Chapter 3 - Before (3)

Glancing at the time, Lucas let out a sigh of relief. He had made it to his workplace successfully, and therefore kept his job. Although such an issue would normally seem trivial, Lucas had recently lost a variety of jobs for many ludicrous reasons, some of which weren't even his fault. 'Damn dish washer.' 

Pushing open the front door to the coffee place, a small golden bell situated directly above it made a small ring. The first time he had entered the store, he had thought it stereotypical of a standard coffee shop. But now, oddly he found it rather satisfying, the light ring was pleasant on his ears. 

Getting back on track, he realised that he was the last employee to make it to first shift. 

The coffee house was a large rectangular room, split in 1:4 ratio between the counter and tables. Further down the room, there was an opening to get behind the counter where a group was hanging around. Near the entrance two large windows looked down onto the outside streets, accompanied by some stools and a long table outlining the curved windows shape, seemingly cut in half by the door. 

Lucas approached the group of 3 hanging around a register, subconsciously rapping his fingers against the counter. A tall man, wearing a smooth white shirt and a pair of black jeans was tutoring a short woman, now turning his head towards Lucas. 

"Ah you two, this is Lucas. He is the other staff member I was telling you both about. Lucas this is Maria and Steve. You should get to know each other, as you'll be allotted the same shifts over your working time." The manager signalled for all of them to greet one another. 

Lucas took a step closer and outstretched his hand across the counter. "Good to meet you both. As he said, my name is Lucas and I hope to enjoy working with you while I'm here." 

The short girl seemed rather meek at first glance, but looks can be and were deceiving, as she confidently asserted herself forward shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you Lucas. I'm Maria, and this is Steve." 

He turned his head a full 20 degrees upwards to see the imposing figure of the man. He was a giant that could probably squash him with his hand if he tried. But yet again a striking contrast was made. 

Barey able to stammer some words out, Steve greeted Lucas like a shy teenager asking his crush out. "H.. hello Luc..as, m.. my name is St..eve." 

"You gotta be more confident than that you big doof. After all, we're all gonna be the bestest of friends." Before finishing the last sentence she somewhat pulled Lucas over the counter and situated herself between the two, embracing them in a scuffed hug of sorts. 

The manager interjected. "Well it seems like we're all getting along and I do need to go, so I'll be leaving you three in good faith. Lucas, you said you already know how to do everything from previous experiences right." 

After a confirming nod he continued. "Well I think that's about everything then. Umm, if I'm not back when your shifts are over, then hand over to the other guys that should be arriving. If any of them are struggling, please do me a solid and give them a quick helping hand. Hmm, anything else... oh yeah. If something goes wrong... don't call me. I'll be busy." With that he slipped out the door, but not before switching a hanging sign over, now stating closed from where Lucas stood. 

An awkward silence hastily followed. 

Maria was the first to speak, "Well I guess it's time to get to work then. I'm on register duty but when there's no one here I'll be helping you two. So I guess, our first job is getting all the tables prepped and ready." 

Steve mumbled, "Y.. eah" in pursuit of Maria's question, while Lucas answered with a short agreement, giving it little thought. 

Within the hour, the coffee shop looked like it was brand new, with the overturned chairs now in uniform positions around all the circular tables. The Sun had also risen higher in the sky, and the streets outside were now rumbling with people, a fickle stream slowly pouring into the shop. 

An aromatic scent filled the large room, that made any person it reached float gracefully towards the counter. The trio had grown to know each other during the morning as well, at least to a basic extent. Lucas had found that both Maria and Steve were a year younger than him at 16. Maria was into heavy metal and rock music, and Steve was a huge animal lover. 

When they asked Lucas what he liked, he responded very bluntly. "If I had to choose I'd say money." Maria had somewhat burst into tears, while even the friendly giant had laughed awkwardly. Something told Lucas that as long as they knew each other, they weren't going to let it go. He shivered at the thought.

Lucas had considered the job rather peaceful at first glance, but quickly found out that this particular coffee place was a rather popular shop near a rather busy street. 

Maria had called both Lucas and Steve for assistance at the register so many times, to the point that Lucas knew the coffee machine like the back of his hand within the first two hours of the day. 

After 4 hours on the job, Lucas was utterly exhausted. He had been running across the place doing a variety of tasks that overheated Lucas' brain as he struggled to memorise the next job needed to be done. 

He had cleaned the tables across the shop many times, only now realising that people couldn't hold their drinks properly. 'How many people can spill a simple cup of coffee. It's not that difficult to hold your hand steady is it?' 

He had also manually cleaned the teacups and been in charge of gathering coffee granuals, whilst keeping the Washing machines full of dirty stuff, and the cupboards full of clean things. He had no idea what he would have done without Steve. 

Finally, the job was almost over. 'Just got to wait for the other staff now.' It was around 13:00 and the days shift was split into 2 main sectors. 09:00 to 13:00 and 13:00 to 17:00. After that, he presumed that the manager shut shop down for the day. 

The entrance door opened, and a light bell rung. A soft breeze entered from the gap in the door, and a group of 3 walked in. Lucas couldn't forget the faces of the disruptive group. 

Tyler, Jacob and Lewis entered the store, with hoarse laughter filling the room as they joked about something, almost definitely inappropriate.

Lucas hurriedly made his way up to them, excited about meeting his old pals. "Hey, Guys. Long time no see." 

The troublesome group turned towards him, all bearing different expressions on their face. Jacob had a horrified look that quickly changed, revealing something else, partly resembling pity. 

Tyler held a calm smile as he greeted Lucas kindly. 

On the other hand, Lewis had an expression of revulsion sprawled on his face, hate dancing in the dilated pupils of his eyes. 

"Hey Lucas. Fancy meeting you here. I mean, what are the chances?" Tyler asked. 

"Oh, I work here now. I'd be happy to serve you three if you want." 

"I'm happy with that. Maybe we can catch up, you guys good with it?" Tyler responded. 

"Ok well let me quickly finish my shift and then I'll be there. Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes." 

Within 5 minutes, Lucas' replacement had walked in, already accustomed to what the job entailed. Lucas quickly left him and hurried towards the table his good friends had scouted. 

"So what brings you guys to a coffee place on a Saturday? Didn't know you guys did this."

The two boys sitting around Tyler refused to speak. Tyler in turn, spoke for them.

"Ah well, funny you mention it. Wait lean in quick I'll tell you why." Lucas leaned forward now hovering above the table. "Simple really. Later tonight, we're going to rob this place." He whispered.

Lucas pulled back, but quickly thought otherwise and leaned forward again, in a hushed voice he spoke, "Tyler, you can't. I fucking work here now. I need this job... please just find somewhere else." 

Leaning back into the stool, Tyler went to speak up, but Lewis cut in. "Fuckface, we knew your rat ass worked here. Why do ya think we picked it." 

Jacob also chimed in. "Hey keep it down, dumbass." 

"You... what did I do? I already told you back then. I didn't tell them anything."

Lewis abruptly started speaking, his voice laced with anger. "Why do you think I'd fucking believe you ,when the actual cops who got us told me otherwise." 

"Lewis, I promise on my life. I didn't speak a word... They just let m... aaaaahhhh"

That sentence was never finished. Lewis pulled the blabbering kid by the collar, raised his hand and delivered a punch directly to his nose. 'Crunch'. There was no warning, the noisy boy unable to even flinch before the impact.

"Aaaaaahhhhh, my nose." Lucas screamed, as everyone within the coffee shop turned towards the impending brawl. However no one made a move, wether to help Lucas or even call 999. Just looked at him, like a pack of hyenas.

Lewis, dragged himself over the table, already planning for round 2. Noticing this, Lucas begged his legs to move, as they started hurriedly flailing, in a matter that could barely be called walking, towards the door.

'Almost there' 

Something grabbed the back of his head. His neck lurched back as his skull slammed into the wooden floorboards of the shop. Lucas spat blood, his breathing difficult as a sharp pain eroded from his upper chest. But then, the coffee house's door flung open, revealing the manager.

"What the fuck is going on... woah. I'm calling the cops, don't you dare move brats." His phone dialed before he'd even said it.

The trio started rushing towards the door, Tyler's face shrouded in glee. He flashed a smile towards Lucas' battered face before pushing past the crowd and slipping through the entrance. 

At least they would of. That was if the Earth didn't start falling apart in front of their eyes. Or maybe it was his vision failing. He didn't know. 'Am I dying' he thought, as he looked at his own body, similarly disintergrating into pieces. At least the pain was going.

The last thing he heard, a distant voice, unrecognisable to him. 

[The game has begun.]