Before Close

When Jared walks in, he notices something is off. Walt, the cashier he sees on most shifts, isn’t acting like himself. He’s normally laid-back, always ready to chat or complain about the coffee. But tonight, Walt is different. He’s quiet, tense, and avoids conversation. When Jared asks where the broom was left, Walt tells him not to worry about it. Says a pipe burst in the back and the hallway is off-limits until it gets looked at. That would be fine... if the story made sense. But the longer Jared stays, the more the excuse starts to fall apart. The sound in the building seems thinner somehow. The lights flicker a little too long between buzzes. The hallway Walt mentioned stays closed off…