Late afternoon sunlight soaked through the streaky windows of the corner sandwich shop, casting dappled shadows over the empty tables and uniform tiled floors. The popular chain restaurant stood empty between the lunch and dinner hours, but it would not stay that way for long. Sadie knew better. She had worked enough evenings alone to know that by the end of her seemingly short five-hour shift, her feet would be throbbing with a terrible ache, her mind would be buzzing with orders, and the odd smell of freshly baked bread mixed with jalapenos would be clinging to her clothes.
Sadie only half-listened as her manager, Ellen, went over the non-exciting events of the afternoon shift. She readjusted the mandatory logo baseball hat over her tight blonde ponytail, whisking a few fine flyaway hairs behind her ears as she nodded in response to Ellen’s droning. Her fingers played with the fabric of her maroon polo shirt. It was the smallest shirt the restaurant could provide her, and it still hung loose and unflattering over her small frame. Her mind was on the final she would have to study for after the shift when she realized Ellen was waiting for her to say something.
Sadie jerked her head up to meet Ellen’s gaze and cleared her throat. “Sorry, what?”
Ellen gave her a reproachful look, arms crossed over her rail-thin chest. “I said the new guy didn’t show up for his training this afternoon. Nathan. I tried calling him, but no answer. He might have gotten confused and thought he was supposed to come in tonight. If he does, show him the schedule and tell him he gets one more chance.”
“Sure,” Sadie agreed. It wouldn’t be the first time. She had seen many bumbling teenagers come through the doors excited for their very first job only to completely misread the schedule.
Despite the deep frown lines that defined Ellen’s features, she was a kind manager, full of patience and wisdom for newcomers. She believed in second chances, and even third chances on some rare occasions. Sadie had been working at the restaurant for almost a year and had never once heard Ellen raise her voice to an employee, no matter the severity of the mistake. She had a great respect for her manager, and almost felt bad that she would be leaving in two weeks in favor of a job where she wouldn’t have to work alone.
“Ellen?” Sadie began as her manager removed her baseball cap, revealing her graying pixie cut.
“What’s up?” she asked as she slid the register drawer closed and dropped the sealed money envelope into the safe below it.
“How long will there only be one person on the closing shift?” It was a question that had been gnawing at Sadie’s mind ever since Mr. Farmer, the franchise owner, had instructed all the stores in the area to not schedule a second closer, over a month ago. Not one for confrontation, Sadie accepted the change but not without some reluctance. The place could get slammed fast, and it was hard to make sandwiches and ring customers out in a timely manner when the line was backed up to the door. And since she was almost done with this job, she felt it was her duty to ask Ellen about it for the sake of the other employees.
Ellen sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know, Sadie. Whenever Mr. Farmer decides we’re making enough money to have a second person. I don’t like leaving people here alone at night either, even if this is a safe area, but I’d be the one paying for it if I put an extra person on the schedule.”
“It’s not really safety I’m concerned about,” Sadie said, absently rubbing a damp cloth over the cutting board that served as the sandwich-making station. “It just gets so busy. Last night I could barely keep up and three customers yelled at me about having to wait so long.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Ellen said sincerely. “I’ll try and talk to Mr. Farmer, but you know him. He doesn’t budge when money’s involved. He wasn’t thrilled about having to hire a new person to replace you.”
Sadie looked down at her feet. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Ellen said, breaking into a smile that diminished any trace of her frown lines. “This isn’t a permanent job for most people, and he should know that.”
Sadie smiled. “Thanks.”
“Sure, kid,” Ellen said and opened the gate that separated the employees-only section from the rest of the restaurant. “I have to get out of here. My kids are probably expecting dinner. Call me if that new guy shows up, okay?”
“Sure thing,” Sadie agreed.
Ellen gave her a wave and walked out into the orange haze of the late afternoon, leaving Sadie alone. She didn’t expect the customers to start trickling in for another hour or so, and she kept herself busy cleaning the crevices between the containers holding the sandwich fixings, filling the condiment bottles, and making sure the drink cups were well stocked. As she did her busy work, she kept an eye on the door, watching the light outside fade from orange to purple as the sun dipped below the horizon. The parking lot was empty and only a few cars passed on the street.
Out of things to do up front, Sadie took the inventory clipboard off the wall and went into the walk-in refrigerator to take stock of the boxes of vegetables, keeping an ear open for the bell above the door. The counting didn’t take long. Ellen had done it the day before and most of the numbers hadn’t changed.
The customers would be coming in soon, and Sadie hung the clipboard back up on its nail to wait for them. She stepped out to the sandwich-making area and let out a short, startled yelp when she saw a man standing at the register.
“I’m so sorry!” she cried, quickly washing her hands in the sink and pulling on the cheap plastic gloves. “I didn’t hear the bell. I can take your order down here.”
The man lifted his head, and Sadie realized he wasn’t as old as she originally thought. He looked to be about her age, but his shaggy, greasy brown hair hung in his eyes so she couldn’t tell for sure. Standing straight, she saw that he was quite tall, almost six feet, and when his eyes met hers, a warning knot tightened in her stomach.
“I’m not here to order.” His voice, silky smooth but somehow rough around the edges, caused that knot to give another clench. “I’m Nathan. I just got hired.” He brushed the hair out of his face, his eyes never leaving hers.
Alarm bells burst through Sadie’s mind, blaring so loud in her mental space that it took her moment to think. There was something in those flat, dark eyes that held her gaze, unblinking.
She swallowed thickly and forced the alarm away. “Oh.” He was just the new guy, here to get his schedule. That was all. “You were supposed to come in this afternoon.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, still unmoving from his spot, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. “The manager left me a message. She told me to come write down my schedule.”
With every word he spoke, Sadie felt her body tighten. She became more and more stiff until her arms were crossed tightly over her chest. “Sure,” she said, mentally scolding herself for the unnecessary fear. He looked like any other new hire. Baggy jeans, band T-shirt, desperately in need of a haircut. Yet still, that gut feeling clenched her.
She let out a breath and removed the plastic gloves, glancing behind him, hoping to see a customer approaching; a whole, long line of them.
There was no one.
“I’ll get it for you,” she offered, taking a step backward, her eyes never leaving him.
“I know where it is,” Nathan informed her, and her heart leapt painfully into her throat as he pulled open the gate that separated them.
Her breath caught and her vision tunneled to a pinpoint as he approached her. She barely registered that she was pressing herself against the sandwich line as he walked past her and disappeared into the back.
Sadie stood, the cutting board digging painfully into her lower back, her hands gripping either side of it until her knuckles turned white, unable to move. How many times had an employee come in during her shift to check the schedule? Too many to count. How many new hires had wandered into the store apologetic and nervous about missing their first shift? Plenty. This was a scenario she had encountered more times than she could remember at this place, but something was different with this guy. Something was wrong with this guy.
She forced herself to loosen her grip on the cutting board and prayed with all of her strength for a customer.
Nathan emerged from the back with a sheepish smile that did not reach his eyes, rubbing the back of his head like a kid who knew he was about to get scolded. “My bad,” he said in a voice that was not quite convincing. He had stopped directly in front of Sadie, blocking her path to the gate. “I got my days mixed up.”
Sadie’s heart pounded an erratic beat in her chest. Her cell phone was her in her purse, stashed under the register. She may not be able to reach the phone in the back in time. In time for what? the leaping, frightened part of mind shot at her. There was an emergency exit in the back, but the door was barricaded with a heavy bar that had to be lifted off in order for it to open. Her heart gave a thud hard enough to send black spots shooting across her vision. She had never encountered a fear like this, and this man was standing too close, too close, too close.
She took a step back. Nathan stayed in place.
Taking a quick breath to gain control of herself, Sadie motioned to the door. “Well, I’ll let Ellen know you stopped in.”
“Thanks.” There was that smile again, more of a bearing of teeth than an actual smile. His dull eyes remained lifeless. His teeth glistened with saliva. He remained rooted to the floor. “I can’t wait to work with you.” Even his words were dull, devoid of any true feeling.
Sadie clenched her fists to keep herself from trembling. “This is my last week.”
“Oh.” His eyes caught hers again, unmoving, unblinking. He stared, and each tick of the clock behind Sadie echoed in her ears. The hair on her arms prickled. He was staring for far too long, and still, she prayed for a customer.
Finally, his stare broke as he gave a curt nod. “That’s a shame.” His eyes trailed over her body and Sadie felt a dripping disgust. He stopped at her name tag. “Sadie,” he finished with one more nod.
Without another word, Nathan stepped away from her and opened the gate. He said nothing as he pushed open the door, the bell jingling merrily above him, and stepped out into late twilight. Sadie watched, unmoving, until he disappeared around the corner. There were no cars in the lot. She could only hope that he was actually gone.
Suddenly, her entire body relaxed. She felt her stomach drop and for one brief moment, Sadie wondered if she might actually vomit. Electric jolts shot through her chest as the adrenaline washed over her. She stood, hand pressed to her chest, eyes never leaving that door, listening to the seconds tick by. She took slow, deep breaths until she felt sure he was actually gone.
Still, there were no cars in sight.
Sadie walked into the back on legs that felt like rubbery stilts and lifted the wall phone from its cradle. For one fleeting moment, she considered dialing 911, but what could she possibly say? That a new employee came in to check his schedule? That was, after all, all that had happened. He hadn’t even been in the store for ten minutes.
Ellen’s cell number was taped to the cradle, and Sadie dialed it with shaking fingers. As it rang, she peered through the doorway to the front.
“Hey, did that Nathan kid come in for his schedule?”
Ellen’s cheerful voice was such a stark contrast to how Sadie was currently feeling that all of her words rapidly tumbled out at once, “Yes, and please don’t ever put me on a shift with him. Please. I know the schedule’s done and maybe you want me to train him or something, but I can’t Ellen. Please, please, please don’t schedule me with him. Please!”
“Whoa, slow down,” Ellen said, concerned. “What happened?”
“I…” Sadie paused, taking a moment to pull herself together. How could she possibly describe everything she had felt as Nathan stood uncomfortably close, staring deep into her face with those blank, flat eyes? “I just got a bad feeling about him,” she finished lamely.
“All right,” Ellen said. She sounded agreeable but could not quite hide the concern still in her voice. “I can take care of the training, then. Are you okay?”
Sadie nodded, the receiver pressed tightly to her ear bouncing with her. “I’m okay.”
“You sure?”
“Yes,” Sadie assured her, although her legs felt like jelly and her stomach dripped with an unpleasant oozing sensation. “I’ll be fine. See you tomorrow.”
“All right,” Ellen said, although Sadie felt that she was still not quite convinced. “Call me if you need me.”
They said their goodbyes and Sadie placed the phone back on its cradle. She leaned against the wall, taking steadying breaths and trying to put the encounter out of her mind. After a moment, the storefront was bathed in headlights as a car pulled into the lot. Sadie had never been so happy to see a customer.
She stepped to the front, washed her hands, and pulled on the plastic gloves. When the middle-aged couple walked into the store, she did her best to put the first part of her shift behind her and greeted them with a smile.
Sarah McKnight has been writing stories since she could pick up a pencil, and it often got her in trouble during math class. After a brief stint teaching English 
to unruly middle schoolers in Japan, she decided she wasn’t going to put off her dream of becoming a writer any longer and set to work. With several novels in the making, she hopes to tackle issues such as anxiety, depression, and letting go of the past – with a little humor sprinkled in, too. A St. Louis native, she currently lives in Pennsylvania with her wonderful husband and three cats. Find Sarah at: https://linktr.ee/sarahmcknightwrites
