Chapter Four... You Can Run...
Lily's POV
I thought I heard someone let out a bit of a scream. I had a watermelon in hand that I was cutting, and panic filled me instantaneously. I ran into the coolroom, still holding the knife I had. I climbed up onto the shelving, and there was enough room for someone to hide there. So I did.
I heard heavy, sluggy footsteps after about three or four minutes. I couldn't see anything, as the coolroom had a lot of stock on the packed shelves. But the footsteps came to a halt. I held my breath as the footsteps started again, leaving the coolroom. He shut the door behind him. I could tell it was a man by the footsteps...
Too terrified to move, I prepared myself for being in this coolroom for a long time. I was aware now that the sounds on the roof were of the strange person that had begun walking around the store.
What did he want? I knew by the footsteps that they didn't belong to anyone that was here before. And I was more scared than ever. The coolroom was cold, and I was hoping to not be here for too long...
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Ella's POV
I walked onto the back dock, looking for another trolley to fill from. There were several rows of them, and I scowled. I so desperately wanted to go home. I hated working into the night or the early mornings. I was a nervous person who had an annoying sense of impending doom.
I grabbed a trolley with one hand, turning to walk away with it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the door to the produce prep room open and close. But the figure I saw move from the room wasn't Lily... or any other staff member.
I began to panic. My body went rigid, and I froze.
Bad thoughts began racing through my mind. Who was the person? Why were they here? What did they want?
Instinct told me to run. But I thought about screaming instead when I realised I couldn't move my body. I felt as cold as ice, but somehow I managed to casually walk out into the store. The man hadn't noticed me...
I reached the shop floor, and suddenly I ran. I ran down through the aisles, searching for Brian. My heart was racing, and I could no longer feel the bitter winter cold of the night.
My feet pounded the floor hard, the sound echoing in my ears. I couldn't stop myself, and I found Brian in the freezer aisle, putting up tickets.
"Brian!" I shouted, falling to the ground as I tripped over my own feet.
"Ella?" he asked, rushing over to me. "Are you alright?"
"There's... man... back dock..." I managed to say through my heavy breathing.
"What man?" Brian frowned.
"I don't know who he is," I said, sitting up. "He came... produce room... He came from in there. I... I think he's a burgular!"
"Where's Lily?" Brian asked worriedly.
"Yeah, where's Lil?" Nathan asked as well, coming from around the corner. He'd overheard...
"I haven't seen her," I gasped.
"I'm gonna go find her," Nathan said, turning to walk away. I grabbed his arm.
"No, something bad's gonna happen!" I shouted.
"Ella, back off!" Nathan groaned. "If some psycho was just in the prep room where Lil was last working, she might be dead or dying!"
"You really care about her, don't you?" I said weakly.
"Yes, I do," he answered.
"Well, I'm coming with you," I smiled. "I can't let... I can't have you go out the back on your own, you know."
"I'm coming, too," Brian announced. "If there's some burgular or whatever in here, I need to scare them out."
The group of us walked out onto the back dock to find a gruesome sight. There, on the floor of the stock room, lie the body of James Bright, the young butcher.
"Is he alive?" I asked in a whisper.
Brian knelt down by James' side, and placed his hand to his neck.
"Barely," Brian gasped. "He needs to get to a hospital now."
"We can't leave!" Nathan breathed.
"This guy isn't a burgular..." I stated. "He's a murderer."
Nathan ran into the produce prep room, and I instinctly followed. Lily wasn't in there. He panicked, and ran for the shop floor. I followed, and heard a blood-curdling scream.
I turned to see a man standing over Vincent, who was now bleeding.
This night was my worst nightmare come to life.