If the lights go out at the grocery store late at night, get out before the locks disappear. If they do, it's too late

Hey there old friends, it been a while.

I am terribly sorry for the infrequent posts. Things have been rather difficult lately. My parents and I were evicted from our apartment about a week after the last update, and I am in the midst of applying to colleges.

My parents are staying with my aunt in Jersey, and I am staying with a friend. My parents are in Jersey because my Aunt was able to get them good-paying jobs at her company. I wanted to finish out my senior year of high school where I was, so I decided to stay.

On the topic of jobs, they’re scarce here. I’ve tried to find work elsewhere, but I have been unsuccessful. I cannot switch from the night shift either, as I have to attend school during the day.

Abby is gone too. She just disappeared into the night shortly after we brought her home. I don’t even think it was Abby who we pulled out of the mirror. And if it was Abby, she’s changed.

I spend a lot of time with Tanya. I occasionally see Roger as well, but he’s been at night school getting his electrician’s certificate or whatever it’s called. Luckily, nobody in school knows what happened to me that night. It is the sole aspect of normalcy left in my life.

When we were evicted, my life fell down the drain a little. I started drinking- heavily. My grades started slipping right alongside my mental health. I had to take a few weeks to pull myself together, and I can gladly say that I am in a much better headspace to discuss this matter.

Now, for what you all are here for. I still work the night shifts, but I don’t close anymore. I usually leave at 10pm instead of 11pm now. I still see Tanya and Roger, and the new girl is nice too. Her name is Carly.

I now work the Self Check-Out counter in front of the exit. Carly is on the register now. I still see those “cops” around, but not as much. I think it is because I stopped posting about this.

The lights flicker occasionally, we’ll hear the freezer door creek too, but whenever we check, it’s always closed. We’ve also started to hear the doors on the bathroom stalls slam violently and repeatedly. But the thing that sends chills down my spine the most, is the voices. Or voice, I should say.

It’s Abby. The first time I heard her, I was crouched down, organizing the candy shelves near the register. Tanya was about ten feet away. I heard a shrill, weak voice call out my name, and I almost pissed myself right there. It felt like it was right in my ear, and I could almost feel her breath tickle the back of my neck. I almost fell backward.

Tanya asked what the hell I was doing in her usual sarcastic tone. I told her what happened and she said she wouldn’t have believed me had she not experienced all that we had.

The second time, I was alone. I was on break, eating a small sandwich from the deli. The break room is past the freezer, down the hallway with the offices. It is pretty new, and it has a fridge, microwave, toaster, and sink. There are windows on the wall between the room and the hallway.

The TV wasn’t working on this particular day, so I was on my phone. I was at the table pushed up against the wall with the windows, and I was in the seat that faced the windows. I felt air brush by the back of my neck. I turned around quickly, but all I was met with was an empty breakroom and TV projecting static. But I could swear the TV was off, it wasn’t on when I had come in about 5 minutes prior.

Thoroughly freaked out, but not ready to end my break I turned back around. I idled on my phone for a few more minutes before I heard her voice.

Shrill and weak.

“Kate… please.”

I looked up and I saw her face in the reflection of the glass.

That was enough for me to end my break. I picked up my sandwich and threw it in the fridge along with the receipt. As I turned to leave the room, I heard her pleading voice once more.

“Don’t go, help me please.”

I don’t know why I came to this conclusion, but something in my chest told me this wasn’t Abby.

“I’m sorry, but you’re not Abby. She’s gone.” I said as I turned to leave the room.

When I crossed the threshold of the door, the voice that was once weak and feminine became distorted. A male voice seemed to reverberate under Abby’s.

“Won’t you stay, Kate?” The distorted voice said, “It gets awful lonely back here.”

I took that as my queue to leave at a brisk pace. The distorted voice turned to a raging, demonic screeching as I reached the timeclock at the end of the hallway. I didn’t bother clocking back in from my break.

As I briskly walked towards the black swinging doors, the screeching subsided. But another sound replaced it. One I knew all too well.

A slow, creaking coming from behind me. Baritone in pitch, and agonizingly slow.

I didn’t have to turn around to know it was the freezer, I walked through those double doors and didn’t look back.

That day was Tanya’s day off, so a different manager, his name was Matt, I think, was closing. I didn’t bother mentioning anything to him, because something deep inside told me that no one else heard what was going on.

Nothing else happened that night, but as I left the store, I heard Matt mumbling something about the freezer door being cracked open.

Those are the two most notably instances. Every once in a while, I will feel a breeze push past me or the faintest sound of a whisper. I often see the lights flicker in the hallway near the freezer and the back offices.

However, I have felt this heavy, dark, presence building in the backrooms over the past week or two. Whenever I had gone back there, I get this heavy feeling in my chest.

I really feel like I took this lack of activity for granted, because I feel something building and I don’t like it at all.

The “cops” pop up here and there, like I’ll see them on my drive to school or when I get coffee. But it’s a lot less frequent than it used to be.

Thanks for being so patient with my updates. This is all I have for tonight, I have my calculus midterm tomorrow so wish me luck on that. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out.

Goodnight friends, and stay safe out there.