As soon as Charlie walked inside, he knew it was a bad idea. But he needed to know what was happening, and finding someone to tell him was his best option.
"Hello?" he asked.
There was complete silence.
He slowly moved further into the store, making sure he didn't trip over something. Even with the dim sunlight coming in through the windows, it was dark.
"Hello?" he asked again.
Still silent. Did he just imagine what he saw?
The crash that happened next was loud enough to make Charlie jump. It came from the back room.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see a little better. Well, enough to find his way into the back room. Once there, he felt around for a light switch. He didn't know if the lights worked, but he needed to try anyway.
As he felt along the wall, his hand touched something slimy to the touch. He yanked back his hand as soon as he touched it. In the darkened light, he saw a viscous material covering his hand.
"Yuck," Charlie said, trying to wipe it off.
Suddenly, a gasping noise broke the silence.
"Hello? Is someone there?" Charlie asked. There was no answer. "Don't be shy. I won't hurt you." Still nothing.
He moved his hand along the wall on the other side of the doorway and finally found the light switch.
He turned on the light.
