Work Text:
Macklin, having moved to a brand new city and desperately needing a job had applied at Walmart. And he had been hired to work overnight. He had went through the orientation and the training and tonight was his first full shift.
“Okay we’re short tonight. Mack I need you to go to toys,” Bob, the overnight manager barked out. He finished giving out the assignment to the team and they all headed off.
Except Mack. He actually didn’t know where toys was…
“Hey kid,” another worker, Mack thought his name was Rick. “You okay? Toys is that way. And hey if you hear anything weird just remember the building is different at night.”
“Thanks,” Mack nodded and headed for toys where he found two skids waiting for him. With a sigh, Mack grabbed the first box scanning it with his texalon and turned in a circle trying to figure out where it went.
After a little while Mack had found himself a rhythm. And then he heard a voice, which sound very far away, ask “Can you help me?”
“Hello?” Mack called out. He thought that he was supposed to be alone. There was no one in sight and Mack glanced in the adjoining aisles but also no one.
Mack, a little freaked out, got back to work none the less. But a few minutes later, the voice came again.
“Can you help me?”
Mack went searching again and this time he found a blond man, about his age, struggling to put a box up on their riser.
“Hey wait! Let me help!” Mack rushed forward and helped.
“Thanks!” The blond flashed a charming smile at him. “I’m Will. I didn’t know anyone else was supposed to over here tonight.”
“Mack,” Mack said. “Me either. I thought Bob said we were short tonight.”
“Well lucky us. We don’t have to be alone tonight,” Will grinned.
Mack found Will very easy to talk to and the night passed quickly until suddenly Will was yelling at him.
“Mack! Move!” Will yelled. Mack jumped out of the way, just as a heavy box tumbled off of the unstable skid, just missing Mack.
“Oh that would have hurt,” Mack said, righting the heavy box. “Hey, it’s break time.”
“I think I’ll stay out here instead but you go enjoy your break,” Will said.
Mack didn’t want to push so off he went. When he returned Will was still there, working away and the two fell into their rhythm again. Finally the skids were done and Mack went to go get rid of the cardboard they had accumulated. Will staying behind to do some zoning in the aisles.
He was heading back to toys when he ran into Bob.
“Hey, good job tonight,” Bob said, clapping Mack on the shoulder.
“I couldn’t have done it without Will,” Mack admitted.
“Who?” Bob looked confused.
“Will? Blond about my age?” Mack said, out of the corner of his eye he saw Rick watching them.
“Mack…there’s no one named Will who works here.” Bob said slowly.
“Yes there is! I worked with him all night!” Mack protested.
“Hey Bob,” Rick said. “Remember back when we first opened? When we used to close early. It was the first Boxing Day that we were open. Christmas Eve everyone had been scrambling to get everything set up before Christmas and then the store was closed Christmas Day?”
“Oh,” Bob said as the memory struck him. “The kid. He’d been working in toys and that display fell over on him. And no one noticed until Boxing Day. Until it was too late. Yeah that was tragic.”
“His name was Will.” Rick reminded.
Mack stared at them in shock. They had to be pulling his leg. But then behind Bob and Rick, standing in the action alley by toys, Mack saw Will standing there watching them, looking sad. Mack was just about to point him out when Will vanished before his eyes.