The Corner Store

Chapter 2

The second hand on the clock seems to click half as often as it should, almost like it freezes in place if someone isn’t keeping an eye on it. Guess it doesn’t have the motivation to work all that hard either. The sun was setting in the sky, creating a beautiful spectacle of colors; oranges, blues, reds, and purples. Weird how something awful like the smokestacks belching pollutants into the air paints such a pretty picture.

It was a nice change of scenery to the city. A city that is normally painted in muted colors; greys, white, black, and sometimes dark red. A little bit of heaven every evening before the sun would fully disappear.

Late shifts were always so boring. By this time of night, all the wage slaves were busy with bed, resting up for another day. Only insomniacs or grommets were out prowling. There were others awake. The manufacturers ran twenty-eight hours a day. Full crews of pale, lifeless men ghosting through life. Other than those exceptions the city went from a bustling hill to a graveyard. A whole new world with just as much empathy as the one it leaves behind at sunset.

Yawning once more I finish sweeping up the store. Once that was done I did my normal rounds through the aisles, fronting products and checking for restocks. Tonight was going to be a long and very boring night. I could feel it.

I'm not sure why Mr. Chen wants us to be open so late. We aren't a gas station and the zombies working this late aren’t going to waste their precious twenty-minute lunches looking through our rat chewed and bug-infested products. What little product we have left. Half the stuff we advertise hasn’t been on the shelves in months.

To put it succinctly, this place sucks.

I finish up my rounds and stretch out my sore limbs, another yawn escaping from my mouth. The temptation to head into the backroom, to camera-sit, sounded like a great idea.

Camera-sitting is one of the few rare things I enjoy here. Sitting in the back room, staring at the cameras while pretending to do paperwork. It's been the greatest thing ever since Mr. Chen got the red comfy chair.

The chimes of our front doorbell jangled and interrupted my thoughts. Now, who is that? No one ever comes after the sunsets. No one. It's like this unspoken rule in Little Hope. 

Checking the cameras, I click around on the screen trying to see whoever had come in from the best viewpoint on the security cameras. Better to be safe than sorry. But to my utter shock and confusion. 

There was no one. Camera 2 didn't show anyone walking the aisles. Camera 3 didn't have anyone in the frozen section either. Camera 4, which only views the front entrance, was down for maintenance. And Camera 5 was only for the back of house. 

Then why did the front chimes go off? Surely the wind can't be that strong, can it? Our front door doesn't open easily, I fight with that door every day. 

I get up, grumbling to myself not wanting to leave my nice comfy spot. I can't leave customers waiting, Mr. Chen would be pissed. Still muttering under my breath, I get up and peek around the door frame.

"Hello?" I called "Anyone there?" 

Nothing. Not a sound. Maybe I imagined the door chime? Maybe they went into the bathroom? Normally we keep the bathroom locked, and hide the key behind the counter. That way people have to come to the counter and ask for the key. 

Whatever, if there had been someone they were gone now and I wasn’t wasting any more effort. Stupid door chime, the damn thing must be broken. Giving up on my hunt for the supposed person, I head back into the office.

I pick up the remote and flop back into my comfy chair. Leaning back, I throw my feet up onto the desk and start browsing for something good to watch, and wait for my shift to be over.