Starlight

Mary & Rose - I

Mary Holmes would never admit it out loud but she loved her job as a security guard at Henrik's, a retail shop where nothing much ever happened, when she first started working there she had struck an unlikely friendship with her coworker and neighbour Rose Tyler, a pretty blonde who was slightly too hyper for her taste, but strangely could shake off.

With Rose came her over-bearing but caring mother, Jackie Tyler, a woman who quickly took the job of being Mary's mother when she heard that Mary's parents had passed, another thing that she would never admit out loud but eternally loved, even when Jackie was driving her beyond mad.

Rose's boyfriend, Mickey Smith, also came with the blonde, and he was actually someone that Mary got along with, both of them geeking out over the littlest things and purposely driving Rose crazy. 

The day both Mary and Rose's day had started out to be just like any other, waking up early, heading to work, have lunch with Mickey, go back to work but seeing as it was lottery day, the two girls didn't leave with everyone else, as Rose took the money down to the electrician and Mary closed the shop when she left with Rose.

They met at the elevator with tired smiles, or rather Rose greeted the chocolate milk skin coloured woman with a tired smile, "Rough day?" Mary questioned gently, giving the blonde a soft smile, "It's not over yet." Rose reminded her, waving the lottery money bag at the darker-skinned young woman. 

The elevator ride down was filled with the annoying jingle that played on a loop, both of them hated lottery day especially since it was usually that day that Mickey and Rose had a date night. Upon arrival at the basement, the two women noted that the person they were meeting, the electrician Wilson was not in front of the elevator waiting for them like they had expected, making them frown and actually step out of the elevator.

"Wilson?" Rose called out, her doing so sent chills down Mary's spine, the kind of chills that usually made a person fear something, "Wilson!" Rose persisted, turning to walk to his office when Mary's hand clasped around her wrist, her blue eyes flew up to Mary's brown ones. "Something's wrong." Mary quickly exclaimed.

Rose could feel it as well, the eerie quiet that surrounded them, the lack of reply from Wilson, heck even the lack of music that Wilson usually had playing but shrugged it off, offering the darker-skinned woman a "Maybe he's gone to the loo." Mary shot her a deadpan look but released the blonde, allowing her to walk to Wilson's office door with her trailing behind softly.

"Wilson we've got the lottery money." Rose called out, not as loudly as the previous two times, "We should leave, leave the money and leave now." Mary persisted, the hairs on the back of her neck rising slowly, as if someone was watching her. 

Before either of the two could say anything a small ruckus echoed through the hall, something that made Rose jump out of her skin and Mary pull the blonde behind her with one harsh pull, "Stay behind me." Mary ordered as she began to walk forward, knowing fully well that what she was about to do was the most irrational thing she should do in a situation like this.

They walked until they reached a door that Mary knew led to one of the interior warehouses where they kept more mannequins and boxes of clothes, the same door that would lead to the location of where the ruckus had come from. Quickly and efficiently Mary opened the door and positioned herself as if something was going to jump out at her, Rose peeking over her shoulder like a child peeked out from behind their mother's skirts.

When nothing did jump out at them, Mary stepped inside the interior warehouse and stared out into the darkness, her brown eyes squinting slightly while Rose quickly stepped out from her shadow and went for the light switch. Lights flickered on throughout the room allowing both of them to see it until their eyesight couldn't any longer, everything was just like Mary had seen it earlier that day when a delivery was made, boxes and boxes stacked upon boxes, racks of clothes covering the walls and mannequins everywhere.

Truth be told it looked like the start of a bad horror movie that Rose would binge-watch on weekends while Mary sat at the Tyler's dining table doing the crossword of the past week's newspaper. Subconsciously Rose returned to Mary's side, clasping Mary's slightly larger but definitely slender hand in her slightly smaller one, feeling like whatever was to happen that Mary would protect her.

Tentatively Rose called out for Wilson twice more as they began to walk into the room, she knew that that's how characters got killed in horror movies but she really just wanted to hand Wilson the lottery money so she and Mary could leave. "Wilson stop joking about. This isn't the time and definitely not the place to do so." Mary finally commented, her tone firm and annoyed.