Mannequin

         I would first like to say that this story is true. I understand that it may be hard to believe but I'm sure like myself some of you have also seen and experienced strange things. To give a bit of background, I work for an inventory company. From stores like Victoria's Secret, Claires, Home Depot, Gamestop, Target, and even grocery stores. We go in, count everything they want us to count then leave. I did this for around three years going around New Jersey and this, I guess I will call it an encounter is probably the scariest situation I have ever had to deal with.

         I remember the store very well. It was the time of year were we had to do all the Kohls in our area. You would be surprised how many there actually are, but they were easy stores if you didn't get stuck in the section filled with blankets, bed sheets, and appliances. The first day of these bigger stores would always have us working the stock rooms. It was near the end of the day and the manager was slowly beginning to wrap up. I was asked to stay behind with a few others in case we needed to recount an area or if one was missed. To explain a bit, we would put tickets up indicating an area will with stock. Most of the time they would have shelves holding the stock either folded or on hangers. It was common to miss some sections as sometimes we would combine two ticketed sections or would miss one completely.

         My manager had asked me to go look for a few areas that apparently weren't completed. I began the walk and started looking over the tickets trying to find the specific area. The tickets were numbered so it made it easier to find missing ones. Most Kohls have multiple stock rooms, but these tickets were located in the main one where they would receive and ship products. I wasn't initially on edge as I walked through the seemingly endless stock room. The store had already opened so most of the store employees were on the sales floor. But I shivered a bit once I reached the area filled with all the let-over mannequins. I never liked mannequins. Maybe it was their lack of eyes giving them what seemed to be an endless gaze in the direction they were placed. Or the fact that their bodies were able to be adjusted in ways a human body couldn't. I just didn't like them.

         The ones in question were either broken or disassembled. I didn't really care to check. I simply kept moving albeit with a bit more haste as I followed the tickets. After about 5 minutes of searching, I reached ticket number 578. Bet you thought I was going to say 666. I was looking for ticket number 580 so I breathed a sigh of relief knowing I was close to my destination. Looking at the shelving I could see a few tickets on the higher selves so I grabbed one of the step stools lying around to check them. Ticket 579 and as I looked up at the top shelf I nearly fell off the step stool when I saw ticket 580 attached to the hand of a mannequin on the top shelf. After the fear had left my body I laughed grabbing the ticket. Someone must have put it there as a prank.

         But when my feet hit the ground I looked back toward the direction of where I had come. I noticed a mannequin just standing there. Now it wasn't in the way of my path, I could easily go around it but, I know for sure it wasn't there before. It wasn't damaged, or missing any limbs, and its head was turned slightly.

         "Alright, very funny," I said aloud laughing a bit nervously at this point. One of the other employees still here had to be fucking with me. I pulled out my phone to ask if there were any other tickets my manager needed me to look for while I was this deep in the stock room. I took a seat on the step stool and started to browse Twitter. I then began to hear a scraping sound. I looked up and checked my surroundings. The only thing that was different was the mannequin was closer. It wasn't in arms reach but it was definitely closer. Confused, I walked over to it and started to examine it. Nothing about it was different, but when I looked at the ground I noticed scrape marks on the concrete floor. I chalked the marks up to them just being there before and I began to walk back towards where my manager was.

          The sound of my name being called got me to stop. I was only a few feet passed the mannequin. My name was clearly being said from behind me. I froze but didn't want to turn around. I then heard a crashing sound which got my attention. My eyes widened as I saw the standing mannequin now facing me, and on the ground behind it was the mannequin that was on the third shelf. It had no legs but the way its arms were, it looked like it was crawling towards me.

         "Nope," I said shaking my head. I wanted nothing to do with whatever was happening. Whether it was someone's idea of a sick prank or something else. I decided to walk backward at first making sure that my eyes were focused on the two mannequins. I knew there was nothing in my path going back toward my manager but I still made sure to go slow. The two started to get out of my view when I felt the back of my foot catching on something. I stumbled backward doing my best not to fall. Lucky for me I was able to stop myself and catch my footing.

         When I looked down to see what I had tripped on, I could feel my heart sink. On the ground was a mannequin with no arms. Its legs were bent and its head was face first on the ground. It looked like it was trying to take the position of someone trying to trip me, but looked strange with its missing arms. I shook my head again and fully turned around. I don't know if this was a mistake or not, but the mannequins I had previously passed by. The ones that first gave me the creeps. They were in front of me. Some were standing, some were in a running position. I could see some crawling on the floor. Some hanging awkwardly on the shelves with their arms stretched out trying to grab at me.

         At this point, I thought about screaming but instead, I just ran. I didn't care if I stepped on any of the mannequins, or if I knocked over some while running. I just wanted to get back. Behind me, I could hear the sound of scraping against the floor. The clonking sound plastic makes as it hits something. And my name being spoken. I didn't look back. I kept going forward until I finally saw my manager and coworkers. I stopped in front of them gasping for air. They gave me puzzled looks as I caught my breath. I handed my manager the missing ticket and clocked out without saying anything.

         I knew if I told them what had happened they wouldn't believe me. As I left the store though, I could swear that every single mannequin on display was face towards me. Even after all this time, I still get chills every time I walk into a clothing store. You never know who, or what is watching you.