Make a distraction.

After a few more seconds thinking, Jen’s concerns over getting stuck in the vent won over her concern that the clerks might look to their side as they walked past her. She set to work on opening the box in front of her, taking care to not let the long, narrow box atop slide about as she pried at the cardboard. The packing tape held it closed from the center so she attacked the side instead, using her fingernails to tear enough cardboard until she could get a grip on the cardboard. Slowly she began ripping the box flap away from the side, making as little noise as possible but trying to work quickly.

Soon the flap was torn enough that Jen was able to start tearing at the cross-flap underneath it. In between the boys talking, she could hear light ripping sounds coming from the cardboard as it split apart, but when they spoke she couldn’t hear a thing. It wasn’t long before she was able to reach her hand in. She felt a plastic-wrapped box underneath, grabbed it and pulled it out. In her hand, she held a new, off-brand electronic tablet.

This could work, Jen thought. It might be a little lighter than I was hoping for but it’ll still make some noise.

Jen glanced back at the clerks and saw that she hadn’t gotten any attention. She turned her attention in the opposite direction, the end of the hallway she had come from. Dead ahead and about ten meters away was a stack of boxes she had previously hidden behind.

Here goes nothing.

She was never one much for sports and had no reason to pride herself on her throwing arm. Regardless, Jen did her best to aim carefully at one of the boxes near the top of the stack. She leaned forward from the box she was huddled against, wound her arm back and threw.

Immediately she leaned back into her hiding spot and watched as the tablet arced through the air, spinning like a frisbee. It struck one of the boxes atop the stack with a strong whap sound. The box slid back, teetered for a moment, then fell off, a loud thud sounding from behind the stack.

“What the hell was that?” one of the clerks asked.

Jen tried to press herself against the corner made by the wall and the cardboard containers as hard as she could, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them to pull them closer still.

“It’s nothing,” another voice said, “probably someone taking in their inventory. Like we have to do in a few minutes.”

“No, there’s no one over there,” the first voice said.

“Hey, where are you going man? Come on, it’s nothing.”

Jen held her breath and waited, trying to shrink back into the corner as much as she could.

“You heard the boss yesterday. There were some thefts of inventory out of this hallway a few weeks ago. I’m checking it out, you guys do what you want.”

“Hold up, hold up, we’re coming!”

Over the sound of their approaching footsteps Jen could hear one of the teens muttering, the same who’d been complaining about his co-worker when he first entered the hallway. Soon Jen was able to see one of the clerks head cresting over the box beside her, his eyes dead ahead. He walked past Jen’s hiding spot, and a moment later the other two teens followed him.

Holy crap it worked! Jen thought.

She let the young men get a few steps past her before Jen started getting back onto her own feet. Moving quietly but quickly, she skirted around the boxes she had hidden behind and began tip-toeing away from them.

“You see anything?” she heard a voice behind her.

Jen picked the pace up, praying she was far enough away to allow a tiny bit of noise as she walked. She sped past the open doorway the teens had come out through, seeing a storeroom with shelves and cleaning supplies as she glanced in. Shortly beyond the door was a pile of garbage bags, stacked three high. Beyond that, against the left wall was a stack of large boxes.

“Why’s this tablet here?”

Jen heard the voice just as she got around the far side of the trash bags and ducked back down, next to a stack of folded cardboard boxes leaning against the wall. The hallway ahead of her held more of what she’d encountered so far, boxes and trash bags, but thankfully no people. One store’s back door stood open, about fifteen yards ahead on Jen’s right. She huddled behind the garbage and listened to the teens talking while she kept an eye on that door..

“I dunno, man. Just leave it, our break’s over.”

“No, this is a clothing store. There’s no reason for this to be here.”

“Know what, you do whatever, I don’t get paid enough to play detective.”

The teens stopped talking and all Jen could hear was their footsteps approaching again. She kept her eyes on the hallway ahead of her, praying that no one would come until the clerks were out of the hallway. She listened to their footsteps for several moments and breathed in relief as she heard the door to their store close behind her.

After taking a few moments to breathe and regain her nerves, Jen stood back up and began moving again. Her hands automatically covered her body, clasped tightly over her breasts and vagina.

As she approached the open door she began to slow down, first to listen but aiming to look around the corner if she heard nothing. She paused a few feet away and ducked down, closing her eyes for a moment to focus on what she could hear. Voices came from the door, and some occasional shuffling sounds of movement. It was far enough away that Jen didn’t think anyone was in the store room, but she couldn’t be certain.

She took a half step forward, then another. She kept listening but still couldn’t tell how far away anyone in that store was. The last thing she wanted was to walk past the doorway, right into someone’s line of sight.

As Jen was about to take another step she heard something ahead of her. Looking up she saw a door swinging open ahead of her, the next shop over.

No time! she thought. Either into this store room or back to the trash bags, now!