Shelby waited at the counter of the small diner. Her best friend had promised to be quick. Ten minutes at the most. Why she had to venture to the restroom for the seventh time that night was unknown to Shelby.
"Be quick. Movie starts in half an hour." Shelby had said to Jessica.
"I will, I promise. Just give me five minute. Ten at the most." Jessica had answered back.
That was twenty minutes ago. What was taking her so long? And why had she locked the door?
"Jess, hurry up in there! We have to get going!" Shelby yelled thru the door.
No response.
"Jess?!" Shelby called out, louder.
Still no response.
"Ugh!" Shelby screeched. She began pounding on the door. "Jess?!"
The door didn’t open. She tried the doorknob. It didn’t move.
"I'm going without you, then." She turned and was about to walk awaywhen she heard a faint shuffling on the other side of the door.
"Jess?" Shelby called and pressed her ear to the door. "Jess?" She knocked.
There was no response, but she could still hear the shuffling.
"Let me in, please. Something is wrong, isn't it? Please, just let me in." Shelby coaxed. "Please, Jess?"
Shelby's ear was still pressed to the door when she heard the lock unlatch. "Thank you."
An instant spark of electricity zapped her fingers as they touched the doorknob. "Ow!" She screeched, pulling her hand back quickly.
She reached again, not thinking anything of it. This time she didn’t get zapped. She wrapped her hand around the doorknob and turned it, opening the door slowly and peeking her head inside. She didn’t see Jess.
"Jess? Why are you hiding?" Shelby said, looking around the entire restroom. Every stall's door was closed. And locked.
Shelby peeked underneath each door, not seeing feet in any of them. She didn’t expect to. She knew no one but Jess was in the restroom because Jess had been in there for over twenty minutes. And before that, no one had even come into the diner except two businessmen who sat at the counter discussing which commercial property their client should invest in. They had came, ate, chatted, paid their bill, and left- over an hour ago. They were the last two customers, ending Shelby and Jess's shifts. Shelby knew for a fact because she had waited on them and watched them walk out the door, expecting them to come back and realize the outrageous tip they had left her.
"Why are all these doors locked?" Shelby asked out loud. "And where are you, Jess?"
Panic was creeping up on Shelby. Why was her best friend not answering her? Why was the stall doors closed and locked?
Shelby shivered, suddenly noticing how cold the restroom was. She looked up toward the vents, attempting to rub the goosebumps from her arms.
Why would the restroom be so cold? They had just had new vents and heating and cooling systems installed three months ago.
"Whats going on here?" Shelby thought to herself, noting that nothing seemed to be making any sense.
"Am I dreaming?" She said out loud. She was beginning to believe that must be what was happening.
An almost inaudible cry came from the stall farthest from the door. Shelby's heart jumped and she was at the stall door in half a second. "Jess?"
A louder but still almost inaudible cry came from the other side. "Jess! I know that's you in there. Whats wrong?! Open up!" Shelby demanded.
Several more came.
The cry was now a soft whining. Something Shelby had never heard before in all her 15 years. She had been best friends with Jessica since 2nd grade - spending every day after school together, and having sleepovers at each others houses every weekend. So she knew her friend pretty well. Except today.
"What's going on, honestly?" Shelby began to cry, turning away from the stall door. She put her hands to her head, grasping her hair and trying to sort out her thoughts, hoping the answer would magically come to her.
Nothing came to her. She turned back toward the door, and the thought came to her to peek over the top of the stall door.
Not taking time to wonder why she hadn’t thought of it before, she jumped onto the door, grasping the top. Herleft foot gripped against the door, but her right foot slipped.
"Dammit." She spat, andhopped off the door.
Shewalked back to the sink, turned, stared at thedoor,heard the whining again. She ran and jumped on the door again, this timemaking it. But shedidn’t have enoughstrength to pull herself up far enough to see over.
Her shadow appeared on the wall directly above the stall, half-startling her, until she realizedwhat it was.
Determined, Shelbyjumped off the door and went back to the sink,preparing totry again. She turned and counted. 1, 2......
"Get out!." A hard voice came from the stall. Shelby's eyes widened. She stopped, frozen with her foot in the air andstared at the stall door.
"W..what?" She didn’t move closer. Goosebumps had formed over goosebumps on her arms.
"Get. OUT!" The voice repeated.
"Jess...?" Shelby whispered shakily.
Shelby listened closely, barely breathing. From the stall, she heard the whining continue. A moment later, the whining stopped and there was a shaky groan. She couldn’t tell if she had heard an echo or if there had been more than one groan.
All she knew was she was scared and she wanted to leave. She wanted to get out, but she didn’t want to get out without her best friend.
"Why doesthis shit always happen to me?! Why am I the cursed one?!" Shelby grunted and kicked the stall door in frustration.
Something bounced off the door on the other side. Shelby backed away, leaned against the counter with her hands on her head, unsure what to do.
"GET OUT!" It demanded with a growl.
Shelby kicked the stall door again. "I'm not leaving without Jessica!" It was the only thing she could think to say.
"Jessica belongs to me now." The voice said. A loud screech of laughter followed.
Shelby kicked the door several more times. "JESSICA!!!" She pleaded.
"GETTT OUTTTTT!" The lights flickered with the intensity of the growling voice.
"I don't know who or what the hell you are but I am not leaving here without my best friend's hand in my hand." She kicked the door again.
"If you insist."
The lights flickered off. Shelby backed against the counter, afraid to move. It was pitch black in the room, couldn’t see a hand in front of the face. Her eyes wouldn't adjust. She couldn’t remember the restroom being so dark before, even with every light burned out.
The locks on the stall doors unlatched and the doors banged opened with such force that they bounced off the inner wall several times before stopping.
Then it was silent.
"Jess?" Shelby whispered.
"Shelby." A small voice next to Shelby.
"Jess!" Shelby cried out, knowing it was her best friend's voice.
A hand slipped into hers. "Get me out of here, please, Shelby."
"Gladly." She squeezed Jessica's hand and felt for the door, rushing out.
Once out the door she breathed a long sigh of relief and turned to her best friend, anxious for answers and a hug.
But her best friend wasn't there. Shelby still held Jessica's hand in hers.
