Aaron frowned at the sound of thumping. He followed the sound, and to his horror, he found the industrial freezer door barricaded.

“I’ll be right back!” he shouted to whoever was hitting the door.

Aaron rushed around the restaurant in search of anything to help him pry off the wooden slats nailed to the door. He tried to think who had been on schedule that day. There had been Anna and Chris, and the new kid had supposed to come in for training. He had seen no one out on the floor.

Aaron found a hammer in the proprietor’s office, and he rushed back to the freezer. He pried off the wooden slats, and he yanked open the heavy door. The person beyond the door wore a face of rage, unrecognizable under the blood splattered all over him.

Aaron’s heart hammered in his chest as the person leapt forward, hand gripping his shoulders, and the man’s mouth clamped around his throat.