"What do you mean? Stop what?" I tried to sound casual, but my voice wavered a bit. "It's just curiosity, right? No harm in that."
Xavier only responded with his eyes, implying, "You know what I mean."
I finally dropped my smile and glared at him, "You want me to quit this job is that it?"
I guess this is the reason why some of the new part timers quit so easily is because of him but I was not a scaredy cat to back down so easily.
"Experience."
"Experience what?" I asked, my patience thinning.
Xavier's cryptic answers were starting to irritate me. "You keep talking in circles."
He didn't seem fazed by my frustration, his expression as calm and impassive as ever. "It's not too late to quit if you don't want to experience it."
I sighed, realizing I wasn't going to get anything straightforward from Xavier. His constant riddles were only making me more confused, and pushing for answers seemed pointless. So, I made up my mind to stop engaging with him. If he wanted to keep warning me in his cryptic way, fine, but I wasn't going to play along anymore.
For the rest of the night, I focused on my tasks, keeping conversation to a minimum. Every now and then, I'd catch him glancing in my direction, but I acted like I didn't notice. There was no point in asking him about the "experience" he kept alluding to. If something weird happened, I'd deal with it when it came.
By the time 3 a.m. rolled around, I almost forgot to take out the trash. Kristoff usually handled it, so I had gotten used to him doing it. I glanced over at Xavier, hoping he might help me out.
But when I saw him, I had to do a double take. He was standing by the counter, completely still, eyes closed. 'Sleeping while standing? Seriously?'
I let out a quiet sigh. "Nevermind," I muttered to myself. I decided not to bother him and grabbed the trash bags on my own. As quietly as possible, I headed toward the back door to toss them out.
Standing outside, I let the cold wind brush against my face, taking in the stillness of the night. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something — a figure, standing just outside, staring at Xavier through the window.
My heart skipped a beat. 'Is there a customer? But the door should have sounded.'
I quickly rushed back inside, my mind racing. But as I stepped through the door, there was no one. No footsteps, no sound, nothing. The store was as empty as it had been before. I scanned the aisles, looking for any sign of movement, but all I found was Xavier, still sleeping where he had been.
My skin prickled with unease. What... did I just see?
Thud!
The sound startled me, coming from outside. My heart pounded as I made my way to the door, half-expecting to see something strange again. When I stepped out, I saw a group of rats surrounding a bento lunch. They were scurrying and nibbling at the food, and I instinctively went over to shoo them away.
As the rats scattered, I crouched down, about to pick up the bento box. But before my fingers even brushed the edge of it—
It grabbed my hand.
A cold, firm grip. My breath hitched, and panic shot through me as I jerked my head down to see—
"Gotcha! HAHAHA!"
A head without eyes was cackling as it gripped my wrist, pulling me toward the ground. I fought back, trying to scream, but no sound came out. My heart raced, panic washing over me—
I jolted awake, gasping for air, my eyes wide with shock.
It was just a dream.
Sweat dripped down my forehead as I slowly pieced together where I was. I glanced around, realizing I was seated in the staff room, safe and sound. The room was dimly lit, and everything was quiet. The nightmare had felt so real, but I was here now, awake. 'But... how did I end up here?'
I tried stretching my body to fully wake me up so I could check on Xavier but my body felt heavier with each passing moment, as if an invisible weight pressed down on me.
The sudden ringing in my ears hit like a shriek, and then the headache—sharp, relentless—followed, crashing through my skull.
"T-this is not good... I can't be sick right now," I mumbled, my voice barely above a whisper, as if saying the words could somehow make the pain fade away.
I dragged my eyes toward the mirror across the room. At first, everything seemed normal, just my own tired reflection staring back at me. But then, slowly, another image appeared behind me. It grinned, its eyes hollow and sinister, sending a shiver down my spine.
My heart raced, and I tried to close my eyes or look away—anything to break the horrifying sight—but I couldn't. It was as if some unseen force held my gaze in place, forcing me to stare at the twisted figure.
The figure emerged from the mirror, her black hair flowing like liquid shadow, her empty, black eyes locked on me with an intensity that froze my blood.
"What the? Sadako?"
Her eyes turned red as she glared at me with burning hatred. I should have stayed silent as that seemed to anger her more.
Her voice was a low, guttural whisper, each word chilling me to the core. "You… How dare you be close to my dear boy…" she hissed, her movements slow and deliberate as she began to crawl out of the mirror.
"Who are you talking about?! I'm still single, I don't even have a boyfriend! Whoever you're talking to, he's yours! I don't even know him!" I struggled to leave but panic surged through me.
My body felt paralyzed, as if invisible chains held me in place. No matter how hard I tried to move, I couldn't. My heart pounded against my ribcage, the air in the room becoming thick and suffocating.
"I... will... surely... kill... you," she muttered, her voice growing more distorted and menacing with each word.
The woman's hand, pale and ghastly, reached toward me, her long, sharp fingers extending as though they were ready to grasp my soul. My mind screamed at me to move, to do something, but I was trapped—caught between fear and paralysis.