they made their way to the rear of the shop, they took slow and deliberate steps. The stillness lifted the hairs on the back of Michael’s neck, and he shook. “I’ve got a bad feeling, Lola.”
“Jesus, kid, do you ever shut up?”
Michael opened his mouth to reply but stopped when he heard the voices of men outside the shop. Although he heard them, when he glanced over his shoulder, he couldn’t see them yet. He looked at Lola, who jabbed an urgent finger toward the back of the shop. They had to move now.
The pair ran on tiptoes down the aisle to the counter at the end. A section of the countertop had been lifted and gave them access to the door in the back wall.
As the men’s voices grew louder, Lola opened the door and slipped inside with Michael close on her heels.
Breathing heavily, Michael watched Lola bite her bottom lip while slowly pushing the door closed. Tension lifted her shoulders as she held the handle down. Her face twisted when she let the handle up and the springs inside it creaked and groaned. She only relaxed when it finally clicked home.
Lola then turned on Michael and spoke in hushed tones. “I thought you said it was safe in here.”
Before Michael could reply, a loud crash echoed through the shop.
Michael looked at Lola. “What are we going to do?”
There was another loud crash.
Lola scanned the storeroom as if looking for somewhere to hide.
Another crash outside, this time closer; Michael heard his own pulse pounding in his ears. “Lola, what are we gonna do?”
The tiny storeroom had a small desk covered in old paperwork and boxes of old consoles littered the floor. When Lola still didn’t offer any ideas, Michael pointed to a pile of PlayStation boxes in the corner. “Over there.”
From outside the storeroom, the rattle of a shelf collapsing was followed by a rush of video game boxes sliding to the floor.
“Quick, Lola.” Michael grabbed her cold hand and led her to the corner. After he pulled some boxes away, he pointed at the den he’d made. “Get in that hole.”
Lola frowned at him but still didn’t move. Her chest rose and fell with her rapid breaths.
Putting a gentle hand on her shoulder, Michael coaxed her down and pushed her into the space he’d cleared. He then blocked her in by putting the boxes back.
Several loud whacks pierced the air. Each one made Michael flinch. It sounded like baseball bats against the counter on the other side of the door.
After sliding the last box into place, Michael ran across the storeroom and opened the door to a small cupboard. Half filled with packs of paper, Michael slipped in anyway and pulled the door closed. As he sat in the cramped darkness, his pulse thumped and he listened to the sounds outside.
A second or two later, the hinges to the storeroom door creaked, and the sound of heavy boots stepped inside. Nausea ran through Michael in a hot wave.
Michael shook as he listened to the two men walk across the room. The cupboard reeked of dust, so he pinched his nose; if he sneezed now…
Boxes clattered and Michael jumped. Although he held his breath to listen, he didn’t hear Lola.
The crack of a bat and the sound of splintering wood signaled the demise of the desk. Heavy footsteps walked across the room and stopped outside the cupboard.
Michael couldn’t control his shaking body.
“Come on, Trev,” one of the men said. “I fucking hated video games when they worked. Now, they’re even more fucking useless. This place is boring the fuck out of me. Let’s get out of here.”
The other one, the one just inches away from Michael on the other side of the cupboard door, replied, “To catch kids, we need to think like kids. That means checking every fucking toy store, video game store, and old sweet shop in the area.”
Why had Michael suggested this place as somewhere to hide? Could he have made a worse choice? So much for gaining Lola’s trust.
“Well, there ain’t any here, so let’s fucking go.”
Trev grumbled to himself for a moment.
Despite his closeness, Michael couldn’t hear what he said.
He then spoke louder. “Maybe we should torch the place just to give them one less place to hide.”
The smell of smoke returned to Michael’s senses along with the image of his dad being killed in the driveway as he watched from a burning house.
“Is torching the place really worth the hassle, Trev?”
After a long