00:00They say no one truly appreciates life until they stand face to face with death.
00:04I never believed it until that moment I stood staring at a violated corpse,
00:09completely horrified by the carved symbols, slashed throat, and the deep sense of dread knowing I was next.
00:16That's when I realized it was true.
00:18I never wanted to stay more alive than when I realized I was going to die.
00:22My name is Raul Morales, and I'm from a town named Catamaco in Veracruz, Mexico.
00:28The town was small, but a horrible place to grow up in.
00:32Crime was rampant, everyone was poor, and from a very young age it was blatantly obvious that my town was
00:39one of the most ritualistic places on earth.
00:42People would die from hexes, lose their minds to love spells, and got stolen and used for rituals.
00:49All I ever wanted was a normal life, and in June 2017, the perfect opportunity presented itself.
00:56The AXO store in central Catamaco was the one place that seemed to thrive in the chaos of my town.
01:03Everyone loved it, and as a result, it never got robbed and was always shown an odd amount of respect
01:09by the locals.
01:10It turned out they were hiring, so I filled out the form, submitted it, and luckily, just a couple of
01:16days later,
01:17I was invited to come back in and meet with the manager, Pepe, for the final interview.
01:22Good morning, Raul.
01:23Good morning, sir.
01:25So, you want to work at our AXO branch, huh?
01:28It might not seem like it, but that's a big responsibility.
01:31We do a lot for the town here.
01:33Yes, sir.
01:34I'm fully aware just how much you do for the town.
01:36My mother would bring me here all the time after school for snacks, and she would tell me it's something
01:41her mother did for her, too.
01:42So, I know just how much normalcy you've brought to a not-so-normal town like ours.
01:47I could tell by the smile on Pepe's face that I had already made it into his good graces.
01:53Well, I'm glad our store has given you so much hope.
01:56Hopefully, depending on how the rest of the interview goes, you'll be able to give back to the AXO.
02:01The rest of the interview was full of routine questions, and after that, Pepe stood up, shook my hand, and
02:07said,
02:08Congratulations, Raul.
02:09You're perfect for us.
02:11Oh, well, thank you, sir. I'm sure you had a lot more applicants.
02:15We certainly did, but no need for any more.
02:18How soon can you start? Because I'd want you to be here by tomorrow.
02:22Yes, sir. That works fine.
02:24Perfect. Come in tomorrow to meet your co-workers. They'll show you what you'll be doing and welcome you to
02:28the family.
02:29I headed back the next day to meet the co-workers.
02:32There weren't a lot of them, but the one I spoke to the most was a lady named Monica.
02:36She showed me around and then eventually took me to meet the rest.
02:39Well, Raul, that's everything. We're really happy to have you.
02:43Thank you. I can't wait to start.
02:46Monica and the rest let out a laugh. That's when Monica said...
02:50Not so fast. Before you actually start, you have to complete the initiation ritual.
02:55And don't worry. There's no need to panic. It's nothing crazy. Just a harmless co-worker tradition.
03:01What's a tradition?
03:03You have to spend the night before your first day in the freezer.
03:06It'll be a little cold, a little dark, but we'll be watching. And we'll let you out first thing in
03:11the morning.
03:12After a little bit of convincing, I realized this was important to the crew, and I didn't want to start
03:17with a bad first impression.
03:19I followed Monica to the freezer and stepped in. Immediately, I noticed it was much colder than I'd anticipated, but
03:26before I could turn around to say something, the huge door was slammed shut.
03:30The blue fluorescent lights were all I had to see, and as I walked around, I couldn't understand why the
03:36freezer had to be so cold, when all it had were drinks and bagged chips.
03:41In the corner, away from the rest of the inventory, was a bucket, and I approached it, hoping there'd be
03:46something in it that I could use to warm myself up.
03:49Instead, the bucket was filled with chains, watches, wallets, and a bunch of other personal belongings that seemed to belong
03:56to a number of people.
03:57Something about it was off, and as I crouched over, wondering why it felt wrong, I noticed it.
04:04Out of the corner of my eye, strung up against the wall, was a body, both hands nailed together above
04:10its head and its feet, suspended above what seemed like trinkets and an altar on the ground.
04:16What the hell?
04:17I said, as I fell back in horror. I began to hyperventilate in disbelief.
04:24What the fuck? What the fuck? What the fuck?
04:27Hey! Somebody let me out of here! There's a body!
04:30All I could hear was the freezer humming around me, and that was when I realized just what I'd gotten
04:36myself into.
04:38The boy was dressed casually like me. His throat had been cut deep, and inscribed on his chest and face
04:45were symbols and writings that were evidence of the occult.
04:48Witchcraft, to be precise. That was the secret of Oxo's prosperity in the town.
04:53The cold was starting to get to me, and my body was slowing down. This was it. This was where
05:00I was going to die.
05:01As I lay on the floor, about to pass out, I heard the door open, and Monica approached me, holding
05:07a knife with a cold look in her eyes.
05:10Sorry, Raul. You'll have to be alive for this part, or else the ritual won't work.
05:15She brought the knife up to my face, and in one swift motion, fueled by nothing but desperation to survive,
05:21I turned the blade on her and pushed it deep into her neck.
05:25She let out a horrific scream, as I forced myself up.
05:31No! Get back here, you selfish f***! OXXO has given too much! Why don't you understand that?
05:39I searched her pocket for a phone, and as I dialed the police, Monica bled out and continued to scream.
05:46Get back here, Raul! You have to give back! You have to give back to OXXO! What we do is
05:54much more important than your life!
Comments