Murder of Crows

Chapter One; The Graveyard Shift

You sighed, letting the mop soak in its bucket, leaning some of my weight on the old stick. You could feel my eyebags, my eye twitching uncontrollably. It was 1:13 AM, roughly three hours into your shift.
You lift the mop, placing it on your shoulder where you lock it in place with your head. You pick up the tin bucket by its handle, and awkwardly make your way to the large kitchen sink, dumping the remaining water before giving the bucket a rinse. Having the bucket and mop clean, you began your way to the door labelled "employee's only". The wood against tin made for a horrid clanking, the sound reflected wall to wall. Your shoes clicked against the tile, but aside from that, it was dead silent.
The room is of fair size, reasonable as it's the pizzeria's kitchen. Cast in silver, overhead fans occupied the ceiling above the stoves and ovens. Cabinets and drawers with non-stick surfaces wrapped around three out of four walls. A large double-door fridge stood in a corner, next to it was a sink, a plate rack, and a sort of "closet" where utensils must be stored. In the middle of the room, was an island... you honestly couldn't quite piece together where things went from there. The kitchen layout was intricate.
Once you ensured everything was as spotless as could be, you continued your way to the supply closet near the main stage. The clicks of your shoes on chequered floors continued as did the annoying clattering of the mop. You left the kitchen lights on, they were bright enough to illuminate the way to the supply closet. It was nice to walk straight through the main room, it's usually scattered tables and chairs stacked to the side, thanks to you. Decorations twirled from the ceiling, holographic ones glimmering in the light. The room had already been polished up, again, thanks to you.
It was only your second day on the job, but you were already getting used to it. You had spent most of last night cleaning up, it was a mess. You expected to find the restaurant in a similar state today, but you didn't. Of course, it was going to vary, children aren't predictable. But whoever last worked the night shift had no regard towards cleaning the corners and hard-to-reach areas. That wasn't an issue anymore, though.
Nearing the main stage, you expected to see the three animatronics you've kept an eye on since your first day. But they weren't, not entirely. There were only two animatronics on stage. You tried to keep calm as you took note of what Mr Emily said during your interview.
"...Strange occurrences."
You jumped when you felt something trace itself along your back, without thinking, you ran with the mop bucket back to the supply closet, locking yourself in there without even bothering to turn on the light. Your chest felt swollen, and your lungs compressed against your ribcage. You took deep breaths through your mouth and harshly expelled them through your nose. You made your way to look for the light switch, only to quickly remember the hanging chain which you felt slightly contact your head. You pulled on the rough chain, and to your horror...as the bulb flickered on, instead of being met with the small room occupied by rows of high supply racks against its walls, you were met with a bright yellow-coloured chest piece. You looked up slowly to see the thing looking down directly at you, Its long bunny ears pointing along with its snout. You stared at its, almost toxic, green eyes.
You had lost complete feeling in your whole body, but your pounding heart, screaming to be let out. The thing shifted its body, leaning down closer to you. Your hand, which was still grasping onto the chain in between the two of you fell limp, and numb, as did the rest of your body soon after. Your arm dropped, your fingers still hung onto the chain, consequently pulling the chain down with you. When you let go, it was too late, the chain had snapped back, and the light flickered off.
You reached back to turn it on as quickly as you could but all you felt was the soft fur of the animatronic. You flinched back, making another grab towards the chain, *click*, you caught it! It snapped back on and there was the rabbit, slouched. You stepped as far back as you could, feeling as if it was about to jump at you- but it didn't. The mascot stayed there. It was-
"It's just a robot," Your mind finally rationalized. Your heart faltered in relief, breath coming out in a sigh, and you chuckled. That chuckle became a giggle, then a laugh.
"Oh- Oh my goodness!" You covered your eyes with your hand, the rush of adrenaline declining and leaving you unsettled. You were amused but were still quick in storing the cleaning supplies, shutting off the light, and getting out.
You locked up the closet, looking back to the stage for a second. There were three figures on it again. You didn't give it much thought. Ring your thumbs on your belt loops you trudged over to the security office, switching on the hall light and going back to turn off the kitchen lights on your way. Once there, you threw yourself onto the chair, spinning lightly at the force. You pulled yourself over to the crowded desk, switching on the various monitors to begin the other half of your job: security. You kicked your feet up on the wooden desk, crossing your arms, you stared tiredly at the screens. The sounds of static nearly lulled you to sleep.
The rest of the night was a pattern. In your moments of drowsiness, you did laps around the building, playing soft music and illuminating the way with a flashlight. It wasn't super effective, but it kept you awake.
The hours came and went, and soon, it was 6:00. You packed your things, waving good morning to your co-workers as they entered the building. You couldn't wait till you were home.

Word count: 1050
Original publication: Feb. 6, 2022
Edited and published: Nov. 11, 2023