Placing products on shelves has always been one of Apricot’s least favorite chores. She regarded the boxes to be overly colorful and restocking shelves with no end in sight made for a long day. Cartoon images of various animals appearing on the front brought back memories of early childhood. The morning bustle before school started, scarfing the sugary flakes down before running out of the house.

Apricot draws a step back to inspect the row of boxes to make sure they are evenly placed on the shelf. She glances over toward her left to spot a man staring at the fixture. He is mumbling to himself but it was too quiet for her to make out. She grabs another box out of the cart and continues disregarding the man’s strange behavior.

As she places the next box on the shelf, the man becomes more audible releasing a whisper. “Why are you looking at me?” Apricot glances toward the man. She considers the man may have a mental condition and decides it’s best to ignore him hoping instead he would just leave. As she reaches for another box, the man swivels his head to gaze directly at her. “Why are you staring at me!” he shouts.

She jumps, the hollering startling her. Apricot puts her hand on her chest gathering her self. “I am sorry sir, I was not looking at you. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Stop looking at me!” the man yells at her. She turns her head away from the man clutching the cereal box. He continues gawking at her releasing a low growl. Her eyes glance. “Don’t look at me.” the man barks with bladed words. Apricot turns away, taking several short steps to create distance.

“Why are you looking at me!?” the man yells again releasing a loud audible stomach turning gag. Fluid spills out of his mouth onto the floor. Apricot twists back to the man. “Are you all right sir?” she yelps reaching for him.

“Don’t look at me!” the man howls, gagging again. A set of long-fingers grabs the sides of his mouth. Apricot freezes unable to disregard what she beholds. The hands push unhinging his jaw. Its face rips open bleeding red streams as the stretching muscles tore. He continues to gag as his throat splits open. Out of the open maw, a wad of tumorous flesh rises from the ripped cavity. In the wad’s middle is a sideways mouth. It spreads open revealing teeth and a long snake-like tongue. The hands pull further revealing a slimy mucus covered body.

Apricot screams backing away from the creature. At the end of the aisle people from around the store gather watching in horror as this abomination crawls out of the pulpy mess. The creature is stuck as it attempts to escape the cocoon like a snake with half swallowed prey. With a groan and a bloody burst, the creature rips the body in half exposing the rest of it’s bloody carcass. Clutched in each of the creature’s hands is half of the corpse. The abomination regards the soggy curtains of tissue in hand. It shifts its head towards Apricot and throws the flesh wad at her. The slab of meat slams into Apricot knocking her to the ground covered in gore.

Taring to remove the remains from her skin she shrieks. Apricot kicks her feet away from the pile of flesh and contorts her body from seeing the creature. Anything to get away from the abomination. She found that she had lept to her feet slipping on the blood-covered floor landing on her knees again. It hurt but at the moment the pain is the least of her worries. She turns her head to watch a man smashing a glass bottle on the back of the thing’s head. Several shards of glass stick out like spikes. The creature turns towards the man and in that fluid motion it grabs his head in its fleshy fingers. He screams before the creature rips off his head as if plucking the blossom of a flower. “Holy shit!” Apricot screams rising to her feet running as fast as she can away from the thing.

She rounds the corner and runs past the aisles towards the produce section where the warehouse is located. A crash directs her sights to the shelves avalanching like dominoes. The creature runs over the shelves towards her vaulting like some kind of feral animal. Sprinting as fast as she can Apricot heads towards the warehouse diving past carts of various vegetables and fruits. A young boy stands frozen with fear in the middle of the produce’s middle section.

Apricot swoops the boy up like a bird in arm. “Come with me.” she belts, yanking him along with her. The boy drags for a moment before he runs beside her. Once inside the warehouse, they run past several iron shelves. To the back of the room. Several other people had already arrived including a few of her co-workers.

“What the hell is that thing!” one of her coworkers yells.

Apricot holds the boy in her arms as he breathes heavy. She strokes his head. “It is ok.”

A voice enters Apricot’s mind saying “They hast not to lend mortal folly Apricot. Thou can save those folk. Giveth to the powers, I hast given thou.”

Apricot keeps staring at the entrance the screaming and crying not helping her mental state. She stood dazed watching the men grabbing objects to protect each other. Letting the boy go, Apricot clutches her fist. “It will be ok kid,” she whispers a sense of dread welling up inside her.

“Hie, fight!” commands the reaper in her head. Apricot takes a measured step as a surge of fire runs down her arm. The drumming of her heart is like a ancient tribal war-song. It fans the bravery in her to burn into a blaze.

The creature comes rushing through the entrance charging towards Apricot with its strange parasitic mouth open, claws like bone extended. Right before it impacts her a metal pole lances the creature’s chest. The thing lets out a wet scream, breaking Apricot out of her adrenaline rush. Her co-worker holds the snapping creature in place. “Get back!” he yells. A hiss escapes the monster’s strange mouth as its tongue launches out wrapping onto the man’s neck. Apricot takes a step back as the butcher passes her with a knife, with a burly slice the knife glides through the tongue releasing her co-worker. He tumbles to the floor. The creature turns its head to the man letting out a roar, but the pole jabbed in its chest buries itself deeper as the co-worker twists it letting out a roar of his own.

The abomination swings its arms at the man who holds the metal pole in place. Its claws just miss the man’s face. Out of the corner of Apricot’s eye, flashes light the entrance to the warehouse. A pair of officers shoot several shots into the creature’s back. Bright white flashes burst through its body. The creature lets out one last cackle before bursting into static fizzling out like dying embers. The metal bar drops onto the floor as if nothing was ever there.

Apricot’s mouth hung open as she watches the events unfold. The boy next to her whispers in her ear. “I don’t like your friend very much.” She turns her head to face him but he had run to the back of the room and out the fire escape.

“Everyone stay calm.” dictates one of the police officers. “We need everyone to be compliant and we can get everyone out of here. You have been exposed to a hallucinogenic agent. If you will please come with us, we can administer an antidote.” Apricot turns her head to recognize several other officials in white hazard suits walking into the room.

“That was no hallucination. That happened.” Apricot says to herself.

In a dark corner of the warehouse, Apricot could see the reaper observing her. “Thou hast become a shameful disappointment.”