Hide in the box

The more Jen thought about it, the more she felt like she could unfold the box without making too much noise. She would have to move a bit slowly but if she could manage it, then people could walk right past her and be none the wiser.

She inched to her side, away from the trash bags and grabbed the folded box. She knew pulling it out from behind the bags could be tricky. She gave it a gentle tug and it slid a few inches. Bracing her left hand against the trash bags, she continued to pull with her right, the box only making a quiet “hiss” against the wall and the plastic bags full of refuse.

Once the box was free Jen was able to easily unfold it without making any noise. She set it on her left and moved herself back up against the trash. Keeping the box close against the wall, she hoped that it was in a position that the female employees couldn’t see it when they came back to the hallway. She then set about re-folding one end of the box so it would be closed.

There was no way to avoid making noise while she was doing this. The cardboard was going to make sound while she bent and twisted the flaps around, sliding against each other. She tried to counter this by moving slowly and carefully. She occasionally looked out from behind the bags when she heard the women picking away at their inventory, making sure they weren’t looking in her direction.

After several minutes she had managed to get the box ready. One end was folded up- the boxes shipped with two flaps taped together so anyone paying attention would realize this had already been opened. Jen would have to hope that no one would notice. On the other end of the box she had folded the flaps to the inside. Another quick look past the trash bags confirmed that Jen was alone at this moment. She could afford a tiny bit of noise.

She lifted the box and draped it down on top of herself. In a squatting position she couldn’t quite get it flat on the ground and she had to revert to sitting on the floor, her knees pulled against her chest. She was able to grab the flaps she had folded inside box and hold onto them so the box wouldn’t move. She felt herself relax some. She was now fully out of view of anyone who might come by. She didn’t care for the fact that she couldn’t see anything, but it was better than her previous situation in many ways.

All she could go on now was sound. Everything was slightly muffled by the cardboard but she occasionally heard noise to her right. Most likely the shopkeepers taking in more inventory. The irregular sound from her left side would travel up the hallway to her, but nothing sounded like someone approaching her position.

She spent the next few moments trying to create a way to see. Pushing at a corner of the box with her little finger, gently prying at the cardboard with her fingernail. She leaned back against the wall, pinning the box in place, hoping to minimize any movement the box might make. She managed to break a hole into the corner, the size of her finger. Along with the un-taped, folded flaps giving away that this wasn’t a standard unopened inventory box, a hole any larger would be even more dubious if a passer-by gave it anything but the most cursory glance. The limited field of vision would be enough for now.

Peering through the hole she could only see the wall and ceiling across from her. Hearing nothing she lifting the box and moved it forward, turning it slightly. Eventually she was able to see the remaining stack of inventory the ladies had been carrying in. There were three cartons left.

Okay, just a little more waiting and we can get moving again, Jen thought.

She kept the box flat on the floor but didn’t pull it back against the wall again. She couldn’t look through the hole while sitting on the floor but leaning up and forward gave her some small angle vision of what was going on.

The familiar sound of the women stepping into the hallway returned again. Jen waited until she heard them moving the boxes around before she leaned forward again. A fast peek and she caught sight of them each moving a box. Only one left.

As she leaned back, she heard noise coming from the other side of the hall. She didn’t have a hole poked out on that side of the box so didn’t have the opportunity to try to see anything, but she was certain the sound was getting louder.

Her immediate instinct was to panic but she **** herself to hold still. This is what we have the box for, she told herself. Just keep calm.

Jen considered moving the box back against the wall again but realized she couldn’t tell if the approaching party was in view or not. A moving box would absolutely warrant investigation. Instead she held as still as she could, her hands holding the cardboard flaps, pressing the box against the floor.

As her mind raced she couldn’t tell how long she was waiting. Certainly not long, but it felt like an hour.

“What the heck?” she eventually heard a male voice. “Aren’t delivered boxes supposed to be pushed against the wall or something?”

Oh no.

“Yeah,” another man’s voice answered, “I think so. I’m not moving it, I’m off the clock.”

From her vantage point Jen could barely see through the hole she’d made, but the footsteps sounded like they were right in front of her. The light coming through her peephole grew dim and she got a glimpse of a blue shirt for a split second. Then the light was coming back in and the footsteps were headed away from her.

Despite being so nervous, she couldn’t help but feel slightly elated. The box had worked, this silly idea had worked! There was no guarantee that it would work again, but she could try to calm herself down knowing that it might.

She listened as the two men continued to walk away, then grew confused when she heard two additional pairs of footsteps outside. Bending forward and peering through the hole she saw the two clerks had returned and were gathering their final box.

Once they started carrying it away Jen sat back again. She was considering how much time to give them when she heard the door close. Once again the hallway was silent.

Standing up, Jen lifted the box overhead so she could see. She wasn’t about to abandon it now, not after it saved her hide once. But she couldn’t try to blindly make her way down the hallway, bumping into the walls, probably knocking over some of the trash.

Seeing that she was alone she stepped around the garbage bags and started walking at a fast, quiet pace. She saw the door the women had been coming in and of out was closed, but before it the other shop’s door remained open. Jen slowed as she approached it, poking her head past the doorway. No one was inside. The shelving racks and boxes of inventory were still scattered around. She moved past the door and continued down the hallway.

She made it several yards and began moving about the curve in the hall, stepped against the left side to get the best vantage point. No one was in sight and she let her pace increase again.

Jen figured she had to be near the end of the hall by now, that the exit would have to come into view soon. Every step she took only revealed more hallway ahead of her. She was about to toss the box away and start sprinting when a noise caught her ear.

Immediately she halted, listening. She was right across the hall from another pair of doors. The noise hadn’t come from behind or from ahead. Then she heard it again, a voice, behind one of the two stock room doors.

Without thinking twice Jen got back down to the ground and covered herself with the box. Now that she could hide whenever it suited her, it was better to play things safe. She gripped the inside flaps and pressed the box hard into the floor again.

Less than five seconds after she sat down one of the doors to her side swung open. Hiding had been the right choice.

“What the…” a woman’s voice said. Jen heard two footsteps. Not going one way or the other down the hall. Straight towards her. “When was this delivered?”

Shit, Jen thought. She’s right on top of me.

“Joe?” The woman’s voice again. “Joe, can you hear me?”

Jen heard a quiet reply, then the woman spoke again. “Where’s this shop, Oaken Lockbox?”

“Uh, that’s a ways down the hall,” a male voice now. “Why?”

“Some incompetent delivery guy left their box right outside our door.”

“So?”

Jen heard the woman sigh then a harsh slap on both sides of the box. Realizing right away what was happening, Jen put every bit of strength into holding the box down by its flaps. She felt the woman try to lift the box for a moment, then the hands let go. Jen felt her heart thundering inside her chest and struggled to control her panicked breathing.

“Joe, come out here!”

I’m going to get caught, she thought. I’m going to get caught right here!

“What?”

“This box is too heavy for me to lift on my own, I need your help. I think it’s packed wrong too, it’s moving kinda weird.”

“Just leave it, we have to wrap things up here.”

Yes, please, just leave it.

“Dude, I’m in charge tonight, we’re going to do the right thing and put this where it goes.”

Jen heard the man make an aggravated sound, “fine, help me finish this up real quick and then we’ll move it.”

Then the woman left, walking directly away from Jen, back into the store. Jen leaned up and tried to peer out the hole she’d poked into the corner. She saw a short woman enter the store and turn away from the door, disappearing into the stock room.

Jen lifted the box got out from under it. If it was missing when they came out they might come looking for it, so she set it on the ground. After she adjusted it to what she felt was the same position it was in moments ago, she stepped away and quietly jogged down the ha;;.

They wouldn’t be gone long. Jen was tempted to sprint for the exit, to avoid making too much noise but make a speedy getaway a bigger priority. But she wasn’t certain how far away the exit was. It still wasn’t in sight. She spotted a small stack of trash bags ahead and on the right, maybe just big enough to hide her from view.

She looked back at the shop’s open stock room. Whatever Jen was going to do, she had to decide now.