The Deep Freeze

Part 6

After the officers left, Michael's parents were full of more questions. Michael wanted to tell them about Xanthan but saw the look on their face when he had explained some of the details to the detectives. Again, he hesitated. His mother never doubted him all his life, but this was different. Too much happened and it was just too crazy to believe. After being locked in a freezer and sustaining a pretty good bump on the head, it's no wonder people won't believe him. He knew it was real....and he knew he had to do something.

Sunday came and went and the freak storm was long gone. The snow was really starting to melt and most roads had been cleared by Monday morning. Michael felt pretty good but he stayed out of class per the doctor's orders. His parents were a big help but Michael was ready to be on his own again. He was getting used to being independent and now he was feeling a little cramped. He told his parents he was doing much better and they could head back home if they wanted. Judy made another casserole and a big batch of sweet tea the night before so Michael didn't need to cook for a few days. They could see Michael no longer needed them so they went on their way.

It was quiet now. Michael lay there on the couch, thinking about all that has happened in the past few days. He couldn't get the image of that creature out of his head. It was being played back in slow motion in his mind. He could picture the tongue coming out, slithering through the air like a petrified snake. How it penetrated that window like it wasn't even there. He thought about how Xanthan was smart enough to know how to unlatch the door. The hairs stood up on the back of his neck just thinking about it. What did this thing want? What was it doing in the freezer? Most importantly, where is it now?

It was a nice, sunny morning with a hint of chill in the air. The store was full of people. Although these people were not shopping. They were repairing the store and replacing the damaged equipment. A truck just pulled in with a whole new shipment to replenish the supplies goods lost. Al was on top of things as usual. The freezer was removed and a brand new replacement was put in. This time, the company was local from the US. They came out of Atlanta and were a very reputable company. Al made it a point to inspect the freezer himself. The company paid quite a bit for it but after what happened to Michael, they were not taking any chances.

Racks were removed piece by piece. The workers were puzzled as they looked at some of the damage but kept going as ordered. Freezer cases were penetrated just like the meat freezer and food was scattered about. The crew worked fast and everything was out of their by mid-day. Restocking was done by the employees and management. The rumors were flying around pretty quick and Al stopped everyone at some point and had a mandatory meeting to clear the air. He explained how Michael got locked in and that it was a horrible accident but assured everyone that wouldn't happen again as long as he was manager. He told everyone how he himself inspected the new freezer and the safety latch was in place and working properly. He even locked himself in to make sure.

Meg showed up to help for a few hours with some of the other classmates. School was out because of the snow and they all wanted to hear what happened. Plus, the extra money was always good. Break time was interesting because employees would gather in the back and discuss each others side of the story. Meg just listened. She knew Michael probably wouldn't appreciate it if she shared the fact that she spoke with him and she didn't want to be drilled by every single person. The store was going to be ready for reopening on Tuesday and Meg didn't want to become the center of it. Town folk would be asking all kinds of questions and she didn't want any part of that.

Meg did tell Al but asked that he not let anyone know she told him. She figured he would want to know. Al was pleased to hear how Michael was doing and kept his promise not to indulge the information she shared with him. He felt to blame for what happened and suspended Bob Morkle for an indefinite period of time. Bob left before Al the night Michael got locked in the freezer and never reported Michael's request to stay late. When Al contacted Bob, he told Al that he remembered telling him he would pass the information to Al about him staying late. He admitted forgetting and said it was so hectic it slipped his mind completely. He accepted his punishment and said he would do whatever it took to make things right with the company....and Michael.