cherry chapstick ☾ tozier

[iii] 1-800-EERIE;

the arcade was comforting place, in a way.

being there everyday, you knew the clients and every corner of that place like the back of your hand.

your official function was front-attendance assistant, whatever that means, but the reality was that you watched the place as your "boss" did the office stuff.

you sell pizza that you microwave, and slushies from a machine. you clean the carpet with an old dirt devil vacuum cleaner, that makes an odd noise.

apart from that, nothing eventful or complicated was characterizing your job.

right now, you are with your hand under your chin and looking at the door, expecting someone, anyone, to come in.

it is a specially slow day today, for no specific reason.

you start picking on your nails and...
a crashing noise comes from the bathroom. you lift your gaze to the open doors, at the back of the hallway at your right.

a red balloon float lazily across one bathroom door, to another.

something at the back of your mind tells you to run, but you push the stool you are sitting on and your feet touch the floor with a delicate thud.

as you walk, the same voice is screaming at you, go back you idiot!, but something bigger makes you walk with short steps to the bathroom, pushing you forward. on normal days, you wouldn't even be bothered, but there was no one there except for you and a kid playing pac-man on aisle 2.

you furrow your eyebrows and call.

"hello?" your voice is quiet, but somehow it echoes through the hall and you hear a giggle in response.

you freeze in place, goosebumps rising on your skin. you feel nauseous, there's a pit on your stomach, and it's filled with ice, cooling your whole body. you feel your fingers getting cold, and you ask one more time, with a shaky voice
that came cracking on the last word:

"hello? is there anyone here?" you ask.

there's a cold breeze passing, coming from the open window on the women's bathroom. you walk inside.
above you, the palid light flickers, as if mocking your fear.
(is little y/n afraid of children? what a joke!)

the soft giggle, a girl's voice, fills your ears once more.

it sounded like someone familiar, but you didn't remember who. you look to the mirrors, every stall door is closed, so there's probably a kid hiding inside.

you touch the first door, and it bursts open, hitting the side wall with a loud bang.

you retreat your hand, and take a step back, feeling startled. once more, the two fluorescent lights hanging on the ceiling flicker, and your hear the giggle.

"you wanna play hide and seek, y/n?"
you freeze and stumble to the wall next to you, hitting it with your back. tears tickle your eyes, but you don't care.

the second door bursts open like the previous one, and through the mirror you see nothing inside. the toilet on the first stall starts gurgling, like a malicious laughter.