AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Today isn’t wet, just bracing, so I’m okay without a coat. Well, I’m freezing my tits off actually, but at least I’m dry. I visit every damn cafe, restaurant and diner in Black Hallows. I try the bars, the shops, and even the nightclubs. No one is hiring. Apparently they all took on their seasonal staff at the start of the month. I can’t even get hired out of pity. Even when I hint at how desperate I am.
I do manage to squeeze in a visit to the doctor to get tested, the procedure making me angry at Jamie all over again. I don’t fully remember what Elle and I cooked up for revenge in a tequila fuelled rage last night, but I’m sure it was good and completely unattainable, sadly.
I decide to give up job hunting as it starts to get dark, and that uncomfortable feeling of unseen eyes on me surfaces once more. I mean, it’s the dead of winter, so it’s not even late, but I’m cold, my feet hurt, and the sensation that someone is watching me has grown persistent. It’s as if an invisible weight has settled on my shoulders, urging me to find safety and solace.
As I rummage around inside my bag for my purse, my fingers graze the edge of my emergency tenner, the lifeline I keep for moments like these. I know I’ll have to dip into it to catch the bus home, but I’ll need change first. It’s a bittersweet realisation, but one that offers a glimmer of hope in the midst of my turmoil.
I duck into the corner shop just as it starts to bucket it down, and the sound of rain pelting against the windows is music to my ears. The cosy warmth, and the welcoming glow of the store, provide a brief sanctuary from the harshness of the world outside. It’s a momentary reprieve, a chance to catch my breath and shake off the feeling of eyes at my back.
Selecting the cheapest chocolate bar I can find, I grumble at the rate of inflation that has made my favourite childhood 10p treat rise to nearly a pound. I take it up to the counter to pay, reluctantly handing over my precious last tenner.
“I don’t suppose you’re hiring?” I ask the cashier as I turn to go.
“No sorry. But we did have a guy put a card on the community board at the back of the shop. It was a while ago, but he never came back to take it down. Can’t hurt to try, right?”
“Thanks,” I say, not feeling very hopeful, but trudging to the back of the shop anyway. If nothing else, it’ll keep me out of the rain a little longer. Hopefully, if there is someone following me, the heavy downpour will have scared them off by the time I’m done here. Only a forty-five minute wait out in the rain until the bus comes.
The notice board is easy to find, but I can’t see any job adverts. The board is covered in pets for sale, rooms to rent, and community projects and clubs. As I lift one sheet advertising a weight loss group out of the way, I spot a tiny business-card-sized note.
Seasonal Work Opportunity
Call 07700 122386
I take the card from the board and dial the number. May as well call from here rather than out in the rain.
“Hello?” I tentatively ask when the call stops ringing but no one speaks.
“Yes?” The voice is low, smooth. The speaker sounds annoyed but his voice still makes me shiver.
“Erm, I’m ringing about an advert I saw in the local shop? For seasonal work? The position’s probably been filled already?” I cringe at the way everything I say comes out as a question.
“The position was filled—” the low voice begins. It’s ridiculous how it affects me, making me flustered and tingly all over.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Sorry to have wasted your time. Sorry, Sir.” I cringe at my own rambling and move to hang up.
“Wait!” The way he says it, as a gravelly command, makes me pause. “The position was filled, but we had someone drop out yesterday. Can you meet me for an interview?”
“Sure! I mean, yes, I can. Yes, please.” He chuckles lightly and gives me the address. It’s on the other side of town. The insanely rich and affluent side. My bubble of hope bursts.
“How soon can you get here? Do you drive?”
“Erm, I don’t have a car at the moment.”
“Okay, I’ll send a taxi to collect you. See you in about half an hour—”
“Wait!” I sound a lot more desperate and panicked than he did when he used that imperative. “How do you know where I am?”
“I didn’t put those cards up all over Black Hallows, I know exactly which corner shop you found it in, and I’m assuming if you’re calling this late in the day, that you’re probably still there having picked up the phone as soon as you found the advert.”
He ends the call, and I pace nervously. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. I’m heading to the other side of town with hardly any money on me and no way of safely getting home. But...I really need a job.
The whole situation has me speculating wildly. Who is this mysterious guy, and what kind of job is this that can’t wait until morning for an interview? It feels odd, almost clandestine. Andhow did he know exactly where I was calling from? Is he some sort of expert recruiter or a shadowy figure with his own agenda?
As I debate my decision, the nagging feeling that I might have gotten myself into something far more complex and enigmatic than just a seasonal job, runs round my head. But at the same time, the possibility of employment offers a glimmer of hope in a life that has lately been filled with uncertainty. So, with a mixture of trepidation and determination, I resolve to make my way to the interview and hope that my instincts aren’t leading me astray.
I send a quick prayer to the gods that they don’t cut off my phone in the next few hours, because frankly it’s a miracle that it hasn’t already happened. Then, I hastily text Elle to say where I’m going and why. She texts back an excited cat emoji, which freaks me the fuck out, but at least she knows where to search for my body if the worst happens.
Although, I suspect being hacked to pieces by a potential new boss would still be preferable to what will happen to me when my landlord comes calling for my outstanding rent. He’s not a good guy. Makes Jamie look like a saint, in fact.
