The Reporter

The dim red light from the “Open” sign reflects off the glass window, casting a dark red shadow on the back wall of the room. Leaning on the edge of the high counter, I fiddle with the strap of my shiny, new watch. The digital display shows “2:09 AM”. Barely half an hour has passed since Matt left, but it feels like eternity.

         “Don’t worry about it. As long as you follow the rules you’ll be fine, I promise. G’night!” He called over his shoulder before stepping outside.

         Sure, I’ll be fine. It’s my second day at work, I’m the only person behind the counter and it’s two in the morning. What could go wrong? 

My eyes travel across the vacant wooden tables. The bar is empty, except for a young couple in the back corner and an elderly man reading an outdated newspaper. At this time of night, there are no exciting sports events to distract me from my boredom. A plump, middle aged man in a tight suit sits behind a pristine desk, summarizing the supposedly exciting events that occurred during the BINGO championships. The monotonous voice of the news reporter hummed in my ears like a lullaby, and I stifled a yawn. Maybe some action would be nice.

As if to answer my prayers, the clang of the cowbell above the door awakens me from my stupor. Two men walk in with a sorry-looking Rottweiler trailing behind them. His fur is clumped and messy, and his eyes are unnaturally glossy. With a nervous churn I remembered one of the first rules Matt had reminded me about.

“Oh yeah- don’t allow any pets in here. The janitor is always complaining about fur and mud tracks.”

Should I go tell them? The men had taken a seat near the counter. The closest one pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to the other man. Great.

“No smoking- that’s a given. But, you know, you’ll always have those folks who try to sneak one in.”

I groaned underneath my breath. Here we go.

Just as I am about to leave the comfort and security of the counter, the door opens again. Maya rushes in, her blond locks streaming behind her.

“Haven!” She gasps.

“Maya? What are you doing here?” I ask her quizzically.

Collapsing on a high chair, she grins. “I need a drink”.

The two men forgotten, I laugh and turn to my supplies. “I can see that. Tell me something I don’t know.”

“It’s a girl.” She said, still panting.

“What?” I turn back to face her. “I thought she was due next week!”

“That’s what we thought to, but this morning she was literally screaming in pain. We took her straight to the hospital and what’dya know- a few hours later, I’m holding my baby brother!” Maya couldn’t stop smiling.

I lean over and wrap my arms around her skinny shoulders. “That’s great news! I’m so happy for all of you. But who’s with her now?”

The couple have gotten up to leave. The boy slams a few coins on the countertop and winks at me from behind his red bangs. I hear an exasperated sigh from the doorway as his girlfriend turns the corner. He leaves the rest of the bills on the counter and hurries after her.

“My dad’s there.” Maya continues, giving me an amused glance. “My sister is flying in tomorrow from Mexico. To be honest, I think she would have come even if my mom wasn’t giving birth. She tried the whole ‘living away from home’ thing, but I think she’s lonely. Although, last time I checked she had a boyfriend…”

I let Maya do most of the talking, because the lack of sleep is starting to get to me. After a few minutes, my eyes flicker back to my watch. 2:25 AM.

“Turn the heating off and make sure all the stools are up before you leave.”

Five minutes until freedom! I should probably start cleaning up. I look up to see that only one man and the dog are left in the bar. He returns my wide-eyed stare with a smirk. Where did the other man go? I don’t remember seeing him leave.

With an odd feeling in my gut, I turn back to my friend. “Hey, did you-”

I hear a click, and we plunge into darkness.

“Haven?” Maya reaches out to touch my sleeve. But instead of her nervous, comfort-seeking touch I am confronted with rough, aggressive hands. They cuff my mouth, forcing my scream back into my throat and drag me away from the counter. From the sounds of struggle in front of me, I can infer that Maya wasn’t lucky enough to escape.

Immediately, my mind races. Call 911? I would, if only I hadn’t left my phone on the counter. Fight back? Considering my size, that probably won’t get me anywhere.

“Agh!” A deep voice gasps in front of me, followed shortly by a string of curses. “That was my finger, Barbie.” The man growls. “Play nice. You’re at our mercy now.”

The fight drains out of my body, and I let myself be lead through the hallway. The only light comes from the weather forecast on the TV screen. On the bright side, if I don’t live to see tomorrow I won’t be missing out on a beautiful, sunny day.

The man speaks again. “This one’s the trouble maker. I’ll take her first. You put the other one in here for now.”

“ ‘Mkay.” My captor responds. I feel the pinch of cloth being tied around my mouth as I am unceremoniously shoved into a room with no windows. The door locks behind me.

Crashing into the cement wall, I slowly slide onto the floor. I feel something warm and sticky on my upper lip, and the salty tang of blood confirms my suspicion. My head throbs along with the rapid beating of my heart as I squint my eyes, trying to make out my surroundings by the light from the crack under the door. Maya? I try and put my thoughts into words.

“Mmph? MMMPH!” The foul taste of the cloth floods my mouth. I strain to hear her familiar, comforting voice through the gloom, but instead I catch the faint sounds of the reporter coming from the TV set in the main room.

“Just recently, Dairyland 1% Milk was recalled due to Melanine contamination…”

The picture of the plump man in the red suit resurfaces in my memory. It seems to be a lifetime ago when I was standing at the countertop, listening to Maya’s stories and watching the weather reporter prance across the screen in her red high heels.

It was then that I got my response. Her scream cut through the drone of the TV like a knife; sharp and high pitched.

“MMMMPH!” I called back desperately.

“…in North Vancouver yesterday. The dog was found dead in its owner’s yard with tufts of bear fur caught in its teeth.”

There is loud crash, followed by another shriek. I stumble blindly in the direction of the door, feeling the wall with my hands until they find the handle, but there is no point. The door is dead bolted.

“The police and local wildlife organizations are currently patrolling the area. Any persons with information are requested to…”

My knees buckle and I collapse onto the cold, cement floor. The tears begin to from and I can feel a sob stuck in the back of my throat. My eyes travel downwards to the dim glow of the dial on my watch.    2:33 AM.

“Turn off the lights, flip the sign on the door, and you’re finished!” Matt grinned.

I close my eyes and the tears spill over. He was right. I am finished.