Out the door

Without thinking further, Jen stepped away from the corner and bolted to the exit. She stepped softly but quickly, covering the three paces to the door, then pushed in the crash bar. The door was halfway open when she heard the younger girl speaking again.

“Seriously, why does someone always call out sick on inventory day,” she complained.

A quick look over her shoulder confirmed that Jen was still alone, but the voice was close enough that she knew she only had a few seconds. She darted through the exit and immediately moved to her left, taking cover behind the bushes.

The door closed loudly beside her. Jen had no illusions that the approaching ladies wouldn’t hear it. She crouched down as far as she could and moved a bit further left, ready to get the bushes between her and the approaching clerks when they followed her out the exit.

She jumped in fright when she heard a car starting its engine. Looking out into the lot, a car sat alone, almost straight ahead of her. The headlights turned on and the car inched forward.

Shit, it’s Eve, Jen thought.

Jen stood up halfway, shaking her head violently and waving her arms back and forth, praying that Eve was looking and would understand to stop moving. A wall sconce barely illuminated Jen and she knew she’d be just visible. But Eve’s headlights would light her up more if she turned this way.

The car stopped. The headlights flicked back off and the engine died.

Thank god.

The relief she felt was momentary as less than two seconds later the latch clacked loudly and the heavy steel door started to open. Her heart practically jumping out of her chest, Jen stepped to her side and got the plants between her and the exit, sinking as close to the ground as she could while still keeping one foot flat on the ground. Jen intended to sneak back behind the bushes as the ladies left, and she wanted to be able to move without hesitation. If she was seen, she might have to run for Eve’s car.

She glanced around to make sure no one was about in the parking lot. She was now in a far more visible spot with the bushes concealing her from one angle. Thankfully it was late enough that chances were good the only person who would see her was Eve.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jen heard one of the women’s voices ahead, this time the woman who sounded older, “I don’t mind driving you home.”

Both women stepped past the door and stopped near the curb. Jen got her first look at them. They both appeared to be roughly the same age, one shorter than the other, both in jeans. The shorter one wore a hoodie, the other lady wearing a thin windbreaker.

“You really don’t?” the taller woman asked, which Jen now recognized as the voice she thought sounded younger. “I know it’s a little out of your way.”

“It’s not a problem, I promise. You worked your tail off and got that inventory put away. I wouldn’t want you to risk falling asleep on the bus and missing your stop.”

Still crouching, Jen lifted her foot and set it a few inches closer to the bushes, ready to move.

“Okay, thanks,” the taller woman relented, “I so appreciate it.”

The ladies stepped off of the curb and began walking away, slightly to their right. Jen took the moment to move back behind the bushes, out of view. The clerks were walking at a casual pace and Jen silently begged them to hurry up.

She looked towards Eve, seeing her car halfway out of a parking spot. This late, there was no reason anyone should be too concerned over what appeared to be a bad job parking, but she started to worry that the women might suspect a drunk was sleeping some booze off in the parking lot. They weren’t heading directly towards Eve, but it would certainly be in their line of sight.

Just keep heading to your car, she thought. It’s not a drunk, as far as you know it’s a security guard who was late to his shift and he parked in a rush.

The women kept walking into the lot, headed towards a sedan that sat directly under a street lamp. Jen saw the shorter woman glance towards Eve, but they kept moving towards the car.

Jen estimated that she waited a full five minutes before the ladies reached the car and rove away. A few vehicles passed by on the streets beyond the mall property during that time, oblivious to anything but the roads in front of them. Jen kept looking around, expecting to see at least one other person leaving the mall but no one came.

Eve’s car started again, headlights blazed on, and she began driving towards Jen’s position. Soon the car arced around and pulled up next to the curb. Jen got to her feet and bolted to the car, already hearing Eve laughing before she was halfway there.

Flopping into the passenger seat, Jen was greeted by more laughter. She hauled the car door shut and immediately leaned towards the back seat, gathering up her clothes.

“Judging by how they were acting, they must not have seen you,” Eve said once she was able to stop giggling.

“No,” Jen said, “no one saw.”

She located her t-shirt and began putting it on. She’d stuff her bra in her purse before she got home. Right now she wanted her skin out of view of everyone, including Eve.

The car started pulling forward and Eve said “so you’d say you were successful?”

“I’d say it was horribly embarrassing,” Jen said, bending down to start struggling into her jeans.

Eve laughed, and turned towards the mall’s exit.