my name is Cadence I work the closing shift at a small Dive Bar in the quieter part of my town the place is right off the highway but the parking lot also has a back entrance that's available to the general town it's nothing fancy just a dimly lit spot where the regulars know each other by name and the Jukebox has been playing the same rotation of classic rock for years most of our customers are locals truckers passing through and the occasional lost tourist looking for a stiff drink I like it though the routine is predictable
the tips are surprisingly decent and I've learned how to handle the usual bar crowd the talkers the flirters the quiet Drinkers and the ones who just want to be left alone weekends are obviously a lot more hectic but the thing about working during the week is that I'm expected to work my night shifts alone I don't even get a bar back to pop in now and again yeah it's obviously easier work and slower during the week but I miss the company of my co-workers I tend to be pretty Vigilant during my shifts because we do
get the occasional bar fight considering the kinds of crowds we attract that's why I clocked the guy immediately it was sometime after 1:00 in the morning on a Tuesday when he walked in if I had to guess I'd say he was in his late 40s but he was extremely clean cut and well groomed not the kind of looking you'd expect from a guy his age in an area like this he was wearing a black turtleneck underneath a black trench coat definitely well dressed but casual about it I'm not sure how to explain it but he
had this Aura of sophistication about him that makes you think of money real money not the loud look at me kind he glanced around slowly before walking swiftly over to the bar and taking a seat I also remember him having oddly good posture but that's neither here nor there when I walked over he glanced at the bottles behind me and ordered something top shelf without hesitation as I was pouring his drink he asked me if I liked working here with a smile on his face it was a normal enough question so I answered him honestly
I told him yeah and smiled back I then made a joke about being a bartender or something I wish I could say I got a creepy vibe from him but that's not the energy he was giving off he genuinely seemed like a standup guy kind of like the single dad at his kids baseball game that gives the whole team a high five he chatted with me for a bit which I didn't mind since the bar was pretty quiet at that point eventually he asked me if I ever thought about doing something bigger which I admit
was somewhat bizarre again though not a totally creepy question given the nature of the situation I gave him my standard bartender smile and told him I was happy for now he nodded and sipped his drink seemingly disappointed at my answer for for reasons I didn't understand after a long pause he asked me what time I got off out of nowhere that question surprised me I hadn't picked up any kind of flirting from him whatsoever so I was a little disappointed to discover that our conversation had just been another one of those empty attempts at getting
my number I smiled and gave him a vague answer trying to brush him off in a friendly way without seeming uptight before he could answer I busied myself and began wiping down the counter but he didn't press he just smiled like he already knew then drained his drink and pulled out a crisp $100 bill laying it gently on the bar like it was nothing then without another word he walked out into the night I didn't really know what to make of the encounter I know it sounds like nothing but his demeanor was just so far
off my radar that I was intrigued either way I figured I was never going to see him again and got on with my life as it would turn out though I was wrong about a week later he came back only this time he wasn't alone there was a woman with him she Drew my attention since I hadn't seen her before she looked like she was in her mid-30s and was dressed in a way that didn't quite match her age trendy but off like someone trying a little too hard to blend in with a younger crowd
I watched her closely as the two of them approached the bar everything about her seemed calculated from the way she smiled too easily to the way she leaned against the bar like we were already friends as I was setting down napkins in front of them the very first thing she said to me wasn't a hello or a drink order but a compliment she put on this overly joyful smile and said you're so pretty her fingers brushed against my arm as she said it lingering just a second longer than normal I laughed and thanked her but
I could instantly tell that something was off about this woman the man didn't speak which I thought was also a little strange given that he had been so talkative last time they ordered drinks and poured them and that's when questions came flooding in the woman asked me how long I'd been working here along with how old I was and a bunch of other small talk questions like that I answered in short polite sentences but I got the sense that this wasn't small talk she was studying me at one point she looked over at the man
and it seemed like they were communicating despite not speaking she looked back back at me and told me that she ran an exclusive event Club she leaned in a bit as she said it lowering her voice as if to prevent her being overheard by another Patron she told me that she's always looking for young fun people for private parties and that I'd make a killing 10 grand for a weekend I let out a small forced laugh and told her it sounded too good to be true she insisted that it was real and told me that
a bunch of girls like me worked for them her smile never Falls altered at any moment which was starting to creep me out she steered the conversation back to the job circling around the same words fun safe exclusive then casually she said you should step outside for a second there's someone who can explain it better my pulse kicked up I wasn't playing around at that point I didn't even bother pretending like I wasn't creeped out I'm good I said in a firm voice no smile on my face this time just then a group of customers
walked in laughing and talking loudly the woman's expression changed in an instant her friendly mask slipping just slightly before she turned to the man beside her without another word they left I'd be lying if I said I wasn't unsettled after that those random people had just propositioned me for God knows what I told my co-workers and my boss about the situation and we all agreed to keep an eye out should those people return my boss assured me that he was always a 15-minute drive away should I need him and the bar security cameras were typically
enough to deter any misbehavior there wasn't really much I could do beyond that it's not like those people had done anything illegal I tried to push it out of my head but a few nights later after closing I saw the car it was parked across the street engine off just sitting there I tried to tell myself it was nothing but the feeling of being being watched crawled over my skin like static as I walked to my car I kept my head down my keys clutched tight in my hand when I pulled out of the lot
I checked my mirrors the car followed it stayed back just enough to avoid suspicion but every turn I made it was still there I took a random turn onto a side street and it followed another still there I started freaking out internally I knew it was them I forced myself to stay calm to think then without hesitating I navigated and pulled into the parking lot of a police station gripping the wheel so tightly my Knuckles practically turned white the second I pulled in the car sped off nothing happened after that for a while but I
knew it wasn't over it turned out I was right it was a slow weekday shift barely anyone coming in by midnight I was wiping down on the counter half thinking about closing early when the door creaked open it was the woman I immediately sent my boss a text as inconspicuously as I possibly could I looked back up and the woman was staring at me with that same artificial smile she walked slowly to the bar and sat down with her hands folded neatly I was debating just telling her to leave when she said thought I'd come
check on you my stomach started twisting but I did my best to to hide it I told her we were about to close and that she had to leave but she made this pouty face and asked for just one oldfashioned I thought about denying her but I figured pouring the drink would stall her long enough for my boss to arrive so I turned around and got started trying to keep my cool and then I heard it the soft unmistakable click of the front door shutting I whipped around the woman was gone I felt this awful
pit in my stomach as I stepped toward the entrance through the glass I saw it a black van idling just outside without thinking I locked the door as quickly as I could but then metal rattling from the back door someone was trying to get in I didn't think I grabbed the heaviest thing I could a metal Shaker and clutched it like a weapon as I dialed 911 with my other hand there was no way the police would get there in time so I thought about making a run for it out the front door but I
didn't for whatever reason I was bracing myself for a fight when I saw headlights pulling into the lot it was my boss the sounds on the back door suddenly stopped and a few seconds later the van pulled out of the lot with a screech I embraced my boss and told him what had happened and he said he had gotten the license plate of the van as it was leaving when the cops arrived my boss reviewed the security footage with them it was worse than I had imagined just before the woman left the cameras had captured
two mask figures crouching near the front door waiting there was another person in the back who was banging on the door with his fist clearly trying to flush me out to the front it was downright horrifying to make matters worse the plate number my boss had caught turned out to be unregistered it's been quite a while since this incident but no progress has been made the only good news to come out of the whole thing is that my boss doesn't make me work alone anymore despite that I'm still extremely uneasy anytime I'm scheduled for a
night shift I still question how they knew I'd be working alone it doesn't make any sense even now I often think about what would have happened had I given into fear and run out the front [Music] door I used to work the night shift at a gas station SLC convenience store off of quiet stretch of highway I say used to because after what happened to me a few months ago I won't work a night shift again it's a small station the kind that barely gets any business once it gets late most of my shift was
spent restocking shelves wiping down counters and occasionally ringing up a trucker or traveler passing through I remember the whole thing vividly it was just past 2:30 in the morning by then even the truckers had mostly dried up and I was left with with basically nothing to do I scrolled mindlessly on my phone trying to kill some time at one point I stepped outside for some air rubbing my hands together against the cold I exhaled a few times watching my breath disappear in the cold the parking lot was empty just the pumps the road and the
dark stretch of trees beyond the neon sign flickered faintly and I remember it being hazy out like you could literally see the moisture in the air even with the highway not too far off it was pretty silent out there right as I was about to walk back towards the store I noticed something move out of the corner of my eye I whipped my head around and realized there was a person standing behind one of the pumps how had I not noticed him earlier he was wearing a dark red hoodie with a hood up and he
had both hands shoved in his pockets there wasn't a car in sight so he obviously wasn't fueling up the only thing was he didn't seem to be heading towards the store either he was just standing there half turned toward the store like he was watching me at first I figured maybe he was waiting for someone but something about the way he moved rubbed me the wrong way he was kind of shuffling about in this circular pattern I entered the store but made sure to keep an eye on him through the glass I kept track of
him while pretending not to hoping someone would drive up and pick him up or something but after a few minutes he started walking toward the door slow at first then suddenly pushing inside like he made up his mind all at once he walked up to the counter but didn't say anything right away just stared at me like he was sizing me up then in a rushed almost rehearsed way he muttered that his car had broken down just before the pumps he said he needed a jump or maybe just a little gas to get to the
next town I was literally shocked he wasn't even trying to make his story believable like I couldn't believe actually expected me to buy his BS story I offered to call a tow truck instead no no he said too quick shaking his head he just needed a flashlight maybe some help checking under the hood something was definitely off that much was true the way he spoke the way he watched my reaction it felt like a test to be fair though people walking into gas stations at that hour are usually a little strange and I started wondering
whether he actually needed help and was just an odd person or on something I asked him where his car was parked and he told me it was just beyond the highway entrance I was obviously skeptical but then he pointed at the monitor behind me I turned to look at the screen and to my surprise there actually was a car parked out there I thought to myself oh crap maybe this guy really does need help and that's when it hit me I had literally just been outside and I would have remembered a car parked out there
I glanced back at the Monitor and saw the slightest movement near the car's back bumper someone was crouching just out of view a cold wave of dread hit me I forced a casual smile and agreed to help the guy but not before telling him I needed to grab my phone from the back office I turned slowly not wanting to Spook him but the second I was out of his direct sight I slammed my hand onto the emergency panic button under the counter the alarm went off instantly screeching through the store I expected him to attack
me but what he did instead was even more unsettling his nervous energy disappeared no more fake urgency no more shifting from foot to foot he actually relaxed his whole body language shifted and then he smiled not a panick smile not an embarrassed one either a slow knowing grin like he had all the time in the world like this was amusing to him I I was in shock I didn't even have time to get physical with him in one fluid motion he turned and bolted I ran to the monitors just in time to see both of
them take off not toward the car but into the woods behind the station the car just sat there engine off headlights off no one inside by the time the police arrived it was exactly as I saw it the car was still there but the men were gone no Footprints leading away no sign of them anyway anywhere and then one of the officers pointed something out something I hadn't noticed before the front passenger door was open there had been a third person inside the whole time the police took my statement down I turned over the surveillance
footage and that was that a few days later they followed up with me they had the car towed and ran the plates turned out it had been reported stolen nearly a week earlier over 100 miles away no one had come forward to claim it no reports of missing persons no other crimes linked to it just an abandoned vehicle in the middle of nowhere with no explanation that was months ago and still nothing I don't know why convenience stores are such popular targets but I can say for sure that I will never work another night shift
again [Music] this happened a couple weeks ago I work the night shift at Walmart it's not the worst job in the world but after a while it starts to feel like you're just floating through time the nights blend together same shelves same routine same dull hum of the overhead lights hopefully something better comes along I usually hang out in and stock the electronic section which is nice because it's quieter than the other areas people don't exactly come rushing in at 2: a.m. to buy phone chargers and Bluetooth speakers most of the customers are either night
owls killing time or truckers grabbing last minute supplies before heading back on the road that's why I noticed him at first I didn't think much of it just another guy wandering the aisles probably waiting for someone but after a few minutes I realized he wasn't shopping he wasn't even pretending to he just kept appearing every time I glanced up he was lingering nearby hovering in the next over or standing a little too still by the clearance section he wasn't looking at anything he was just standing there watching me I told myself I was overthinking it
the store is big and maybe he was just taking his time but the way he moved always just close enough for me to notice never actually picking anything up it set something deep in my gut on edge I was waiting for him to just get on with it and ask for my number but he never approached me it was like he wanted me to see him which didn't make any sense to me I went to radio someone about it but realized that the batteries in my radio must have been dead because it wasn't working eventually
I started debating whether I should go find a manager when I felt a hand wrap around my arm I nearly jumped out of my skin but before I could react a woman's voice rang out loud friendly overly familiar she exclaims there you are before going on a little spiel about how she had been looking all over over for me I turned completely thrown off and saw a woman I had never seen before in my life she was smiling her grip firm on my arm like we were old friends reuniting before I could say anything she
leaned in and whispered her tone dropping to something low and urgent that guy's been recording you follow me my stomach dropped I turned my head slightly just enough to glance back the man was still there only now he wasn't even pretending to browse he was staring right at me a cold wave of fear crept over me I let her pull me I didn't even question it the way she grabbed my arm the way she spoke so loud and casually like we were two old friends reuniting I clung to it I was beyond grateful that someone
had realized what was going on and put herself in an uncomfortable position just to help me she kept up the act as we walked rambling about something maybe a trip she had taken maybe an inside joke we supposedly shared I barely processed the words my thoughts were stuck on him had he really been recording me that was creepy as hell I wanted to know if he was still following us but I couldn't muster the courage to turn around Just Yet the woman steered me through the aisles moving fast I barely noticed where we were going
only that we were going that the distance between me and that man was growing in all honesty I was kind of expecting her to quit the pretending to know me at some point but she kept it up at one point it was getting a little uncomfortable so I glanced behind me and to my relief that man was no longer following the woman kept pulling me forward though I told her that we were good now and that we should probably go find my manager but she just squeezed my arm tighter telling me that he was lurking
somewhere I thought to myself so what what's he going to do in a store full of employees I was obviously worried at first because no one was around but now that I wasn't alone I started realizing that there wasn't much of a point at being scared anymore I told her this but she continued moving I told her I was serious and planted my feet twisting my arm slightly to loosen her grip you can let go now I said but she didn't she smiled at me but something in it was off come on just a little
further she said basically tugging me at that point I glanced around the store was basically dead we had moved past the registers pass the self checkout past the aisles that saw the most foot traffic the warehouse section loomed ahead dimly lit and nearly empty beyond that was the side exit the one without cameras the one employees used for loading shipments that's when it dawned on me she was leading me straight to the exit I didn't think I screamed for help as I yanked my arm free of her grasp with all my might she lost her
grip just enough for me to pull free I didn't waste another second I turned and ran toward the front of the store as I fled she yelled out something behind me she yelled for me to come back followed by my name which I hadn't given her I kept running until I saw one of my co-workers who was running toward me most likely reacting to my screaming I told them to call security which he promptly did that woman was long gone though by the time I told my story to the security guards that woman and that
man were nowhere in sight they reviewed the security footage and just as I suspected the woman and man walked into the store together she had been with him the entire time the man's face was clear as day in one of the frames but hers was always turned away I had a feeling she was The Mastermind behind the whole thing so I was infuriated that the cameras hadn't picked her face up every second of it had been planned the police got involved and the whole thing went down as a failed abduction attempt I'm still waiting for
a resolution about it that man should definitely be easy to track down given his face was caught on camera I have no idea how that woman knew my name that's what terrifies me the most those people hadn't just picked me at random I was a direct Target [Music]
