Masked Roses

Chapter Three

Sitting at the counter, I sipped on a cup of coffee. It was just a minute after eight, meaning I had already taken my medication. I sat there on the phone as I spared a glance outside, waiting for the office to pick up.

Ring...Ring...Ring...Click!

"This is Weston's Clinic, how may I help you today?" A gentle and kind female voice responded.

"Uh, hi...This is Serene Evergreen, I was wondering if I could schedule an appointment for Saturday if at all possible?" I responded with and I could hear fingers fly across a keyboard along with a hum of thought as a mouse clicked a few times.

"Ah, yes. Serene. There's nine thirty open for Saturday. Someone recently called to reschedule their appointment so that has just opened up. You're the first to call at all this morning, lucky you." A light-hearted chuckle came from the lady on the other end and I smiled.

"That's perfect, actually."

"Great! I'll mark you down then. If the doctor calls you, it might be to see what the situation is. He's always worried about his patients." She giggled and then said farewell, I nodded and hung up with a sigh. At least someone cares about my mental state of wellbeing. Rubbing my arms gently as I set my phone down, I watched the doors as they stayed closed for a while. It was probably going to be a while for anybody to come in, so I decided to stroll through the store and see what needed to be restocked.

The only thing that came to mind immediately was the medical supplies. I wasn't sure if that man was going to return tonight, so I decided to restock their shelves in case he did. I was always right about my assumptions on whether someone might come back or not, but I always made sure to restock especially if it came to mind. Whether or not that certain person came back or not. It was more convenient for other people, especially when they might also be in need of such items.

Walking to the back of the shop, I began the monotonous process of stocking the shelves. The only thing to break my thoughts and ease my mind was the music flooding my ears from the one earbud I put in my ear...

The store was mostly empty, most likely because it was only Thursday. Friday there was guaranteed to be some customers looking for cheaper options of booze and tobacco that we offered. I checked my watch on my wrist, seeing it was only quarter till closing time. Sighing with relief, I expected there to be no more customers and was about to get up to close up early when the doors suddenly opened. Looking up, I saw the hooded man from yesterday pick up a basket and walk over to the aisle stocked with candy bars and chip bags.

Odd. I thought he was going to just buy more medical supplies, but instead he filled up his basket with various off-brand chips and candy bars before walking up to the counter with the half filled basket of treats and junk food. I smiled and tried not to show my tired expression as I scanned each item. It was going to probably be forty or fifty dollars with how overly priced these treats were and just how many he had. I just hoped he would be able to pay for them. I also let my mind wonder why he needed so much in the first place.

Maybe he had friends or buddies who asked him to get these? Perhaps he was stocking up because of the weather? I wasn't sure, and it wasn't my business to pry in. When I finished scanning the last item, I put it into the bag next to me with a soft smile and looked at the total, repeating it as I looked at the man.

"Forty six dollars and fifty eight cents, sir." I told him as I rubbed my eyes gently, a small twitch jerking my head to the side that I didn't notice. The man paused as he glanced up at me, keeping his face still cloaked in shadow and hiding his facial features.

"Did you not sleep well?" He said in a muffled tone.

"Huh?" I was caught off guard and I looked at him, processing what he just said. "O-Oh, yeah...I, uh...Didn't sleep too great last night." I rubbed the back of my head and looked at him as he handed me the amount he needed to pay. I took the bills gently with a trembling hand. It was just a small tremor, but I believed the man noticed as he stared at my shaky hand being pulled back to put the money away in the cash register.

The man didn't move even when I held out my hand to give him his change. I could feel his stare directed right at me just like last night and I shivered slightly. "U-Um...Your change, sir?" I quietly called and he held his gloved hand out, gently taking them in his palm as he nodded and grabbed the bags before leaving the store after returning the basket to its respective stack next to the doors. I grabbed my coffee and sipped the last of the cold liquid before getting up to close up, rubbing my eyes as I decided to try and sleep with the help of some melatonin that I had for desperate situations when I was severely sleep deprived.

Darkness again clouded my sight, making me unable to see as I blinked in the never ending darkness. No light switched on, but I knew I wasn't alone. The sound of scraping like metal on stone, footsteps echoing and bouncing off the walls as they circled around me. I realized I wasn't restrained this time and I ran my fingers along the smooth floor. It was a bit rough in areas, some of it feeling like sharp splinters making me believe the floor was wooden. I heard a small giggle just behind my head as I turned violently with a fist raised, punching at the darkness.

A yelp of pain followed my action, footsteps stumbling back as I rose to my feet. Looking around the darkness, I heard a hiss of pain and turned towards it as the scraping of something sharp against the rocky wall caught my attention. I looked in its direction as footsteps suddenly approached me. I raised my arms up as searing pain suddenly made me gasp, moving my arms aside as something warm and thick dripped down my arms and onto the wooden floor.

Each drop made a faint noise as it collected into a little pool around my feet. A chuckle sounded through the room, the noise echoing off every wall and making it hard to pinpoint. Footsteps rushed forward again, this time from behind. Before I could turn in time to block the attack, one arm was wrapped around my neck as something partly cold and warm pressed against my cheek at a painful angle. I could hear more manic giggles as I went to scratch and tear away the arm holding me in a chokehold.

I hacked and coughed as the giggles continued, "You really thought you were smarter than me, huh? Think again..." The giggles turned to crazed laughter as my eyes that were just beginning to adjust to the dark light began to flutter closed, my vision going dark and blurry in a matter of the few minutes that I had been in this room.

In this terrible dream that really lasted hours...