There is a time so scary When you keep looking behind you, just to make sure, and the moment you turn back you feel insecure More insecure than normal A time when the fishes are so frightened, they leave the lake to suffocate on the shore A time when all the dogs beg to be let back inside, lose all interest in the moon and succumb to fear A time when the witches come out to dance with the Devil There was a woman named Alice, only just 22, who worked at an Oklahoma gas station. She worked 2-10 PM. Always 2-10 PM. Well, she was on break on a bleak Tuesday evening and it was nearly time to go back and bear the bloodbath. Her 15 minutes were almost over, so she devised to clock back in from break but then take an extended respite in the bathroom, giving her an extra five minutes before she had to return to the cacophony. As she went towards the bathroom, an intense sense of dread washed over her. She had always said she doesn't believe in coincidences, that every feeling is an omen, so she heed this dread quite seriously. When she got the the bathroom, a quiet, high pitched frequency began screeching on her ears. She locked the door behind her and leaned over the sink, staring into her own eyes in the mirror. She could see the fear setting into her eyes, losing their glimmer and becoming fogged with fright. She could feel her own eyes' reflection refracting back on herself, feeding her fear and reflecting back and forth as the feedback loop caused her to become dizzy and the noise had become so loud she could practically feel blood pouring out her ears. She could feel herself drifting, so close to the point of no return, nearly unconscious, when the noise suddenly stopped. Her vision returned to her. The sweat on her body went cold and she felt an intense clarity, like a still pond, ominously still, delicately still. She wiped her sweat off and checked her phone. It had been six minutes since she had entered the bathroom. It didn't matter what omen she had experienced, she had to go back to work before her manager got upset with her. So, she washed the sweat off her hands, put her phone in her pocket, and started to walk back to her post at the cash register when her manager interrupted her. "Alice," he said. Alice felt her heart drop. He must be upset with her. It must be about the bathroom break. Before she could reply to try and explain herself, her manager continued. "Alice, Teddy says he has big time diarrhea. He can't come in today." Alice realized why her manager was talking to her. She realized what the omen was about. She wasn't in trouble for the bathroom break. No, what the manager was about to say was something far more dark, far more twisted, a fate worse than getting in trouble for being in the bathroom for too long. "So," he continued, "you'll need to stay and work... THE GRAVE SHIFT