If you're reading this... good luck LOL. I wrote this over a decade ago. It's not good. It's just a silly book. Enjoy it if you can lol - Jordan
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep—
With one swift motion I snapped off the radio, frustrated with the warning siren that had been playing for the past three minutes. The warning had interrupted the song describing my day— a Manic Monday. The siren was incredibly distracting, especially since I could hardly see the road with the torrential rain that was pelting down from the sky. My windshield wipers were on the highest setting, but it didn't make it any easier to see. A brilliant flash of lightning lit up the sky, making my clutch on the steering wheel tighten. The low rumble of thunder that followed afterward only heightened my sense of unease. Only my mom would send her daughter out in such a storm to get toilet paper.
Hurricane, the weather station had declared. Not just any ordinary hurricane. No, that was much too simple for New England. It was a category five hurricane— that supposedly would last for three to four days— or at least that was what my mom told me. Hence why I was rushed to go get toilet paper, even though the terrific storm was initiating. What was worse: I really had to pee. The rain beating down didn't really help that.
A tempestuous burst of wind lashed into the side of my car, pushing it to the right. Letting out a gasp of surprise, I yanked the steering wheel to the left so I wouldn't crash into the guardrail lining the edge of the road. My hands were shaking when I finally managed to get the car in control again. I couldn't blame myself for being scared though— since when did hurricanes ever come to Massachusetts? Sure, Cape Cod was near the coast, but we never got hurricanes. It was unheard of! At least in my eighteen years of life. Was April even a part of the hurricane season? What exactly was the world coming to?
To my right a towering building came into view. A wave of relief crashed over me as I put on my blinker to turn into the Walmart parking lot. Even through the rain I could see there were only two other cars in the parking lot. My mother really was the only person stupid enough to send someone out into this formidable storm. Figures. It would've been nice to know that at least one other person was out here with me.
Pulling into a parking spot closest to the building, I braced myself before opening the car door. I only got it open an inch before the wind winged it the rest of the way open for me. For a split-second I debated on just saying screw it and going back home, but since I was already here, I decided to man up and just go. As soon as I climbed out of the car, a bucket of warm water was thrown into my face. Putting my head down low, I slammed my car door— or at least tried, the wind was making it a difficult feat— and sprinted for the covered entrance. The fierce gale was shoving me to the right and I stumbled over from the force of it a few times, using my arms to try to swim through the air current. If anyone had been watching me, they'd probably think I was mental.
By the time I finally made it to the entrance I felt like, and probably looked like, a drowned cat. Water was dribbling down my face and my hair was completely soaked, hanging heavily on my back. I made a face, peeling my waterlogged sweatshirt away from my body. My jeans stuck uncomfortably to my legs and my flats squished with each step I took.
"What are you doing here?"
The sudden, booming voice from behind me caused me to start, my heart leaping into my throat. Struggling to regain my composure, my eyes searched for the source of the noise. Finally they landed on a burly, Caucasian man with a scraggily beard and red baseball cap. I blinked at him for a few seconds, taking in his intimidating appearance.
"Well?" he demanded.
"I need to buy some toilet paper," I snapped, offended by his rude tone.
He looked amused. "While a hurricane is raging?"
"Well my mom—"
"Sorry sweetie, but the store's closed. I'm just locking up now. No one is in there."
My eyes widened in disbelief. "Seriously? Can't you just let me in for like, five seconds?"
He shook his head. "Nope, sorry. I'm just locking up and then heading home to keep myself safe. You should do the same. It looks like the main force of the hurricane will be hitting soon."
"But..." I trailed off, clenching my hands into fists. There was no way I came all the way out here just to turn around and go back home. I was going to get the toilet paper no matter what. If he thought telling me I couldn't go in would stop me, he had another thing coming. I could easily sneak in while his back was turned and then just leave out the back. If I left five bucks and a note, there would be no problem.
"I just have to grab those last few carriages by the entrance before I leave," the burly man announced, pulling the cap on his head down further. "See you later, kid."
"Bye," I mumbled, waiting for the man to trudge out of sight.
However, he didn't move. With a suspicious eye, he stood his ground, crossing his arms. "Aren't you leaving?"
Sighing, I let my shoulders sag. "Yeah, bye." Turning around, I stepped back into the relentless rain, going around the corner of the brick entrance. Stealthily, I ran to the carriage door, peering in and watching the muscular man disappear through the doors on the other side of the entrance. With my heart beating a mile a minute, I sprinted back into the main entrance and through the open sliding door that led into the department store. Once inside I immediately took a sharp right, hiding myself in the men's clothing.
The anxiety and thrill of sneaking into Walmart was having its effect on my bladder. Shifting from foot to foot, I decided my first stop would be to the bathroom. A quick break wouldn't harm anyone. Making sure I couldn't be seen from the entrance, I furtively snuck through the stacks of men's clothing toward the back of the department store where the bathrooms were located. Passing a shelf full of flashlights, candles, and lighters (probably put out for people stalking up because of the hurricane), I arrived in the bathroom area. I burst through the women's bathroom door, unbuckling my belt as I hastened to the closest stall.
As I sat on the toilet, I realized how badass I was being. First of all, I (kind of) broke into Walmart; Second, I was (kind of) plotting to steal toilet paper; and third, I was doing all this when a hurricane was brewing outside. It was going to make an awesome story to share with my friends once school resumed— it'd been closed for the week because of the hurricane. A giggle of excitement escaped me as I flushed the toilet, pulling my pants back up. Somewhere deep inside me I knew I could get into a humongous mess for this, but I pushed it away. I'd worry about it if the time came.
Humming to myself, I went to the sink and quickly washed my hands. As fun as it was being the only one in Walmart, I knew the storm outside was going to make my trip home rough, if not dangerous. Just as I stuck my hands under the air blower, all power snapped off, sending me into darkness. For a second I froze, my hands still under the dysfunctional hand drier.
"Uh oh," I muttered after a few seconds, finally retracting my hands and wiping them off on my pants. A loud crash of thunder roared overhead, causing my heart to shudder. Feeling along the wall with my hands, I managed to make it the bathroom exit. My mind immediately went to the flashlights I'd passed earlier. Praying they had batteries in them, I followed the wall to the stand where they were. Reaching around in a blind fashion, I finally located one of them. I took it in my hands, searching frantically for the on switch. A beam of light shot through the room when I found the switch, causing me to sigh in relief.
Relieved or not, I still needed to get out. Fast.
Sweeping the flashlight around me, I carefully made my way to the other side of Walmart where the toiletries were. More thunder cracked outside, causing my pulse to race. I really needed to find the toilet paper and skedaddle. My leisurely pace turned into a tense jog as I hurried through the store. Too focused on the noise outside the building, I crashed into a box of pillows, scaring the crap out of myself. While another rumble of thunder thundered over me, a new noise met my ears— the sound of multiple heavy items crashing to the ground. And I hadn't caused it.
Freezing and catching my breath, I shut off my flashlight; opting to stand completely still and pretend I wasn't there. There was another thud— this time frighteningly close to me. A low moan came from that direction as well. With wide eyes and a thudding heart, I listened intently. The burly man from earlier said no one was here... My chest was beginning to hurt from holding my breath. Whoever, or whatever, was there was coming closer and closer to me. Silently, I begged that it was just my imagination playing tricks on me. There were no such things as ghosts, right?
With new resolve, I aimed my flashlight in the direction of the noise, ready to prove to myself it was nothing. After five pulse-racing seconds of hesitation, I flipped on the switch.
Bright green eyes stared back at me.
Without further ado I snapped my eyes shut and a sharp scream left my throat as I stumbled backwards, startled by the presence of another. "Ghost!" I shrieked, swinging my flashlight around in defense. "Oh my God! Go away!"
"I'm not a ghost! I'm a human, just like you!"
I paused, instantly recognizing the voice speaking to me. Slowly, I opened my eyes again, pointing my flashlight at the man's face again. Blood rushed to my cheeks as I recognized the young man with the low cheekbones whom I'd been secretly crushing on for the last two months. His unusually colored green eyes pierced into mine, a frown appearing on his pale pink lips. With a shake of his head, he moved his chestnut bangs out of the way of his sharp eyes so he could gaze at me questioningly.
My eyes trailed over his body, taking in his midnight blue t-shirt and black dress pants. Pinned on the right breast of his shirt was a small nametag reading Anthony Q. I already knew his name though— every time I came into Walmart, he was the one worker I searched for religiously.
"Who are you?" he inquired, his eyes scanning over my body. "And why do you look like you drowned and then came back to life as a zombie?"
"I-I..." I stuttered, trying to regain my composure. It wasn't every day your secret love was standing only two feet away from you. "I'm Ellie," I finally greeted, holding out my hand. "And I know I look like crap, thanks."
He chuckled, gripping my hand firmly. "Oh, Ellie. I didn't recognize you as a zombie."
"You know me?" He knew me?
"You come shopping here a lot, right? I've heard Julius call you Ellie a few times, so I figured that was your name," he explained, offering me a smile.
My heart soared to think he actually recognized me. I had to thank my crazy next-door neighbor for that. Usually he was as useless as a banana peel. "So you know Julius?"
Anthony nodded. "He goes to college with me. We're work buddies too, but you probably already knew that."
"Oh," I responded, feeling my heart sink. Anthony was in college? I figured he just went to a different high school than me. Surveying his face again, I realized he did look old enough to be in college. While he still retained a remnant of his boyish features, more mature ones replaced most.
"So, uh, where is everyone? Why are the lights off?"
I blinked at him. "What? Shouldn't you know?"
He grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Well, actually, I kind of fell asleep around noon-ish."
"And no one noticed you?" I demanded in disbelief, my eyes widening. "The worker guy said no one was here and that he was closing up!"
"I hid," Anthony responded simply. "I'd get into some serious trouble if I was caught sleeping on the job. And if the store is closed, why are you in here?"
I dropped my gaze, a sheepish expression crossing my face. "Um, I snuck in to steal some toilet paper..."
"Steal?"
"I was going to leave money!"
Anthony chuckled and I looked back up at him. He was shaking his head, grinning widely. "Well—" A boom of thunder that literally shook the ceiling cut him off. He frowned in distaste while I started. "What's going on out there?"
"The hurricane," I said slowly, furrowing my eyebrows.
He blinked in realization. "That was today? Whoops. Come on, we better get out of here then."
"Can I get the toilet paper first...?"
"Sure," he responded, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "It's right over here."
Handing the flashlight over, I dogged him as he made his way toward the toilet paper aisle. After I randomly grabbed a bulk package, we headed for the back of the store. Now we could hear the wind howling outside, even through the thick walls of the edifice.
"So, Ellie..."
A goofy smile came onto my face. I loved the way he said my name. El-lee.
"Ellie?"
"Yeah?" I said, snapping out of my trance as a blush that he hopefully wouldn't notice rose to my cheeks.
He glanced over his shoulder at me. "What drove you to come all the way out here during such an imposing storm?"
"My mom," I told him, holding up the toilet paper. "I guess we were out."
He nodded in understanding. "A lot of people came yesterday to do some last minute shopping so they could stock up for the next few days. Nobody around here is used to hurricanes."
"And you are?"
"I lived in Florida for most of my life," he informed me with a casual shrug. "There was at least one a year."
I tried to think back to the first time I saw him working here. It was about four months ago, but I only started noticing him when he and Julius had became friends. Whenever I entered the building, he'd be the greeter, sending me a very attractive grin. Sometimes when I'd be talking to Julius, Anthony would be playing with his cash register, opening and closing it, and opening and closing it again and again until the manager yelled him at. Then there was that one embarrassing time I had to buy tampons and he had the only register without a lengthy line of customers. I hardly figured he remembered that incident, but I remembered his embarrassed expression completely. It couldn't have been as bad as mine though— I'd been mortified. I even remembered his little muttered comment of, "I'm just going to pretend these are for bloody noses."
"Ellie?"
Cursing myself for spacing out again, I returned my attention to him. "Sorry, what?"
"I said the door is locked from the outside..."
My eyes went past his head to the back entrance door. Moving him aside, I tried the door myself, only to find he was right. "Are there any other exits?"
He cocked an eyebrow. "It's a Walmart. What do you think?"
"Er... Yes?"
Chuckling, he gestured for me to follow him. "The loading doors are always open. We can go out them."
Heading over to the back of the store again, I followed Anthony through an "employee's only" door and into the storage area. I heard the flip of a switch and Anthony swore quietly.
"What?" I whispered.
"Someone shut off the main power," he notified me. "Oh well. If you hold the flashlight I can open the loading doors. They're this way." He moved through another door with me in tow and then came to an abrupt stop. I nearly walked into him. "Careful getting down, there's a ledge."
I watched as he jumped off the ledge with the flashlight. When he was safely on his feet, he turned, holding his hand out to me. My heart started to pound as my sweaty hand touched his for the second time. Inside my head, I was scolding myself for getting so excited. He was going to think I was a freak if I kept it up! Maneuvering myself carefully over the edge, he placed a hand on my hip to help me the rest of the way down. I nearly had a heart attack. "Thanks," I murmured in embarrassment when my feet were flat on the ground.
"No problem!" he chirped happily, setting off in a brisk walk toward the loading doors. "Lower the light so I can find the handle."
Doing as he requested, I turned the flashlight light toward the ground, running it along the bottom of the loading doors. When it finally caught the handle of one of them I froze, keeping it in the beam of light. Anthony squatted down, gripping the handle with both of his hands. In one swift, vigorous motion, he had the door as high up as his arms could reach.
Instead of seeing the stormy outside like I expected, my eyes met metal. "Anthony? What's that...?"
"Uh," he hesitated, placing one of his hands against the barricade while his other held up the loading door. "Aren't these the reinforcement walls that go up to help protect Walmart from storms like this?"
"Reinforcement walls?" I echoed, a hollow feeling appearing in my chest. "What does that mean?"
Letting the loading door drop to the ground with a shuddering crash, he hooked me a thumbs up. "That means we're stuck."
It took me a second for his words to process in my mind. "Stuck? What do you mean stuck?" I questioned, feeling panic growing in me. How could he say such horrifying words with that calm expression?
"It's impossible to remove those walls without the outside control," he told me, coming to stand next to me. "That person you saw earlier must have put them up before he left."
"You have to be kidding! There's no way out?"
"Unless we can find something that can get through about five feet of metal... no."
I gawked at him. This couldn't be happening. I was stuck in this place, while a hurricane was raging outside, with the guy I've had a crush on for the last two months? My mind was thrust into turmoil. Part of me was screaming in excitement— this was a once in a lifetime chance to get to know him! The other part of me, the more rational part, realized this was a horrible situation. What was my mom going to think?
"Ellie? Are you okay? You look like you're going to be sick," Anthony informed me, laying a hand on my shoulder.
For a second the world spun in front of me, white lights bursting in front of my eyes. I recognized the signs of fainting immediately. Forcing myself to stay calm, I took a few deep, tranquilizing breaths. "I'm okay," I finally responded, offering him a small smile. "But if we're stuck my mom is going to think I died or something!"
He frowned, a crease appearing on his forehead. "That's not good..."
"What about you? Won't your parents be worried?"
"They still live in Florida, so they won't know I've gone missing. However my apartment manager might..."
I ran a hand through my hair, feeling panic welling up in me yet again. My mom would think it was all her fault. If she hadn't sent me out to get the damned toilet paper, this wouldn't have happened. "Oh no," I finally groaned. "I can't believe this..."
"Let's go turn on the power for now," Anthony suggested, taking the flashlight from my hands. "We'll also get you some water and sit you down. You still look like you're going to pass out."
I nodded wearily, feeling tired out. When the lights were back on, it'd be easier to think more clearly. "Sounds good."
As he led the way back through the storage room of the department store and back to the main room, the situation fully processed in my mind.
We were literally trapped in Walmart.
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THIS IS MY WATTY AWARD ENTRY, SO PLEASE VOTE!
New story! Woop! It's a little different than my past stories, so I hope you like it! So this type of story was popular on Quizilla about three years ago... and I wanted to try it out, so I did :D I checked to see if there was any other stories like it on here, and there wasn't so I was like :O must introduce it! But of course mine is going to be a lot different because.... when are my stories ever normal? :P
Today's song: Must Be the Music by The Summer Set
Today's Story: I Spun the Bottle by Sweetdreams31! Here's the summary!
"Carolyn Summers has always been a square, a goodie two shoe. She's never been to a high school party, and she's never been out past curfew, but when she's threatened to be humiliated in front of her entire school for something she'd done over three years ago she has to make a decision— fast. Lyn does the thing she swore she'd never do, sneak out of her house, go to a high school party, and—and play a game of Spin the Bottle?"
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