It had been a crap day at work and I was very tired, very bad tempered, very hungry and couldn’t wait to get the store locked up and to get home! I’d lived on my own now for over a year since my wife and I had split up and I thought I had started to enjoy my own company, sitting in front of the TV screen most nights.
Once indoors I drew the curtains, turned up the central heating, put on the sidelights and popped my dinner that I had prepared that morning, in the oven. Once everything was cooking nicely, I went upstairs and had a shower to wash the grime of the day away; it certainly seemed to perk me up a bit. Pulling on a pair of shorts and t-shirt I returned downstairs and grabbed a cool beer from the fridge. It really tasted good and made me feel more relaxed than I had early in the day at work. I took dinner from the oven, placed it on a tray and sat down in front of the TV, channel hopping to find a programme that was interesting to watch.
I had just taken a mouthful of my dinner when there was a ring of the doorbell. I wasn’t expecting anyone so I was curious and maybe a touch excited that someone was calling on me, maybe I was getting a bit lonely after all! I opened the door and the smile on my face quickly disappeared at the sight of a few kids dressed in weird costumes chanting “ Trick or Treat”. Of course it was Halloween, no peace tonight! I went and got some sweets to give them and returned to my meal. I had just finished it off when the doorbell went again, yes you’ve guessed it, more kids and more trick or treating. I gave them the last of the sweets I had in the house, left over from last Christmas I guess, and returned to the kitchen to wash up my dinner things.
Once done, I sat down again and found an interesting film to watch with another beer. Then the doorbell rang again. I decided to ignore it but the caller became more persistent, and just kept knocking and ringing. I got up, my bad temper returning and flung the door open to be greeted by yet more kids, older looking this time, maybe in their late teens, dressed in costumes that I recognised I had sold in my store. “ Trick or treat “, they cried. “ Listen guys,” I said, “I’m sorry I’ve no more sweets and I’ve had a real crap day, so please go away and leave me alone, I’m trying to watch the TV.” “Go on” they said, “don’t be such a mean bastard, give us some beer or sweets!” “Fuck off”, I replied and with that, I shut the door and went back to the lounge.
It seemed I had just sat down when the phone rang, more bloody interruptions. I looked at my watch and realised that I must have fallen asleep as it was just turned 11pm. It was the alarm monitoring company and they said that the burglar alarm had gone off at the store. Thanking them, I quickly got dressed in some jeans, put on my shoes and left my house for the 5 miles drive to the shop. It had started to rain and there was a light mist in my car headlights. Once there, I heard the alarm was still ringing so I walked around the building, checking the windows and doors using my torch, but all seemed in order, except that the mist was getting thicker. I unlocked the side door, entered my code into the alarm panel and the silence after the shrill tone of the alarm seemed overwhelming.
I flicked the switches and the lights on the sales floor, stock room and office came on. I listened carefully but could hear no indication that there was anyone else in the building. Another false alarm I thought. I walked around the sales floor and I was just near to the Halloween costumes, when without any warning the lights failed and I was left in total darkness. Shit I thought, what’s gone wrong now!
I flicked on my torch, but the batteries were low and the beam was getting fainter and fainter. I quickly made my way to where the batteries are stored on the shop floor, grabbed some from the display when I suddenly heard footsteps behind me and felt great pain in my head and fell to the floor, my world in total darkness.