[WP] Careers are determined by a computer analysing how you would gain the most satisfaction. You have been given "Serial Killer".

As I stepped inside the Career Center, hollow, metallic echoes greeted my return. Everything within the building seemed to be made of metal: walls, floors, and everything in between. And it was cold, much colder than I remembered. And I did remember, because I had been here once, long ago.

Every child visits the Career Center to take an aptitude test at the age of five. Their potential is measured, and their future career is assigned. Nurse. Soldier. Electrical technician. When I had taken the test, I had gotten peacekeeper. It was a respectable career, and my family was pleased. I remember how excited they were for me, at the Career Center steps, so many years ago.

However, the test had been rewritten. All children were required to retake it, so here we stood, queued up outside and within the Career Center, lining corridor after corridor, slowly funneling into the main chamber.

When it finally came my time to enter the main chamber, I was seated at a workstation marked A12. I flinched as the cold, steel chair met my uncovered legs. An old, off-white machine lay before me, and began to whir itself awake just as a large man approached the podium at the front of the room.

"Good morning, citizens," he murmured, stoically. "Welcome to the Career Center. Momentarily you will begin your aptitude test. Answer questions as truthfully as possible."

He paused, gave a quick smile, then added, "Cheaters will be punished. Thank you."

And just like that, the test program loaded up on all workstation screens and the test began. They were standard questions, questions I had answered before, and I answered them quickly. Time slowly dwindled by as the questions became more specific. And even more specific. And then students started finishing: in front of me, a screen began to lazily flash MECHANIC. Muted cheers followed. Another student finished. LAWYER. NURSE. PHYSICIST.

Soon enough there were only a dozen of us left in the room. The questions kept getting more and more specific, asking about obscure scenarios that seemed unrelated to any possible career path. However, when I answered these questions, the machine began to pause longer and longer before introducing a new question, as if it had to clarify my answer. As if I had made a wrong answer, and the machine wanted to make sure.

A button finally appeared after answering my last question. Calculate results. I clicked the button, and my screen went blank.

Minutes went by. The machine continued to whir aggressively, calculating unforeseen links between all of those obscure questions. What did it have in store for me? What could possibly cause all of this commotion?

Moments later, PEACEKEEPER flashed on the screen, and flickered wildly as if it were unsure of the result. A red light turned on above my workstation, drawing the attention of the remaining test takers. Then the screen went blank again, and when it returned, it was no longer flickering.

SERIAL KILLER.

/r/WritingPrompts Thread