The front of the restaurant was a shattered mess. He pumped his legs and ran toward it, feeling the fresh air of the night.

He stopped in his tracks when he heard the voice. A Chinese voice…singing?

It came from Mr. Chan’s office.

Juan made a dash toward it. He stood in the doorway and could only stare. A CD player emitted the music, but that’s not what caught his attention.

The bills fluttered in the wind blowing in from the broken windows. The safe’s door stood open and piles of money lay in front of it.

Juan’s mustache twitched so hard he sneezed. He ran into the office and kicked the safe door wider with the toe of his shoe. Jammed full of money.

Juan looked over his shoulder. The faint sound of a siren somewhere in the distance tickled his ear, and he quickened his pace.

It looked as if Mr. Chan was ready to make a run for it before his customers consumed him and his restaurant. A sack that looked big enough for Santa Claus lay beside the safe, piles of money already inside of it. Juan grabbed armfuls of cash and threw it into the bag. He moved as quickly as he could, keeping his ear sharp for that siren.

Sweat stung his eyes and salted his mouth. When he got the last of it in, he was about to slam the safe shut when a sheet of paper swung out and spiraled in the air before landing on his shoe.

Chinese symbols decorated the page, and he couldn’t decipher any of it, but he had a feeling he knew what it was.

Juan grabbed the paper, stared at it for a second before tossing it in with the money. I won’t abuse it, he thought. I’ll get this translated…and I’ll do it right.

KEEP EATING

Lola woke up on the floor, could barely move her head, let alone the rest of her body. She thought she was dead. The bright light of the fluorescent shining down from the ceiling sent pounding throbs through her brain.

The Mexican man was gone.

But she heard them. In the cooler. A large pile of kitchen debris had been shoved against the door. It blurred as she looked at it.

They gurgled and moaned and whimpered from inside. There was the unmistakable sound of chewing and tearing and slurping and smacking. They had their prize. What they’d wanted all along.

She wanted them to eat. Eat to their heart’s desire. Until every scrap of food was gone, until the cooler was empty.

Blood seeped out from the bottom of the cooler door.

Finished already?

They would eat each other alive until there was nothing left. She smiled as she listened. The cries and snorts and growls as they devoured each other, themselves.

She listened for Daddy’s voice. But he wasn’t there.

Blue and red light flashed over the floor and walls and ceiling. She heard shouting and running footsteps.