected ribald jokes, off-color stories and all kinds of rowdiness. He'd even tried to start a conversation to blot out the monotonous music that kept playing over the PA system between the foreman's announcements, but every time all he got were a dead fish foice and a curt reply and got back to work. Some of them even seemed to be in a daze, like they didn't know one moment from the next what they were going to do.
Weird, he thought as he moved more material to those who needed it. But I guess I can undestand it with that music playing.
He hated the music. The more he worked, the more dull and mind-numbing it became. Kevin shook his head and tried to work through it, but for each hour that he worked, it became harder and harder to resist the effect. He seemed to be going slower, and his eyes were glazing over a bit.
Gotta... keep... working... he thought sluggishly, trying to stay to task, but the music was seemingly everywehre. And as dull as it had seemed before, it seemed to be more and more irresistible. His head started bobbing in time with the slow beat as everyone on the worksite were already. His thoughts roiled in his head, trying to break from the lethargy the music seemed to cause.
Work... gotta work... gotta... keep... this... I... can't... lose... myself... must... listen. He stopped dead, his arms hanging loose, his eyes crossing and unfocusing. He stood that way for ten minutes, absorbing all the music had to teach him. Then he turned and walked towards the foreman's office.
"Yes Kevin, what is it?"
"I am reporting as instructed, sir," Kevin said in a dreamy voice.
"Good," the foreman replied. "Repeat your instructions."
"You are my master. I obey your every order. I work for you and carry out all instructions. I have no need for outside contact. My master will provide, as he does for my brethren. I have no interests outisde what my master instructs. I must only work and obey," Kevin rattled off, the dreamy tone of his voice becoming replaced with a hard, flat tone as the music continued to bury these instructions deep into his mind.
The foreman leaned over to his mic and spoke into it. "Indoctrination of new worker is complete. Return to original instructions."
Every man not working with a blowtorch on site stopped, ripped over their shirts, and then went back to work.
"My first standing instruction, Kevin, is that unless you are working with something that can burn you, you will wear no shirt."
Without hesitation, Kevin ripped his shirt off as well.
"Good. Return to work, Kevin. Once the shift is over, we'll show you what else we get up to on off hours, and I'll help you arrange moving in with us."
Kevin turned and walked back to where he was working carrying items, his face impassive, thinking of nothing but the same, endlessly repeating music...
