It started with a simple request:
“Can you pick up some milk on your way home from practice?”
“Sure, Mom,” I replied, feeling a bit exasperated. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mom, but in this remote town, only Dollar General accepts Apple Pay. Unfortunately, I had left my wallet at home, and I wasn’t keen on backtracking.
Little did I know, this is where things would take a sinister turn.
At first, I thought it might be convenient to skip the local grocery store and head straight to Dollar General. If my situation wasn’t so dire, I might have found humor in my naivety.
When I arrived, an eerie silence hung in the air, yet there was a modest stream of people entering and leaving the store. Dollar General always made me feel uneasy. They seem to appear out of nowhere, miles away from any other establishment, like a nondescript warehouse with its yellow signage. It’s uncanny how they suddenly materialize when you least expect it, and they always seem larger from the outside, which is the opposite of what happens in movies. That alone makes it all the more unsettling.
As I stepped inside, a woman stood at the front, attending to another lady who appeared immensely stressed while wrangling three young children.
“I feel for you, lady,” I muttered under my breath. I’ve never been fond of kids. Taking care of myself is challenging enough, and I barely tolerate my little sister. Unnecessary little monsters have no place in my world.
I walked to the back of the store, retrieved the milk, and headed back towards the front. However, I got sidetracked by the snack aisle. Glancing towards the checkout counter, I figured the lady would still take a few more seconds, so I rushed over to browse the snacks. Opting for a bag of blue Takis, I made my way back to the checkout, just as the doorbell rang. I assumed the lady at the counter wouldn’t leave her post immediately, but apparently, I was wrong.
When I reached the checkout, the lady was nowhere to be seen. I had literally heard the doorbell moments before turning the corner. How did she manage to move so quickly? I glanced around but concluded she probably had to use the bathroom, so I didn’t mind waiting.
While idly flipping through the magazines at the checkout, a headline about Meghan and Prince Harry made me chuckle. I’m not one to keep up with pop culture, but it reminded me of a recent South Park episode, and that always brings a smile to my face. After a few more minutes, I realized nearly twelve minutes had passed.
“This is ridiculous,” I muttered to myself, starting towards the small room where the manager usually disappeared. The one with the obviously two-way mirror. I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Glancing outside, I noticed only one car in the parking lot—mine. Now that I think about it, it was strange that there were no employee cars out there. They didn’t have any other parking area, after all.
I began to explore the store, searching for one of those big doors that led to the storage rooms. In hindsight, I should have simply gone home and told my mom I forgot. Football practice had been tough, and all I wanted to do was crash on the couch, watching YouTube until I passed out. But no, I had to see this through.
I swear, it felt like I walked for hours. When I turned around, I couldn’t even see the front of the store anymore. I gasped audibly. It defied all logic. The store couldn’t be more than 5,000 square feet. I couldn’t even see the back of the store; something was definitely wrong. Luckily, I spotted a wall and one of the doors leading to the store rooms.
Without a second thought, I rushed inside.
“Hello! Is anybody back here?!” I shouted as soon as I stepped through the doorway.
Now, for the ending you’ve described:
Silence hung in the air for a moment, and then a voice emerged from the shadows. It was the store manager, but something was horribly wrong. Their face twisted into a grotesque, monstrous visage as they bared their teeth.
“This area is for employees only,” the manager growled, their voice dripping with an otherworldly menace.
Fear gripped me as I turned to flee, but the manager pursued me relentlessly. I sprinted through the labyrinthine corridors, desperate to find a hiding place. Finally, I stumbled upon a small room and quickly slipped inside, praying they wouldn’t find me.
And so this is where I sit. In a small room, in the most fucked up Dollar General in the universe. I can hear the manager walking around outside the room. His foot steps growing louder and quieter as he paces around. I can here Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers playing softly behind the managers sounds.
I’ll never be able to listen to that song again if I manage to get out of here.