Follow the janitor

Jen decided that she would rather reach the corridor- if the janitor turned towards the exit she could always head back and try the commons, but the corridor would at least feel safer in some ways.

The counter ended with a short half-door, a small spring-loaded latch keeping it closed but easily reachable by hand. The counter only came up to Jen’s thighs and she stepped over it instead of taking the extra seconds to open it. Then she rushed to one of the small tables and ducked back down.

The janitor was still working his way towards the corridor, oblivious to Jen’s presence behind him. She stood up and started walking towards them, being careful to keep a table between them so she could duck down if he happened to look back.

Soon she was beyond the tables and she hustled towards one of the decorative trash cans that were posted throughout the mall. She could see the majority of the hallway from this angle, the janitor still heading that direction at his leisurely pace. Taking another quick look around, Jen saw no one else. She wasn’t certain where the security guard had gone to, and the employees in the restaurant she’d just left still weren’t visible. But she knew that they would be coming this direction any minute to close the gate.

She stood up and left the trash can, tip-toeing towards the corridor, praying the janitor wouldn’t have any reason to turn around and look behind him. She made it to the hallway and slowed down slightly. Peeking behind herself she still didn’t see the restaurant workers, and knew after she moved a few more feet that she would be out of their line of sight when they finally did lock up the gate.

Facing back forward, Jen tried to position herself directly behind the janitor, several yards away. He was heading towards two large double doors, which Jen knew would take her to the corridor. She set her feet down as quietly as she could, slinking along behind him.

The janitor reached the double doors and pushed them open with the trash can, the sudden noise unexpectedly loud. Both doors swung open and the janitor stepped through them. Jen quickly sped up her pace, getting closer to the janitor against her better judgement but not wanting to have to re-open the doors herself. As they were closing Jen as able to squeeze through the gap. She stopped dead in her tracks as the doors clattered back closed, letting the janitor gain some additional distance.

The remaining corridor ahead ran about fifteen yards, in Jen’s estimation. A few bags of trash and folded boxes leaned against the wall. As he reached the first patch of refuse he slowed his pace. As he turned towards the trash on his left Jen soundlessly stepped to her right, aiming to stay out of his peripheral vision. As he gathered the few boxes and trash, he gave no indication that he saw her, simply tossed the refuse into the garbage bin and moved on to the next pile.

Jen began moving forward again, trying to keep the same distance away from the man ahead of her. He slowed again, this time picking up the trash on his right, Jen shifting left to stay out of sight.

The hallway was now clear of any trash and the janitor sauntered forwards. They were approaching the end of the corridor and Jen could see the main service hall branching left and right up ahead. She had a fifty-fifty chance that the janitor would turn left and Jen could get away, or that he would turn right and she’d be stuck sneaking behind him for who knows how much longer.

As the end of this hall approached, the janitor started slowly drifting towards his left. Jen had to stop herself from sighing in relief, not wanting to give her presence away this close to getting away with this plan.

The janitor turned down the hallway, and Jen held back in the corridor for a few moments to let him get some distance. Peeking around the corner, she saw no one else around, heard no voices though the rumbling wheels of the garbage bin may have prevented her from hearing anyone in the distance. She didn’t see any garbage bags this direction, no discarded boxes. Everything must have already been picked up and disposed of.

When she felt the janitor was far enough away she entered the hallway and quickly started walking towards the exit. The hallway’s curve soon took her out of view of the janitor and she picked up her pace, allowing herself to make a little noise in exchange for making ground faster.

Jen kept her arms clamped tight in front of her body, in the event she move too quickly and step into view of someone who might be silently waiting in the hall for someone. The idea tempted her to slow down but after everything else she’d been through tonight, her desperation to get dressed again **** her to throw caution to the wind.

Still following the curve of the hallway around, she was relieved to not run into anyone. It was late enough that she felt certain that most anyone not working the night shift would have left by now.

Finally the exit comes into view, the large metal door practically urging Jen to move even faster. A few final back doors into shops stood on Jen’s right, and beyond them another service hall, likely heading back towards the commons.

She quickly jogged past the two shops and then briefly paused at the branching hallway, just long enough to peek around the corner and assure herself that she was alone. Then she darted forward to the exit and hurriedly stepped outside.

Immediately stepping into the bushes next to the door, Jen let the door close on its own so she could get into hiding. Shortly after hearing the door close, she heard a car engine start somewhere ahead of her. Soon a pair of headlights turned on and the vehicle started turning towards Jen’s position.

Knowing it was Eve without being able to see inside the car, Jen readied herself to run to the car once it pulled up to the curb. The sedan moved at an easy pace, the throttle barely rising as it moved down the parking aisle.

Eventually the car swung around and pulled up tight against the curb. Before it fully stopped Jen was swerving around the bush and sprinting to the door.

After flopping down into the passenger seat Jen immediately leaned into the back of the car, grasping for her clothes.

“Someone’s in a rush to get dressed,” Eve says, mockingly.

Jen doesn’t answer, hauling the clothing into her lap and quickly sorting through until she finds her bra.

“So I’m guessing, yet again, that you didn’t enjoy yourself?” Eve speaks up again, giggling.

Jen pulled the straps up to her shoulders and reached around the back to start working at the clasp.

“Look,” Eve says, “If you’d rather not talk, I get it, but I can certainly drop you back off at the mall with just that bra too.”

“No,” Jen said, finishing the clasps on her bra and starting to put her shirt on, “I didn’t enjoy myself.”

Eve laughs again, seemingly satisfied with Jen’s answer as she steers the car towards the mall exit.