Working

I sighed, wiping sweat from my brow. It was just another Thursday night, cleaning merchandise and keeping a spare eye out for any peculiar sorts hanging out around the store. I had lucked out that my cleaning list was only half as long today, and had finished my listed work about an hour early. I already started walking the mop bucket back towards the cleaning supply closet, whistling a tune as I walked. The dimly lit department store could be seen as creepy considering it's quiet was only permeated by the soft hum of electricity. After dumping out the mop bucket, I looked around. Countless racks of clothes, blankets, towels, and any number of wearable substitutes, as well as my own solitude practically guaranteed I wouldn't be having a third encore of my exposure in an attempt to help someone. After my previous two incidents which left me exposed while trying to help someone else, I was starting to keep a sharper eye on my surroundings and do my best to avoid making it easier on the world to strip me. I'd worn my typical blue sweatpants and gray sweater, and had opted for a pair of slip-ons instead of the sneakers to allow for further comfort on the job.

With the mop bucket poured out, there was just one last thing to do: the trash. All I had was one garbage bag, but one garbage bag was enough. I whistled some more, as I scooped the bag which was half-full of scrap paper and plastic, and walked my way towards the back door. As I approached, I could hear the sounds of heavy rainfall, and groaned. "Ughhhh..." I groaned, realizing I'd have to run it in the rain. I knew that if I didn't do it now, it was considerably likely I would forget entirely and leave the garbage for the morning shift. I was never going to be known as a slacker, so I continued towards the door and opened it, looking out over the back area of the store.

The back looked like a hurricane. I stared bewildered, blinking a few times. I knew they had said a lot of rainfall was headed our way tonight, but nothing as crazy as this would have ever crossed my mind. I listened closely to make sure no lightning was near, and took a deep breath. I sprinted out into the rain, immediately becoming drenched as a torrential downpour washed over me. I ran for several seconds, threw the trash bag into the dumpster at the very back of the property, and sprinted back towards the door. I pried it open, and ducked inside with what could almost be described as a leap.

I looked down, and could see that my clothes were so drenched I was already creating a literal puddle on the floor of the back, which was rapidly expanding. I felt cold, and shivered as the clothes started to adjust to the air, and continued to get colder. "T-That was a bad idea..." I said aloud, rubbing my shoulders.