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Oh no! Conflict!

You can read the written portion here:
Working at the Superstar Daycare CH 22Chapter 22: The Closing Shift The quiet darkness made time stand still. My eyes traversed through the maze of tubes and bars in front of me. The shapes would morph and change in the dim lighting, making it difficult to make any progress. To what goal I wasn't even sure but my vision had to entertain itself some way while I was zoning out. Click Clack More noises soon joined in. A small chorus of clockwork. I snapped out of my trance. That's right, there was someone next to me this whole time. He was so quiet that my mind had tuned him out. After our little talk, I ran out of things to say. So we had just sat in silence for the past hour. I made several more trips down to check on the kids. Moon hadn't moved until just now. He had straightened his back and focused his attention on the door. Only for a moment before giving a message. LUKE HAS BEEN CHECKED OUT. FAMILY WAITS TO PICK UP. “Oh, okay... Which one is Luke?” I still didn't have everyone's names memorized. So I had no clue which kid to get. Thankfully, I had a walking-talking database right next to me. BOY. 3 YEARS. SHORT HAIR. WORE YELLOW TODAY. That's right! He was the one who fell asleep on Sun's back earlier. “Got it, I'll go get him,” before fully turning away I paused. “Wait, who will take him up there?” YOU. “But I can't leave the kids in there alone. And-” I stopped that sentence before it could finish. I doubted that Moon would take Luke up there. That would freak the poor thing out. And I had no idea what the families thought of Moon, it couldn't have been much better than what the staff thought. Plus, Sun never left the play area, even to take someone to their family. Why would it be different now? CAMERAS IN THE QUIET CORNER. I WILL WATCH. Would that count? I had no idea. But I didn't want to make the family wait much longer. Mr. Nico is here by himself normally so it must be okay... Still didn't feel right, though. All my jobs before this one would never let this slide. However, none of them had a robot caretaker either... I don't have time to linger on this! I shook my head and hustled down the ramp. I found Luke under a Foxy the Pirate blanket. I gently lifted him up, “You're getting picked up, hun,” I whispered softly. The boy merely mumbled in his sleep and rested his head on my shoulder. We made our way up the ramp. It was harder than I thought it would be. I've held older kids than this, but the incline in combination with my tender spot made me nearly stumble once or twice. My free hand pushed the curtain to the side. The space was oddly empty. I turned my head about trying to figure out why. I continued forward to the doors before my mind connected the dots. Moon was gone. Where was he? I looked up at the ceiling while I waited for the door to open. I found his constellation of stars resting on top of the closest play structure. Legs up by his sides and hands gripping the edge like a gargoyle. Completely still. I sent a smile to the guardian moon. A slight turn of his head was the response I got back. A chuckle escaped me as I headed out the doors. A visualization of something jumping out of the dark to grab me was only entertained for a moment. I shook it off quickly like I normally do. The way up the stairs was easier thanks to the support of the railing. It was a quick drop-off. With the lights off and Luke sleeping, we didn't say much. Mainly an apology for being so late. Something about the teenage brother taking too long with Roxy Raceway. I was surprised they didn't ask where Mr. Nico was. But the shorter the conversation the better. After waving the family off I tromped down the stairs. Well, more like stumbled. But I didn't fall. That's what mattered. The door opened before I got into knocking range. A small beep was the only sound it made. I never noticed how quiet those slabs of wood were. I took broader steps to make it inside before the doors closed. I stepped incorrectly on my sore side but I managed to make it in without stumbling. I heard the familiar sounds of metal clicks and clockwork behind me. I turned to find Mr. Moon on the wall. His curled shoes intertwined with the netting above the door. His arm retracted from its previous position above the door button. He crunched his limbs at inhuman angles. Reminded me of a spider lying in wait on its web. I hummed a chuckle. The way he shifted and followed me with his eyes, it was like a cat. Full of caution but just as much curiosity. IS SOMETHING FUNNY? “Not funny, but cute,” My chuckle was now a bit louder than a hum. And seeing Moon scuttle down the wall and look at me with a tilted face just made it louder. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. “It's fine, don't worry about it,” I walked across the squishy floor to the quiet corner. Slowly and intentionally using my whole foot to avoid unnecessary noise. The lanky pile of metal crawled a few steps away from me. The occasional chime was the only noise he would make. Moon circled me and ducked out of my way when needed. Why was he acting so curious all of a sudden? “Looking for something?” I whispered at the curtains. INJURY. “Huh?” I blinked, “Oh, from when I fell? It's feeling better today, no worries.” YOU STUMBLED SEVERAL TIMES TODAY. My face scrunched up at the accusation, “O-only just now-” MAZERCISE. 15 TIMES. “Oh...” I hunched. I had almost forgotten that was today. It felt like forever ago... It was my attempts at improving myself that started all this. All it did was make me irritable and mess everything up. And on top of that Chica had to make a fool of me by handing me a prize and making a show of it... Hold up! “How, do you know about that?” CAMERAS. “All... the cameras?” YES. Well, that's just great! On top of embarrassing myself in front of everyone in Mazercise, anyone who had access to the cameras saw, too! I curled up into a ball at the top of the ramp. My hands pushed against my cheekbones. “Goodness... That's so embarrassing...” A faint buzz along with a red glow told me that Moon had responded to me, but I was too busy staring at the ground. Could this day get any worse? I didn't dare tempt fate by asking that again. My inner nag told me I should make sure the kids were still breathing. I gave in without fighting or saying a word to my coworker about it. I almost successfully slid down the ramp this time. Only needing to do an awkward butt-scoot at the end. Which I regretted immediately because of my bruise. There were now five little lumps slowly rising and falling on their beds. Everyone is still alive. That's good... Luke had used borrowed bedding so I took this chance to strip that cot. I wrapped the sheet and blanket around my forearm and opened the laundry shoot. My ears twitched. I heard a voice. It wasn't a child's... It was coming from above me. Slightly muffled by the walls the sound had to travel through to reach me. I leaned against the wall and held my breath to listen more closely. “...staff kids, right?” I caught the tail end of a sentence. The voice was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. I slowly inched closer to the ramp to hear better. “Then you don't need to be here anymore. Come on! I know you got my messages.” It was a woman's voice. Agitated. Impatient. “Would you stop with the text talk? Just speak normal! How is it that hard?” I heard a shuffle and a jingle. I was close enough to the curtains to see a light shining through the cracks. Not Moon's soft red light, but an oppressive bright beam that strained the eyes. Whoever was there was right next to the entrance of the quiet corner. I didn't dare get any closer. “I don't care! They'll wake up soon anyway-” The voice paused a moment and I heard a grumpy huff, “Fine... I'm gonna leave to do my job,” The woman said that last word with a serious bite of anger to it, “You better do the same. Now...” Thumping footsteps soon followed. Too firm to be someone in socks. I stayed still. My heart started pounding in the tension. I waited a few more moments before letting my breath go back to normal. What was that? I quietly inched up to the curtains again and peeked through a gap in the middle. “Mr. Moon?” I called out in a whisper, “Is everything okay?” Silence. No red light no familiar cluster of stars to be seen. I clutched the fabric and moved it out of the way. Even without the blinders, I found nothing. I turned my head about and still couldn't see signs of anyone. Robotic or otherwise. What happened? What other job did Moon have? ...Security... 'takes care of intruders' my mind echoed a line someone said before. Who said that? Vanessa. That was Vanessa's voice... She asked about having Moon go out and help with security yesterday. Asked to have him leave early... I told her no. There are still kids here, so why was she acting like Moon was late when the daycare wasn't even closed yet? What was so important? Wait... There are still kids here! What am I supposed to do when another parent comes? How will I know when they come? I don't have access to the cameras. The computers are too far away from the kids for me to even see if that would help... Well, it's not like the doors are locked. The parents can just come in and get them. It's more important for me to keep an eye on the little ones and keep them safe... Although, I was still worried about getting yelled at. What else could I do? I sighed louder than I intended. It was more of a groan of dread than a sigh by the time I stopped myself. I finished putting the sheets away and checked my phone for the time: 8:25 PM. Okay... just thirty more minutes. I just had to keep an ear out for anybody looking for kids. I could do it. I'll be fine. I'll have to be. I settled myself by the entrance to the quiet corner. I could just barely make out the top of the stairs from there. This way I could maybe see if someone was coming. One ear listened to the children snoring while the other strained in the echoing silence of the outside. A movement- The doors were opening. What? I didn't see anyone come down here. Who? Someone in a dark uniform walked through the doors and waved at me. Soon followed by another person in the same getup. What are they doing here? Maybe they had kids here. I waved back as they approached. “Hey,” one of them spoke in a hushed tone, “You're the new daycare staff, right? I'm Cameron. I work the register at El' Chips. When I'm not scrapping gunk off the carpets, that is.” A finger was jabbed in the other person's direction, “This is Paula. She does maintenance.” “Hi,” I whispered back, “Are you here to pick someone up? Everyone's sleeping, right now.” “Yeah,” Cameron answered after giving a look, “I'm Maria's Dad.” “I'm here to pick up Charlie,” Paula responded curtly. Crap... I didn't know what either of those kids looked like. So much for acting competent... “S-sorry- I'm not good with names-” My voice started trembling despite my efforts. “Charlie's real little. He's wearing an orange shirt today, right?” Cameron looked to Paula who nodded, “And Maria's in a pink dress with curly hair.” “Ah.. right,” I knew who they were talking about now. I went down and got them ready to go. Maria woke up so she was able to walk up on her own. Charlie was carried. Maria ran up to her father and hugged him. Good. I didn't have access to any records so I couldn't confirm if I was even sending her home to the right person. Another thing that would be easier if the daycare attendant was here. But that reaction helped me feel better. And Charlie was the spitting image of Paula. That was reassuring. Still didn't sit right... After they went on their way another couple of staff came in and the situation played out again. Then one more time for the last child a few minutes before 9 PM. I had a sinking feeling of dread. Did everyone go home to the right people? No one was acting suspicious. They were all very casual. And the kids who were awake were happy to see the person picking them up. But still... I felt like something bad was about to happen. I grabbed my bag and put my apron away. My face was permanently scrunched up into a worried frown. Waves of sinking dread pulled me further into despair... Just make it to the car. Everything is fine. There would have been an alarm or something. This place is high-tech enough. It would have one of those, right? I huffed out some tension and walked out of the daycare. There was only the occasional person around. Most of them were wearing uniforms. The lights were still on but dimmed. The hairs on the back of my neck would not stop standing up. Someone was watching me... No. no. That can't be it. I'm just going home... I made it to the parking lot. Night had officially arrived. Darkness and all. I stopped next to my car and dug through my bag for the keys. While my hands did that I looked up at the sky. I hoped finding a familiar constellation would calm my nerves. Ah, man... It's so late. I hope Aspen isn't too worried- BANG!! “AH!” My squeal was small and pathetic. My jump even more so. I stepped back and looked for the cause. A figure. With a fist on the hood of my car. My heart stopped for a few seconds. My mind raced with all of the parking lot horror stories I could imagine and then some. No, no, no, no- , “I was... rude... huh?” Those words grumbled through gritted teeth. There was a woman. SECURITY written on the cap that cast a shadow over her face. A face that I didn't want to see. I couldn't so much as whimper. My hands trembled, making finding my keys nearly impossible. “You have nothing to say? Good...” The night guard continued, a glare piercing through the shadows, “I don't appreciate being reported. Makes my job a LOT harder...” She growled, “I'm NOT going to be ruined by a stupid newbie that doesn't know how to shut up!” The hand on my car pounded again. “I-I-I didn't know-” my voice barely made it out past the lump in my throat. “Learn to shut your fat mouth, will ya?” Vanessa snapped, “I'M talking! You're lucky that I'm telling you this now. Before it gets out of hand, you little blabbermouth.” I froze up. Pushed my lips together as hard as I could. I watched the hand without blinking. It was going to move any moment I was sure. Please don't. Please don't... Aah! “Those bots are required to report anything and everything. When people get hurt. When people speak out of turn. Accidents.” She said each one with more malice than the last. She stepped forward and placed both hands on my car. Run... Run! RUN!! My mind screamed, but I couldn't move. “If it's seen on the cameras, they report it...” She continued, her words hissed through the air and pierced my ears. “So the only reason our little accident got reported is because SOMEONE told!!” Another bang on the car. “And I'm going to let you know right now- I'm not gonna get fired because a sissy couldn't handle falling over!” “W-w-what? I- I didn't mean- C-c-can't I ask them to- to-” I struggled for the right words. “Erase it? Don't bother. I... had to take care of it...” She was close enough to grab me at this point. I shrank at her approach. She was looming over me. Eyes piercing holes into my vision. She stooped down. Her face was inches away. I could feel her breath on my face. Short powerful puffs of air. If she wasn't going to touch me, assaulting me with gusts of wind would have to make due. “I'm sorry- I'm-” I mumbled barely over hearing range. “Save it for someone who cares...” Vanessa scoffed, “Just keep your yap shut... And stay- out- of- my- way...” With each word, she tapped my shoulder with more force. I could tell she was holding back the urge to do something far worse. “You got that?” She snarled. I was shaking. My hands felt numb. My mouth wasn't working. All I could do was nod. “Great!” The security guard stood tall, “And if you know what's good for you. We won't be seeing each other again...” She turned on her heel and huffed away. Each step had the presence of a freight train. It shook me to my core. I held onto the car for emotional support that it couldn't give. All it could do was prevent me from crumpling to the ground. I was too shaken to even cry. Nothing was working. It took an agonizing amount of time to get the feeling back in my fingers. And even longer for my shaky hands to unlock the door and get in the car. Close the door. Lock it! … … I just want to go home...

Description
Oh no! Conflict!

You can read the written portion here:
Working at the Superstar Daycare CH 22Chapter 22: The Closing Shift The quiet darkness made time stand still. My eyes traversed through the maze of tubes and bars in front of me. The shapes would morph and change in the dim lighting, making it difficult to make any progress. To what goal I wasn't even sure but my vision had to entertain itself some way while I was zoning out. Click Clack More noises soon joined in. A small chorus of clockwork. I snapped out of my trance. That's right, there was someone next to me this whole time. He was so quiet that my mind had tuned him out. After our little talk, I ran out of things to say. So we had just sat in silence for the past hour. I made several more trips down to check on the kids. Moon hadn't moved until just now. He had straightened his back and focused his attention on the door. Only for a moment before giving a message. LUKE HAS BEEN CHECKED OUT. FAMILY WAITS TO PICK UP. “Oh, okay... Which one is Luke?” I still didn't have everyone's names memorized. So I had no clue which kid to get. Thankfully, I had a walking-talking database right next to me. BOY. 3 YEARS. SHORT HAIR. WORE YELLOW TODAY. That's right! He was the one who fell asleep on Sun's back earlier. “Got it, I'll go get him,” before fully turning away I paused. “Wait, who will take him up there?” YOU. “But I can't leave the kids in there alone. And-” I stopped that sentence before it could finish. I doubted that Moon would take Luke up there. That would freak the poor thing out. And I had no idea what the families thought of Moon, it couldn't have been much better than what the staff thought. Plus, Sun never left the play area, even to take someone to their family. Why would it be different now? CAMERAS IN THE QUIET CORNER. I WILL WATCH. Would that count? I had no idea. But I didn't want to make the family wait much longer. Mr. Nico is here by himself normally so it must be okay... Still didn't feel right, though. All my jobs before this one would never let this slide. However, none of them had a robot caretaker either... I don't have time to linger on this! I shook my head and hustled down the ramp. I found Luke under a Foxy the Pirate blanket. I gently lifted him up, “You're getting picked up, hun,” I whispered softly. The boy merely mumbled in his sleep and rested his head on my shoulder. We made our way up the ramp. It was harder than I thought it would be. I've held older kids than this, but the incline in combination with my tender spot made me nearly stumble once or twice. My free hand pushed the curtain to the side. The space was oddly empty. I turned my head about trying to figure out why. I continued forward to the doors before my mind connected the dots. Moon was gone. Where was he? I looked up at the ceiling while I waited for the door to open. I found his constellation of stars resting on top of the closest play structure. Legs up by his sides and hands gripping the edge like a gargoyle. Completely still. I sent a smile to the guardian moon. A slight turn of his head was the response I got back. A chuckle escaped me as I headed out the doors. A visualization of something jumping out of the dark to grab me was only entertained for a moment. I shook it off quickly like I normally do. The way up the stairs was easier thanks to the support of the railing. It was a quick drop-off. With the lights off and Luke sleeping, we didn't say much. Mainly an apology for being so late. Something about the teenage brother taking too long with Roxy Raceway. I was surprised they didn't ask where Mr. Nico was. But the shorter the conversation the better. After waving the family off I tromped down the stairs. Well, more like stumbled. But I didn't fall. That's what mattered. The door opened before I got into knocking range. A small beep was the only sound it made. I never noticed how quiet those slabs of wood were. I took broader steps to make it inside before the doors closed. I stepped incorrectly on my sore side but I managed to make it in without stumbling. I heard the familiar sounds of metal clicks and clockwork behind me. I turned to find Mr. Moon on the wall. His curled shoes intertwined with the netting above the door. His arm retracted from its previous position above the door button. He crunched his limbs at inhuman angles. Reminded me of a spider lying in wait on its web. I hummed a chuckle. The way he shifted and followed me with his eyes, it was like a cat. Full of caution but just as much curiosity. IS SOMETHING FUNNY? “Not funny, but cute,” My chuckle was now a bit louder than a hum. And seeing Moon scuttle down the wall and look at me with a tilted face just made it louder. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. “It's fine, don't worry about it,” I walked across the squishy floor to the quiet corner. Slowly and intentionally using my whole foot to avoid unnecessary noise. The lanky pile of metal crawled a few steps away from me. The occasional chime was the only noise he would make. Moon circled me and ducked out of my way when needed. Why was he acting so curious all of a sudden? “Looking for something?” I whispered at the curtains. INJURY. “Huh?” I blinked, “Oh, from when I fell? It's feeling better today, no worries.” YOU STUMBLED SEVERAL TIMES TODAY. My face scrunched up at the accusation, “O-only just now-” MAZERCISE. 15 TIMES. “Oh...” I hunched. I had almost forgotten that was today. It felt like forever ago... It was my attempts at improving myself that started all this. All it did was make me irritable and mess everything up. And on top of that Chica had to make a fool of me by handing me a prize and making a show of it... Hold up! “How, do you know about that?” CAMERAS. “All... the cameras?” YES. Well, that's just great! On top of embarrassing myself in front of everyone in Mazercise, anyone who had access to the cameras saw, too! I curled up into a ball at the top of the ramp. My hands pushed against my cheekbones. “Goodness... That's so embarrassing...” A faint buzz along with a red glow told me that Moon had responded to me, but I was too busy staring at the ground. Could this day get any worse? I didn't dare tempt fate by asking that again. My inner nag told me I should make sure the kids were still breathing. I gave in without fighting or saying a word to my coworker about it. I almost successfully slid down the ramp this time. Only needing to do an awkward butt-scoot at the end. Which I regretted immediately because of my bruise. There were now five little lumps slowly rising and falling on their beds. Everyone is still alive. That's good... Luke had used borrowed bedding so I took this chance to strip that cot. I wrapped the sheet and blanket around my forearm and opened the laundry shoot. My ears twitched. I heard a voice. It wasn't a child's... It was coming from above me. Slightly muffled by the walls the sound had to travel through to reach me. I leaned against the wall and held my breath to listen more closely. “...staff kids, right?” I caught the tail end of a sentence. The voice was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. I slowly inched closer to the ramp to hear better. “Then you don't need to be here anymore. Come on! I know you got my messages.” It was a woman's voice. Agitated. Impatient. “Would you stop with the text talk? Just speak normal! How is it that hard?” I heard a shuffle and a jingle. I was close enough to the curtains to see a light shining through the cracks. Not Moon's soft red light, but an oppressive bright beam that strained the eyes. Whoever was there was right next to the entrance of the quiet corner. I didn't dare get any closer. “I don't care! They'll wake up soon anyway-” The voice paused a moment and I heard a grumpy huff, “Fine... I'm gonna leave to do my job,” The woman said that last word with a serious bite of anger to it, “You better do the same. Now...” Thumping footsteps soon followed. Too firm to be someone in socks. I stayed still. My heart started pounding in the tension. I waited a few more moments before letting my breath go back to normal. What was that? I quietly inched up to the curtains again and peeked through a gap in the middle. “Mr. Moon?” I called out in a whisper, “Is everything okay?” Silence. No red light no familiar cluster of stars to be seen. I clutched the fabric and moved it out of the way. Even without the blinders, I found nothing. I turned my head about and still couldn't see signs of anyone. Robotic or otherwise. What happened? What other job did Moon have? ...Security... 'takes care of intruders' my mind echoed a line someone said before. Who said that? Vanessa. That was Vanessa's voice... She asked about having Moon go out and help with security yesterday. Asked to have him leave early... I told her no. There are still kids here, so why was she acting like Moon was late when the daycare wasn't even closed yet? What was so important? Wait... There are still kids here! What am I supposed to do when another parent comes? How will I know when they come? I don't have access to the cameras. The computers are too far away from the kids for me to even see if that would help... Well, it's not like the doors are locked. The parents can just come in and get them. It's more important for me to keep an eye on the little ones and keep them safe... Although, I was still worried about getting yelled at. What else could I do? I sighed louder than I intended. It was more of a groan of dread than a sigh by the time I stopped myself. I finished putting the sheets away and checked my phone for the time: 8:25 PM. Okay... just thirty more minutes. I just had to keep an ear out for anybody looking for kids. I could do it. I'll be fine. I'll have to be. I settled myself by the entrance to the quiet corner. I could just barely make out the top of the stairs from there. This way I could maybe see if someone was coming. One ear listened to the children snoring while the other strained in the echoing silence of the outside. A movement- The doors were opening. What? I didn't see anyone come down here. Who? Someone in a dark uniform walked through the doors and waved at me. Soon followed by another person in the same getup. What are they doing here? Maybe they had kids here. I waved back as they approached. “Hey,” one of them spoke in a hushed tone, “You're the new daycare staff, right? I'm Cameron. I work the register at El' Chips. When I'm not scrapping gunk off the carpets, that is.” A finger was jabbed in the other person's direction, “This is Paula. She does maintenance.” “Hi,” I whispered back, “Are you here to pick someone up? Everyone's sleeping, right now.” “Yeah,” Cameron answered after giving a look, “I'm Maria's Dad.” “I'm here to pick up Charlie,” Paula responded curtly. Crap... I didn't know what either of those kids looked like. So much for acting competent... “S-sorry- I'm not good with names-” My voice started trembling despite my efforts. “Charlie's real little. He's wearing an orange shirt today, right?” Cameron looked to Paula who nodded, “And Maria's in a pink dress with curly hair.” “Ah.. right,” I knew who they were talking about now. I went down and got them ready to go. Maria woke up so she was able to walk up on her own. Charlie was carried. Maria ran up to her father and hugged him. Good. I didn't have access to any records so I couldn't confirm if I was even sending her home to the right person. Another thing that would be easier if the daycare attendant was here. But that reaction helped me feel better. And Charlie was the spitting image of Paula. That was reassuring. Still didn't sit right... After they went on their way another couple of staff came in and the situation played out again. Then one more time for the last child a few minutes before 9 PM. I had a sinking feeling of dread. Did everyone go home to the right people? No one was acting suspicious. They were all very casual. And the kids who were awake were happy to see the person picking them up. But still... I felt like something bad was about to happen. I grabbed my bag and put my apron away. My face was permanently scrunched up into a worried frown. Waves of sinking dread pulled me further into despair... Just make it to the car. Everything is fine. There would have been an alarm or something. This place is high-tech enough. It would have one of those, right? I huffed out some tension and walked out of the daycare. There was only the occasional person around. Most of them were wearing uniforms. The lights were still on but dimmed. The hairs on the back of my neck would not stop standing up. Someone was watching me... No. no. That can't be it. I'm just going home... I made it to the parking lot. Night had officially arrived. Darkness and all. I stopped next to my car and dug through my bag for the keys. While my hands did that I looked up at the sky. I hoped finding a familiar constellation would calm my nerves. Ah, man... It's so late. I hope Aspen isn't too worried- BANG!! “AH!” My squeal was small and pathetic. My jump even more so. I stepped back and looked for the cause. A figure. With a fist on the hood of my car. My heart stopped for a few seconds. My mind raced with all of the parking lot horror stories I could imagine and then some. No, no, no, no- , “I was... rude... huh?” Those words grumbled through gritted teeth. There was a woman. SECURITY written on the cap that cast a shadow over her face. A face that I didn't want to see. I couldn't so much as whimper. My hands trembled, making finding my keys nearly impossible. “You have nothing to say? Good...” The night guard continued, a glare piercing through the shadows, “I don't appreciate being reported. Makes my job a LOT harder...” She growled, “I'm NOT going to be ruined by a stupid newbie that doesn't know how to shut up!” The hand on my car pounded again. “I-I-I didn't know-” my voice barely made it out past the lump in my throat. “Learn to shut your fat mouth, will ya?” Vanessa snapped, “I'M talking! You're lucky that I'm telling you this now. Before it gets out of hand, you little blabbermouth.” I froze up. Pushed my lips together as hard as I could. I watched the hand without blinking. It was going to move any moment I was sure. Please don't. Please don't... Aah! “Those bots are required to report anything and everything. When people get hurt. When people speak out of turn. Accidents.” She said each one with more malice than the last. She stepped forward and placed both hands on my car. Run... Run! RUN!! My mind screamed, but I couldn't move. “If it's seen on the cameras, they report it...” She continued, her words hissed through the air and pierced my ears. “So the only reason our little accident got reported is because SOMEONE told!!” Another bang on the car. “And I'm going to let you know right now- I'm not gonna get fired because a sissy couldn't handle falling over!” “W-w-what? I- I didn't mean- C-c-can't I ask them to- to-” I struggled for the right words. “Erase it? Don't bother. I... had to take care of it...” She was close enough to grab me at this point. I shrank at her approach. She was looming over me. Eyes piercing holes into my vision. She stooped down. Her face was inches away. I could feel her breath on my face. Short powerful puffs of air. If she wasn't going to touch me, assaulting me with gusts of wind would have to make due. “I'm sorry- I'm-” I mumbled barely over hearing range. “Save it for someone who cares...” Vanessa scoffed, “Just keep your yap shut... And stay- out- of- my- way...” With each word, she tapped my shoulder with more force. I could tell she was holding back the urge to do something far worse. “You got that?” She snarled. I was shaking. My hands felt numb. My mouth wasn't working. All I could do was nod. “Great!” The security guard stood tall, “And if you know what's good for you. We won't be seeing each other again...” She turned on her heel and huffed away. Each step had the presence of a freight train. It shook me to my core. I held onto the car for emotional support that it couldn't give. All it could do was prevent me from crumpling to the ground. I was too shaken to even cry. Nothing was working. It took an agonizing amount of time to get the feeling back in my fingers. And even longer for my shaky hands to unlock the door and get in the car. Close the door. Lock it! … … I just want to go home...