“Hey, Spence?” Ashley said as she poked her head into the kitchen.

“Hmmm?”

“Maybe we should close up for the night; I don’t think anyone else is coming in.” Spencer checked the time and nodded. “I’ll go ask your dad.” Ashley made her way through the kitchen and down the basement as Spencer wiped her hands on her apron.

“I’ll talk to her.” Spencer spoke out loud, wanting to put an end to the awkwardness. She’d just explain that it was the grief and alcohol talking. Yeah…that’s what she’d say.

The ringing of the diner’s phone broke her from her musings. She rushed out of the kitchen over to the register where the phone sat and answered on the fifth ring.

“Paula’s place, this is Spencer speaking?” Spencer could hear the heavy breathing on the line, but got no answer. “Hello?” She inquired, as the hairs on her arm stood up. She suddenly had a very bad feeling.

“If I were you, I’d leave right away.” The distorted voice told her. The tone was like an ice water down Spencer’s back, and she gripped the phone hard.

“W…whattt?” She asked unsteadily.

“If you don’t want to die tonight little girl, you’ll run for your life.” The line w
ent dead and with a trembling hand Spencer slowly set down the phone.

Panic erupted throughout Spencer. Her gaze darted around the deserted diner before instinct hit. Before she could process anything, she locked the front door and found herself sprinting into the kitchen and throwing herself down the steps into the basement, slamming the door and locking it as she went.

“Dad! Ashley!” Spencer screamed, terrified and needing to know that her father and ex best friend were okay. To get them out of the diner as quickly as possible.

“Spencer! In here! Come quick!” Spencer didn’t need to be told twice. If the creepy phone call didn’t scare the shit out of her, the sound in Ashley’s voice would have done it.

She rounded the corner and looked into the office to see her father face down on his desk, with Ashley hovering over him. “He won’t wake up, Spence!” Ashley sobbed out, fingertips on the man’s neck and tears in her eyes. “I don’t know what’s wrong! He’s breathing but he won’t wake up!”

Spencer dove towards her father and she could feel a pulse and see that he was breathing. “Ashley, we need to get the fuck out of here right the fuck now!” Spencer shouted, completely terrified. She quickly told the brunette about the phone call and together they tried to stir Arthur.

“We need to call 911!” Ashley yelled. But once she picked up the phone she realized it was dead. “Shit, Spence, the fucking phones aren’t working!” Wordlessly they both took their cell phones out, breathing hard with racing hearts. Although they knew they wouldn’t get any signal being in the basement, they were both prettified nonetheless, and shaking hard.

“Holy shit!” Ashley whispered. Spencer followed Ashley’s gaze to the monitors behind her and watched, horrified, as someone broke into the diner’s doors; the sound of the shattering glass resonated down into the basement.

Both girls’ heads jerked up to where the unknown person entered the diner above them. Simultaneously, their eyes went back to the monitors to watch the person in the gray hoodie and black snow mask look around the empty diner before heading towards the kitchen.