Black Jack's

Chapter 4: First Sighting

Butterflies filled Shayna's stomach at first, but eventually they subsided and she became excited about her first shift at her first ever job. She didn't sleep much the night before after the phone call with Silvester, which showed as she nearly dozed off while taking a taxi to Black Jack's. Since it was in an industrial area, she didn't want to risk taking the bus and having to walk a couple of miles in the dark.

As the taxi drove away leaving her alone at the gate, she wondered if she was making a mistake. How did she know Silvester wasn't some serial killer who lured unsuspecting young girls into Black Jack's to murder them?

Her fears were whisked away as she noticed someone in a trench coat approaching from the quiet building. As the man stepped closer, she realized it must be Silvester.

"Lovely evening, isn't it?" He asked with a smile.

Silvester looked a lot younger than she had expected, despite having a dark goatee that made him look like a magician.

She looked up into the night sky as the lone street lamp flickered.

"Shall we?" Silvester held out his arm and she took it without question.

He guided her into the building and into a pitch black hallway. An exit sign overhead was the only source of light as Silvester stepped away, leaving Shayna by herself.

Moments later the lights flickered and turned on, Silvester walking casually down the hallway to Shayna's right. She waited patiently until he stopped in front of her with a uniform in hand.

"It's an old employee t-shirt, but it will do." He held it out for her and she accepted it. "I will show you to the security office where you will watch the cameras tonight."

Shayna followed the young man down the narrow hall and then into a room as he flicked the lights on. A dozen monitors were stacked on the desk, with only three of them seemingly functional.

"Do you only have three cameras?" Shayna queried as she set her work shirt down on the desk.

"No," he chuckled as he shook his head. "We don't turn all the lights on in the building. What you see are the main gate, the door we entered through and the east lot. Everywhere else the lights are off."

"Why?" She asked.

"To save on electricity of course." Silvester smiled. "You can't reopen a business if you're in debt."

Shayna was a bit confused, but she thought better of prodding more so soon.

"Is there anything you need before I leave?"

"I wouldn't mind knowing where the washroom is," she answered. "And what about a key?"

"Ah yes." Silvester reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold key on a piece of black string. Holding it in the palm of his hand, he looked into Shayna's eyes. "Don't lose it."

"I won't." She slowly lifted her hand and then took the key from him.

"As for the washroom, follow me." Silvester walked by Shayna and turned left down the corridor. She shoved the key into her pocket and hurried after him, nearly stepping on his heels as she caught up.

On their way back she noticed a bloody claw mark on a door with a padlock on it. She stopped and stared at the mark, reaching to feel the surface.

"Shayna?" Silvester called out calmly before her fingers touched the metal door.

She quickly turned her head to face him as she pulled her hand away from the mark.

"Yes?" Feeling like a deer in the headlights she froze.

"I know there's a lock on the door, but stay away from that room." He spoke so calm yet eerily. "Come on, I have to go."

Shayna felt as though she had been warned, but not scolded. It made her wonder why Silvester had warned her, yet didn't bark at her to stay away from it.

She followed him back to the office and stopped next to the swivel chair with peeling armrests.

"I have to go now, but if you need anything, just pick up the phone and call my cell phone. The number is on the sticky note there. Good luck." Silvester nodded slightly and then disappeared with his trench coat rippling slightly as he briskly walked away.

As the sound of his foot steps disappeared down the hall, Shayna watched on a monitor as he walked out the front door and then disappeared from sight. Less than a minute later headlights could be seen as a car pulled out onto the road. Silvester got out, locked the gate and then drove away.

Unsure as to whether it was to keep burglars out, or keep Shayna in, she closed the office door and then sat down in the chair. She slouched in it as her eyes began to burn. Lacking sleep was beginning to catch up with her. So long as she stayed in the office and no one broke in, Silvester would be none the wiser if she dozed off for an hour or two.

Just as she closed her eyes and her head dropped down, there was a loud bang and the lights flickered. Her eyes shot wide open as she looked toward the office door and then at the sliding window in the wall.

The lights remained on, but she wasn't sure what the cause of the noise was. Curiosity got the better of her as she stood up.

She opened the door slowly, poking her head out and glancing both ways down the hall. There were no signs of intruders.

Wanting to confirm her safety, Shayna walked to the front door through which she entered and twisted the cold silver door knob. It was locked.

Well that's good, she thought as she turned around and headed in the opposite direction.

As she reached the office, she kept walking. She didn't stop until she found the scratched and bloodstained door again, yet to her horror it was no longer locked. It was wide open and pitch black inside the room.

A chill ran down her spine as she peered inside, unable to see a thing.

"Who, are you looking for?" Asked a raspy, yet slightly robotic voice.

The chill worsened as Shayna's eyes opened wide and her lips slightly parted. Turning toward the voice, an animatronic wolf became more and more clear in her peripheral until she was looking directly into its electric red eyes.

"Are you real?" She mustered.

Hunched over slightly, the animatronic moved slightly as it seemed to sigh.

It laughed. "Are you?"

Shayna stared and blinked. "Yes..."

"So am I," it stated as its jaw subtly moved.

She glanced down at the hands of the wolf, noticing the blood.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?" He retorted.

"Shayna," she replied after swallowing a lump in her throat.

"You may call me Wildcard."

As her fear slowly faded away, she asked, "What happened to you?"

Wildcard ignored her question and walked passed her with a clunk of each step. He stopped just inside the doorway, only his red eyes visible.

"That story will have to wait for another night, Shayna. The sun is almost up."

She furled her brow as Wildcard's eyes disappeared from sight. Not daring to follow him, she ran back to the office to find it was 3am. Staring at the time on the office phone, she had no idea where the night had gone.