Gordie O'Connell dragged the steel door to a firm close, before lowering the latch, and sealing the freezer tight.
Passing through the store room, carrying a tray of milk cartons, Gordie noticed Robert, his manager, placing a framed photograph under the wall.
Curiously, Gordie approached Robert, and discovered that on display was a photo of Tommy H, a smile spread across his freckled face.
Gordie's heart sank. He'd been working at Bradley's Big Buy for almost two years now, whilst Tommy had been stacking shelves for less than three months, and already, he had beaten Gordie to the most respected of accolades: Employee of the Month.
Robert noticed Gordie's disappointment. "For starters, why don't you try wiping that miserable look off your face?" he suggested. "That's the last thing our customers wanna see when they walk into our store."
Robert left Gordie to stare at his gloomy reflection in the framed photo.
"Wait!" he urged, turning around. "Robert!" he yelled.
Robert spun around, his eyes brows raised expectedly. "Yes?" he asked, his arms folded.
"Sir," he began, respectfully, "I'm a little confused." He licked his lips, then said, "Tommy's been here barely three months."
"That's right," Robert confirmed, looking down his nose at Gordie. "And he's achieved more in those three months than you have in two years," he assured him.
Embarrassed, Gordie bowed his head.
Robert felt sorry for the young man. He placed a hand on his shoulder, and said in a gentle voice, "Listen, Gordie, you're a nice guy. You just need to start acting like the kind of person that you want to be in life." He patted Gordie on the shoulder, then said, "You want 'Employee of the Month'? Then start acting like the employee of the month."
Robert turned his back on Gordie, then disappeared into his office.
Frustrated, Gordie let out a sigh.
Behind him, he heard a loud crash.
Gordie turned around. The store room was empty.
Muffled voices shouted and cried.
He heard the screeching of metal. The freezer door began to slide open, revealing three teenagers, and an older man in a suit jacket and tie, all of whom were covered in mud and slime.
Gordie's jaw hung open.
He dropped the tray of milk, which landed with a crash on the store room floor.
Robert typed into his adding machine, before tearing the paper tape from out of the machine, and copying the calculations into his checkbook.
There was a knock at the door, and Robert removed his glasses from atop his nose.
"Come in," he yelled.
"Sir," uttered Gordie, breathing heavily as he slid into his office. "We need to talk."
Robert sighed, his patience wearing thin with the young man. "Dammit, Gordie, there's nothing to talk about," he yelled. "Tommy is employee of the month, and that's final. If you don't like that, then you know where the door-"
"This isn't about your 'Employee of the Month' bullshit!" yelled Gordie.
The room fell silent. Robert was speechless.
Gordie stood awkwardly in the doorway, then turned away and said, "Maybe you should just come in."
In walked three teenagers, followed by an older man in a suit jacket and tie.
Robert was aghast. Mud and slime dripped from the older man's jacket, and one of the teenagers, a red-headed girl no older than his own daughter, was clasping a pistol.
Robert rose from his desk. "What the hell is going on here?"
"They appeared in one of the freezers," Gordie explained. "They asked to see the manager."
Robert's eyes narrowed. He recognized one of the teenagers, a curly-haired boy wearing a red, white, and blue trucker cap. "You're Mrs. Henderson's boy, aren't you?" he asked. "What were you doing in the freezer? Where the hell did you come from?"
Dustin shared an awkward glance with the other teenagers, before turning back to Robert. "The future," he uttered.
There was a pause. "Get out," Robert urged.
"Wait," said the older man, stepping forward. He had grey, frizzy hair, and wore a pair of cracked sunglasses, and a suit jacket and tie that were covered in mud and slime. "This isn't some elaborate prank that the boy is playing," he explained, before turning to Dustin, who smiled faintly. He turned back to Robert, and said, "This is real."
Robert crossed his arms. "You expect me to believe that you're from the future?"
"Actually," the girl began, "I'm from California."
"Where we're from doesn't matter," Dustin assured him. "It's why we're here that's important."
"Okay," said Robert, "then why are you here?"
"We're looking for someone," the other teenager, a dark-skinned boy, explained. "A boy."
"His name is Malcolm," Dustin revealed. "And it's very important that we find him."
"This is all very… dramatic," said Robert from the other side of his desk. "But, that still doesn't explain what brings you here, to my store. What are you kids doing here?"
"That's a good question!" the dark-skinned boy exclaimed, turning to Dustin. "Why are we here?"
"Because, Bogart brought us here!" Dustin reminded him.
"I know that," Lucas assured him as he began to lose his temper. "I'm asking you why that crazy old coot thought to teleport us to a grocery store!"
"I don't know, but I know that he brought us here for a reason," said Dustin. "This is all part of Bogart's plan."
"Wait, who the hell is Bogart?" asked Robert, confused.
"Some crazy old man who can move things with his mind," said Max, grinning.
It was then that Robert remembered the girl that had shoplifted from Bradley's Big Buy only two years ago, before smashing the front doors with her mind.
"Who the hell are you kids?' he asked, his eyes wide with fear.
"Attention all customers," Gordie's voice called over the tannoy, echoing through the store. "Due to a boiler leak, Bradley's Big Buy will shortly be closing. Please, make your way to the checkout points, and out of the store. Thank you for shopping at Bradley's Big Buy."
"There are two exits," Robert explained, leading them across the supermarket floor. "The loading bay doors at the rear of the store, and the front entrance."
Dustin noticed the panels of glass that formed the front of the store, and asked. "How strong is that glass?"
"Not strong enough," Lucas answered.
"What exactly are we expecting?" asked Robert, who was beginning to panic. "Bears? Wolves? Rabid dogs?"
"They're not dogs," Max assured him.
"Well, after your friend robbed us and smashed our front doors, we had to replace the entire front section of the store replaced with tempered glass," Robert explained. "That hold against whatever's coming."
"Don't be so sure," Dr. Tamblyn warned.
Shoppers still walked the floor, pushing trollies up and down the aisles.
Dustin turned to Robert and said, "You need to get everyone far away from here. Now."
Robert wanted to argue. Instead, he bit his lip and nodded. Noticing a nearby customer picking fruit from a basket, he said, "Excuse me, sir, we're about to close. I'm gonna have to ask you to make your way to a checkout point."
The customer turned to face Robert. He wore a confused look, and had neatly combed brown hair, with a thick brown moustache.
"Mr Clarke?" said Dustin, surprised to see his Science teacher.
"Dustin," Mr Clarke uttered. His eyes were wide with fear. He noticed Lucas and Max also stood beside him. "What are you all doing here?"
"Not picking strawberries," said Max.
Mr. Clarke turned to Dustin, a sombre look on his face. "Dustin, there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?" asked Dustin.
"It's about Mike... And Jane... I think they're in some serious trouble."
Be sure to leave a REIVEW, and make sure you FOLLOW/FAVORITE so that you never miss a chapter.
-G
