It had been a long, exhausting day for Chad. Working at a local fast food joint was never glamorous, but tonight had been particularly brutal. The dinner rush seemed endless, and now that closing time was approaching, he was drenched in sweat, his arms aching from hours of flipping burgers, packing orders, and dodging impatient customers. As the clock ticked closer to midnight, his manager strolled over, wiping his brow.

“Chad, you and Kyle are staying after to clean up. We need this place spotless for the morning shift.”

Chad nodded. He didn’t mind — it was extra money, after all. Kyle, on the other hand, groaned, already looking for an excuse to leave. As soon as the last customer walked out and the doors were locked, Chad noticed that both his manager and Kyle had slipped out, leaving him alone to clean.

“Great. Guess I’m on my own.”

Chad slid in his earbuds and blasted his favorite playlist to drown out the monotony of mopping floors and scrubbing greasy countertops. About ten minutes into his solo shift, his earbuds gave him a low battery warning. “Perfect timing,” he thought sarcastically, pulling them out and tossing them aside. Suddenly, he was left with the unsettling silence of the empty restaurant.

The place felt eerily different when it was empty. The usual noise of customers chatting, orders being called out, and the hum of the fryer had been replaced by absolute quiet. It wasn’t just quiet — it was unnervingly still, as if the building itself was holding its breath.

As Chad moved around wiping tables, he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone — or something — was watching him. He paused, looking around the room.

“Hello?” Chad called out, his voice bouncing off the cold tile walls. “HELLO!”

There was no response. Not even an echo.

The feeling didn’t leave him. He kept cleaning, humming a nervous tune under his breath, trying to ignore the creeping sensation crawling up his spine. But the further he went, the stronger it got — like eyes boring into the back of his head. He spun around several times, but every glance met the same thing: empty booths, empty counters. Nothing.

Finally, Chad finished his cleaning. He grabbed his keys and made his way toward the front door. As he reached for the lights, ready to plunge the place into darkness, he heard it — a voice, soft, almost a whisper, a woman’s voice.

“Don’t forget your coat.”

Chad froze, his blood turning cold. His breath hitched as he slowly turned around, his eyes wide with fear. The restaurant was still empty. No one was there. His heart raced as his gaze fell on his hand. There, crumpled in his grip, was his coat. He didn’t remember picking it up.

Before he could process what was happening, every refrigerator in the kitchen roared to life at once. The hum filled the air — loud and mechanical — echoing through the once-silent space. Chad’s pulse quickened.

“I’m out of here.” He bolted for the door, his shoes squeaking on the slick floor.

Outside, the cool night air felt like a splash of cold water against his sweat-soaked skin. Chad fumbled with his keys, his hands trembling as he started his car. His eyes darted to the restaurant windows, half-expecting to see someone — or something — staring back at him. But it was just the empty building, dimly lit by the streetlights.

Chad shook his head, trying to shake the unease that clung to him. “I’m just tired,” he muttered to himself as he pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the desolate road.

The drive home should’ve been calming, but as Chad passed the local cemetery, a figure caught his eye. Standing by the roadside was a woman, pale and ghostly, her long dress billowing in the wind. But her eyes — there were no eyes, just dark, hollow voids staring blankly at him.

Chad’s foot slammed on the brake, his car screeching to a halt. The woman didn’t move. She just stood there, her body unnaturally still. As Chad watched, her head slowly turned to follow him as he drove past. Was she looking at him?

Chad’s heart pounded in his chest, but he couldn’t shake the curiosity. He had to know.

He stopped the car, hands shaking as he stepped out and walked cautiously toward where the woman had stood. But when he reached the spot, she was gone. Only the cold wind greeted him.

Just as Chad turned to head back to his car, a bright light illuminated the road ahead. A semi-truck — barreling down the road at an impossible speed — blew through the intersection, completely ignoring the stop sign. Chad’s breath caught in his throat. If he hadn’t stopped, that truck would’ve hit him.

Chad stumbled back to his car, shaking and sweating, his mind racing with questions. Who was the woman? Was it her voice he’d heard back at the restaurant? Had she… saved him?

He drove home in silence, too scared to put the earbuds back in, replaying the night over and over in his head.

That voice — the one that had told him to “Don’t forget your coat” — wasn’t just a warning.

It had saved his life.

The End

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