Stay flat against the wall

Jen didn’t like her chances of making it to the other end of the hallway. It wasn’t an incredibly far run, but far enough that if the departing employees were walking quickly she was likely to get caught. Instead she lowered herself to the ground and pressed herself against the corner as compactly as she could. The tile ground was cool against every inch of her body that touched it. Her legs, her hips, her stomach… It wasn’t cold but just cool enough to be uncomfortable.

“Dude, hurry up,” she heard the female voice again. “I have things to do.”

Jen heard a male voice make a short reply but it was distant enough she couldn’t tell what was said. She laid on the ground and waited, making small, minute adjustments to her position to try to fit even tighter against the wall. She needed her profile to be as small as possible if this was going to work.

Another few moments passed, and the lady spoke again. “If you don’t get out here now I’m leaving you. I don’t have time for this. What are you even doing in there anyway?”

Jen felt like just enough time had passed that she could have made it to the other end of the hallway. That would have been a better chance to take after all. But if she managed to not get caught like this, laying on the floor naked, then that wasn’t a missed opportunity she would regret.

Eventually she heard footsteps followed by the shop door closing. “Sorry, I had to do something for prep the store for tomorrow,” the male voice said.

“I agreed to get you home specifically telling you I had to leave on time. I have things to do after work.”

Footsteps started and the duo came into view. A man and a woman, both somewhere in their late teens to early twenties.

“What do you have to do after work this late?” the guy asked.

“Stuff,” the lady said.

She walked quickly and the man picked up his pace to keep up. They were only in Jen’s line of sight for a few short seconds when they were out the door and heading into the parking lot.

Another sigh of relief burst from Jen’s mouth as the exit door closed behind them. She picked herself up off the ground and stepped towards the door. She felt herself shaking slightly, but she was nearly done with this. Her nerves would ease up once she was dressed.

Opening the door now would be a mistake. The exits weren’t the quietest, even if opened slowly. Crash bars made some noise when they were pushed, regardless of how gently you pushed them in. Opening the door while the clerks will still close was an unnecessary risk. Better to wait a little bit so they could gain some distance.

Standing next to the door Jen faced the hallway, watching and listening for any signs of life. She heard nothing, but if anyone came she would have to take her chances leaving instead of counting seconds like she was now.

She counted out sixty seconds. A minute had passed. She opted to give it another thirty seconds. She realized the situation felt strange. Every time she’d had to wait during one on these runs Eve sent her on, she did it from a position of hiding. Now she simply stood by the door, stark naked, waiting until enough time had passed. She could see down the main hallway and the service corridor from this position. More importantly she would hear anyone approaching. Her nerves weren’t any better. But to wait like this… I felt a little surreal.

Once she counted to ninety, Jen slid the crash bar in and pushed the door open an inch. Pressed her ear to the gap. One engine, in the distance, getting further away. Likely a car outside the mall grounds. 90 seconds might not be enough for the clerks to reach their car and drive off. She pushed the door open further and poked her head out. She didn’t see anyone walking about, no cars with their headlights on. Maybe it had been enough time. Maybe the lady had managed to get a close parking spot when she arrived for her shift. Jen stepped out of the door, took an extra second to guide it closed, then turned to her left. She stepped into bushes and ducked down low, praying she wouldn’t be waiting long for Eve.

A few quick seconds later and a car’s headlights came on up ahead, and an engine started. Jen wasn’t certain if it was Eve, or maybe the employee’s car. But she would find out soon enough.

The car pulled out of its parking spot and turned directly towards the bushes Jen was crouching behind. She ducked down further, hopefully out of sight, in case it wasn’t Eve. As the car passed close to a street light Jen peered through the branches and leaves in front of her face. It was the right color, the right shape. She would bank on this being Eve. Getting on the balls of her feet, Jen got ready to move.

The car swung up next to the curb, one tire gently scraping alongside it. Once it slowed to a stop Jen knew this was definitely Eve. Standing up, she side-stepped around the bush and quickly moved to the car. She saw Eve lean over and push the door open. Jen grabbed it, dropped down into the seat and slammed the door shut.

“Did you see those two people who left?” Jen asked, reaching into the backseat for her clothes.

“Yeah,” Eve said, “did they see you or something?”

Jen shook her head. “No, I’m not sure where they went. They walked past me when I was hiding. I tried to give them enough time to get away but worried I might have left the hall too soon.”

Eve jerked her thumb over her shoulder, “they went somewhere behind us. Not sure how far, once I realized they weren’t you I quit watching them. They were walking pretty fast.”

Jen was fastening her bra clasps across her stomach before turning it around and pulling it up to her shoulders. “So they might have seen something.”

Eve shook her head. “Doubt it. It’s pretty dark, even when the hallway lit you up you moved fast enough I couldn’t tell it was you. Not until you stepped behind the bushes.”

Jen nodded, sighing. She could only hope Eve was telling her the truth. As the car turned towards the exit, she picked her shirt out of the pile of clothes on her lap and started pulling it on.