It was drizzling rain when I woke up on Black Friday four years ago. I love rain, but there’s a huge difference between a summer thunderstorm, which is over in 10 minutes, and November rain, which never ends and chills you to the bone. November rain makes you want to curl up on a couch with a good book.
But that wasn’t on the schedule, so I got up, walked past the mass of dirty dishes in the kitchen, helped myself to some leftover stuffing and pumpkin pie, and hopped in the shower. The sudden blast of hot water jolted me awake and felt amazing on my skin. There’s nothing like a hot bath or shower in October or November to make you feel amazing.
I eventually managed to drag myself out of the shower and once I put on a sweater, jeans, sneakers, a scarf, and my coat, I jumped in the car and headed to the mall. By the time I got there it was after 1 pm and I could see the crowd had thinned a bit. I refuse to be the person who waits in line for a week for a gaming console or makes the store open on actual Thanksgiving for a TV. It’s so unfair to the people who are stuck working then.
The sky was iron grey as I managed to find a spot about halfway through the lot in front of the food court. A text from Naomi let me know that she was waiting for me right by the entrance.
Since she was decked out in her bright red peacoat and matching knit cap that stood out against her fine blond hair, she was easy to see. Especially because she was standing in front of the Alpine Ridge Mall, a mass of buildings in various shades of off white which loomed out of the horizon.
“Happy Black Friday Jade!” She pulled me into a bone cracking hug when I was close enough.
“Same to you Naomi. Ready?”
“You know it. Let’s go.”
Then she grabbed my hand and we stepped through one set of double doors and were greeted by the calming smell of suburban retail.
Naomi and I do Black Friday more for the fun aspect as opposed to any genuine desire to shop or get good bargains. It became our annual way of celebrating when we both returned home from college for Thanksgiving break. And boy were people putting on a good show as always. All around us, a sea of people hustled around with a coffee cup in one hand, and a credit card or shopping bag in the other. Observing what’s going on is all the fun of Black Friday shopping. It’s like a real-life version of Supermarket Sweep.
As I expected, the Alpine Ridge Mall was fully decked out for Christmas. Massive strands of tinsel and garland were wrapped around pillars, giant wreaths hung from walls and storefronts, and tall trees in various shades of green and white were placed at odd intervals. But my favorite Christmas decorations will always be ugly sweaters. I’ve thought they were hilarious long before they were a thing, especially because people used to wear them without it being a joke. We all have those family photos of relatives wearing holiday sweaters with matching dangling earrings. Just like we all have those old family photos where those of us with blue eyes look like something out of a horror movie.
The mall itself had been heavily renovated over the years. Like most malls, it used to be filled with fountains, plants, and neon signs. Now it was all white and beige. I didn’t care for it much. It was all so bland and dull.
We made the usual rounds and picked up an odd purchase here and there. At the candy store, Naomi bought some pumpkin fudge while I got some chocolate covered pretzels. Then when we went into a store filled with various items, she tried to get me to buy a massive cat figurine once I mentioned I liked it.
“Come on, you should totally get it.”
“You don’t think it’s a bit much?”
“Are you kidding? It’s beyond a little much. That’s why you have to get it. Especially after you got an A on your Psychology project. You’ve earned the right to celebrate.”
That project was a nightmare. I spent an eternity researching and working on it. And I did love the cat figurine. So without saying a word, I walked over, picked up a box containing it, and headed towards the cash register. I was grateful the line was short, as the box was a lot heavier than I expected.
We wove in and out of the other stores before we arrived at Macy’s, the last store on the list. As we disembarked from the escalator, Naomi caught sight of a male sales associate. I watched her eyes lit up and she casually strolled over, picked up a coat, and made a point to ask him a question about it under the pretense of striking up a conversation. With his athletic build, brilliant smile, and stunning green eyes that seemed to glimmer under his jet-black hair, I wasn’t surprised Naomi wanted to say hi. So I smiled and left them to it while I browsed to pass the time. After about 15 minutes, Naomi tore herself away and returned to me, looking far too pleased with herself.
“Do I dare ask?”
“You know you want to.”
“No, not particularly.”
“Relax, we’re not engaged or anything. Yet. He just gave me his number.”
“Not engaged yet? How disappointing. I was browsing in the hopes of finding something to wear to your wedding.”
“Oh come on Jade. You know you would never have to pick anything out. Since you’d be the maid of honor, I’d be the one picking out your dress.”
“The maid of honor? What did I do to deserve that?”
“I promise I won’t make you wear a hideous color or be an insufferable bridezilla.”
“I wonder how many bridesmaids have heard the exact same thing. But as long as you don’t make me wear a yellow dress, I’ll manage.”
“That’s why you’re my best friend.” She playfully knocked her hip against mine as we walked towards the exit.
By now the light had started to fade and it was chillier out than before. It was only 5, but this time of year meant that shadows had already begun to creep up. The rain had stopped, but the damp chill still hung thick in the air. Leaves that had long ago lost their crispness were strewn over the pavement, all crumpled and soaked.
“Do you need to stop anywhere else?” I asked while a gust of wind sliced through the air. Naomi was staying at my house for the weekend since her parents left this morning to visit her brother, who had moved out of state and couldn’t make it home for Thanksgiving.
“No, I’m good if you are.”
“I am. Then I’ll see you back at my place.” I said before I walked to my car and tossed the bags into the backseat. After I waited a minute for the heater to warm up, I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, which was fairly empty by now. Since my parents had gone to dinner and a movie with some friends, that meant we had the house to ourselves for the night.
My house is only 15 minutes away from the mall. As I drove past the tall brick façade marking the neighborhood entrance, I was reminded that some people already had their Christmas lights and trees up. With Naomi following close behind me, I drove through the neighborhood until I arrived at the end of a cul de sac where my house is. The slight breeze in the air left the bare trees flailing in the wind and massive piles of damp leaves were perched on everyone’s curb, including mine.
Once Naomi pulled into the driveway and got her bags, I unlocked the front door and we walked into the foyer. No matter how many times I come home, the effect is never lost on me. The gleaming floors and lush red carpets always have a soothing effect on me no matter what is going on. Our house is a grey brick McMansion, but it looks and feels lived in.
“You know your way around,” I added as I walked to the closet and tugged off my coat.
“Barely,” she chuckled. “This place is like a museum.”
“Funny. I’m going upstairs to change.”
I climbed the winding stairs and walked past the landing that looks down on the foyer. But before I could walk into my room, I noticed something. From the window looking down on the backyard, I thought I could see what looked like footprints leading away from the house.
“Something wrong?” I heard Naomi following me up the stairs.
“No, I’m just looking at the backyard. Do those look like footsteps to you?” I pointed them out to her.
” Not really. They look more like indentations made by the grill.” She nodded to where the grill used to be on the back porch.
“Oh that’s right. Dad moved that to the shed the other day, and I completely forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me. Now let me get changed, and we’ll get some pizza.”
“Now you’re talking.”
After I took the cat figurine out of the box and put it on my shelf, I changed into pajama pants, and put the movie Beetlejuice on the big screen in the sitting room. But before hitting play, we ordered some pizza and breadsticks for delivery. By now the sun had completely set and darkness had settled in, so we switched on the lights inside the rest of the house but left the sitting room dark while we both sat on opposite ends of the massive plush velvet couch facing the TV.
About half an hour into the movie, I headed upstairs to use the bathroom. But just as I reached the top of the stairs, I heard the loud chime of the doorbell.
“Hey, can you get the pizza?” I called downstairs. “I really need to use the bathroom. The money is on the counter.”
“Sure thing. I’ll take care of it.”
I heard her walk to the door as I set foot in the bathroom. Once I was finished, I walked back downstairs and headed to the kitchen.
“Ok, let’s eat. I’m starving.” I said to Naomi who was back in the sitting room.
“Well I’m afraid you’ll have to wait, because that wasn’t the pizza guy.”
“Who was it?”
“A guy who said he was house sitting for the couple down the street. He wanted to know if we had any extra extension cords he could borrow.”
“What couple did he say it was?”
“Mr. and Mrs. Barkley.”
“Their house sitter is their daughter Frances.”
I stood there silently, deciding what to do next.
“Let me call her, just to make sure.”
I walked to grab my phone off the couch, but before I could dial Frances Barkley, I heard a loud crash from the kitchen, which was followed by a gasp from Naomi.
When I ran into the kitchen, I saw a figure, dressed all in black, standing on the back deck and holding a sledgehammer. The sliding glass door separating him from us glistened with cracks that made it look like a massive spider web had been scratched into the surface. The sight of it made my throat clench. Then, almost as if I was watching in slow motion, I saw him raise the sledgehammer again and break through the glass with a sickening crack. The rest of the glass fell from the frame like shards of ice, and the stranger in black stepped over the threshold.
“RUN!” I screamed at Naomi, who didn’t need to be told twice. When she ran towards me, I grabbed her hand and tugged her upstairs. Doing my best to think clearly, I remembered she left her phone up there and quickly putting together a plan.
While my heart pounded painfully in my chest and footsteps lumbered slowly behind us, I shoved Naomi ahead of me as we furiously ascended the steps and ran towards my room which was on the right side of the hall. With a clammy hand, I quickly slammed the door to the room across the hall from mine shut to make it seem like we had both run in there. Then I shoved Naomi into my room, grabbed the cat figurine off the shelf, and hid behind the wall by the stairs and waited.
I tried to calm my heart rate down as I heard the footsteps slowly coming towards me. Each step seemed to take forever, almost as if the intruder was deliberately taking his time to torment us. When the intruder finally stepped past me to approach the door I closed, the sight of the massive knife on his belt made my blood run cold.
With his back to me, I silently walked towards him, raised the figurine, and smashed it into his head as hard as I could. I felt it collapse against his skull and heard him grunt as his legs temporarily gave out as he started to fall backwards towards the stairs. That was when I took a step forward and pushed him over the banister, and he landed on the hard tiled floor with a sickening crack. When I looked down, I saw a pool of blood spreading from his head onto the floor as he laid there without moving.
Then I heard someone knock at the front door and call out, “Pizza delivery.” I’ve never been so happy to hear those words in my life.
Naomi and I both ran downstairs to let him in and somehow managed to explain what happened. After we called the police, the pizza guy let us sit in his car while we wasted no time in eating everything we ordered. Once the police arrived, he told them what he saw before I explained what happened. Two officers listened to me and took notes, while several others went inside to make sure the intruder was dead. When the pizza guy was about to leave, Naomi and I both gave him a big hug before I also gave him a 100-dollar tip.
Once he was gone, the police escorted us inside to look at the intruder’s body after they had photographed the scene.
My house now felt foreign to me as I walked through the foyer to look at the body, which was being loaded into a body bag on a stretcher.
“Does he look familiar at all to you?” The officer in charge asked me as I leaned in for a closer look.
I was surprised to find that he did. He was an average looking guy with closely cropped brown hair and pale skin.
“He looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t figure out why.”
“According to this, he’s employed by a university as part of their support staff.”
My stomach lurched as I realized where I recognized him from. He worked in the office of my college Psychology department. I occasionally saw him there while I was working on my project. I explained that to them and once my parents arrived, it wasn’t long before the cops wrapped up their work and we hustled off to a hotel for the night.
By now I was exhausted and could tell Naomi felt the same way. I briefly nodded off on the drive to the hotel and had to be woken up once we got there. Once the two of us were settled into a room next door to my parents, I collapsed on the bed and was just about to fall asleep when I felt Naomi nudge me.
Hey Jade.”
I turned and saw Naomi had a knowing smile on her face.
“Told you that cat statue was perfect for you.”
“Yes,” I chuckled. “Yes, you did.”