Marcus from produce just out of the freezer light

Marcus from produce just out of the freezer light

I was closing the grocery store like I used to on Thursdays, counting the drawer in the little office. The lights in the aisles kept switching off behind me even though I hadn't touched them. I went to check the back door and the hallway to the stockroom was longer than it should have been, with our kitchen linoleum instead of the store tile. Someone was walking the same pace as me, just out of the freezer light. I thought it was Marcus from produce, then it felt like my old neighbor, the one who never waved. I couldn't find my phone. My shoes made no sound. I kept telling myself to turn around and lock the office, but I was only moving a little, like the floor was thick. A cart rolled by itself near the bread. I woke up before I saw a face, heart going, mad that I'd left the real back door unlocked in my head.