Alice was alone in the store. The last stocker had left and she was wrapping up the last few closing checklist items. Aside from her own there were only a few sparse cars in the lot, most parked there for the late-night Mexican place around the corner. A lone car idled in the far corner.
She wondered if it was tweakers again. But figured better than calling the cops. It would just make getting out of here take longer. She returned to the office with the last few cash bags.
The rattle of the aging sliding doors opening in the front made her jump. She could have sworn she had locked them shut. Alice’s heart beat heavy in her chest. She grabbed her phone and walked out. “We’re closed.” She shouted over the aisles. Two pairs of heavy footsteps stopped. “Get the fuck out of here or I am calling the cops.” Her voice was shriller than she would have liked. The footsteps started moving again. This time away from each other. And getting faster. Alice dialed 911. Before the call connected one of them got to her. A man in dark clothes and a mask. He moved fast. He hit the phone out of her hand and wrapped her in a bear hug.