“Carter!”
I jump in my seat at the sound of Nix’s voice. What is wrong with me? I’m never this jumpy. I guess the probability of seeing dead people does that to a man.
“Where’s the fire?” I ask before walking over to her station. She’s looking around her. She’s pissed and I think it’s because of the snake she finally found. Took her long enough.
“Where’s my shit? I know it’s one of your pranks.” She points her finger at me.
“Wait, it's not about the snake?” I ask dumbfounded. “Why would I take your stuff?”
“I found your stupid snake five minutes after I arrived, I’m not an idiot.” With hands on her hips she scowls at me and suddenly I feel like I’m fifteen again my mom is chastising me. “I didn’t react the way you hoped so you decided to up your game and hide my things?”
“Wha—?” A shiver runs through me and suddenly I feel cold. I look at the front window in the search of, I don’t know, sunlight to share its warmth but noticed it’s already dark outside. “Is it cold in here?”
“Do not change the subject, mister.” As she continues with her reprimand, lights in the shop start flickering.
Okay, it better not be a problem with the electricity, Gavin might also blame it on me. This day is not going as I expected it to.
“My needles, Carter.” I focus again on Nix shivering in my henley.
“Fine, I’ll bring it to you, but turn up the heating while I’m gone because it’s like a fucking morgue in here.”
I turn around and just as I’m about to enter the back hall something catches my eyes. Something at the front window that wasn’t there before. A blond head with a Catrina mask right in front of our shop staring right at…me.
“Carter, needles.”
“Do you see her?” I look quickly at Nix and point to the window.
“Who?”
“The girl in a Catrina mask? She’s—” I stop because no one’s fucking there. What the hell is happening. “No one saw her?”
“Car-Car I’m the closest to the window and I’ve seen no one.” Pete assures me but I just stand there staring at the empty space.
“Carter!” Nix’s voice wakes me again.
"I'm going, Jesus.” What’s wrong with all of them? A day that was supposed to be the best of the year turns out to beLets kick Carter because he’s already on the ground. Thank god there’s a party later at JACKs and Roman won’t be that mean to me as all of them are today.
I turn on the lights in the storage room and walk straight up to the cabinet with all of our supplies. Some of us have favorite brands to use so it’s not a problem to find Nix’s needles.
Suddenly I hear the click of the doors as they close and the light goes off. I try to turn it back on but it doesn’t work. Gavin is going to be pissed.
Grabbing the door handle I push forward to get out of this darkness but my shoulder just hits the hard surface that won’t budge.
“What the fuck?” Could this day get any worse? “Hey guys, some help, please? I’m stuck here.” I yell in hopes they’ll hear me. I reach for my phone but it’s not in my pocket. I must’ve left it at my station. Fuck my life.
The light starts to flicker again.
“Carrrrttteeerrr.” Someone whispers.
I jerk at the sound. “Who’s there?”
“Carterrrrr.” Again, this time a little louder it seems it’s a female who’s whispering. “Carter, you’re next.”
“Who are you? Next for what?”
And then bitch starts to chant like the boy fromPirates of the Caribbean. I can’t get my legs to work. They’re just stuck while my insides scream for me to run.
One by one the lights go dead,
