MONDAY, JULY 3, 2017, 6:17 AM
"Hi, you've reached Chris. I'm currently unable to take your call. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you whenever I can. Thank you."
BEEP.
"Hey, it's me again. Look, you're really asking the wrong person, here. Unfortunately, despite what some people may think, I wasn't really gifted with anything in the way of mechanical engineering, but I did spare some time to do a little research. It looks like that security device they've got is a prototype of a new computerized AI that's supposed to be intelligent enough to differentiate between common things such as coins and keys and more...well, unique things, as defined by whomever programs it. Basically, if anything or anyone carrying such specified contraband were to pass beneath the sensor, they wouldn't be able to go far without the whole world knowing...I think, but I'm no expert. That's all I got. Honestly, it sounds like you might be in a better position to get more information. Are you really sure there isn't anyone else around whom you can trust? There has to be someone you can ask who won't report you. Just sayin'. Well, I have work to do. Duty calls. Good luck. Let me know if anything interesting happens. Alright. Buh-bye!"
END OF MESSAGE.
Josh stepped off of the bus after it had pulled to a stop. Given that his shifts typically started at nine, his father would be at work and his mother could also be busy with a client, so they both figured it would be best if he had a bus pass. It wasn't that long of a walk from his house to the bus stop, and fortunately, the stop near the restaurant was right in front, so it could've been worse.
As he walked in and passed Gary at the front desk, who still wore his same dull, uninterested face from the other day. As he passed by the main room, he noticed the dead silence inside. He briefly wondered what could be going on until he remembered that the place didn't actually open for business until noon.
He entered the locker room to find Susan sitting at the table, checking her phone. She heard his footsteps and looked up.
"Morning, newbie," she said playfully. "You ready for your first day of paradise?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm so excited I could explode," said Josh.
"Aren't we all?" said Susan, getting up. She walked over to the counter and picked up a folded shirt and pants. "Rebecca wanted me to give you these. It's your uniform. You'd better change real quick. Work starts in five minutes and you need to be in uniform and ready to go when you clock in."
He grabbed the clothes and walked into the nearby bathroom. As soon as he entered, he was nearly overcome by a horrible stench. He wondered what it could possibly be. It was an unusual smell, not like dirty socks one would expect to find in the vicinity of lockers. This smelled almost...rotten.
The air vent clicked above him and a breath of cool, fresh air filled the room from above, eliminating the mysterious stench. Josh shrugged it off and stepped into the stall to change. Within minutes, he was dressed in his shirt and pants. There was also a small name tag reading JOSH in tall, red letters.
"Well, this is it, I guess," he said to himself as he looked himself over in the mirror before heading back out into the locker room. Rebecca was standing there talking to Susan when she heard his approaching footsteps.
"Ah, there he is!" she announced with another one of her wide smiles. "I'm putting you with Susan in the cafe for your first few days to see how you get along."
"Ok," he said, giving Susan a quick glance. She smirked back at him.
"But first, there's another assignment I have for the both of you. Do you remember what Derek told you about our new safety straps?"
"Yeah."
"Well, they came in early this morning. Follow me."
Rebecca led them out into the main room. Josh was nearly awestruck with how different the environment was without the kids. The carpeted floors that he hadn't even noticed before were stained with food that was too difficult to remove. The stage in the center still held all five of the animatronics, all of whom were completely motionless and dead, staring off into nowhere.
He and Susan entered the side room where the playscape was. It, too, looked extremely barren and empty without the kids. There were a few large boxes sitting near some of the mechanical rides.
"The straps are in these boxes," said Rebecca. "They're brand new and state-of-the-art safety straps with ultimate durability. We want to put them on these rides to avoid any injuries. There should be detailed instructions inside on how to attach them. Do you two think you can handle that, or would you like me to stick around?"
"We got it," said Susan.
"Good." Rebecca nodded. "Well, Derek and I were going to have a meeting in a bit, but he's not here yet, so I'll be in my office if you need me."
"Thanks," said Susan as her boss left the room without another word. "Well, let's get to it." She pulled out a box cutter from her pocket and cut the tape from one of the boxes. She opened the box and pulled out a few thick, black straps. She tried stretching one out to little avail. "Wow, these really are thick! What are they made of, kevlar?"
"To stop bullets or something?" Josh asked.
"I guess," said Susan, scoffing. "That's just what we need."
Josh pulled a few out and tested them himself. Despite using a considerable amount of force, the straps did not stretch out much at all. He looked at the rides.
"Are these really that easy to attach?"
"Looks like it," said Susan, glancing at the instructions inside. "Come on, chief. Let's get to work."
"CAMERON! Where are you?"
"I'm here! On the other side of these rocks!"
"How did you get over there?"
"I don't know! We must have gotten separated at that last fork!"
"Well, hang on! We'll find a way over to you somehow, and then we'll see about getting your injury looked at, won't we, doctor?"
Kendall groaned. He still couldn't believe that his mother made him accompany his sister and neighbor to the local playground that day. He wanted to spend more time reading from his robot book, given that he was growing more determined by the moment to figure out exactly what was causing his mother such great distress. But alas, he found himself here, unwillingly playing the role of a doctor in Olivia and Cameron's latest adventure.
"Yeah, we'll find a way over there somehow...I guess," he said.
"That's the spirit!" cried Olivia, peering over a playground bridge at Cameron, who was looking back at them from the other side. "Are you okay, honeybear?"
Kendall groaned in disgust. She's been listening to Mom and Dad talking sweet to each other for too long.
"Come along, doctor. He needs us right away!"
They began moving toward one side of the playground structure. Kendall tried to keep going in order to get to Cameron as soon as he could, but Olivia stopped him.
"What?!"
"We can't go this way!"
"And why not?"
"Can't you see? It's blocked off! We have to try another way!" She began pulling him the other direction. As soon as they reached the other end, she said, "Oh, darn! This way's blocked off, too!"
Kendall rolled his eyes. He remembered playing these games with Josh when they were younger. He was so carefree at the time just like Olivia was now, but Josh never had any fun. He was always complaining about having to play along. Kendall was always having fun and never understood why...until now. And then the thought occurred to him: Am I really gonna turn into Josh after all?
"What do we do, doctor?" asked Olivia, with desperation oozing out of her voice. She was really getting into it.
"I don't know." said Kendall.
"I know! We can squeeze through the opening back there!" she said, dragging him back to the playscape bridge.
She already knows, Kendall thought, yet she asked me anyway.
They reached the bridge where Cameron was still waiting on the other side.
"Here, we'll crawl under here! I think we can fit!" said Olivia. Without another word, she dropped to her hands and knees and disappeared under the bridge. "I'm coming, sweetiepie!" Kendall heard her shout.
Kendall looked down at the space beneath the bridge. It looked tight and uncomfortable for someone of his age to fit through. Besides, he wasn't going to get down on his hands and knees, not for something as silly as his sister's fantasy adventure. He put his hands on top of the bridge and pulled himself on top of it.
"Doctor, don't do that! That way's dangerous!" called Olivia.
Kendall ignored her. He wanted to get this game over with as soon as he could, no matter what he had to do. As he prepared to jump off the other side where the others were waiting, in his frustration and determination, he failed to notice the safety bar that was only inches above his head. He felt the metal make contact with the top of his head and the next thing he knew he was on the ground.
"Uh oh. Looks like somebody should've followed me after all!" came Olivia's voice followed by a giggle.
As he pushed his hands against the woodchips, he felt a sudden chill in the air. He shivered, looking up at the trees, expecting to see the branches blowing in the breeze, but they were motionless. The leaves were still, but the chill continued. He began glancing around the nearby trees for any source of the sudden drop in temperature but saw nothing.
"Kendall?" came Cameron's voice from nearby. "You alright?"
"Do you feel that?" he asked.
Cameron gave him a confused look. "Feel what?"
"That chill in the air?"
"What chill? You mean the wind?"
"No, the…" Kendall looked back at Cameron in disbelief. "You can't feel that?"
Cameron shook his head. "No. In fact, I'm starting to sweat."
Kendall took another look at the trees nearby. They weren't too thick, but suddenly, he felt like he was looking into a forest, a hunter who was about to become the hunted.
A small bush near the edge of the trees shook, causing Kendall to turn his gaze there. And that's when he saw it. A black cloak slowly rose up a few feet from the bush, followed by a pale white face. Within seconds, the face was completely revealed, showing a wide, permanent smile plastered on its face, showing a thin row of crooked teeth. The other noticeable feature was the eyes. One eye appeared to be blackened while the other was bright and luminous. It stared at him for a few moments. Kendall's mouth twitched as he struggled to remember how to make words, if he even knew what words to say.
"Kendall!" came Cameron's voice from nearby. The creature turned and looked in Cameron's direction. "Kendall!"
Kendall turned to see Cameron, who was now standing a mere few feet away staring at him. Olivia was standing beside him, also showing signs of concern.
"Are you okay?"
"I...don't know," said Kendall as he turned back to the bush only to find that mysterious face was gone, disappearing as quickly as it had arrived.
"What are ya looking at?" Cameron asked, walking up beside Kendall and following his gaze.
Kendall shook his head. "Nothing. Probably nothing."
"Well then come along, doctor!" exclaimed Olivia. "He still needs to be treated!"
She and Cameron turned back to the playground. Kendall followed, but not before giving one last look back at the bush, half-expecting to see that face again, but it was gone. He rubbed his hand against his face. Could it be the heat messing with me? But that chill...I don't think I have cold intolerance or anything. After a few minutes, he finally shrugged it off as his imagination and returned to the others, who were eagerly waiting for him.
From the bushes, a pair of sinister eyes watched the trio in silence, taking a particular interest to the little boy with a cane.
"That's it," said Susan as she and Josh finished attaching the last of the safety straps onto one of the rides. "Sometimes I wish we didn't even have these kiddie rides at all. I mean, we already have enough other stuff. Why add something else that could possibly cause someone to get hurt, right?"
"Right," said Josh, nodding. "It's stupid."
Susan shrugged. "But it's the boss's orders. Gotta do what we gotta do sometimes, even if we wanna pull our hair out."
Josh chuckled. "Tell me about it."
Susan checked her watch. It was a little past eleven-thirty. "Well, let's go see what else there is before we open."
After a few minutes of searching, they found Rebecca standing at the front desk talking to Gary about something. She looked up as the pair approached.
"All set, boss," said Susan.
"Good. Why don't you take your new trooper here and show him your station?"
"Will do."
Susan turned and began walking away with Josh following close behind her. As they were leaving, he could've sworn he heard Rebecca say, "Keep your eyes peeled. Let us know immediately..."
Susan led Josh back to the cafe area counter.
"Welcome to your new home away from home...at least for now," she said, smiling at him. "I hope you're good at dealing with impatient customers."
"Oh, great," said Josh, rolling his eyes.
She giggled. "Don't worry, hero. I'll be here with you the whole time."
He smiled back. "Thanks."
After giving a brief introduction to the other two employees who'd just shown up for the start of their shifts, she proceeded to show him how to use the nacho and soda machines, take pizzas out of the ovens properly, how to work the ovens at different settings, and even how to use the microphone to announce ready orders clearly.
"Remember to annunciate," she told him. "Customers don't like it if they can't understand you. Trust me."
The clock soon struck twelve and immediately a group of screaming kids came bursting in with their parents following closely behind, trying to keep tabs on where their child went in the mix.
"Cavalry's here," said Susan.
Things became rather quickly hectic. While most people were focused on the animatronics or something else in the pizzeria, a handful of people immediately got in line for food. Josh discovered after a few orders that the day probably wasn't going to be as slow-paced as he thought as he struggled to keep up. Susan relayed the orders to him as clearly as she could, which certainly helped. It amazed Josh just how different people were. Some were completely understanding that it was his first day, while others still made threats about not coming back if service continued to be that slow. Nevertheless, he never had a moment to be bored as the loud environment began to settle in as normal.
After an hour of work, it came time for their lunch break. As promised, there was leftover pizza and buttered breadsticks in the break room. After warming it up, it was actually pretty good, soft and chewy. They talked to and joked with each other about many things; school, the restaurant, and life back home. She revealed that her family had just moved in from Cincinnati a year earlier, so she understood completely what it was like moving to a new city and having to meet new people. She was seventeen, two years older than he was, and was looking into colleges after graduation. With the way she spoke, full of confidence and determination, Josh couldn't help but admire her.
Once lunch was over, the two made their way back to their post to resume their duties, which continued on like before. There were more orders, more spills and messes, and a few more customers asked questions about things that were already written clearly on the menu. The music continued to play the same set of songs over and over, prompting Josh to ask if they knew anything else.
At about three o'clock, they were notified by one of their coworkers about a spill on one of the tables near the stage. Josh grabbed a rag and sanitizer water and made his way over to clean it. The table was almost completely covered in sticky, red liquid. It looked like someone had taken their full cup and dumped it. Josh had to scrub it vigorously to make any progress. It took nearly ten minutes, but he finally got the table clean, or at least clean enough.
"Hey, Josh?" called Susan.
"Yeah? What's up?" he called back.
"We're out of cups. Could you brave your way through the battlefield and grab some more from the kitchen?"
"Sure thing."
He returned the cleaning materials and made his way through the screaming kids, being bumped here and there and almost being run into a few times. As he passed by the stage, the music suddenly became clearer. He thought he recognized the tune as something his mother used to sing to him as a young child, but he couldn't remember it exactly.
He approached the set of double doors leading to the kitchen when a large bang sounded from nearby. Stopping in his tracks and looking around, he quickly deduced that the only possible place it could have come from was the nearby door that led to the back, where Rebecca had forbidden him from entering. His thoughts raced back to his mother's worries, Rebecca's explanations of the franchise's history, and Chris' shady appearance. As he stared at the door, another identical bang came from the other side making him flinch, followed by a small buzzing noise. He turned to see if anyone else noticed, but nobody had. He turned back to the door and slowly approached it, suddenly finding himself overcome by curiosity. Kidnapped children, animatronics, Mom's worrying...is it all real?
He slowly reached his hand out to the door when a hand suddenly latched onto his shoulder and spun him around somewhat violently. Standing before him, face more serious than ever, was Chris.
"You're not supposed to be back here," he said in a low, monotone voice.
"Sorry," said Josh. "I...I was just…"
"I don't care," said Chris, removing his hand from Josh's shoulder. "You shouldn't be back here. With the work going on back here, people can get hurt. Trust me: if you know what's good for you…" He stepped closer, standing only about a foot away. "...you'll stay away from back here."
They stood silently for a moment, their eyes remained locked. As Josh stared into the dark, inhospitable and unwelcoming eyes, he suddenly felt a sense of deep dread. Everytime he caught a glimpse of this man from a distance, there was enough doubt to keep him from having any real fear, but now that they were almost nose-to-nose, the feelings were unlike anything before. For the first time in his life, Josh felt like he might be in danger.
"I'm sorry," he stammered nervously. "I'll go."
"See to it that you do, young man," said Chris, nodding. "This is no place for you."
Josh slipped quietly by, aware of Chris' eyes watching him as he walked. He slipped his way through the crowd of screaming kids and chatting parents until he made his way back to the cafe. Susan was still there, engaged in conversation with a customer. She turned to him when he approached.
"Where are the cups?"
He stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth hanging open.
"What?"
She raised her eyebrows. "The cups! The ones I told you to get? Why didn't you grab them? This man's been waiting for a drink for almost five minutes!"
Josh didn't know what to say. He'd been so thrown off by the sounds he'd heard in the back and Chris' sudden intimidating arrival that he'd completely forgotten about why he'd gone back there in the first place.
"I-I didn't-"
"It's alright. I'll get them myself. Could you please talk to this guy a little? Reassure him or something?"
"Yeah. Sure."
He stepped behind the register as she walked away. The man, tall with black hair and a thick mustache, was giving him the stink eye.
"I thought this place was supposed to have quick service!" he said aggressively.
"I'm sorry, sir. We're very busy today. We'll have your drink ready for you very shortly."
"I have half a mind to take my business...and my kids...elsewhere," he said, "no matter how much they love coming here!"
Josh fought the urge to roll his eyes. If they'd been anywhere else, he had a few things he could say in retaliation, but he bit his tongue. If his parents found out he got fired on the first day, there would be hell to pay. Fortunately, after only half-a-minute longer, Susan arrived with a stack of cups and the man was given his drink.
"Personally, I think his pants might be on a bit too tight," said Susan, "but business is business."
Josh laughed. "I know, right?"
The end of the shift came surprisingly early. As the evening crew arrived, Josh and Susan made their way into the locker room. After they clocked out and changed, Josh looked at her and asked the question he'd been thinking of asking all day.
"Can I get your number?"
She blinked in surprise, but then smiled. "Sure. You seem harmless enough, I guess," she said sarcastically. She wrote it down on a nearby napkin and walked by him out the door, giving him a small wave as she went. He looked down at the number written in light blue ink and folded it up, carefully putting it in his pocket.
The bus ride home was uneventful, aside from an older man having a bit of a coughing fit near him. When he got home, his parents were sitting in the living room watching TV.
"Hey! How'd it go, sport?" his father asked.
"Fine."
"Good. I brought home some take-out," he said. "It's in the fridge. We already ate."
"Okay. Thanks." Josh walked into the kitchen and made his way over to the fridge. Inside, he found a brown bag from one of the local sandwich shops containing what appeared to be a beef sandwich and some fries. He warmed them up and sat down at the table to eat. As he bit into the juicy beef, he realized how hungry he was. It was weird; he took full advantage of the leftover policy during his lunch break, which included a few slices of pizza and some bread, but after another couple hours of work, he was starving again. Perhaps he'd been working harder than he realized.
As he was finishing the sandwich, his parents walked in and sat down across from him at the table.
"So, we've been thinking," said Richard, glancing at his wife, "that we're going to give this new restaurant a try tomorrow."
Josh glanced at his mother. She was looking anxiously at her son, as if hoping he would interject something. He knew that look; he'd seen it many times before. She always wore it whenever she wasn't completely on board with an idea but didn't have enough assurance to disagree.
"You mean, for the party?" he asked.
"Correct. I'm assuming you're working?" said Richard.
Josh nodded.
"Good! This way we'll get to see you in action!" his father said with a smile. "Besides, I figured we could get to know some of our neighbors a little bit better, since it sounds like they're all going, too. It should be fun."
"Should be," said Josh.
"Don't you think so?" asked Emma in a concerned tone. She'd meant for it to sound like an innocent question, but her intention was still clear. She obviously was still nervous.
"Yeah," said Josh. "It seems pretty fun there...for kids, at least."
"Just a job for you?" said Richard. Josh nodded again. Richard scoffed. "Well, it's never as much fun for the workers, but at least you're honest."
"Right," said Josh, growing embarrassed as he always did when his parents started complimenting him. He wasn't sure whether he disliked that or the disciplinary talks more. "Well, I'll be in my room," he added, getting up and throwing away his garbage.
"Don't text too hard. You've got a big day tomorrow," his father teased as he passed, making him roll his eyes.
Emma was sitting silently next to her son, looking out the window while lost in thought.
"Relax, hon. There's nothing to worry about," he said, patting his wife's hand. "Everything will be fine. It's just a day of fun for the kids is all."
She gave him a forced smile, though his kiss on the cheek didn't help calm her nerves. The only reason why she'd relented was because she spoke with a close friend of hers on the phone earlier, not providing any key details, and was reminded of her own philosophy of judging only by experience. It was then that she realized that the best way to get a handle on the new restaurant was to check it out herself. She felt nervous about taking her other two children there if something was up, but going by herself would be a little suspicious. Besides, perhaps she really was being paranoid. If nothing of ill-intent actually was going on and this place really was a safe, fun place for kids, it would certainly be a big blessing for her children, particularly Olivia, not to mention it would be nice seeing her son working hard.
Maybe this won't be so bad after all, she thought.
Josh immediately plopped down on his bed, feeling surprisingly exhausted, and after only his first day.
Tomorrow's gonna be even worse, he thought with a mental groan. Well, at least Susan will be there.
He smiled. He liked her. She had a good attitude despite all the tedious aspects of the job, even retaining her rather humorous nature throughout all of it. She was respectful and even shared some of his feelings about certain things, but was still determined to be a reliable and trustworthy employee. In a weird way, he couldn't help but admire her for it.
His phone dinged indicating a new notification. It was a Facebook post from his girlfriend back home. He went to open it but stopped...and after a few seconds, he opened up his text app and pulled up Susan's number.
As soon as he got back to his apartment, Chris played back the message on his answering machine. Sometimes, he wouldn't bother calling back, depending on how he felt, but today, it felt necessary.
"Hey, Chris. What's up?"
"Not much," said Chris. "I got your message earlier. I took another look at it during lunch. Honestly, it looks pretty foolproof, so I don't think getting in or out that way would be too probable."
"Yeah."
"How are things going for you there?" Chris asked, realizing he hadn't inquired about his friend's life in a little while.
"Not too bad," he said. "Holiday's tomorrow, so we've had lots of preparation going on. Business as usual. How about you? You finally make any friends yet?"
"No, Daddy, I haven't," said Chris, shaking his head in amusement. "Although…" He trailed off, thinking back to the young man he stopped from going into the back room. The new recruit. Josh, I think?
"Although what?"
"Well, there is a new guy whom we have working there. He just started today. He's an interesting little fellow, I must say. I can tell just by looking into his eyes that he's curious."
"Curious about what?"
"Me, the place, the robots."
"What, so you think he might be able to help you?"
Chris sighed. "I don't know yet. I think he's a little scared of me at the moment. Rebecca and the others already got him onboard about being suspicious of me. Still, I can't shake this sense that I might be able to get through to him somehow. I'll see what I can do."
"Hmm...interesting. Well, let me know how it goes. Have fun tomorrow, and don't eat all the pizza!"
"Oh, shut up," said Chris, laughing as he hung up.
