"Mike, we need more flavor hooked to the machines; post-haste!" my manager, Jack, shouted to me. He was a respectful boss, one of the best I have ever had the pleasure working with. He was in his mid-forties with an average body build. He stood at he counter, operating one of the two registers we had in the store. It was that time of the year; July the 11th, the date of the year where 7-Eleven's notorious top-selling beverage was free for the day; The Slurpee.
Possibly the most busiest and most hectic days of the year.
Oh, its hectic alright, I groaned. It has only been a couple of hours into my shift, and already we ran through three boxes of flavors. Jack wanted me to make sure the store stayed orderly and to keep an constant eye on the customers who waited for their frozen, sugary goodness, to make sure there were not thieves trying to sneak something while the attendants were distracted.
I scanned the line, which went from the fountain and Slurpee machines, all the way around the store right out the entrance to the building. Many adults and children stood, some impatient, others content in waiting for their treat of the day. I could hear the children complain to their parents that it was taking to long, some crying. I blocked out the noise, getting back to the task at hand.
I squeezed my way through the crowd, rushing into the back of the store where all the flavors for both machines were stored. It was quite narrow back there. The room was occupied by the sink where we wash all of our cooking supplies, as well as the racks of tubes that connected to the boxes of flavors, which by now, were most likely empty. When I entered the doorway I immediately grabbed the box resting on the top shelf, finding it easily to move. Yup, Coca-Cola was empty. My hands swiftly moved to each box on each shelf, finding that Orange, Blue Raspberry, and Wild Cherry to be empty as well. I disconnected each tube from the flavors. What followed is one of the most grating cacophony of noises to ever be heard. It signaled to the attendants that something was empty and needed to be replaced.
Ignoring the pop-hiss-like sounds, I stacked the empty boxes into a corner. They would be discarded later on in the day when it was not so busy. I walked to the other side of the narrow room to where all the unopened boxes were placed. However, it was a tight fit for me so I had to suck my gut in a little in order to navigate my way over. Once I reached the first stack, I crouched down and read each label. I took note of how many boxes of each flavor we had left, however...
"Jack! We are out of Coca-Cola!" I shouted to my manager. I grabbed the necessary boxes I needed, carrying them one by one, back to the racks. It was quite the challenge to do this because each box contained five gallons inside, but I was able to do it quickly despite the tight obstacle of the room. I punched a hole in the cardboard of each one, revealing a small blue cap on the inside. Removing the caps as they are not needed, I set each box in its respectful place before applying the tubes to the openings of each bag. Slowly but surely, the noises began to stop as I connected each tube. I smiled proudly once I was finished.
Jack poked his head through the doorway. "I stored the excess boxes in the refrigerator. We ran out of room back here, and there was plenty back there. Grab a couple and bring them back here."
"Hey! What's taking so long?!" came an angered shout from the other room.
Jack rubbed his temples, stress emitting from his face. "Make it quick, too. The customers are getting rowdy out there. The last thing we need is to lose customers due to 'refusing service' as many are saying nowadays." He disappeared again, returning to operating the registers.
I gave him a quick salute as he left to tend to the growing line at the registers. I double checked the room to make sure there were no spills to clean. Neat and tidy, just the way Jack likes it. I fixed my uniform, straightening it out before walking back out into hell.
By now the other attendants were handing out cups to the people waiting in line, asking what size and quantity of cups they needed. As I passed the crowd, questions were asked. How long were they going to wait, why is the line slow, is the machine broken, etc. Then I would have to explain that these machines need time to freeze the syrup inside before serving, otherwise the only thing that will come out is liquid, and that would leave these people unsatisfied. And I told each person the same thing, they would have to wait at least ten to twenty minutes in order for the cycle to do its thing.
I emerged from the crowd to the side of the store where the freezer was located. I had to push on the large door hard in order to open it, as it was made to keep all the cold inside. It open inward, and a blast of cold came out at me. I shivered as the cold pierced my skin as I stepped inside. The cooler consisted of the many assortment of beverages that the store sold. Beer, soda, milk, energy drinks, and more. I had an idea of where the boxes might be stored, which was at the back end of the cooler.
I propped a beer case in the doorway to prevent the door from closing behind me. The lights flickered on as they sensed movement in the room. Once I stepped inside, a blast of cold overcame my whole body, making me shiver at the temperature. Not allowing the cold to get the best of me, I reached the other side of the cooler to where I found an assortment of boxes.
Finding the Coca-Cola was difficult due to other boxes that held food as well as creamers and iced coffee. I noticed that the boxes were mixed up, and I could not find what I needed. Someone forgot to put everything back where they were supposed to be. Understandable, due to how busy it was today everyone was distracted and most likely grabbed what they needed. I had to do a lot of reorganizing, separating the food from the drinks in order to make it easier. Eventually I was able to find the Coca-Cola, so I pulled out two boxes, leaving three others out to make it easier for anyone else to get it if the time called for it.
I heaved the boxes in my arms, feeling my muscles burn from the sudden added weight. Once I had a firm grip both boxes I made my way toward the exit.
Sadly, I never really made it there. There was a blinding flash of light followed by the sound of whirling winds and whirring over the sounds of the freezer. Strange, when did the lights get brighter all of the sudden? The lights in the room flickered on and off, the room shook as though there was an earthquake. Boxes and drinks around me tumbled, some beverages falling off the racks onto the floor.
"Whoa!" I suddenly felt an unseen force pulling me towards the light in front of me. The quaking from the room made me lose my footing. I tried to balance myself correctly, but thanks to the about 40 pounds of added weight, I failed to do so. I fell forward toward whatever had manifest in front of me.
"What the fuck!"
After my exclamation, all I saw was darkness.
* * * * * *
Jack was getting nervous.
As he catered to the line of customers looking to only purchase a few items or gas, the Slurpee line only grew longer and longer. It shortened slightly, but only half of the crowd was looking to get the flavors that were available. Coca-Cola was a famous flavor in the franchise, and as people figured out that it was not ready, they slowly grew more irate.
He had sent Mike to get the Coca-Cola around fifteen minutes ago. He has not returned since, and the crowd had begun to get loud. Jack and his coworkers had tried their best to keep the crowd calm, but it was proving to be non-fruitful. People had begun to leave, claiming to never return to the store ever again. This is not good, he needed to find out what was taking Mike so long before this whole event got worse!
Finishing one more transaction, Jack called over to another attendant. "Rodge! Take over the register while I go find Michael and end this madness." Rodge, a bald man with a large scruffy white beard, nodded to his boss. The man made his way to the register, taking Jack's place. Jack patted the man on his back as he passed.
Jack rushed to the cooler as quickly as he could, squeezing through the crowd. He found the cooler's door closed once he reached it. He shoved the door open, the door smacking the wall on the other side. Inside the cooler, lights flickered, and the floor was a mess. A box of Coca-Cola was on the floor, sitting in a puddle of fluids of many beverages that had been damaged in the fall.
Concern ravaged the man's mind, believing one of his best workers had been injured somehow.
However, the man would soon discover that his coworker would be missing.
And later, when he would look at the security camera footage, he would find that the all the cameras would pick up Mike walking into the cooler. However, the camera in the cooler suddenly malfunctioned, and he lost the video. All the other cameras functioned correctly. One certain camera pointed in the direction at the entrance would see Mike enter, but never exit, and eventually, Jack is seen entering it.
Mike, one of the his best workers, was missing, and there was no evidence as to where he had gone. Mike's car still sat outside the building, so he had not left in it. There is no exit in that cooler other than the way you go in. He could not have exit through the emergency exit next to the cooler door, because an alarm would sound, and the camera would have seen him exit that way.
It is as if Mike disappeared into thin air.
* * * * * *
Darkness surrounded me.
I'm in a dark abyss.
It was cold.
It felt like I was standing in the middle of a vast winter tundra, the unseen cold wind blowing against my skin, which felt like being pricked by a bunch of tiny needles. Being someone from a subtropical place like Florida, it was a very foreign feeling. It rarely was cold there, and when we did receive cold weather, it was around fifty degrees at least, it was a blessing to me; but this was ridiculous. I wished I had the more formal-wear for this kind of weather.
As I stood there, I looked around in this dense darkness. I couldn't see a damn thing. There was not a source of light in sight; just this dark abyss and a lone human. It felt weary here, as if something is supposed to happen, but it hasn't yet. I shivered again as the cold pricked at my body, making me shiver madly.
I wonder if I'm dead.
Am I dead? Is this what happens after people die?
I believe I am, or am I just in some state of unconsciousness?
Is this some sort of sick punishment?
I started to turn around, but I quickly realized that I was not... standing on anything. There was not floor to stand on. I was suspended in the air, levitating in nothingness. I flailed my arms as the panic began to set in. I searched desperately for anything to help me regain my balance, but there was nothing.
Just nothing.
I stopped struggling as I knew panicking would make nothing better. I took a few deep breathing to relax. Deep breaths, one..two..three... I opened my eyes, only to see no real change in the environment around me. I felt a tinge of fear deep inside my chest as I contemplated my situation.
I don't really know how I got here, it was a normal day driving through a large grove that led back to my community when there was a flash of light and then there was nothing. I blacked out while I was driving. As I thought about it, am I even unconscious? I was driving my car, it could have crashed into a ditch on the side of the road. There was a feeling in my gut which became worse as I imagined the car accelerating in speed and crashing into a tree, my fate being not so good.
I know I was wearing my seat belt, so maybe I hit my head on the dashboard hard enough to knock me out. But, if I was in the world that is known as my head, why aren't I dreaming? I would have imagined having one of those freaky dreams of me walking through my old school naked with everyone looking at me strangely, or a few of my others that shalt never be mentioned.
"Hello!" I called out into the dark abyss, only to hear my voice echo into the distance. I frowned when nothing responded to my call. There was not sound here beside my voice, which had resided, and my slow breathing. The cold air pierced my skin, which made me shiver from the dense temperature. I cupped my hands over my mouth to warm them up.