It was the 17th of May when I first joined the Walmart Night Fill team, the experience of working at my dream job for the first time was like none I have ever felt before.
When I started my first shift I was introduced to the team, I was first met with my manager Kaitlyn, she was a nice lady but was very quick to change her mood if she felt necessary. I then met the rest of my team, they where some of the nicest people I have ever met in my eighteen year’s of being alive.
Eventually down the line I met some of the higher up’s at my work, these included the I.T manager Jay, assistant manger Jake, Night Fill assistant Chimi and store manager Tom.
When I first met these people I didn’t really have second thought’s, these seemed to be the nicest manager’s a store could have, but something felt off, I had a weird feeling deep down in my gut, there was something about that Tom guy that left an empty feeling in my stomach and made the hair on my neck stand up.
As I looked at the manager’s which I was meeting, I turned to look at Tom, and there I was, frozen. His bright blue eye’s stared deep into my soul, almost as if they where trying to take mine to replace the one they lost.
After about five minute’s all the manager’s left to go do their job’s, but that feeling that I felt when Tom looked at me, I just couldn’t shake it off.
About three month’s passed and there where drastic changes in the workplace, my original Night Fill manager had left and moved store’s, many new worker’s joined and our new store and Night Fill manager was none other than him, Tom.
An end was put to the Night Fill department, instead we where transfered to Morning Fill where we would start at a fixed time of 6:30am and finish at 10:00am. This department was where I met many new co-worker’s who I got along with pretty well, better than the one’s from my previous department.
Several day’s passed and I was getting pretty good at adjusting to this new schedule, go to work early in the morning and come back home to do whatever I want, this was definately a change that I was happy about.
Every day since then seemed to go well, that was until one day, where I saw the most unnatural occurance that could happen in a workplace like this. I was sent into the online room by assistant manager Zara to get the pallet of tissue’s for ailse 12.
As I went to put the pallet jack into the pallet, I saw something cover the light that shined through the mailbox thin window’s of the door’s, as I turned to look at what it was I immediately dropped the pallet jack, I was looking straight into a pair of bright blue eye’s, my first thought was that it was probaly Tom, but these eye’s had such unnatural feature’s around them.
When I took a closer look, the eye’s looked as if they where melting out from their socket’s, I quickly ran off into the online freezer and shut the door.
Minutes went by and I was doing nothing else but freezing, just when I thought I might pass out the door’s opened right up, “Tom” I yelled in fear, “Um yes, what is wrong” asked Tom, I had no clue what was happening or if what I saw was even real, I was more confused than I have ever been before, “nothing, I still haven’t adjusted to the change over yet” I replied.
I then left the freezer to get the tissue pallet, although I felt somewhat at ease, there was a feeling in my gut which made my whole body quiver.
As I finally got the pallet up and moving I left through the door’s, out of curiousity I turned to look, and there it was again, that same souless look staring deep into my soul, I turned back as if I saw nothing and continued with my job.
As I was about to finish up, I went to the general office to put back my scanner, as I put back my scanner I saw something quickly flash on one of the computer screen’s, I stepped closer and took a closer look, there was what looked to be half of someone just standing in one of the backroom door’s.
I took an even closer look and all a sudden the figure glided pass the camera, I jumped back in shock, “what the fuck was that” I whispered confused
The figure glided pass the camera on one leg while the other one dragged behind it as if it was broken or paralyzed.
Never have I seen anything so odd, I quickly walked into the change room to get my jacket and left the store as soon as I could.
I layed in my bed all night thinking about it, “what was that thing” I asked myself, when I thought back on it, I tried stopping myself from thinking what I thought it was, but of course I let my mind get the best of me, it had to be him, that had to have been Tom.
I woke up the next morning, forgetting when I fell asleep, I went to go get ready for another shift until I saw a text pop up on my phone, it read “Hi Danny, there has been a change to your schedule for today due to some circumstances, if you could instead come in for a one time Night Fill that would be great, thanks Tom”.
I thought to myself, thing’s are getting really weird, but I couldn’t let this new job be put at risk, I waited until 4:00pm and got ready for the Night Fill Shift.
I arrived at Walmart at 4:40pm, I saw many car’s parked outside, I let out a breath of relief that I was not alone.
I pressed on the store ring bell and waited for someone to open the door for me, before I knew it I heard rapid footstep’s approach. The door suddenly opened, “hi Danny” said Tom as he held the door open for me, “how is it going” I replied desperately trying to avoid conversation.
As I walked to the general office to get my scanner, I saw Andrew and Clara, “Clara, you are here too” I asked in a relieved tone, “yeah did you get that text from Tom, I thought I was the only one” replied Clara, “me too” I replied, “me three” said Andrew.
The three of us walked together to the general office to get ready for work, this felt strange after adjusting so much to the Morning Fill schedule.
As we walked to the room a noise was heard behind me, Clara and I turned to look but saw nothing, “wait, where is Andrew” I asked, the two of us looked back again and saw that Andrew was gone.
Clara quickly panicked, I knew something was off about this whole shift, the two of us took a right and hid at the front of the store.
“Wait I just realised, why aren’t there any customer’s” I asked in confusion, “yeah I was thinking that too” replied Jake, “Jake you are here too” said Clara and I.
“Something is wrong guy’s, I was just working with Chimi and I turned for one second to fix my scanner, when I turned back he was gone, just gone like he vanished” said Jake.
The three of us hid behind the counter’s at the front of the store. We quickly made a run to the general office to get to the computer’s and secure a room to stay in.
We got to the general office, but when we looked at the camera’s, we froze in shock, Andrews’ body layed on the floor in the back dock, covered in blood with his inner organ’s layed on top of him .
I backed up into the door but fell back outside, “I thought we locked the door” I exclaimed in confusion, “same here” said Clara before she froze in shock.
“What is it” I asked, “where is Jake” asked Clara in a shaky voice. Jake suddenly was gone, before I even knew it he was gone.
All of our co-worker’s where disappearing, maybe we where next. As I got up, I jumped back to see, Tom. His bright blue eye’s stared into the camera’s, as if he knew we where looking through them.
Out of fear we both made a run to leave the building for good, taking the route to the fire exit. When I got there I looked up to see something unexplainable, it was Tom, but he was hanging from the upper staircase towards the back dock, but when I looked closer, it looked as if he had string’s attached to his arm’s and leg’s, like something that an old school puppet would have.
I couldn’t let any time go to waste, I smashed through the fire exit and made a run to the car park, I had no transport so we made a run toward’s McDonalds’ which was still open at that time.
As we ran through the car park, something jumped onto one of the car’s, it was Tom. He leaped on each car, his movement’s where puppet like, everytime he landed it was almost like he was thrown off balance and held up by something else.
Clara and I eventually made it to McDonalds’ and immediately shut the door’s behind us, as I looked outside I could see him standing at the corner of the store where it cuts to the other entrance, when I looked closer it looked as if he was being dragged back by something else, his body moving backwards into the dark but his leg’s stayed firm and still as if he was frozen.
We stayed in the store until it was time for it to close, I begged one of the worker’s to drop us off or atleast away from this place. Since we where worker’s from the area, the McDonalds’ employee was kind enough to give us a lift.
Clara and I where both dropped off to our houses and we immediately contacted eachother to clarify what we saw.
It has been 8 year’s now since that experience, Clara and I still keep in touch but never talk about that night, Clara has been going to therapy almost every day ever since.
Whatever happened that night, it is something I hope to never experience again.