the clock said 10:30 p. m. it was the last half hour of my shift and I just wanted to finish go home and leave the routine of frying food and ringing up orders behind me the kitchen was shut down the last customers had left and the restaurant was quiet it was just the three of us me at the counter Lisa clearing the tables and Mark in the kitchen finishing up Suddenly the metallic sound of the automatic door glided through the air a familiar sound that was disconcerting at this hour of the night the door opened slowly and a dark figure stepped inside he was covered by a hood I was rather annoyed as we were about to close but here came one of those people who come in at the last minute he approached the empty counter I had just finished packing my things and with some frustration I decided to go over and greet him in a polite tone but he was serious just standing in there with his head down as if he was deciding something finally he looked up and although I couldn't see his face clearly his eyes Shone with a mixture of impatience and something darker my body instantly tensed I asked if he needed anything trying to sound normal but my voice was shakier than I had expected the man didn't answer his right hand slipped slowly under his jacket and the glint of metal caught my attention it was a weapon and he raised it to chest height I felt the cold grip of death and my breath froze empty the register he said in a dry firm voice while with his other hand he pulled a small clear bag from his pocket and threw it on the counter my whole body froze it was as if I was floating outside of myself watching the scene from above for a moment I thought I was dead I just couldn't move my hand shaking uncontrollably my mind was racing too fast a whirlwind of thoughts what will happen if I don't will he shoot us has Lisa noticed does Mark know we're in danger the man banged the cash register with the barrel of his gun snapping me out of paralysis no he shouted and I felt the sharp edge of panic pierced my chest my fingers barely responded I fumbled as I tried to open the register the sound of the Bell as it opened was like a death nail my hands fluttered shaking as I pulled the notes out one by one stuffing them into the bag as I desperately searched the room for help I saw her Lisa was standing at the back of the restaurant Frozen with a rag in her hands and her eyes wide open not daring to make a sound every second felt worse than the last I could feel cold sweat running down my back and and every breath was a struggle the guy still had his gun raised expressionless staring at me intently when I was finally finished I pushed the bag towards him praying that it would be enough don't do anything stupid he warned as he shoved the bag into his jacket he took one last look at me with a Ry smile and turned to leave but just before the door closed behind him I saw it a small detail that chilled me even more in the back pocket of his jeans an iPhone with a black and white case was sticking out it wasn't anything important but for some reason it felt strange and stuck in my mind the man disappeared into the darkness of the night leaving a heavy dense atmosphere in the place I could feel my leg shaking so much that I had to hold on to the counter to keep from falling over are you okay Lisa asked her voice shaking I nodded without saying a word but the truth was that I was not all right I could feel his presence as if the air around me had been saturated with his Dark Energy the whole restaurant seemed distorted with shadows lurking in the corners watching me Lisa ran to the back and suddenly I was alone the silence that followed was worse it felt like something or someone was watching me from the Shadows hiding between the tables every little sound made my heart race the hum of the fridge in the kitchen the buzz of the lights everything sounded like a whisper as if fear had brought the place to life I looked at the door expecting something else to happen what if he comes back I thought what if he never really left the phone that damn phone kept popping into my head cops were called they checked CCTV footage man was unidentified because of the hoodie he was wearing but then they noticed the iPhone in his back pocket with black and white case the man with iPhone with black and white case was enough to track brown brown was tracked down through surveillance camera and was then arrested the real life case involved a man named Nathaniel Brown 42 who was arrested by Rockford Police for an armed robbery at a popey's restaurant at approximately 10:43 p.
m. on April 30th 2024 employees at the popey's on Auburn Street reported that a man later identified as brown robbed the business at gunpoint and forced them to empty the cash register into a light colored bag he then fled on foot but was tracked by police K9 units to Irving Avenue where they found an iPhone linked to Brown surveillance footage confirmed the suspect's actions and his phone thanks to a witness on 5 of May police followed a GMC Yukon driven by Brown and later saw video evidence from Auburn Manor showing him carrying a bag on the night of the robbery Brown is now charged with arm robbery I've been working at popey's for a couple of years now it's not the most glamorous job but it pays the bills I've seen my fair share of difficult customers people get angry about the smallest things when it comes to fast food missing biscuits cold fries wrong sides the usual stuff but this this was different it started like any other shift it was just past 8:00 p. m.
