June 1st, 20XX - 11:59 PM

It was closing time at the local movie theater. Actually, it was about two hours past closing. The owner of the business had tried to talk all of the employees into working overtime and having an early showing of a new movie. All but one employee bailed. That one lucky individual was Jospeh. He was convinced because the owner said they'd pay him double the usual overtime rate.

Deciding he needed the money, Jospeh was determined to work as hard as he could. It was only for one night, so he didn't mind.

***

After looking at his phone, Joseph walked to the front doors, locking them to prevent any new customers from entering. He would stare outside the glass doors for a few seconds, seeing that there were a couple of cars still in the parking lot. However, he just assumed that they were parked there because of the grocery store that was in the same plaza as the theater.

After that, Joseph would head to the little custodian closet, grabbing a broom and dust pan from it. He was going to check all of the rooms and make sure they were as clean as they could be. It was clear that Joseph was definitely going above and beyond to make sure that he would earn his promised payment.

***

Most of the rooms were rather clean. It surprised Joseph, as he always thought that people who went to theaters were like animals who couldn't clean up after themselves. That all changed when he got to the last theater room, though. As soon as he stepped in, he could see that the floor was littered with popcorn, candy and other trash. Taking one step forward, he heard his shoes sticking to the hard floor because of some spilled soda.

"Oh, what the fuck?!" Joseph growled as his shoes squeaked.

Sighing, Joseph left the room to go grab the mop and bucket from the custodian closet, as he knew that he was going to have to use it once he swept.

***

Spending a full thirty minutes sweeping and mopping, Joseph was finally done. He wiped his brow and stretched afterwards. He was getting ready to take everything back until something happened.

A movie started playing on the screen. The sudden blast of sound startled Joseph, causing him to almost lose his balance and fall, due to the floor still being slippery.

"What the fuck?" He muttered as his brows furrowed.

How did a movie just start playing like that, out of nowhere? Joseph quickly chalked it up to being a glitch in the computer software, as he was certain that no one else was here with him. So, Joseph would leave the room and head towards the back room, where the master computers and movie library were.

***

Upon reaching the room, Joseph opened the already cracked door, not seeing anyone inside. He sighed and shook his head, stopping the movie that was playing in the theater room he was just in.

After doing so, he was about to leave the room. That was until he caught a glimpse of some of the other montiors in the room. These ones were displaying footage from the security cameras.

"Who the fuck..." He muttered as he approached the screen.

The monitors were rather small and fuzzy, so he couldn't quite see what was on it. However, he could see that someone was walking around the one viewing room that he had just left.

Groaning, Jospeh rubbed his face, "What? Did some old fart fall asleep during a movie and now they're lost?" He grumbled as he left the room.

***

Coming back to the theater room, Joseph pulled out a flashlight and clicked it on. He first scanned the rows closest to him and the isles.

"Hello?!" He called out, only to hear nothing in response.

He'd carefully walk up and down every isle, just in case that whoever he saw on the cameras didn't slip and fall.

***

After the quick search, Joseph made it back to the door, muttering something under his breath. He'd turn and do one last look into the theater, then when he turned back towards the door, he bumped into someone.

Joseph's eyes traveled up and he saw someone wearing a Ghostface costume. His face filled with a bit of confusion.

"Buddy, the movie's over and the theater's closed." Joseph spoke, "Plus, isn't it a little too early to be dressing up for Halloween?" He added.

The person just stood there. They didn't say anything, nor did they move. They just stared at the employee.

"Okayyyyy, uh, the door is that way." Joseph spoke again, now pointing at the lobby behind them.

The person dressed as Ghostface just cocked their head to the side and stood there. Joseph was beginning to get irritated.

"Do I gotta call the cops on you, buddy?" He asked, a hint of annoyance lingered in his voice.

Apparently Ghostface didn't like that suggestion because they pulled their knife out and swung it towards Joseph.

Jumping back and doging the attack, Joseph knocked over the mop and bucket, but he remained standing up.

"Alright asshole, you asked for it!" Joseph growled, trying to swing his flashlight at the masked figure.

Ghostface gripped tightly onto the swinging flashlight and yanked it out of Joseph's hand. Being surprised at their ability to do such a thing, Joseph had zero time to dodge the second knife swing. The blade cutting through his work vest and his undershirt, making a long, deep slice across his stomach.

Joseph gritted his teeth and tried to apply pressure to his bleeding stomach. At the same time, he started to back away but ended up slipping in the mop water. He'd scramble to get back on his feet and tried to make his way down one of the aisles and towards an emergency exit. Every step he took, his feet would slide, so he'd have to grip onto the arm rests of each chair as he rushed down the aisle.

Ghostface waited and watched as Joseph stumbled, perhaps they found his struggling rather amusing. After a few moments, Ghostface started running down one of the aisles that didn't have water in it, so they weren't falling all over the place.

Just as Joseph saw the emergency exit in front of him, Ghostface lunged at them and slammed their knife into his lower back. Hearing a scream filled with pain, Ghostface would twist their knife 180° and used their strength to slowly pull their knife up through Joseph's back.

Joseph let out cries and yelps, while pleading with them to stop and for anyone to help him. However, those screams and pleas were soon stopped, when Ghostface ripped their knife out and plunged it into the side of Joseph's head.

Once Joseph's body went limp, Ghostface yanked their knife out, letting the body sink to the floor and then they'd grab the keys off of Joseph, so they could leave the movie theater.

....

A/N: Well damn!! We already have our first death of the new book! We'll see what happens next, in the next chapter! Stay safe and peace out!!