Blood, Ghosts, and No Phones
Lightning Dust climbed off the bus and started walking down the broken and uneven sidewalk. She adjusted the zipper of her hooded sweatshirt, pulling it all the way up to keep the chill out. As she walked, she mentally prepared herself for another ten hour shift that comprised largely of just standing around in boredom, occasionally broken up by the rare customer showing up to buy something, having to do some on shift errand or other like restocking or cleaning, or some supernatural event or other.
Pulling out her phone, she checked the time.
There was more than enough for her to make it.
Unfortunately.
Lightning Dust hated her job, and did not want to spend another minute at Smooze's than she had to. Unfortunately, the bus did not arrive just at the perfect time so she could walk in and start her shift right away, and her motorcycle was still in the shop, being repaired from her latest stunt. So it was either show up early and wait around, or risk being late, and having her pay deducted while not getting fired.
Because, supposedly, no one got fired from the place. They either quit, or disappeared.
A feeling of being watched made Lighting stop. Turning, she looked out at nearby woods, the trees turning dark and shadows long in the light of the setting sun. Her orange eyes narrowed as she scanned the forest, looking for it.
And as she expected, there it was. Standing among the trees, hidden by shadows and mist, was a tall figure. It was humanoid in shape, but as tall as a basket ball player, with arms that hung past the knees. The shape was mostly black, like some sort of suit, with skin being completely white. Aside from being bald, none of its features could be made out.
Lightning Dust had seen the figure numerous times, always looming in the forest, but never actually doing anything. He was like one of those guys who would trash talk and threaten someone online, but would not say a single word to someone's face.
After giving Slender Incel the bird, Lightning Dust turned away from the forest, and crossed the street toward Smooze's. At least, that was what she had been told that the name of the place was. The parking lot sign had been broken, leaving no name to be noticed, and the sign above the store was so worn and faded, that the only thing noticeable was a massive, pale green blob. It was impossible to tell if it had been part of the original sign, or a piece of really old graffiti that had just been left there.
The rest of the outside was not much better. The roof was faded and falling apart, with the shingles missing in several spots. The building was brickwork, but the only way to tell was by noticing the grooves that was the cement mortar. It had been covered in so much spray paint that the actual colors to it had been lost. There were four giant windows in the front, two on each side of the doors. Well, to be more accurate, there were three former windows, which had been replaced with wood which had since turned black and was coming apart. The fourth window still had glass, but had been covered in so many ad posters, it was impossible to see through. Although it was impossible to tell, the posters so sun-bleached, they were pretty much just white paper stuck to it.
The doors were clear, letting at least some semblance of natural light in during the day. Only one of them ever actually worked, though. Attached to the door that did not work was a "Now Hiring" sign. The same sign that had been there when Lightning Dust had applied there. According to the employee that "trained" her (which was basically five minutes explaining the basics of the job before leaving for the day, forcing Lightning Dust to work her first shift alone), they never bothered to take it down since there was so much employee turnover as it was.
The moment she stepped inside, Lightning Dust was met with the familiar if unpleasant smell the place always had: air conditioning, mold, and a faint hint of something rotting (the source of which was impossible to find). The hum of the fluorescent lights filled her ears, annoyingly just at the edge of her hearing.
"Hello," a cheerful feminine voice called out. "Welcome."
Behind the counter stood a young woman, noticeably shorter than Lightning. She had light gray-green skin, and short hair of a darker shade that was pulled back. The woman was looking at Lightning with a big, friendly, genuine smile.
Ugh! Lightning mentally groaned while she physically rolled her eyes. Fucking great. She's one of perky, super-friendly types. Lightning was already dreading what she knew would be coming next. Still, she did her best to avoid acknowledging the other girl as she made her way toward the employee "lounge," hoping the girl would take the hint.
Considering that the girl jumped the counter and came chasing after her, she clearly did not get the hint.
"You must be Lightning Dust," she said excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet slightly. "My name's Gabriella, but everyone just calls me Gabby. I--"
"Let me guess," Lightning Dust said, holding up a hand to cut the girl off. "This is your first day, and you're 'super excited to be here.'" The last part she said in a high falsetto voice, lifting her hands up and shaking them excitedly.
"Exactly," Gabby cried out, either oblivious to the fact she was being mocked, or being really good at ignoring it. "This is my first job ever. I know people tend to talk about how horrible it is to work in the service industry, but it can't be that bad. Right?"
Lightning Dust looked at the girl. The poor, naive, girl. A girl who was unlikely to last a full week. Lightning felt a little bit of pity for her.
Then the moment passed.
Because another thought occurred to her. If Gabby was so optimistic and upbeat, that meant that nothing too strange happened during her shift. That in turn meant all the weird shit was going to happen during Lightning's shift.
"Listen," Lightning said. "I have..." she glanced at the clock, "... twenty minutes until my shift starts, and it's going to be a long one. I'd appreciate it if I could have some time to myself to get ready. You know?"
Gabby's eyes suddenly got wide, as she let out an "Oh."
She then gave a nod.
"Right, right. Well, I'll let you get to it." She then turned, heading for the door. "Besides, I don't want to leave the front too long. Never know when a customer will show up."
While it was technically true, Lightning was aware that the chances of an actual customer coming in was very slim. Still, she was not going to say anything since it meant she did not have to deal with little miss chatterbox.
Now there was a problem of what to do? She had forgotten to grab a magazine as she left home, and she was not touching one in the display here at the store. Besides, while she may think girls are hot, that did not mean she wanted to look at bunch of them posing naked. Playing games on her phone was not really an option either.
So she was stuck in the dirty little room, trying to find a way to entertain herself until her shift started.
After the second longest fifteen minutes of her life, Lightning could not take it any more. Besides, it was close enough. Grabbing her time card, she clocked in, then grabbed the mop bucket to fill with water and cleaner.
As she waited, Gabby came in and walked up.
"Hey," Gabby called out with a smaller than before smile. "So, I know you have a few more minutes, but my ride's here." She took a deep breath. "So I was wondering if--"
"I'm already clocked in," Lighting cut in, not looking up. "Go."
She suddenly found herself caught up in a hug from behind, and barely held back to drive an elbow into her perceived attacker.
"Thanks," Grabby nearly shouted in her ear. "You're the best."
She then ran to the clock to punch out, and ran for the door.
A shriek of terror filled the air.
With a sigh of annoyance, Lightning Dust cut the water and made her way toward the door. Just outside it, she found Gabriella, staring wide eyed at the floor. A series of bare foot prints made out of blood made their way from the front door to the bathrooms.
"F-f-foot prints," Gabby muttered out, still staring. "B-b-bloody foot prints."
"Yeah," Lightning Dust confirmed. "Those are bloody foot prints alright." The first time was always the hardest. She gave the other girl a gentle pat on the shoulder. "You go ahead. I'll clean them up."
Gabby slowly turned to face Lightning, face nearly white and blue eyes the size of dinner plates.
"Go?" she said. "Go?" She motioned at the prints. "Someone could be hurt. I can't just leave them."
Ah, sweet naivete, Lightning thought. She gave a pitying smile and rolled her eyes.
"You can check the bathroom if you want, but you won't find anybody in there."
Leaving Gabby to do that, Lightning Dust went to grab the mop and bucket. She knew she was going to need them during her shift, and probably more than once, but she had not suspected that it would have been so soon.
So it was that her shift started by mopping up blood. Still being bright red and wet (could it still be considered "fresh" if it had shown up out of nowhere instead of from a body?), it was able to be mopped up without too much scrubbing, turning the water a milky pink in the process.
Since she had already started, and she had to do it eventually anyways, Lightning went ahead and mopped the rest of the store's floor.
Behind the counter was something of a junk drawer. In it was a variety of items that had been found around the store or left behind by previous employees. There was a pad of sticky notes, multiple lighters, a couple of shotgun shells, a half-burnt white candle, a bundle of some herb or other (not marijuana), a bloody name tag with "Minty" written on it, and three different wallets, one of which still had a driver's license in it (for a girl named Posey, and which had expired April fourteenth, nineteen eighty-four).
Opening the drawer, Lightning Dust pulled out a rubber dart gun that she had "borrowed" from the toy display. Being a cheap toy sold in a lousy convenience store, the range and accuracy of it were both total shit, but it gave her something to do for a while. Leaning against the counter, she took shots at one of the glass refrigerators, aiming for one of the cans of Diamond Dog Energy Drink. With three of the rubber darts missing, she only got about four shots before needed to retrieve her ammunition.
After firing her last shot, the door opened and a customer came in. Lightning Dust watched as he moved up and down the aisles, grabbing items. By the time he came up, he was carrying a liter of Alicorn-Cola, a twelve pack of cans with the same brand, three bags of chips, a roll of duct tape, a box of self-adhesive bandages, a roll of scotch tape, a small bag of flour, a bottle of corn syrup, a bottle of strawberry flavor syrup, and a box of food coloring.
"Could I also get two boxes of Minotaur unlubricated, please?" he asked.
Stopping her scanning of the items, Lightning Dust looked down at the guy in front of her. He was not even five feet tall, and there was no sign of even a single whisker on his lip or chin, much less any signs he needed to shave.
"Do you even know what they're for?" Lightning asked, leaning down to look at him.
The guy let out a sigh, rolling his eyes.
"I'm small for my age," he replied, in an annoyed tone. "And yes, I know how to use them. They're for a movie."
"Really?" Lightning replied, eyebrows rising.
"Ye-NOT LIKE THAT!" he blurted out, blushing furiously with his eyes wide. He held up his hands, waving them furiously. "We're not making that kind of movie. We're making a horror movie. Some we're going to fill with air to make them swell and pulse, like they did in The Howling, while others are going to be used as blood packs for some of the death scenes."
Lightning looked down at the items again as she resumed scanning. The food coloring, corn syrup, and strawberry syrup made a little more sense now. The drinks and snacks were probably just for that since they had been out there who knows how long, and would be there some time longer.
Once everything was rang up and paid for, the guy grabbed his bags. He then leaned forward and looked up, raising an eyebrow.
"You know," he said, giving a smile, "we could use another actress to--"
"Pass," Lightning Dust cut off, holding up a hand. "I am not running around screaming in the forest with my tits out, thank you very much."
"Oh," he replied. He then gave a fresh smile, leaning closer. "Well, how about we get together after you get to work, and I can--"
"Pass!" Lighting Dust repeated. "Not interested in seeing first hand if you know how to use them or not."
Although that was not entirely true. A good fucking sounded really nice, right now. With her bike in the shop, she could not get that little bit of pleasure she sometimes did from the vibrations of its powerful motor. She also could not keep any "toys" at home, or else some snoop or other would find it, and explaining it was not a conversation she wanted to have. She had her fingers, of course, but they could only do so much.
The problem was the guy. Between how short he was, and the boyish looks of his face, he looked like he was barely in his teens, if that. Just the thought of seeing him naked made her feel like the cops were going to show up and arrest her.
Once he left, Lightning went to grab her darts (with one more now missing, ugh), then checked to see if anything the guy bought needed to be restocked.
Lightning Dust stared at the hot dogs, watching them on their rollers and contemplating how long they had been there. The tubes of ground beef discards continued to spin on, glistening in the fluorescent lights as their own grease was rubbed along their surface. They just went around and around, the heat of the rollers keeping them slightly warm. That had to make them perfect breeding grounds for bacteria. What new diseases could be discovered if they were studied?
A mechanical click and burst of light drew Lightning's attention from the rolling meat tubes of doom.
On the opposite end of the cashier area, a small television had come on. It was supposed to be the video feed for the security camera, although it had never worked before. Lightning had tried turning it on several times with no luck, even when she tried rewiring it, and the little red light for the camera itself was never on.
Walking over to it, Lightning saw a small, grainy, black and white picture of herself standing behind the counter. On the customer side of the counter, there was a glowing, red, human sized blur.
Lightning Dust suddenly had the feeling like she was being stared at. Gaze drifting between the screen and the spot that the figure supposedly stood, she moved closer to the where the blur supposedly stood. Leaning across the counter, she reached out with one hand, watching on the screen as it passed through the spot.
It felt like she had shoved her hand into the back of a freezer. She could feel the cold traveling up her arms and down her spine.
Luckily, she had watched enough television to know what to do.
Behind the counter were large plastic bags filled with small paper packets, one for salt, and another for black pepper. Grabbing one of the packets, she tore it open, and tossed the pepper inside at the spot. With such tiny powder, she could not tell if she had managed to hit it or not. All she could see was that nothing changed on the screen.
Grabbing two of the packets, she tore them both open, tossing more pepper at the spot.
"Begone, foul spirit!" she cried out in a commanding tone. "You are not welcome here!"
Still, nothing happened.
"Fuck off!" she shouted, tossing a handful of the packets unopened.
The video feed turned off, the strange blob on it disappearing.
Lightning Dust reached out again, but did not feel anything.
After cramming a few more packets in her pocket just in case, she went to get the broom and dustpan.
Using a scrap of receipt and broken piece of pencil, Lightning Dust doodled ideas for her stunt team's symbol. It had to be something cool. Something that symbolized speed and danger. It also had to be unique, though, which was the harder part. Because a lightning bolt would have been perfect, but they were so common. Everyone used lightning bolts. Even her little sister used a purple one as her symbol when tagging places with graffiti, which was a little too on the nose for Lightning Dust's liking.
The sound of the door opening drew her attention.
A second customer? she thought as she watched them enter. Place is really jumping tonight.
A very tall, muscular man came in, one hand pressed against his stomach. Blood ran between his fingers, staining his shirt and jeans.
"You need to help me," he said as he walked up. "I've been stabbed. I need an ambulance."
Lightning's eyes narrowed as she studied the guy and considered what he said. It could possibly be a trick. The other guy had said they were making a movie, and using condoms as blood packets. The guy in front of her could be one of his friends. It was either an attempt to get her to be in their movie, or a prank to try and get her to freak out.
"Let me see it," she ordered.
The man took a hold of the pale green shirt and pulled it up. The wet fabric stuck to his skin, tugging on it while being pulled loose, making him wince in pain. Lightning could practically hear it, sending a shiver down her spine.
Either it was real, or someone was a talented genius with special effects. The skin was wet with blood, but there was no massive difference in skin color. There was also no obvious bulge compared to the rest, or seams. There were even bits of body hair around it.
Lightning gave it a small poke, getting a grunt of pain and a spurt of blood in response.
Should probably do something to help, she decided. A part of her mind had already started working on an idea.
"Do you have any money?"
The guy looked at Lightning Dust like she had just sprouted ears and wings.
"I've been sta-ah! --" he winced and clutched at the knife wound "-- stabbed. I need an ambulance. And you're asking about money?"
"Hey," Lighting called out, holding up a hand. "If you don't wanna die, then the attitude damn well better. I need to know what I'm working with to help. So do you have any fucking money, or not?"
The wounded man stared at her a moment longer before reaching back. Grumbling something to himself, he pulled out hs wallet, and tossed it onto the counter.
Not a mugging then, Lightning noted as she took the wallet and opened it. There was no actual cash, but there were credit cards. There was also a driver's license, giving her the name.
"Alright, Mr. Clyde," she said as she set the wallet back down, "just wait here and I'll be right back." She made her way around the counter and toward the back of the store. Reaching the liquor section, she grabbed the cheapest bottle of whiskey she could (not that there was anything that would be considered "top shelf"). As she made her way back, she grabbed a roll of duct tape and a box of period pads.
Returning to the injured man, Troubleshoes Clyde, she entered the whiskey's code into the register before breaking the seal.
"Take a shot," Lightning Dust ordered as she handed over the bottle. While Clyde did as he was told, Lightning tore off the plastic from the tape, and opened the box of pads. Taking back the bottle, she poured some of the alcohol onto the wound, causing him to hiss out in pain. Unwrapping one of the pads, she placed it against the spot.
"Hold it there," she told him.
Once he did, Lightning took the tape and wrapped it around Clyde's middle, taping the pad over the stab wound.
"There," she said as she moved her way back around the counter. "That should hold you until you can get a ride to the hospital." She then entered the code for the pads.
"G-get a ride?" Clyde asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've been stabbed."
"I noticed," Lightning replied. She grabbed the wrapper from the duct tape and entered it as well.
"I need an ambulance."
"Yeah, you do." She grabbed Clyde's credit card and ran it.
"So, shouldn't you be calling Nine-one-one or something?"
"I can't," Lightning answered. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her cell phone. Holding it for Clyde to see, she pressed the power button multiple times. "See? Won't even turn on." She shoved it back into her pocket. "Cell phones don't work here for some reason."
"Well... what about the landline?"
In response, Lightning Dust picked up the store phone, and set it on the counter in front of her, facing Clyde. She watched as he took the phone and brought it up to his ear. After a second, he pressed and released the hook button. She could guess what was coming next.
"It doesn't work," stated Clyde as he hung up.
"Nope," Lightning confirmed as she put the phone back. "It doesn't."
Taking a deep breath, Troubleshoes Clyde ran his free hand through his hair.
"Well, can ya give me a ride to the hospital?"
Lightning Dust gave a sigh, crossing her arms and giving a shake of her head.
"Sorry," she answered. "First and biggest problem: I don't have a car. Can't drive anyone anywhere. Second, I'm the only one here. Can't leave the store empty, even if it is a shit hole that barely sees any customers." She let out a sigh. "Your best chance is to head further into town and try to find someone who can either give you a ride, or call for help."
Clyde looked at her with his pale green eyes before closing them and letting out a sigh.
"Just my luck," he grumbled as he stepped away from the counter and turned for the door. "Thanks for patching me at least."
With that, he left, walking out of the shop and into the night.
Lightning Dust let out a sigh as she watched him go. She felt bad. He was in serious need of help, but there was nothing that she could do. He was also pretty good looking. Tall, broad-shouldered, well-muscled, with big hand and feet. Did not seem to be the brightest of fellows, but he was pretty polite for someone who had been stabbed.
She wished she could have done more to help.
Her gaze drifted to the counter, where all the stuff was left. The whiskey she could take home, although she would have to hide it to keep Indigo from drinking it. The pads and duct tape she could leave here. Some of the other employees would have use for the first, and could probably find some use for the second.
Lightning Dust froze as her eyes landed on his wallet.
He forgot his wallet!
Grabbing it, she vaulted over the counter and ran for the door, heading outside.
There was no sign of him. No street lamps were nearby, and the broken parking lot sign did not light up. The only outdoor light that did work was the one that was directly above the store's door. Fine in letting people on the road know the place at least existed, terrible in spotting people who were walking away.
She made her way out toward the edge, looking along the sidewalks. Her eyes narrowed as she stared out into the darkness, searching for anything. Some sign of which way he had gone, where he was.
Nothing but darkness, darkness, and more darkness.
"HEY!" she called out. "HEY! YOU FORGOT YOUR WALLET!"
Nothing.
With a sigh, Lightning Dust sagged. She turned back toward the shop and went back inside.
After drinking some of her Alicorn-Cola, Lightning Dust poured some of the whiskey into the bottle. She then took a drink of the cocktail, enjoying the cool sweetness of the soda mixed with the slight warmth of the liquor. True, she should not be drinking while at work (especially since she was under twenty-one), but not like there was anyone to stop or report her. Besides, it was not enough to get her actually drunk, and even if it was, she was not driving anywhere, anyways. Just means she would have a drunken bus ride home before passing out in bed.
The faint hum of the fluorescents gave way to electrical buzzes and crackles. The lights themselves would glow blindingly bright before going black, only to light up once more. It started with the lights directly above Lightning Dust, then spread out further and further, until the entire store was blinking and flashing.
Then came a bright flash all at once, and everything went dark.
Ugh, fuck! Lightning Dust thought to herself. Not this shit again. Grabbing the bottle, she took a massive chug, gulping down the mixture without really tasting it.
With a building shaking belch, she set the half-empty bottle back onto the counter.
"Listen up, who or whatever is doing this!" she shouted at the darkness. "I'm not falling for this again! You hear me? Not! Gonna! Happen!"
Time must have passed as she stood there in silence, staring forward, although she had no way of knowing how much. Her hand gripped at the edge of the counter, nails digging in to the cheap coating and particle board. The tension ran up her entire arms and into her neck and shoulders.
She knew what was supposed to happen. It had happened before. The lights go out, and she was supposed to grab something to see with. Then, the moment she could, there would be something like a rotting or bloody corpse or a skeleton suddenly standing in front of her, making her scream out in shock and terror.
Well this time, she was not going to do it. Whatever damn monster was hiding in the dark, waiting to scare her could just keep on fucking waiting. She would stand in the dark until dawn if she fucking had to.
Warm, moist air blew across the back of her neck as a wet, gurgling wheeze went past her right ear. A horrendous smell of fresh blood and rotting meat filled her nose, and even stuck to the back of her tongue.
Slapping a hand over her mouth, Lightning Dust closed her eyes. All of her energy and concentration was focused on one singular thought: do not throw up! She fought to force the bile that burned in her throat down. She would not let whatever was messing with her have the satisfaction of succeeding. She would not scream. She would not puke. She would not let this place get the better of her.
Something touched her cheek, stroking along it.
Lightning squeezed her eyes tighter, her jaw clenching shut until her teeth threatened to crack. She could feel where the thing touched her, leaving a cold, slimy line along her skin. A squeak of terror built in her throat, dying before it could escape into audibility.
Goaway!Goaway!Goaway! she thought, trying her best not to move.
The electrical hum of the fluorescents coming back on broke the silence. Lightning Dust slowly opened her eyes, seeing the convenience store back to normal.
As fast as she could, she ran for the bathroom, throwing open the door and slamming into the stall door as well. Dropping to her knees, she bent over the toilet.
Finishing the bottle of water, Lightning Dust tossed it and the empty box of crackers in the trash, where the still half-full bottle of cola and whiskey rested.
After what happened, she did not want any more.
Now that she had calmed down, her stomach and head were no longer aching, and she finally had the taste of bile and liquor out of her mouth, she was feeling better.
With a calmer mood and fresh clarity, Lightning Dust considered the biggest question on her mind: what could she do when it happened again? She had managed to keep it from bothering her as it happened, but just barely, and she had still ended up reacting in fear. She had gotten scared, giving whatever was haunting this place what it wanted. She could not, would not, let it happen again.
But how could she possibly keep calm while in total darkness with something bloody and rotting touched her?
A part of her suggested she not try. That she simply quit. Leave the little shit hole of a shop, and never come back.
That part of her was quickly told to shut up. Lightning Dust did not lose, and she did not quit. It did not matter if she was a racing opponent or a haunted convenience store, she would beat it. She was a winner damn it!
The phone rang.
The sound made Lightning jump. She turned to look at the phone on the counter, staring at it like it was a snake about to bite her or something. Her orange eyes narrowed as she watched it.
The phone continued to ring.
She was not going to answer it. It was a phone which did not work, in a haunted place, that was ringing. Everything about that said that whatever was on the other side, whatever was calling, was bad. Nothing good was going to come from answering it. At best, there would be some creepy voice on the other end, talking through a lot of static.
Reaching out, she unplugged the phone from the wall.
It continued to ring.
This was getting annoying fast.
Grabbing the phone, Lightning Dust carried it to the employee area. She then dropped it into the mop bucket and filled it with water. The phone let out a wet, mechanical warbling noise before it was completely covered.
"Drown, you fucker! Drown!" Lightning shouted, eyes wide, and a manic grin on her face.
With that done, she made her way back to the counter.
The sound of ringing started up again, making Lightning Dust freeze.
The phone was back in its spot on the counter, plugged in and ringing.
Grabbing it again, Lightning Dust ripped the phone from the wall and threw it down against the floor as hard as she could. She then brought the heel of her shoes down onto the plastic as hard as she could, putting all of her weight down on it. Wild screams of rage escaped her as she stomped down on it again and again, pouring all of her frustration into the effort.
By the time she stopped, her throat was raw and she was panting heavily.
The phone was still in one piece, unbroken.
A huff of exhaustion escaped Lightning Dust as she bent over and picked up the phone, dropping it on the counter. She slammed her palm down on the hook to hang the phone up, then disconnected the handset and threw it across the room as hard as she could. It still did not break, but there was a sense of satisfaction as it slammed into the far wall.
The satisfaction was short-lived as the ringing started again.
"Oh fucking come on!" Lightning shouted in frustration. She then let out a sigh of annoyance as she made her way over to where the handset had landed. It seemed the only way to shut the thing up was to answer it.
Crouching down, she picked up the phone and brought it to her ear.
"Hello?" she said, sounding as annoyed as possible.
The sound of heavy breathing could be heard through the earpiece.
"Are we done now?" she asked, rolling her eyes as she stood up.
"Your skin looks so pretty," a scratchy voice rasped out, crackling with phone static. "I bet it would feel nice to wear."
Several possible replies came to mind, including, "I'm rather attached to it," and "it's actually pretty rough."
"I like it pretty rough," she blurted out. Lightning Dust then smacked herself in the face as she realized what she had said.
"...what?" the voice asked.
"Never mind," Lightning replied, rubbing at her forehead as she continued to mentally kick herself. "Look, are we done yet?" She turned and walked back to the counter. "Because I have a lot of nothing piling up, and I'd like to try and finish it before my shift is done."
"I will peel that pretty skin from you while you watch, and wear it as a jacket," the voice hissed and crackled.
"Right-right-right," Lightning said. "Just be careful it doesn't dry out or whatever."
After hanging up, Lightning Dust slouched over, letting out a sigh.
She wished she had a gun, or baseball bat or something.
Lightning Dust was feeling exhausted. All of the adrenaline from earlier was pretty much out of her system, making her crash. Plus, it had been quiet for quite a while. Even here, it was hard to remain in a state of constant alertness, especially at night.
Despite her best efforts, she yawned.
The door opened, and Lightning tensed. A fresh burst of adrenaline woke her up, making sure she was ready to fight, to defend herself against some knife-wielding maniac.
It was not a knife-wielding maniac. At least, the girl did not look like one, and if she had a knife, it was not a big one that she was just carrying around out in the open. She looked like a typical -- if nerdy -- girl. Although, who knew what she was hiding under that turtleneck she was wearing.
The girl walked up.
"Excuse me," she said. "Are you Lightning Dust?"
"Yeah?" Lightning replied, hands tensing and eyes narrowing.
The other girl gave a small smile. After adjusting her thick framed glasses, she stepped closer and held out a hand.
"I'm Moondancer" she stated. "I'm starting here today, and am supposed to spend the next hour with you for training."
Lightning Dust took the hand, shaking it. At the same time, her eyes narrowed further, studying Moondancer.
She was not impressed.
Everything about Moondancer screamed "NERD!" to Lightning Dust in big, flashing, neon letters. From the red and purple hair that was pulled up in a way that made it look like it was just there to stay out of her way, to the thick (both in terms of frames and lenses) glasses she wore on her face. Even the turtleneck being big and baggy, hiding any possible indication of what her body looked like underneath. Everything about her made it clear that this was a girl who was far more comfortable in a safe room doing research and controlled experiments than dealing with the real world.
The girl would not even last a day. Hell, Lightning was willing to bet Moondancer would run screaming from the building as piss herself the first time she had an encounter.
And while that would be fun to watch, Lightning Dust felt obligated to at least try to warn her.
"Nice to meet you," she said. "You don't wanna work here."
The statement made Moondancer stop. Her eyebrows (massive red things that looked like they could hide a small army) furrowed as she frowned.
"What makes you say that?"
Because this place is full of ghosts and monster that want to scare and maybe kill you, Lightning thought as the handshake ended. She would not actually say it out loud, though. It was a strong certainty that Moondancer would not believe her. If anyone had tried to warn Lightning about it, she would not have believed it either. She would have just written it off as hazing the new girl, which was kind of what she thought was happening during her first shift.
"You look like a nice girl," she said instead, "and this is not a nice place."
"Do you mean the hauntings?" Moondancer asked, perking up with her eyes wide.
Lightning froze, staring at the other girl while her brain tried to process what she had just heard.
"You know about those?" she finally managed to ask.
"It's actually part of why I want to work here," Dancer answered. "I've been following some paranormal websites, and this place is one that tends to have consistent stories." She reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone. "It's my best chance to either study such things first hand, or disprove the claims." She pressed a button. "I even..."
She pressed it again.
Then again.
Her brow furrowed as she gave it another press.
"Phones don't work here," Lightning said. "Don't know why, but they won't turn on."
Purple eyes, already large from the lenses, grew wider as she looked up from her phone.
"Phones don't work?" she repeated. "None of the sites mentioned that." She looked back down at her phone in hand.
Her eyes grew wider as she let out a small gasp.
"All my stuff is on my phone!" Moondancer cried out. "How am I going to gather data and record either any phenomena or my own notes on it, or lack thereof, without it?"
Lightning Dust could not help but smile as she watched the girl's sag in frustration and disappointment.
"First lesson of the real world, egghead," she stated, getting a glare from Moondancer in response, "in the real world, nothing ever goes how you planned."
"I am well familiar with the concept of 'Murphy's Law'," Moondancer replied, "as well as the Helmut van Moltke."
She gave a shake of her head.
"Can we just get on with the training please."
Lightning Dust stared at the office clock, watching the face. There was no second hand on it, counting down, but she did not need it. She knew it was getting close.
The instant the minute hand hit the twelve, she slammed in her time card, clocking out for the day.
Free at last, free at last! she mentally cheered to herself. While it had not gone as she had hoped, she had survived another shift at this hellhole. Now she was free of it for the next fourteen hours.
"So long, Moonie," Lightning called out as she headed for the front door. "This place is your problem now." She threw a mock salute. "Good luck. You're gonna need it."
"Wait!" Moondancer called out. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"
Lightning Dust stopped, her hand resting on the handle. She considered the question. Two answers came to mind. One of them was to tell Moondancer to leave and not come back. That whatever she could learn from working here was not with the dangers she would be facing. There were definitely safer places to work, and probably some haunted ones as well.
The other...
"Don't let it know if it scared you," Lightning Dust stated. She turned to look at Moondancer. "It's like the place needs to get a reaction out of you, that it needs you terrified. I think that if it can't scare you enough, it can't really do anything else to you."
Before Moondancer could say anything more, Lightning Dust pulled the door open and stepped outside. She could feel the chill of the autumn night -- now pre-dawn morning -- in the air. After zipping up her sweatshirt and pulling up her hood, she began walking.
Once on the other side of the road, she relaxed a little.
This was actually one of the few things she liked about her current job. For a moment, the world was so quiet, so peaceful, and so serene. It was as though she was the only one in the world. The only one awake. She found something about it relaxing.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, letting the cool air fill her lungs. She then opened them and let it out, watching the white mist of her breath escape into the night before vanishing.
She made her way to the bus station, leaving the haunted little convenience store for another night.
