Mud Bucket

Shift was almost up. Seven long hours amid the poorly lit aisles of a no-name market whose storage practices were questionable, at best. Having placed peas on the highest shelf he could reach without dragging in the ladder, he realized there remained an entire pallet of non-perishables on aisle eleven that would need to be stored. He wasn't quite sure what business canned goods had in a sealed room but "It is what it is" he muttered as he stepped down from the mud stained bucket upon which he had been standing unsteadily. As his foot dragged over the edge of the bucket it toppled over into a puddle that never really seemed to dry, as it was fed a constant drip from the faulty air conditioner that hung above the center of the room. "Odd placement for an A.C." Jason thought, and dismissed  his observation as a random incoherent wandering of the mind. Graveyard shift seemed a bit more exhausting than the other shifts, regardless of the physical burden. As he stepped to the door he patted his right pant pocket softly, and only once, expecting the subtle sound of small metallic jingle from within. There was none. Immediate panic took over and Jason dashed through each pocket searching for the keys he'd need to open the thick steel door that prevented the world from entering this vessel unwelcomed. Banging on such a door would produce no sound on the other side, which mattered none whatsoever considering no one occupied this market, save for Jason, a lonely soul whose current predicament would keep him from sleeping comfortably between the K Mart bedding that covered his twin mattress at home.

The night would be a long one considering it was 1AM on Sunday morning and the owner would not open the market until 3PM when he and his staff had arrived from mass. Jason's acceptance of the situation was almost immediate. "This is going to be fun" he said as he placed his back to the door, slumped against it and allowed his body to drag along it until his backside met the floor, at which point there was a faint click and the door edged open slowly. Though he had no recollection of it, Jason had left a wad of paper jammed into the locking mechanism, preventing it from locking shut. He peered up at the wad in disbelief. "Did I do that?" he whispered, bringing himself to his feet and staring in disbelief at the open door, pausing only for a moment before he quickly left the room and made a beeline for aisle eleven where his final mission for the evening awaited.