It's 10 o'clock in the evening.
Ben Moreno had just finished his shift in this big department store and went down straight to the security office. His manager had asked him to do another 4-hour shift as overnight guard as there'll be some minor repairs on the store's ceiling. He, along with two others will be tasked to oversee three contractors -- one at the ceiling, one at the AHU room and him at the warehouse elevator.
He slithered from his upper garment, sighed as the 'uncomfortably' hot uniform is removed from his torso. The cool breeze from the air-conditioning unit swept all over his skin, giving him the relief he had been praying for from his 12-hour duty at the main entrance of the department store. He saw that his uniform's collar has small lines of dirt, but he doesn't care. Tomorrow will be his day off and he will have time to launder his uniform, both upper and lower.
He took out from his locker a Jollibee hamburger, the one he got earlier during his 15-minute break and a bottle of mineral water. He still have time to eat before his the overnight shift starts. As he bites on his hamburger, he remembers what his manager told him earlier...
"Make sure all female employees are out. We don't want another incident like this," the manager said, dropping an old newspaper on the table.
Its headlines read, "FEMALE SALESLADY FOUND RAPED, KILLED INSIDE MALL WAREHOUSE"
"Yes, sir!" Ben replied giving a snappy salute as his manager leaves the security office. He knows why his manager is a bit grumpy. The rapist was never found.
ONE HOUR LATER
It is dark and eerie inside the warehouse. All lights are out except for the faint light coming from the elevator on stand-by. Shelves are lined up like pawns in a chessboard, its contents creating ghostly shadows. But Ben doesn't mind. He had been doing overnight shifts since the store opened five months ago. He is used to this scenario.
His radio crackled, "Whiskey Echo -- Delta One. " His call sign is 'Whiskey Echo' (as in Warehouse Elevator) and 'Delta One' is his supervisor, "Request 25 with Charlie Two. 76 to Whisky One"
His supervisor is asking him to meet up with the second contractor at the exit 1 of the warehouse.
He slowly walked towards the warehouse exit, his legs already aching from his earlier shift at the store. As he walks further from the elevator, darkness seemed to envelop the hallway. The faint light from the lift slowly fades as he goes nearer the exit. He pulled out his flashlight and trained its beam onto the exit doors. It is there that he will meet up the contractor.
But nobody came. Five minutes had passed and still no contractor. Ben reached for his radio saddled in his pistol belt and called, "Delta One -- Whiskey Echo."
"crack" -- "crack"
No answer.
"Delta One -- Whiskey Echo."
"crack" -- "crack"
Still no answer.
"That's strange. Delta One's not answering his radio." he thought to himself.
Ben reached for the exit doors and turned it. It's locked. He turned it again but it won't budge. He shouted through the small door slats and called for his supervisor, "DELTA ONE! WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE?!"
"...HAPPENING THERE..." he can only hear faint echoes from his yell, as if the whole store is deserted.
"No use shouting here, I have to go back at the elevator and pass through the fire exit. Something must have gone wrong."
He walked the hallway passing by shelves after shelves, his flashlight aimed in front of him. He walked past alleys and alleys of warehouse shelves, turning and turning on corners -- until he reached the elevator.
Except that there is no elevator.
"Odd, I could've sworn that the elevator is in this spot. Did I make a wrong turn?"
He walked back, turning corners after corners -- but still no elevator. He reached for his radio again and called for his supervisor. No answer still. He panned his flashlight and tried to make a good fix of his location. He was pointing his light at a shelf when he saw something moving. It's a human figure! His light followed the figure and saw that it has long, dark hair.
"WHO'S THERE?!" Ben shouted hard! But the figure kept on moving, this time faster -- towards him! As it goes nearer, he sees a face, a woman's face except that it's all white. its eyes like white cotton. Its mouth opened wide like it wanted to scream!
A hand parried his arm sending his flashlight flying away from him. He heard a soft thud alerting him that his flashlight fell on the floor. He quickly approached the light and tried to reach for his flashlight -- but the figure suddenly appeared in front of him, screaming like a banshee, its teeth dripping of thick saliva! Ben was startled, making him trip in his own feet. As he fell on his back, the human figure sat on his belly and screamed loud at his face. It vomited black mud on his chest, its odor entering his nostrils like thick garbage smoke.
The human figure raised its hand and slammed it into his chest, breaking his ribs and entering his body. It touched his heart like a cat's paw caressing her kitten, its fingernails cutting thin veins in the process. As his flashlight rolled on the floor, its light slowly shone on the human figure's face. It is a woman's face. It is familiar. Ben knows he had seen the woman before. He knows her.
The woman seemed to sense that he at last recognized her and this made her mouth make a small grin. She let out a loud yell as she crushes Ben's heart inside her hands. Ben gave a shook as his life is snatched away from him. He wanted to scream but he cannot. He can only whisper the words, "I'm sorry..."
Then he stopped shaking and dies.
The woman moved her head a bit, her cottony eyes wandering all over Ben's face and body as if making sure Ben's heart does not beat anymore. She stood up and moved towards the darkness and disappeared.
Ben's body will be discovered later in the morning -- inside the warehouse elevator with his eyes wide open. The company doctor shall rule his death as a heart attack.
END
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