Angel and I walked together down the hallway. The lights were still on, but the place didn’t feel right devoid of people. It was almost creepy.
She seemed to notice my discomfort. “Having second thoughts about going overtime?”
I glanced at her and sighed. “This place gives me the creeps after hours. Ugh, I can’t even imagine what it’ll be like once I go downstairs. All those stuffed animals and figurines staring at me. And that mannequin at the front of the shop.” I shivered.
Angel laughed. “Scared of a few toys, are we?”
“You’re not the one who has to go down there.” I complained.
“Cheer up, it won’t be that bad.” We reached the door to her room. “And if you need anything, feel free to knock on my door. I might look like a zombie, but I’ll help you the best I can.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I replied.
She smiled shyly and opened her door. “So first day on the job and you’re already part of the family. How does it feel?”
“Great.” I grinned.
This earned laughter from the girl. She brushed the hair out of her eyes and said, “I’m glad. Good luck out there tonight, although I’m sure you won’t need it. It’s only mopping and cleaning after all.”
I shrugged. “Well you never know what might happen. Night.”
“Night.” The door shut behind her, the sound echoed through the hall.
Looking around, I sighed and slowly walked towards the elevator. I felt tired for some strange reason, despite getting plenty of rest the night before. Maybe it was all of the cleaning.
I stretched as the elevator doors opened. Then, I slowly entered the elevator. I tapped my foot as the elevator went down, hating the silence. That was when I realized something. The elevator wasn’t making any noise. The doors slid open silently.
Stepping outside of the elevator, I looked around. The shelves were full, and everything seemed to be in place. One of the lights on the ceiling was flickering. I made my way over to the janitor’s closet and opened the door.
Why did you come here?
I blinked and shook my head. “Right, the mop.”
Something felt off about the question. It was almost as if it was not mine. I shrugged and reached into the closet, pulling out the mop. “I wonder what I should clean first.”
Then, I heard a loud mechanical screech. I jumped, dropping the mob and immediately checking behind me.
SQUAWK! SQUAWK! SQUAWK!
It was almost as if a bird call was echoing through the shop. Then I remembered the animatronic parrots that crowded the area by the train station. “Oh, that must be it.”
I picked up the mop and walked to the train. The lights in this section of the shop were off, it took me much longer then I would have liked to find a light switch. When I pressed it, the lights flickered to life. Sure enough, one of the animatronic parrots near the bottom of the fake trees was squawking away, wings flapping.
YOU ARE READING
Overtime
ParanormalI suppose we should begin now. This is the story of James Fade, a fifteen-year-old who only recently set out on his own. The story takes place on Metropolis II, a planet far from the one you currently inhabit. James is looking for work, with good p...
