Shadows of Midnight

Chapter 4

After dark, it was finally dark outside. The girls had put all the necessary gear in a backpack. They also had flashlights with them. They will try to leave in time before it gets light outside. It was now summer vacation, and it was more daytime outside since it was summer. Therefore, the girls left outside when it got a little dark. Eliza ensured that the door of her home was securely locked since they would be gone. She did feel a little tired but the fresh air should help her to be more waken up.

The girls went outside and fortunately, they did not have to go far, 10 minutes walk. The girls were quiet as mice and did not open their mouths to talk to each other. They did not want to catch the attention of the residents who lived on the same street where the Sjans store was. They were nervous the whole walk to Sjans. Many people and furries were at home, but some liked to go out at night. Eliza was not a fan of that, nor were Sara and Kiara. It was quiet and dark. They were careful and alert all the time when they were outside.

But when the girls got to the locked gate, Eliza quickly grabbed the key and unlocked it. That was when Sara looked over her shoulder and she couldn't stop staring because she saw something in the distance. It was a black figure. Yes, the streetlights were on, but in the part where it was dark, there stood a figure. As Kiara watched Eliza busy with the gate, Sara also looked away from the figure for only small seconds. When the girl did look back, she immediately became frightened. The black figure had moved. Sara had good eyes, as I said and so the girl could finally see more details. It was a man. He had completely black clothes, including a mask. But there was something that put Sara in alarm. The man was holding a knife.

"Girls, we better get inside. Now," said Sara who was scared.

Eliza opened the gate and Sara then pushed her and Kiara inside. She grabbed the key from the gate quickly closed the gate and locked it. She began walking toward the entrance of the building. Kiara and Eliza followed behind her by also walking. After the girls reached the entrance door, Eliza quickly grabbed the other key and unlocked the door. They entered and that was when finally Eliza quickly locked the door. She quickly looked at Sara with a worried look. "What is it?"

"I saw a figure, dressed all black with a mask. He was holding a knife."

Kiara looked scared now, too. So was Eliza. But the Sjans boss' daughter was brave and took charge. "We have each other. No matter what we do, we cannot separate each other. Come. We need to go to the security room. Grab a flashlight."

The girls took out a flashlight and turned it on. It was a strong flashlight they had. Eliza took the lead. It was dark and quiet. It was scary, but they had each other. The girls entered the store territory, where the customers were allowed to freely go around and buy things. Rob liked to come to Sjans to look at books and movies. When Eliza went past the plushies, she saw a familiar plush in the corner of her eye. She immediately stopped and looked at the plush. She couldn't believe it. It was Fred!

"Oh my God ... Sara. Kiara. Look," Eliza said in a soft tone. She said this quickly and grabbed Fred. She didn't want to make much noise since she didn't want to catch attention.

Kiara and Sara smiled. They were happy for their friend. Eliza looked at the plushies and went through them. She set Fred aside for a moment and then looked even more pleased. She picked up a cat toy and a rabbit toy. She grinned and looked at the other girls. "Sara, Kiara, you will thank me a lot and call me a good friend." She then gave plushies to them, the cat to Kiara, and the rabbit to Sara.

Sara and Kiara looked shocked. They were their childhood plushies. Owen was a brown rabbit and Pepper was an orange male. Owen was Sara's and Pepper was Kiara's. The girls will keep the plushies. Eliza continued and always took the lead. She had once been given a tour by her father. That was years ago, but Eliza tried to remember. While they were now at the furniture, little did they know that the same man that Sara had seen was trying to break in. Now the girls were in the textile workers' section. There were clothes, decorations, books, etc. Eliza remembered how she started working here. First, she started on clothes, then glasses, then books. It took up to 3 months before she could finally do anything else at Sjans. Kiara and Sara had often been to Sjans to store, but never seen behind the scenes. They looked around as they followed Eliza with hugs in their free hands.

The soft plushies might have looked like ordinary toy soft toys, but Eliza once wished her bear, Fred, would one day come to life. What if that wish came true?