Who'd have thunk it? An August level heatwave of 100 degrees in the month of June? Hayden's Wholesale, a retail department store in South Jersey, had a reputation for its fair share of drama, and in rare cases, spectacle. South Jersey was no stranger for dark things bubbling up the surface. June 23rd was a Friday night; the whole town was in an uproar. 100 degrees plus surprised everybody, causing them to invade the local ice cream shops and any place where air conditioning was king. Every department at Hayden's had all hands on deck as a TV sale was going nuts in the Electronics Department. Guests of all shapes, sizes and entitled views stormed the cool confines at Customer Service, complaining about their broken TV's as a long line formed to seize the sale. Westinghouses, Vizios, Samsungs; none of them were discriminated in the guests' eyes. When it comes to working the insane hour, the store doesn't just place a trainee to keep the crowds under control.

Whether Electronics or baby formula, you need the right people with cool heads to make sure such transactions go smoothly, and nobody was smoother than Electronics Team Member, Craig. A human being with an old soul, he had the brains and three tenants that would be regarded as a "Gary Stu" in the eyes of book readers: tall, dark, and handsome. However, looks alone couldn't influence a sea of impatient customers waiting in jaded lines for their TV's. In the Tech Center, it was him, two security members, and his partner in crime Scotty.

The sale began like clockwork around the early afternoon. Guest after guest bought their TV's in either mint condition or some slight tears around the boxes they came in. No one, not even the Leaders on Duty could explain it. It was like as a Vizio 43" left the store brand new, only to be brought back in worse shape than before. To the more experienced Team Members, it was the oldest trick in the book: stage an item to be in bad shape, return it, and make some bold excuse that would justify a discount. Over time, other Team Members such as Kyle and Daniela were able to weed out the bullshitters and send them packing.

Back in Electronics around 8:30 at night, the only bullshitting that wasn't taken lightly was a middle-aged man with two spoiled kids wrapped in civilized clothes. Craig in particular barely concentrated from all the screaming and incoherent rants of the guests. He was getting hot under the collar while dealing with three other guests with broken Apple Watches; the sound drowned out from his mind, making his hands shake until Scotty managed to pull him aside.

Concerned for his fellow Team Member, he asked him, "Craig, you with me buddy? The guests are somethin' else tonight."

"No shit..." He replied wiping the sweat off his forehead. "I've never seen anything like this, man. One guest is bitching about a broken watch, another about a PS4 getting a "yellow light of death". Where's Josh when you need him?"

"This is worse than the holidays. Hey, do you know where-"

"Excuse me, you two!" The middle-aged parent called out. "Whenever you're done catchin' feelings, my Samsung TV doesn't work!"

"Alright, I got this." Scotty told S.K. "Sir, what seems to be the problem?"

"What's it look like, you Ben Affleck abortion? This goddamn TV's obsolete. My cable provider won't connect to it!"

"Well, have you tried contacting your cable provider?"

One of the two kids pulled on his pant leg and cried, "Daddy, I have to pee!"

"Hush up!" The man scolded him. "Stay close to your sister. I'm losin' my patience here. Get me another TV that actually works. Can your Gigli intoxicated brain handle that?!"

"Excuse me?!" Scotty asked, getting ticked off.

Right then that was Craig's cue to call the Backroom for additional assistance; anything to get away from the crowd and helped other guests look for Xbox games. He pulled out his walkie and called, "Backroom?" No reply was heard ten seconds after the first call. After he called another two times, Craig had a pretty good idea who was supposed to be working back there. As he briskly walked towards the receiving area, he logged in the name of the TV in his PDA device.

"Luck" would be an illusion when it came to accurate numbers in the backroom; there would be two of something, but placed in the wrong location. Much to his surprise, no backroom Team Member was found although another smooth talker like Craig was supposed to manage the wide, yet claustrophobic dust box tonight. He got on his walkie again and called, "Chad, where are you?" The entire place was a mess. There was broken cardboard inside rickety, metal jailers, carts filled with back stock items. In laymen's terms, a lazy hurricane came in silence and no work got done.

He took out a bottled water of his and drank his fill to keep the heat at bay, but he knew going back out there would be like removing tonsils after the people he dealt with during the day. The only thing that kept him from going mad himself was the two and half hours left until closing time; the thought didn't help much though. He then trudged through the mess taking place in the 200's section, where all the TV's and furniture were located. Squeezing through the cramped space to reach the Samsung box, his walkie went off; master of good timing he thought.

"Yo Craig, what's the holdup? The guest is coming unhinged!"

"Relax, Scotty. I found the Samsung, just gotta get a flat." He told him, moving carts out of the way.

"Is Chad back there?"

"He's probably sick again, or getting his Daniel Craig on at Bertucci's. Who knows?"

"Thanks buddy, and hurry!"

As he pulled the TV away from the metal shelf, his back kept hitting a grey, three tier cart standing in front of large living room shelves. He moved the cart inches away from him; cringing screeches of its' wheels ensued moving it out of the mess. By sheer luck, he managed to push it outside by the firewall tunnel and pulled the TV until the back end of it was caught on something. Sweat streamed down the back of his neck as he uttered, "Gotta be kidding me, come on!" One heave, then two, then once more until an unfamiliar sound caught his ear.

Craig had little to no time to react at that point. Orange gas spread from the steel holds and hit his entire face. The gas felt like sand paper on his skin, and what it did to his throat had him on his knees and pushing towards the bathroom across the tunnel. Coughing up a lung, he struggled to reach the sink; his upper body felt like he was carrying a large anchor on his back. Four minutes and twelve seconds was all it took to bring him down. His glasses sat cracked next to him as orange liquid ran down his eyes like tears, and a slight twitch of his left index finger tried to salvage what little fight he had left.

The entire back room side of the store went completely quiet. Every team member, hard lines, soft lines, even the people working the café were waist deep in guest demand on the registers. Leader on Duty Joshua worked the floor along with Digital Advisor Matt in order to prevent any short fuses from exploding. Five minutes into the late night fiasco, the front end of the store became inaudible from the guests shouting and giving cashiers a literal run for their money. Luckily, Joshua thought he had his best MVPs working the registers; people like Nick, James, Krista, Mando, Marianne and Daniela holding down the fort with Senior Supervisor Kyle at Guest Service.

They would survive the night if the Christmas Holiday taught them anything, but on a hot night such as this would raise any kind of temperament. However, not only lines were forming from the registers all the way to the fitting room, Guest Service faced a trash situation; two in fact. Plastic and garbage were piling up behind the counter, and not enough Sterilite cardboard boxes to situate them. Just like the annoyances in Electronics, Guest Service encountered a battle of racial slurs between groups of diverse guests, stirring up drama where none existed. Daniela was the cool headed one behind the counter, shuffling through multiple guests as she finally called the backroom for extra boxes to keep the plastic surge under control. Once again, no response came from the receiving end of her walkie. Surprisingly enough, an old couple walked up to her and spoke as clear as they could.

"We're takin' our business to another store." The old man said showing her a Bissel box. "We've been waiting three hours to exchange this vacuum."

"We're really sorry, guys." Daniela replied with slight uncertainty. "It's-it's been crazy all day."

His wife came forward and in true cynical form she said, "Get your shit together, girl! The Blue store should be prepared to handle times like these, especially summertime!"

You don't get to become one of the most well-known stores in the world by being 100% perfect in customer satisfaction. Guests like the old couple come and go to other places all the time, others come back to peruse sales. Daniela shrugged off the harsh words, but the heat turned up to a new level when two lines were formed from Guest Service straight towards the back end of Register 16. Taking a deep breath she noticed Marianne, a young mother who can sharp tongue sales with the best of them, ran towards her. Daniela then called out, "MARIANNE!"

"These people, dude... we're getting swamped out here!" Marianne shouted catching her breath. "Is it time to go home yet?"

"Listen, I gotta get sterilite boxes from the backroom. Can you take my spot for a few minutes?"

Marianne spared a quick glance at her register with a line of rowdy teenagers with candy and custom pool boxes in hand. She then turned back and replied, "Don't have to ask me twice! Let's hustle!"

Hustling was just about the only thing she could do sliding past and running back through the cosmetic section, through the market area, all while avoiding guest questions as she nearly swan dived through the double sided backroom doors. From there, it was like she entered a whole new place entirely. While the rest of the store was in a Stage 5 Overcrowding, the backroom was ever the messiest and quietest solitude anyone can flock to; too quiet though she thought. As she got her bearings she said to herself, "Really, Chad, you pick tonight to flake out on us? Get me a grill, demand alcohol when we don't carry any, whatever happened to manners in this place?"

Comparing plastic buildup to cardboard buildup near the garbage compactor was like comparing fried chicken to T-bone steak. Getting the boxes weren't hard as she grabbed a green tub and filled it the best she could. She then hustled back towards the fire tunnel when a sudden slam of the boy's bathroom door caught her attention, but what caught her eye was another story. What lied before her was a Team Member on his last breath as orange liquid dribbled profusely from his mouth.

"Oh my fucking god. Craig…" She shouted running over to him. "Craig!"

The mere sight of him was something out of a horror film. His face had cracked lines on his cheekbones and was paler than the usual sick person. She didn't care, panicking and sweaty palms she turned him on his back and attempted to perform CPR on him. One attempt after another, pounding his chest and screaming at him to wake up, a slight lift coming from his diaphragm immediately had her put her ear to his mouth; a weak groan was better than none. Holding him in her arms with tears running down, "Oh thank god. You… fucking scared me half to death. What happened…?"

As if the all-day heatwave wasn't bad enough, nearly losing a Team Member and a friend was even worse. She took a minute to try and get him back on his feet. Craig let out a raspy response, "Da… Dan… iela…" All of a sudden and without warning, he grabbed her neck and slammed her against the wall. From there, it was a nightmare made real. His eyes turned a ghoulish orange as they intensely engaged the choking soul, tightening his grip little by little.

As she pleaded him to let go and scrambled to break free, Scotty went inside receiving in a foul mood turned to shock over what he saw in the distance. "What the hell? Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" he shouted sprinting through the pet food section and tackled Craig to the ground. Raising his right fist, Craig returned the favor with an angry expression and head butted Scotty like a wrecking ball to fragile bricks. Scotty butted heads before, but the impact of this one really sent him back a few brain cells, leaving him dizzy and broke his glasses in half. Both he and Daniela struggled to stay in the now as Craig stood over him like a deity looking down at a mortal.

"Gotta say, it's rare some asshole gets the jump on me like that. It's been a minute, Scotty." He creepily spoke, stretching his neck. "You know, I didn't expect to end up in this boy's body, but… you play the field best you can, right? Oh, I don't have much time so I'll need you to fuck off for a bit while I take Dan-oh my god…"

Not fully aware of his previous actions, he glanced at Daniela on the ground coughing and struggling to stay awake. He stood up and turned around when Scotty held the left side of his head and asserted, "Leave her outta this asshole."

"… Always the obnoxious pit bull; this doesn't concern you."

"Think I give two fucks if I get fired or not?" He asked standing up. "Fuck happened to you, man; I can't believe you'd do somethin' like this!"

"Sco… Scott!" Daniela tried forming words.

"You always were a righteous douche, Scotty. You, Mando, everybody at the Tech Center, silently judging me 'cause I have big ideas." He replied clenching his fists. "Don't worry though. You'll see the bigger picture eventually." Another split second play set in motion that pitted two Team Members against each other. Scrapping each other took a total of twenty-four seconds; the bone crunching sounds coming from Scotty sent Daniela's teeth on edge as Craig delivered a rousing high kick to his chin.

This sent Scotty flying two feet away from the pet section, leaving a jaw dropping reaction from Daniela. From there, she got on her feet and not even three steps out the red doors Craig ran up to restrain her by the chest this time. She elbowed him in his rib cage and left four, red scars down his already cracked face, causing him to strike back and used his biceps to keep her from moving any further. The squirming was at an all-time high between the two of them, leaving him, "Forgive me. Believe it or not, foreign women intrigue me."

"Who… are you?" Daniela called out.

"I swear he wasn't a part of this. Fuck it. Let's take a walk to Guest Service. I got to get this message out." He said as they both walked. "I wonder if she's here."

9 PM wasn't far off with no end to the guest frenzy in sight. The heat maintained a heavy presence with cashiers making do with what scraps of plastic bags they had left. Guest Service on the other hand, Marianne especially, became fed up and started sending people away when their demands became repetitive. It was one broken TV and scuffed IPad after another. Marianne, Kyle, and another Team Member manning the phones Alyse, had some room to breathe when the lines were slowly cut in half.

"This store has the shittiest service imaginable!" One guest called out before leaving.

"Yeah, come again." Kyle replied with sarcasm.

"Sir, please, you need to calm down." Alyse urged as indistinct chatter occurred on the other line. "Okay, that's not calmer, that's louder. Our website is designed different from what we have at the store… s-sir that item is only sold during the winter months."

Alyse's line formed a group around her station. The two phones next to her rang off the hook as Kyle took over the calls while being bombarded by more TV owners. As the lines thinned out however, the guests that were just walking in were less moody and inquired about online orders they made the day before. Marianne had an aptitude for organizing specific online items so she took the opportunity for six seconds of free air she had at her disposal. Slouching and swigging away at her fruit punch Gatorade, a loud cry was heard from the Jewelry desk near the front of the registers where Josh and Matt supervised the craziness.

Cashiers like Kevin and Krista couldn't believe their eyes when they saw Craig in a whole new light; two neon orange lights Kevin thought. He dragged Daniela across the walkway without a care in the world, looking straight ahead at Josh as he panicked and told Matt to get the two other security guards for guest protection. Running behind the Jewelry displays, Josh dusted off an old megaphone sitting in one of the lower cabinets and sounded off a warning for people to evacuate the store. As more guests bore witness to Craig's newfound appearance, the majority took what they could carry and ran out just as quickly. They cramped up near the exit doors with security alarms going off in crescendo, causing even more panic and having guests throwing punches at one another.

In some cases, taming a wild herd would be suicide to the most experienced of tamers. Blue Bulls-Eye was no stranger to instability, but to Josh he had never seen anything like this. Being hot under the collar was an understatement, even with the store letting out guests left and right they were still dealing with a heatwave flowing in the cover of night. What transpired next left his blood cold.

"Craig…? Jesus Christ, what the fff…uck?"

"Joshua! You never were very good managing a crowd!" He called out holding onto a weakened Daniela. "A mishap in the backroom; hold her for me, will you?" He tossed her over the Jewelry counter like tossing a full garbage bag in a trash compactor. Catching her in his arms the way he did wasn't what left his blood running cold, nor was the transforming look of a zombie happening to Craig. Through means only a magician would manipulate, he snapped his fingers thus causing the security gates to drop, blocking off the exit doors.

"How the hell did he do that?" One Cashier asked.

"This is ground zero for messed up." Kevin said.

"You said it." Krista replied looking over her register. "Where's Daniela?"

One of the workers from hard lines ran up to them and whispered, "Guys, I just came from the backroom. Scott's in fucking agony right now."

"You're shitting me, what happened?" Kevin asked.

"I don't know. I dunno what's gotten into Craig, but we need to evacuate ourselves."

"And how do you propose we do that? We can't get to the main Service Center, he'll spot us." Krista said, thinking for a moment. "I have an idea."

"… And what might that be?" Craig asked appearing out of nowhere, admiring her growth. "I always did have good taste, he nodded his head in disbelief, you're just as cute and beautiful as the first time we met here two years ago. Womanhood becomes you."

"Holy mother of-what happened to your face, and your voice?" She asked in shock.

All three stood still for a minute as James covered his eyes to avoid Craig skin peeling gaze. Kevin then stood forward and tried diffusing the tension, "What's up, buddy? Obviously you're not yourself. Why am I not shitting myself right now is beyond me? There's a clinic not far from here."

The sounds of bones cracked as Craig stretched out his neck. Being a frozen statue, Krista eyes veered towards his right hand having a seizure of sorts.

"No, not now; excuse me, Craig said trying to get a hold of himself, the effects are wearin' off. Fuck!"

It was before long the entire store went cold and silent. Guests were still trying to claw their way out. Matt and two other security guards carried an injured Scott across the chemical aisles, igniting gasps from the other Cashiers and pushing Josh towards the edge of being pissed off. "The cops will be here soon." He told Daniela sitting behind the desk. "Stay low until this is over. You're gonna be alright." Followed by a slight, yet assuring "yes" from a nod, Josh stepped away to confront him directly. Matt ordered the other guards to keep Scott from moving as he followed suit to prevent any more damage.

Craig made his way to the front of the store where he could see all the Cashiers and Guest Service in good view. After ten seconds of taking it all in while trying to "keep it together", the shakes subsided as he was reminded of a scene from one of his favorite movies. Something wasn't right though Josh thought moving to the front of the registers. The way he presented himself; obnoxious, brash, ranting like nobody's business, he thought he had gone insane from thinking this way. However, there was no other way to put it. The leaking orange eyes weren't hiding the fact he was possessed by something… or someone. Matt stood firm with a taser gun in hand and an itch for tae kwon do.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, yo I'm sorry. Can y'all give me a moment here?" He chuckled like he was high. "Being back feels like I was fired just yesterday. Did you know it was Mr. Goatee over there that fired me for being "fresh" to Guest Service? It's one thing being a Market Team Member for some of the crankiest managers I've ever worked with. You guys actually made it bearable whenever I closed at night." He said taking a good look around. "Now I know how Chris Tucker felt in Rush Hour 2; all those Cantonese Masseuses that were shown to him. It's like being in a candy shop."

"That's enough, Craig!" Matt shouted, charging his taser. "Scott's bleeding in the corner and everyone's on edge."

"It's obvious that you're sick from the gas in the backroom." Josh said.

"Sick… sick? I'll tell you what's sick, Joshua. You're so laid back and chill with everything. Management doesn't bat an eye and everyone here loves you."

"That's debatable." Matt uttered as Josh darted his eyes back at him.

"I gave two, fucking years of my life to this place! I've worked my fingers to the bone and cracked jokes to relieve stress! I rarely ask for anything in return, Josh."

"Craig, if this is a game you're playing…" Josh brought up before Matt pointed to Krista.

The clues were vague, but some of things he mentioned like working at Blue Bulls-Eye for two years and flirting with female Cashiers in near perverse fashion, Krista's eyes lit up with horror as to who was really speaking behind his voice. Her entire body went numb as her feet drew her closer to confront him face-to-face. James and Kevin tried holding her back, but to no avail did that stop her. It was common knowledge that she maintained an open mind about everybody, including a few underserving types. To most, she had a heart of gold, and now said heart was cracking as she moved closer and closer to a co-worker she once called "friend."

"It can't be… this isn't real." She said as her voice cracked.

"You know who I am, right Krista? Chad was supposed to be the test candidate of my gassed up experiment, but I got the next best thing right here. Don't you see? Now you can look at me without disgust." He explained sliding his right index finger down her cheek. "Age is only a number after all."

An open hand can be mightier than a closed fist as she demonstrated by slapping him. The impact had orange liquid flying out of his mouth. His neck whiplash and locked back into place. By the sound alone, it churned a few stomachs. Wiping the liquid off his lower lip he said, "You'd fit well with my family."

"What did you do to him?"

"I was going to tell you-

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO MY FRIEND?!" She cried at the top of her lungs as Marianne ran in and held her back. "YOU PIECE OF SHIT! CRAIG"S TWICE THE MAN YOU'LL EVER BE! HOW COULD YOU?!"

"How could I?! This is my family's recipe. It was an accident I took over this body, but you can see my true heart. Krista, I-I love you!"

Marianne pushed him back and said, "You're done talking to her whoever the hell you are! Go near her again and I'll knock your ass out myself."

It was happening again. His hands seized and his eyes glowed like high beams on a car. In mere seconds, a trifecta sequence cooked up: guests noticing sirens hurdling towards the store's parking lot, Matt aiming his taser and Craig performing his next outlandish act against a maternal Mary. Apart from being sharp tongued at Guest Service, she had an older sister vibe towards Krista, naturally having a protector complex as well. On the outside world, they were architects of their own paths, but were thick as thieves working together.

These qualities came full circle when Craig pushed the both of them towards a sharp, metal surface Guest Service's checkout counter. It was definitely something out of a horror film; people weren't meant to be thrown the way Marianne was Alyse thought. A surprised gasp came from everybody, even Josh and he was never easily fazed by the unnatural elements of the world. Soon after, 100,000 volts surged through his body as the first Manalapan Patrol cars reached the store's entrance. Tonight was definitely one for the digital history books.

From baby formula thieves to the occasional guest complaining about a colored towel ordered online, possessed Team Members was uncharted territory. Whatever was going to happen in the days to follow, Blue Bulls-Eye was going to be put under a tremendous microscope. Corporate has been lying in wait to put Manalapan on blast and shut the place down for good. One thing was for certain: things will never be routine again.

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