Charlie rapped her knuckles against the empty cage, littered with broken glass and left behind food of whichever animal had been locked up. Until Marshie and her had set it free that is. All of them actually, seeing as how the pet store was completely empty.
She'd received a note from Marshie asking to meet up with her at the Pet Store. Hang out like normal friends her age do. She had also mentioned bringing another Misfit along, which did make her a bit wary, but it just meant more friends!
Hopefully.
She huffed out a breath, deciding to leave and wait for her friend outside when her eyes caught something new. A door behind the registers, labeled 'For Employees Only'. 'Was that there before?' It must've been, it's not like anyone was around to add it; that was silly. They must have just missed it in the swamp of released pets.
And yet...Pushing the sense of ease aside, Charlie tugged it open easily, surprised it wasn't locked like the one upstairs. She went in, flicking on a light, and let the door close behind her.
It was sparse, probably having been ransacked for supplies already. By people with no need for pets, apparently. The room had one window, a rectangular one set near the ceiling, and no other doors. A few bare bookshelves were still upright while others were knocked over.
A singular wooden table was up against the opposite wall, flanked by poles with hooks. Glass bottles were haphazardly set up along the table's edge, most empty. Picking one up, Charlie peered inside. From what she could tell, it was either a special medicine for the dying snake they'd let loose or plain Coke.
'This was probably the techroom for the animals.' Usually only veterinarians had techrooms, but she supposed it wasn't too out of the ordinary for pet stores to have them. But it still nagged a bad feeling at the back of her mind, her spine locking up.
Overcome with the sudden discomfort of being there, she turned to leave and actually wait outside the store. Facing the door, a tense smell hit her nose. A pleasing but fear-inducing smell.
Smoke. Fire?
Heart racing, Charlie raced to the door and threw it open without a much needed second thought. The entire front room was absorbed in fiery yellow and orange flames, crawling up the walls and dancing across the ceiling. Burnt pieces of wood covered in embers were everywhere on the floor, effectively trapping her where she stood.
As soon as the door was open, a fierce wave of heat knocked into her while what air was in the tech room was released into the fire. The inferno roared and grew higher, right towards her.
Charlie hesitated, eyes wide, and frozen in place. Run! Run! She vaguely felt her legs move and she stumbled back into the tech room. Almost on autopilot, she grasped for the tech door handle and tried to slam it closed.
Tried. She pulled and yanked, but it wouldn't budge. Probably caught on a wire, but she didn't have time to search for it. The fire was hopping along the door frame, sparks skipping right onto the tips of her shoes.
She squeaked, jumping away and backed up. The fire followed, daunting like a mob moss ganging up on her in an alleyway. Something she would prefer dealing with at the moment. She kept walking back, eyes never leaving the impending doom swallowing the doorway whole and bursting into the tech room.
She hit the wall, the sudden force jolting her out of her stammer. Her eyes darted around the room, but everywhere she looked there was more fire. It fixated itself into the cracks under the walls and let out wisps of smoke that quickly billowed into clouds big enough to rival small tornadoes.
