Jane stands at one of the many intersections, Ronnie slumped over next to her. His Right arm hung loosely over her shoulders. He's past out. He was drooling blood, spit & possible other oral fluids on to her blouse.
An Announcement was made. "Good Morning, Wally-World Customers. Would a Jane Tarzania please meet the rest of her party at Customer Service! Jane Tarzania & any accompanying her please meet the rest of her party at Customer Service. Thank You!"
Jane knew the Voice, it was the stupid jerk of a Store Manager. He was the one that hurt Ronnie. He was also the one that had kidnapped her, Ronnie, Chad & Catherine.
Jane thought for a moment about the announcement. Something must of happened Chad & Catherine. Jane started to look around. She, with Ronnie, hobbled over to a Store map & began to look at it. She was basically a straight shot to Customer Service & the Front Door. But, if she took a leftward detour to the Customer Service she'd go by the Pet Department & the Music Department.
Jane started to walk toward the Pet Department, an Announcement was made. It was the Store Manager again. "Good Morning, Wally-World Customers. Would a Jane Tarzania please come directly to Customer Service to meet the rest of her party! If Jane Tarzania would not make any unscheduled stops along the way, that's would be much appreciated. Thank You!"
Jane stopped in her tracks. How did they know she was not going directly there. She then looked up, a camera was looking back at her. It seemed to follow her every move. She knew any sort of secrecy in her movement would impossible. She turned back towards the center aisle & made her way up to Customer Service slowly.
Once up there, Jane saw the evil smiling face of the Store Manager. Sure, he was less imposing as without his hooded cape, mask or gauntlets. But, he was still creepy. He kind of reminded her of one of her coworkers: a creepy older man that was also staring & smiling at her for no apparent reason. Once she was close, he said. "Thank you, Miss Tarzania. Come this way."
He motioned for her & Ronnie to walk after him behind the counter and into a small windowless room. Once inside, she noticed the security cameras for the room, an office, were covered up. Jane looked around the office, Catherine & Chad weren't there.
"Chad & Catherine aren't in here." Jane said. She didn't see the a very talk man dressed up in all black.
"Oh." The Store Manager said, peaking his head & looking around the office. "I'm sorry. I guess they are in the other place."
Before Jane could respond, She was hit on the back of her head knocking her out. They thought for a moment of knocking Ronnie out but he was already past out so they decided not to.
---------------
"uhhh..." Jane let out a groan. Her eyes began to focus. A blurry image comes into focus. It was a face, Catherine's Face.
"Good Morning, Starshine. The Earth says hello." Catherine says with a warm smile.
Jane then noticed that Catherine's face was way to close for comfort. Jane also noticed she could move all that much, she was tied up some way. She was also dangling from something. Jane looked to her left. There was beaten & bloody face of Ronnie, he was still past out. Chad must be behind her. Jane looked down, she & the rest of the group were hanging a few feet over what looked to be a giant food processor. No, it was juicer. The giant glass next to the device clued her into that fact. Just then a harsh wind blew past them, it caused the group to swing back & forth a bit. They also spun around a bit.
Jane started to look around, there on the roof of the a few feet from them was the Store Manager. He was dressed back up in his get up: the hooded cape, mask & the gauntlets.
"Good. Your up." He said with an evil smile.
"Where are we?" Jane asked.
"Around the back of the store, by our loading docks. Your hanging high above a working prop of the Jim Langley's Ultra-Juicer, a much smaller version is now being sold in Housewares for only $29.95 plus tax, a real steal if you use the money back rebate you get with the product if you want my opinion. On a side note your tied up with a few lengths of Rope from our Home Improvement department."
"Ok." Jane said.
"Why are we here?" Catherine asked.
"You, my dear are here to DIE!" The Store Manager said as he raised his left gauntleted hand in triumph.
"Why?" Catherine asked.
"Those two men has been the bane of my life since that day in May lo those many years ago."
"I'll go with you on that but why are Jane & I here? We weren't there! I don't know about Jane here but I didn't ever know these guys back then."
"True. But, you've seen what I've done & are not loyal to my cause you might go to the Police & tell them stuff." The Store Manager said menacingly.
"Yeah. But, you forced us to see what you did." Catherine said. She paused for a moment, the group began to spin a bit & Catherine wanted to see The Store Manager when she talked to him. "You could have just kidnapped them. Then, lead me & Jane astray of what happened to Chad & Ronnie. So, that you could have continued to torture them all you wanted until they died their own slow painful deaths."
"Catherine!" Jane yelled shocked.
"What? It's the truth."
As the two women bickered on about Death & if it should be brought up so bluntly, The Store Manager began to rub his chin. He was thinking about what Catherine had said. Maybe his hatred of these two men had clouded his judgement. Had he spent so much time obsessing about them that he lost sight of his true goals in life: Meeting Jessica Alba & becoming Wally-World Store Manager of the Year?
This line of thought played out in his mind: he did not notice the stairwell door opened, it was his Bosses. They were not happy.
"Stevens!" Co-Head Store Manger Lewis screamed.
The Store Manager turned around. "Yes?"
"What have you done?" Co-Head Store Manager Simpson yelled. "Also, take off that mask: you look ridiculous."
"Uh... Uh... Well, funny story. This all started back in Ohio... uh... yeah, um..." The Store Manager said as he disrobed & stumbled over to his words explain his actions.
"Yes, we know of your Ohio incident but that is no excuse. We leave for a Regional Sells Managers meeting in Parrodipolis & we leave the store in what we thought were your capable hands. So, what do you do: you kidnap four customers & torture one. Also, you didn't actually return the Juicer prop like we asked you too two weeks ago! Next you've been playing dress up! And to top it: you were planning a mass migration of our employees to Ohio to hunt down someone." Co-Head Store Manager Rawlings said.
"Were?" The Store Manager asked.
"Yes." Lewis said. "Do you really think this is how our founder, Walter Samuels, would act?"
"Well.. there is this one rumor..."
"Rumors don't matter." Rawlings barked.
"I'm sad to say this, wait... no. I'm not given what has come to light: Lyle Stevens in the words of one of our corporate friends Mr. Donald Trump: Your Fired!" Simpson said. Catherine noticed that he even did the little hand motion that went along with the catch phrase which she thought was nice.
"But.. But.. But..." Stevens stuttered.
"Turn in the vest & any other Wally-World apparel you may have on you. Then, please leave the premises & never darken our Halogen lighted doorways ever again!" Lewis said.
Stevens took off the vest & with fallen shoulders walked over to the stairwell. He slowly went down the steps. He was followed by the large man in black. Jane guess he was Security or something like that.
"Excuse Me?" Jane asked as the group spun around a bit. "Can we get down? I'm getting a bit sick & my friend here need medical attention."
"Yeah. Also, we are missing a Hamster, an Accordion & my bag." Catherine said.
"Yes. Right away." Simpson said.
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EPILOGUE:
A little while later in Wally-World Parking Sector 23-Gamma, sponsored by Palmolive.
"Well, this was a busy Wednesday morning. Wonder what the afternoon will bring? The Apocalypse? Alien invasion? Total government takeover by a super-villain posing a super-hero?" Catherine said.
"No. That'd never happened. There are safeguards against that. But a Alien invasion that caused the Apocalypse: maybe." Jane said as she gave Catherine a sly look. Then went back helping Ronnie into her car. "But, first I need to get Ronnie to a Hospital."
"Yes. Then, Waffles!" Catherine said.
"What?"
"We agreed that once we escaped the evil shopping complex we'd get Waffles."
"I don't know." Jane as she got into the driver's seat. Before she turned the car, she asked "Chad? You coming with me or staying with Catherine?"
Chad just looked at her. He was still in a somewhat state of shock.
"Duh!" Catherine said as she hit her forehead with the palm of her right hand. She then handed Chad back his according. The life seemed to return to his face: Chad was back.
"So, Chad: Hospital or not?" Jane asked. Little Cat had made a comfy place to sleep in Ronnie's lap.
Chad looked at Jane, then Ronnie & Little Cat. Then at Catherine, he had a look of concern on his face.
"Go. We'll meet up for Waffles later. I got things to do, like get back to what I was doing before I was summoned. It is after all the best day of the week!"
As Chad got into the back seat of Jane's car, She asked. "What's that?"
"It's Wednesday, this week's new comics' come out today!"
Jane laughed, closed her door. They were off. Jane could see Catherine waving to them via her rearview mirror.
Once the vehicle was gone, Catherine started her way to her car. What she didn't know was that she was being watched.
"I will have my revenge on all four of you now! Just wait. Vengeance will be mine!" The watcher said to himself.
"Mommy, why is that man in the bushes talking to himself?" a little boy asked as his mother put him into his car seat.
"As I said in the store, Timmy: All the money you save here at Wally-World just makes people react strangely sometimes."
"oh."
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THE END!
(for now)
What will happen next in the epic lives of Chadwick L. Swiss & Ronald Arnold Gerrimoto Beeslyhuxtoy? I have a few ideas. You'll just have to stay tuned.
