When I first got this job I wasn’t sure what to expect but nothing this…Unsettling.
I started working at a McDonalds within walking distance of my home. I’ll refrain from any more details for privacy reasons. It was less than 10 minutes back and forth so I thought it was a perfect fit.I don’t have a car and it’s easy money I thought.
After an hour long application/assessment type deal, I got a call for an inhouse meeting with the manager. Let’s say his name is Bob. He wore a black button up and black slacks. A shiny nametag pinned into his shirt pocket next to a black pen with a chewed cap. He looked not much older than me, Mid-20s but his dark sunken eyes made him look older.
We talked for almost half an hour. I was visibly shaking for the first 5 minutes but he didn’t seem to notice.
The last thing he said to me was “See you Monday?”
I was taken aback “Just Like That?”
“..Yeah, see you Monday?”
“Of Course” I said as I shot up my seat.
He nodded before walking off and I headed home so happy to finally get a job.
I spent my weekend at home. Not doing much of anything but scrolling through tik tok and watching a bunch of different movies on Netflix. Ever seen the Matrix? It’s not bad.
On Monday morning I started my first day of work. I had an hour of training before being thrown into the frying pan. By the frying pan, I mean working the register, taking orders, and dealing with customers. Some good, some bad but it was the routine till Sunday night when I got a call around 11:30.
“Hello Dan”
“Yes, is this Bob?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Can you come in tomorrow for the night shift instead of your regular shift”
“Night shift?’ I asked him.
“Yeah, we need you to fill in. Pays a dollar more an hour”
“I’m in! Maybe I can do this normally?”
“Great, and yeah we’ll see.” Bob said before signing off.
I thought the night shift would be perfect for me but if I could go back in time I would have never answered the phone.
I clocked in around 8 pm and went over to my co-worker for the evening, Kate. She was an older woman with red hair done up in a ponytail. She was a bit heavy set and gave off a no nonsense attitude as she told me my duties.
In summary, run the cash register when customers are here and clean up the place when they aren’t. It was only the two of us from what I could tell so I don’t mind doing a little extra work.
When I went to my register I found a yellow piece of paper under the drawer. It said “DON’T UPSET HIM”.
“Huh?” I flipped the paper over looking for some more information. “Kate!?”
She came up from the fryer looking sweaty and upset that I dragged her away from the back.“Did You leave me this note?”
“No? Is that all?”
“You sure?”
I looked back at her but she was walking back to the grill. “Customers!”
A couple hours after we locked up the lobby at exactly 2: 13 AM. I heard what sounded like someone pounding on the glass but no one was there. A few seconds later, I heard it again.
There was a customer just standing in line.
“Sir, the lobby is closed” I said.He just kept staring forward.
I had no idea how he got in here. I’m sure the door was locked. Was he in the restroom till now?
I cautiously stepped towards him. “Sir, are you okay?”
He was in his early 30s, wearing a blue t-shirt with ripped blue jeans. He had pupils so large I couldn’t tell the color. His mouth was moving like he was trying to speak but no sound came out for the first few seconds ”Carnem”
“Carnem?”
He looked like a camel chewing hay. “Carnem.”
“I’m sorry… We’re closed. The drive through is open though if you have a car.”
“Carnem…! Carnem neme mernem mee…! Meee…! Meat!!!”
I took a step back. “Kate?!”
“Meat! Meat ! Meat! Meat! Meat!” His teeth barred and his enlarged pupils focused on me.
“Umm…Yes let me get that for you.” His gaze followed me around the restaurant.
Kate was nowhere and he was becoming more manic. So, I pulled some frozen patties and turned on the grill.
A bit of sweat drops from my forehead as I sneak peeks at the man. He seemed perfectly still like a statue watching me.
With the sizzling of the burgers I grabbed some buns from a nearby workstation. When I turned back around he was there with his hand on top of the still cooking burger. His soulless eyes didn’t leave me while his hand burned.
He shoved the burger into his mouth, swallowing it whole and then shambing closer to me.
“Meat Meat Meau em yeau..! yu..! You!”
I stepped back but he started shambling faster.
I froze but he went past me towards the bag of frozen patties and started devouring the entire bag.
I snuck away while he engorged himself with the frozen patties. His teeth looked like fangs ripping into the meat with the crackling sound of ice.
He finished the bag in under twenty seconds before peering at me from behind the prep area.
His teeth looked even sharper and a low growling sound echoed from across the room.
I darted for the front door but it didn’t open. My key was gone and his footsteps grew closer and closer. My vision blurred as the sweat dripped down from my forehead but luckily to my left was the restroom.
The door slammed behind me as I twisted the lock into place. I prayed it was enough.
After a few moments of dead silence passed when a bang. Not a knock, more like he was pummeling into the door. It flexed and bent but the door held.
“You! You! You!” He said over and over.
Then an even louder bang rattled the door as he slammed his whole body against it. The door could have buckled at any second but then he stopped.
I tried to call for help but my phone had no signal. But the strangest thing was the time. It’s still 2:13 AM and stayed 2:13 much longer than it should have. I counted the seconds. The numbers didn’t change no matter how many times I counted to sixty.
The idea came to me to use my stopwatch app to count down the seconds. It didn’t move.
My new plan was to barricade the door with a trash can and arm myself with a mop. It was a terrible plan but it was a plan. There was no window to escape from and I didn’t dare open the door. My only hope is that Kate saw what happened and called the police or the guy left.
After waiting in silence. Eyes locked to the door. The blare of a single sink echoed through the restroom as the water ran from the faucet behind me.
A cold sweat formed as I pictured him standing beside the sink ready to rip me to shreds but nobody was there.
I turned the sink off but the water didn’t stop. It turned to a dark dirty brown with speckles of red and clumps of hair. Completely overfilling the basin and flooding the restroom floor. It was viscous like honey and smelled of rotten meat.
“YOU! YOU YOU!” Boomed from outside.
The door trembled as he threw himself against it. The liquid encased the bottom of my shoe when a crackling sound came from the door frame.
I closed my eyes and readied my mop like a spear. I held my breath.
It was over.
I wanted to but I couldn’t open my eyes. I could only tremble. It was gonna die in a bloody, and painful way. I couldn’t do anything to stop it.
The next thing I felt was a vibration. A familiar buzzing sound I heard a hundred times before.
It was my phone alarm. The countdown ended. It was 2:14 am.
I gasped for air in the uncomfortable silence.
The vicious liquid was gone and the door was intact. I waited, not sure what to think or what to do. Settling on, to push the door open a crack. Everything seemed normal but then the return of footsteps.
Before I could scurry back inside I saw who it was.
“Kate!” I burst out so happy to see someone who probably wasn’t a cannibal.
She jumped not expecting me.“I’m so glad you’re alright!”
“What?! What happened?”
I paused, “How could she not know?” I thought.
“The guy!! He broke in and ate all the frozen patties chasing me around the restaurant till I locked myself into the restroom and he broke it down and there was this brown sticky stuff everywhere, the clock didn’t move and…And… And…”
“Slow down, were you smoking something in there?”
“No, no.” I slumped down to the floor.
I had my parents pick me up and take me home at the end of my shift. I couldn’t go out alone after what happened.
Bob calls me in to talk about what happened that night every so often but I don’t ever wanna step back into the place. I barely even leave my house.
I don’t think I ever will.
Just remember one thing. Never go to Mcdonalds at 2:13 AM