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Niall didn’t even lift up her eyes from the latest issue of Fangoria Magazine she was holding when the quaint little bell rang above the store door. It had been the owner’s idea to add a little nostalgia to the place. Niall mostly thought it was annoying, since she definitely didn’t need to know every single time someone entered the store looking for a video. It wasn’t as if she had to greet everyone with “Welcome to Oak Tree Video Store, how may I assist you?” or anything of the genre. People had been coming and going for almost ten years to the local video store and knew damn well their way around.
For starters, it wasn’t exactly big. The largest shelf in the shop was on the customer’s right as they walked in, displaying the latest releases on DVD. Right behind it was the Romantic Movies Section, followed by the Action Movies. That display was hardly by chance, the owner had told Niall when she first got the job, since most of their public was couples. So it was the obvious decision to make, placing the girls’ favorite movie genres next to the guys’. Niall had smiled politely, nodding in agreement to such a clever idea. She needed the job after all.
On the left was the check-out counter, a pretty spacious one, so there’d be enough room for storage underneath it, and facing the wall behind it was a 12x12ft square, where they kept the Porn. Niall had thought of poor taste to place it right behind the counter, but the owner had also told her that it was the only way they could face the shelves the other way around, and not go through the risk of letting any underage little rascals take a peek, since they had to go through her to get to that section.
This didn’t mean they didn’t try, and Niall had to be constantly on the watch for teenage boys just waiting for her to turn her back so they could sneak in. Teenage girls were a bit more subtle, but not less curious. They’d only try to take a look when Niall bent down to find the selected video and place it in the box.
And right beside the infamous porn section was Niall’s pride and joy, the Horror Movies. The owner had sold most of the VHS tapes to their own customers when DVDs took over the movie media format, but he’d kept most of the VHS horror flicks. He’d told Niall he thought he’d keep something to remind him of when he started up the business. He was a pretty sentimental guy.
Niall was a bit sentimental about it herself, considering the wide range of horror classics they got there; in that tiny video store, in that tiny godforsaken town. It truly was a hidden treasure. It would be the worst to let go of.
Alright. If Niall was to be completely honest, she’d admit she wasn’t mad at the bell itself that night, but at the fact that it had been ringing less and less in the past year. She’d been working for Carl for the past four years, but if felt like so much longer than that, so long she couldn’t even remember what she used to do with her free time before it.
Back then, Carl would still drop by every evening, to check on things, but soon enough he’d realize Niall was managing it all just fine. She was a bit of a movie geek, and if anyone knew their way around tapes, it was her. For seventeen-year old Niall, that job was paradise on Earth and she’d come to work every afternoon with a big dopey smile on her face, already thinking about the video she would take home that night.
It wasn’t like teenagers had many leisure options in a town like theirs, especially since streaming sites weren’t popular (or known at all) back then, and illegal downloading was a luxury reserved to hackers only. So the video store was the easiest, most affordable hobby one could have around those parts.
But times moved fast, and Niall didn’t like the way things were changing around her. People just didn’t come to the video store like they used to, didn’t linger for sometimes hours from section to section until they chose something worthy of their $2, 50. It made her sad. Maybe because deep down, she knew that was one of her only ways of socializing, when the store was crowded on the weekends, she knew they all had at least one thing in common during those moments together.
Everybody enjoys a good movie.
And she was more than happy to discuss it, to recommend or even run a movie down, if she saw fit. Carl would scold her from time to time, babbling about how bad that was for business.
“Niall, you can’t just diss every single Adam Sandler movie we get! Do you want us to go bankrupt?” He would laugh it off, not really disagreeing with Niall, but still feeling the need to point it out.
But now even that memory felt bitter, since they were actually on the verge of locking their doors for good. It was past eleven and she wasn’t expecting anyone that time of night. Sure, if it were two years ago, the video store would be packed with couples and small groups of friends loitering around the horror section.
It was the night of Halloween after all.
Renting tons of horror flicks for movie nights or just background noise for costume parties was practically tradition in the area. Niall would even decorate the store accordingly, hanging bats from the ceiling and splattering fake blood on the walls and stuff. She just loved it. And she particularly loved giving discounts on the horror movie section during the month of October, meaning more and more people would come give a chance to the absolute best of genres that time of year.
Halloween was simply the best. She would even play some trivia games with the customers, so every time someone got a correct answer, 20 cents would be deducted from their rental.
That was the first time Niall had talked to her. The girl in the denim jacket.
“Who was the killer in Friday the 13th?” She had asked a middle-aged woman on that Halloween night. It was the year she started the trivia, her first Halloween in the video store, and the kids were loving it.
“I know that one! I know!” A little boy yelled behind her in line.
“Wait for your turn!” Niall said, laughing. “So, ma’am, who was it?”
“Oh my, I’m awful at names, it was that man with a hockey mask on, wasn’t? I’m afraid I can’t remember his name. James?”
Niall heard the boy groan, impatiently.
“I’m sorry, that is incorrect. I’m afraid you’ll have to pay the whole 20 cents fee.” Niall smiled, handing in her DVDs and collecting the money. The woman waved goodbye.
“Alright, buddy, do you know the answer?” Niall asked, as the boy approached the counter.
“Yeah! It’s Jason!” He said, proudly.
“Good job! Here, you also get a pumpkin lollipop.” She handed him the candy, as his mother paid for their rental. The boy held it as if he’d just won the most important prize and walked away gleefully.
“Not to be a buzz kill, but Jason isn’t the killer in Friday the 13th.”
The voice belonged to the next in line, who, Niall was sure, was the most beautiful girl to ever enter the video store. She bragged herself for knowing almost everyone who entered the shop, if not by name, at least by movie preference, and that girl right there…well, she would’ve remembered her.
She looked nothing like the girls Niall was used to seeing around town. Not that there was anything wrong with the girls in town, Niall was one of them after all, but that girl had hand tattoos, for god’s sake! Plus a side-cut and ear-stretchers! And if Niall knew one thing about locals, was that they did not get ear-stretchers. Ever. There probably even wasn’t anywhere within twenty miles where you could even get one.
Niall swallowed, trying to look unaffected. She laughed nervously.
“I know. It’s Mrs. Vorhees, Jason’s mother. But the kid was just so proud of himself, no harm in letting that one go. It was a tricky question anyway.”
“True.” The girl smiled, pulling up the collar of her denim jacket. It was awfully cold for a an early Autumn night. She placed her movie choices on the counter.
“Not a lot of people go for the VHS these days…” Niall mentioned, taking a look at the titles. Creepshow and The Howling. Not bad, not bad at all.
“Yeah, well, I don’t think there are many places where I can find those movies on DVD anyway. Not even back home. You got a great collection here.”
Niall smiled, showily.
“Thank you very much. So… New in town?” Niall asked, as if “outsider” wasn’t written all over the girl’s face.
“Yeah, just moved in about a month ago, only now getting to know the perks of living in the countryside.” She answered, though her tone was much more of concern than arrogance.
“Don’t worry. We haven’t burned any witches since the 60s.”
The girl laughed out loud, and Niall would be lying if she said it did nothing to her insides. Damn, she was hot.
“I’m glad to know! I’m Zayn.” The girl held out her hand so Niall could shake it. She used the opportunity to take a good look at her hands. She was wearing a silver ring on her index finger, with a small moonstone on top.
“I’m Niall. I like your ring.”
“Thanks! I have it since I was a child. It was a gift from my mom.” Zayn smirked, getting close to whisper. “She was a witch too, you know.”
Niall felt a slight flush on her cheeks, and it was a good two seconds before she broke out laughing.
“So, you have a horror movie question for me?” Zayn asked, mischievously.
“You seem to know your horror flicks. So I’m shooting a hard one.”
“Hit me.”
“Alright.” Niall cracked her knuckles theatrically. She checked her trivia note cards till she found a good one. “Ok. What is Michael Myers middle name?”
“Oh shit.” Zayn snapped, biting her bottom lip, and Niall tried her best not to stare. “Wait, let me think.”
“You’ll never get it right.” She giggled. “I had to look that one up myself.”
Zayn placed her elbows on the counter, looking annoyed. “I don’t recall it even being mentioned in any of the movies.” She leaned forward, and Niall was definitely not aware of the black harness bra underneath her white shirt. “Are you messing with me, Niall?”
“Audrey!” Niall spurted out without thinking, her voice cracking a bit. “It was only briefly mentioned in the extended version.”
Zayn just smiled.
“Seems like I’ve got a lot to learn.”
That was three years ago.
This year, all Niall had found in her to do was place a little action figure ghost on top of the counter and that was that. She’d gotten it on the mail that month as a giveaway for being a senior Fangoria subscriber (she remembered getting her first issue at the age of 8). No one seemed to be exactly in the mood that year. They had had a total of seventeen rentals that night, which might seem like a pretty decent number if you didn’t compare it to the two hundred and seventeen from three years ago on the same date.
Niall sighed. No use in thinking about Zayn or the Halloween fiasco she was experiencing. At least they still had their regulars. Something Niall did for fun was categorize them by name, movie genre and level of “movie critic syndrome” (she had a lot of free time on her hands so sue her). Niall had a whole mental file on each of them.
For example, there was Harry; “Chick-flick Harry” as she called her (but not to her face, obviously, though Niall was sure she wouldn’t mind it and actually find it sweet). She was about a year younger than Niall, both cheerful and polite to no end, told the worst knock-knock jokes known to men, and came by the store every two weeks or so. She was a sucker for romantic comedies. The only reason why Niall wasn’t judgmental about it (the amount of stereotypes in those movies drove her insane!) was because Harry was really very sweet. She’d even had a bit of a crush on her when she first started working there. She clearly remembered Harry entering the store one evening avoiding eye contact at all costs as she took a video from inside her backpack and returned it to Niall, sniffing.
“Take this thing away from me. I never again in my life want to watch this movie.”
Niall had laughed, taking the video from her hands. Only then she saw how puffy Harry’s eyes really were.
“Have you been crying?” she tried to sound worried, but failed miserably as she broke into laughter again. She knew the movie was to blame.
“You told me I would love this!”
“Well, you did love it! You cried your head off!”
“Niall, this…” Harry started, pointing at the copy of Ghost, “…is the most beautiful movie I’ve ever watched. The acting! The sentiment in it! All the Oscars to Demi Moore! I hate you.”
Harry was a level 4 on Niall’s movie critic syndrome rating.
Another fun regular was Liam. “Liam Stallone”, that is. Liam had probably watched every single sports related movie in the whole store at least twice. And he was very passionate about them too. He was particular fond of the Rocky saga. Niall wouldn’t be surprised if he could actually quote the movies by heart. She remembered one particular Friday night when the boy had pushed the front door maniacally.
“Did you… did you get it?” He had asked, completely out of breath, placing his palm on the counter as a way to steady himself.
“For fuck sake, man! You’re gonna give yourself a heart attack! Settle down!”
“Niall, this is serious. Is it here yet or not?”
Niall had grinned like the Grinch, taking the tape from one of the bottom drawers under the counter. She hadn’t even bothered to place it on the shelves yet since Liam would have most likely murdered her if she had rented it for someone else before him.
“I believe this is what you’re looking for.” She said, holding the tape solemnly. It was “Rocky VI – The Final chapter”, the definitive ending to the thirty-year epic, which hadn’t, of course, been on theaters in that hellhole of a town they lived in.
Liam’s eyes had lit up like Christmas, only to be followed by a grunt and a moan, as he tapped over his jacket.
“Oh no! Oh no! I can’t believe it! I forgot the money home! Niall, please, don’t let anyone get it before me, I’m gonna have to drive home to get my wallet.”
“Man, relax. Take it. It’s not like you’re not returning it. You’re returning it, right?” She’d asked, playfully, pretending to hold the tape back, a gesture that made Liam almost let out a whine.
“Of-of course! Yes, of course, Niall! I’ll bring it back as soon as I watch it, I mean, as soon as I get a good watch, which will probably take me seven or eight hours, because, you know, I’ll have to write about it on my blog. But yeah, sure! Thanks, Niall, you’re the best!”
Liam was a level 8.
Then, of course, there was Louis. Or “Marvel Lou”, as Niall gently called her. And by gently, she meant teasingly, since Louis was an avid DC fan. She completely dreaded everything Marvel related, which made Niall come up with the nickname for the sole purpose of pulling her leg. Louis was the only one who actually knew about the whole “categorizing customers” thing Niall had going, them being friends before Niall had actually started working there. Louis would come around about three times a week, though she didn’t always rent something. “I come here all the time! Do you want me to go bankrupt?” She’d feign outrage whenever Niall asked if she was actually taking anything home.
Louis would usually browse the shelves, check out covers, read summaries, or rent “Superman IV – The Quest for Peace” for the seventh time. But she mostly came around for a chat, and Niall didn’t mind at all. She considered Louis to be a good friend. She enjoyed talking about movie adaptations almost as much as Niall did, and Louis always made her laugh.
“Look who’s here.” Louis had sing-songed one evening, as Niall took a peek over her shoulder to see Zayn coming inside the store. She was quickly becoming a regular, but for some reason Niall still hadn’t been able to categorize her. She’d learned Zayn had opened up a sort of Remedies Herb Shop in town, which sold all kinds of spices, essential oils, elixirs and even hand-crafted skin-care. She couldn’t help but think there was a good possibility Zayn had done it just out of spite for the townspeople traditional way of life. The idea amused her.
“Yeah, it’s Zayn. So what?” Niall had shrugged, making an effort not to follow the beautiful girl in the denim jacket as she walked towards the Horror Movie Section.
“Give me a fucking break, Niall.” Louis rolled her eyes, jumping to sit on the counter. “If you were a guy, you’d get a hard-on every time you saw her.”
An important thing to add was that while Louis was a 6 on the movie critic syndrome rating, she was a big old 10 on the pain in the ass rating.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lou. She’s beautiful, of course, and clever, and yeah, she has a great taste in movies, but it’s not like I wanna be with her or kiss her or anything…” Niall started, noticing a little too late that she was sharing a bit too much of information.
“Oh, really?” Louis asked, leaning closer to Niall as Zayn walked towards them holding a tape. “So you don’t mind at all if she sees this?”
And before Niall could realize what was even going on, Louis wrapped her arms around her, almost falling off the counter, grabbing a tight hold on Niall as she tried to prevent from landing on her butt.
“Louis, what the hell?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt the fun, girls. Niall, could you check this tape out for me, please?” Niall froze as she heard Zayn’s voice behind her. She was going to murder Louis. She not so gently placed Louis back on her feet, before talking the tape from Zayn. She was beet red and wanting to dig a really big hole in the middle of the store. Maybe go hide in the porn section.
Zayn was smiling, but something in her voice sent some heavy vibes. Maybe she was having a bad day.
So yeah, that was Louis for you. Fond of making Niall look like a twat as if her life depended on it.
She loved her, though, and was really bummed when Louis showed up one afternoon at the beginning of that year, saying she’d gotten a job at the gas station right outside the city limits and wouldn’t come around that often anymore. They’d still hang out when their days off coincided, but Niall was getting more and more lonely as time went by.
Now here she was, on Halloween night once again, feeling like the end of an era or something.
And she didn’t want to think about it, but closing the store meant she would probably lose touch with most of the people who had been around all those years and it saddened her.
Zayn, in particular, wouldn’t leave her mind.
Niall remembered the Valentine’s Day the year before, the store was crowded as she hasn’t seen in a long time, full of couples looking for either a quiet romantic evening (Romantic Movies Section) or a spicy one (Porn Section) and the check-out line was getting bigger and bigger, when it finally got to Zayn’s turn.
She greeted Niall with a racy smile, as always, before placing the movies on the counter and reaching for her wallet. She had to be the only person in the whole store that evening who was unaccompanied, but that hadn’t surprised Niall. Zayn was always by herself. It honestly made no sense. But then again, she couldn’t think of a single person in that town who could match her enigmatic, almost mystical being.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Niall.” Zayn spoke, as Niall typed the movie register number on the computer. “Any plans for tonight?”
Had it been any of the other regulars, and that would have been just a casual question, but this was Zayn, so Niall obviously felt a heavy blush creeping up her neck and spreading to her face.
“Afraid I’ll be working late tonight.” She answered, checking one of the titles Zayn was renting.
The movie in question was 1981’s My bloody Valentine, one of Niall’s favorites. She wouldn’t mind spending that night watching it with Zayn. She wouldn’t mind it at all.
“That’s a shame…” Zayn only mentioned, her tone of voice impossible to decipher. She pointed at the tape. “Have you seen that movie?”
Niall swallowed, unsure of why she was a bit upset Zayn had changed the subject. “Yeah, it’s a great one. Wouldn’t say it’s quite appropriate for Valentine’s Day, though.”
“Come on, Niall. What did you expect me to rent? The Wedding Singer?”
“I would never insult you that way.”
The second movie was “Terror Train” and Niall smiled, approvingly.
“You know, Jamie Lee Curtis was nominated for a Saturn Award for this one.” She mentioned, holding back the wish to ask if Zayn had any plans to watch those movies with someone else.
Zayn breathed out a laugh, looking up under her lashes, as if daring Niall to tell her something she didn’t know. It was both a bit scary and kind of hot.
“Yeah.They don’t call her ‘Scream Queen’ for nothing.”
Before Niall could reply, she heard someone clear their throat behind Zayn, and only then she realized how long the line had gotten in those few minutes. Zayn paid for the rental, still half-smiling and left with a “See ya”.
Right as she got to the door, Niall saw her stop on her tracks and tilt her head a little. And before she knew it, Zayn was heading towards the counter again.
“Almost forgot. I made you this. I mean, I was meaning to give it to you for ages, but I kept forgetting.” She took a small package from her jacket’s inner pocket and handed it to Niall. “Enjoy your evening, babe.”
Niall didn’t even have a chance to say ‘thank you’ before the girl was out on the street.
Later that evening, when the store was significantly quieter, Niall held the package in her hands as if something extremely precious was being kept inside. She, then, carefully pulled the little satin ribbon to reveal two small vanilla scented candles.
Vanilla was Niall’s favorite scent in the whole world. She took a sniff at it, reveling in the delicious aroma. She had no freaking idea how Zayn could have known that. She caught herself smiling at the sudden realization that that was her first Valentine’s present ever; even if it probably didn’t mean anything.
Now Halloween had come once again, but for the first time, Niall was everything but excited about it. This whole year had definitely been bad for business and Carl had already told her they were probably gonna be able to hang on till Christmas tops, unless some miracle happened. Niall was bitter. She felt like everything was changing in the speed of light, people’s interests, the neighborhood, her friends, and it made her hyper aware that soon she would have to let go of the place she had gotten so used to, the place that had made her happy for so long.
“I miss the bats.” A familiar voice startled her as she finally raised her head to find Zayn standing before the counter. She usually went straight to the Horror Section.
“Sorry?” Niall asked, finally placing her Fangoria magazine down.
“The bats. You used to hang them from the ceiling. It was cool.” She came closer, touching the little ghost action figure, amusingly. “This little guy is cool too, though.”
Niall smiled, sadly.
“Oh. Yeah. I’m… not feeling very spooky this year.” She answered, touching the ghost as well. Zayn followed her movements.
“This place is dead, isn’t it?” Zayn asked, putting her elbows on the counter. “I mean, people download stuff now. They don’t need to leave their homes to get a movie.”
“Suppose not.” Niall replied, sourly. “Unless you’re renting every scary movie in the store, we’re going to be way below our average monthly profit. Again.”
Zayn was unphased by Niall’s tone, as if she knew it wasn’t personal.
“If I could, I would, you know.” She said, leaning in closer as if she didn’t want anyone else to hear it. Not that anyone would, since it was just the two of them in the store at that time. “I really like coming here.”
“Yeah, well, we do have a great range of 80s horror movies. I dare say it’s the greatest within a 50 mile radius.” Niall puffed her chest, jokingly. It wasn’t Zayn’s fault they were closing after all.
“True. Plus it’s been really fun flirting with you and making you blush all this time.”
Niall almost fell back from her chair, holding to the counter for dear life. “E-excuse me?”
Zayn laughed out loud, leaning in in a way it completely showed off her cleavage. She probably didn’t even notice she was showing it off. Probably.
“See? It’s super cute.”
“I-uhm… thank you?” Niall tried not to choke in her own spit.
Zayn laughed again, shaking her head. “You know, this girl I was seeing broke up with me last year, because I wouldn’t stop babbling about Terror Train. She said I was a weirdo and I would never find anyone to share my creepiness with.”
“I’m sorry.” Niall answered, still not entirely sure Zayn had called her super cute just seconds ago. She was most definitely beet red right now, she just knew it.
“I thought of you, then. You can appreciate the masterpiece that is Terror Train.”
“It is an underrated 80s classic, it should’ve achieved cult status by now.” Niall replied, automatically, making Zayn smile even wider.
“I was gonna ask you out, you know. But then that other kid was always around, and you two seemed pretty close, I thought she was your girlfriend.”
“Who? How? What? Louis?” Niall was sure she’d reached some sort of bright neon redness if the heat she was feeling on her face was anything to go by. “She’s my friend, we… grew up together.”
“Is that so?” Zayn kept playing with the little ghost on the counter, so Niall couldn’t make anything of her features, only that magical aura always around her. Maybe she really was a witch.
“That is so, yes.”
“Then I was going to ask you out again, but you didn’t say anything about the gift I gave on Valentine’s Day, so I thought…”
“I loved it! It was a great gift! I love vanilla!” Niall almost shouted, her heart beating a bit faster in her chest. “I was meaning to tell you I loved it, but I wasn’t sure it was a Valentine’s gift, I…” Niall stared, almost begging for some sort of silent understanding between them.
“Oh.” Zayn said. “You didn’t say anything, so I figured that was your way of shutting that door down… or something.”
“No! What? What door? No, this door right here is open, totally open.” Niall knew she was babbling. It couldn’t get any worse.
“Cool.” Zayn said, scratching the back of her neck. Was she embarrassed? No way! “So…”
“Are you renting anything tonight?” Niall blurted out, before she lost her nerve. That caught Zayn off guard.
“Uhm… I guess?”
“I mean, I’m asking because, you know, it’s Halloween and… and I thought, I mean… I like horror movies, you like horror movies…”
“We do have that one thing in common.” Zayn chuckled. “Have any suggestions?”
“I do, as a matter of fact!” Niall practically yelled. “I mean, we could watch it together? My flat is right around the corner and I’m almost closing… Unless you have other plans for tonight, which I totally understand!”
“I have no plans whatsoever.” Zayn was quick to cut off, grinning.
“Well, you should take this opportunity, then.” Niall said, half-serious. “I don’t know for how much longer we’ll be open.” She stood up smiling, walking towards the Horror Section, even though a bittersweet feeling still lingered. She shook it off.
“Soon neither of us will have access to the amazing horror stash of Oak Tree Video Store.”
“Can’t miss my chance, then.” Zayn followed, thoughtful. Niall felt a hand on her hip when she stopped before the first shelf. Zayn whispered into her neck. “Is this a Halloween date?”
“That depends…” Niall started, turning back to Zayn, still quivering a bit. She wanted to pull her close and kiss those lips more than anything. “Are you up for Night of the Demons?”
“Always.”
Niall smiled. Let the new era begin.