✲꘏✲ CORINNE FALLEN ✲꘏✲
"Thank you. Come again!" Corinne says that the customer left after paying for the goods he brought from Congee Mini Mart, the convenience store she works at.
Sighing, she taps on the cashier counter table as she is left alone again, only the soft melody of the music is being sounded all over the store. Corinne Fallen is working as a part-time sales clerk on the graveyard shift. It is a tough job, but she needs this since she must pay her rent this month.
Her landlady keeps bombarding her to pay the rent of her flat as soon as possible. If she doesn't pay by the end of the month, she will be forced out to live in the streets. She hisses at that thought. She attends two part-time jobs while the other job she attends the later afternoon as a waitress in a restaurant.
'Payday is so close, Corinne. Endure this hellish job...' She sighs, uttering to calm herself. She can't possibly panic right now. Although it is scary to be a sales clerk on the graveyard shift, it is almost isolated. Rumors she heard that some swindlers were lurking around the area. Additionally, she needs to stay in this store until 5 AM.
So far, she hasn't experienced being burglarized in the store she is working at. She is thankful for that. She stretches her arms and gets out from the counter to check the goods displayed on their shelves. She has to keep her sanity at bay because she is the only one right here in the store. She has no one to talk to and only a few people visit the store at this hour.
She checks the shelves to see if there is needed to refill in some sections. After checking, she returns to the counter and waits there. She inspects her wristwatch and smiles upon seeing that thirty minutes are left before she can skedaddle from her work. She just needs to wait for Mia and Noah to come here to log in.
Yawning, she fixed her posture when a new customer came in. "Good morning!" She greets the male customer in his hooded jacket. He goes to the liquor section, and Corinne just waits there, looking at the CCTV monitor. She is a bit anxious but keeps it cool as she patiently waits for the customer to come to the cash counter, where she is settling.
Corinne watches the man pacing back and forth in front of the liquor shelves. She sees how his hands keep on caressing by pressing them together. Sighing calmly, she grabs the telephone and carefully watches him so that she will call 911 immediately if anything goes wrong.
With a heavy breath, when the man takes a case of canned beer from the fridge, she can't help but get the pocket knife she hid on her side. She knows about the saying don't judge the book by its cover but she can't help but get nervous.
'One wrong move from him, and I will slice him out... I think.' She says, unsure. She knows the fundamentals of martial arts but only remembers it when she was in her first year in their Physical Education subject.
"Good morning!"
Her eyes darted to the glass door that automatically opened. Her heart is at ease when Noah arrives, waving at her. She hides her knife in her pocket and smiles at him.
Corinne looks at the time. It is already 4:39 AM. "Good morning, Noah. You arrive... so late?" She grins as Noah checks into the biometric time clock.
Noah chuckles. "You consider that late? Hilarious!" He shakes his head and goes to the locker room.
She sighs in relief and sees the man placing the case of can beer on the countertop. Corinne greets and smiles at the man before she punches the serial of the item.
"That would be 35.99 dollars, sir," Corinne says.
With a stony expression, the man stares at her and then places his payment on the table. Corinne wants to smile wryly at him, but she stops herself.
"Thank you! Come again!" When the man is out of sight, she leans on the table and wipes the cold sweat on her forehead. She sighs again in relief.
"Something happened?"
Corinne turns at Noah and shakes her head. "Nothing," she lies. "I need to get going. I want to go home now and I want to sleep." She goes to the locker room, preparing to log out with the biometric clock. "Oh, by the way, Noah."
"Yeah?"
"Tell the boss I have already rechecked the checklist she wanted me to do."
"Alrighty. Will inform her later."
She feels relief from that after logging out. She bids goodbye to him. She knows that Mia will arrive no later than the arrival time. Corinne looks up at the sky and sees the strong blue tone in the sky.
She smiles. "Blue hour, huh." The sun is about to rise in the east. She can't wait to go home now.
She takes the shortcut to her flat through the alley of big buildings after minutes of walking. This is her usual route every morning after her graveyard shift. As she is taking strides, she suddenly feels uneasy. She looks behind her when she feels like someone is behind her.
Her eyes widened upon seeing the man, her last customer, from the convenience store. "What-"
Her words are cut off when the man covers her mouth and nose with a chloroform handkerchief. Then, she feels something prick in her stomach. Turning her head at him, she pushes him away and touches her stomach when she feels pain.
'Shit... I should have called 911 if this is going to happen to me...' She steps back, blinking. Her vision is getting blurry, but she sees the blood in her hand.
"Say goodbye to 'this' world," the man says wickedly before he holds her hair and stabs her heart so many times.
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