WIP creepypasta story I plan to submit soon

(Edit: No longer WIP! This is completed and I'll be submitting it soon! Hopefully it gets accepted and published!) At 17, this was really the only job I could have gotten in town. I’d have been so much better off unemployed. All it took was one day and everything came crumbling down. I’ll just start at the beginning… It was about 9:35 PM on my first day of working. I’d been briefed on a few things that morning. All simple stuff. I was assigned to stock the shelves for a certain few aisles. Nothing too difficult. Apart from some strange looks from my new coworkers, the entire shift was pretty uneventful. That was, of course, until my partner showed up to “pester” me. They claim to always try their best to be a nuisance but I’ve never seen them as anything but a sweetheart with harmlessly playful intentions. “You’ll never get anything done with me around,” they stated, sounding almost excited to bother me for the rest of the day. I rolled my eyes and checked my phone to see the time. There were only about twenty minutes left until the end of my shift and until the center closed for the night, so I decided that I would play along with their mischief for a little while. After snaking their arms around my waist, they spent a couple minutes distracting me with mostly senseless rambles and just trying their best to annoy me (and still failing). Eventually, they gave in and we just shared earbuds to listen to music. About six songs in, I was getting bored of their music taste; all indie bands and nameless instrumentals. I grabbed their phone and started scrolling through their playlist. “Ry, don’t you listen to any real music?” I asked them jokingly. That’s when the lights shut off. Both of us were a little surprised at first, then we saw the time. The store was closing, and they definitely weren’t supposed to be here after hours. Not a great way to make a good impression on my first day at all. I grabbed their hand and we started walking towards the exit together. My older sister had driven me here, so I planned to walk them to their car and have them drive me home. We walked and walked, but the “exit” sign wasn’t getting any closer. In fact, it almost seemed like every time I would glance at it, it’d be farther away. I assumed it was just my bad eyesight being an issue again, but then Ry pointed it out. “It definitely wasn’t that far when I came in,” they plainly announced. I stopped and turned to look at them, confused at first that it wasn’t just my eyes playing tricks, but then I got a bit concerned. I had no idea what was going on, I was just ready to get out of here and go home. We both jumped at a sudden sound from somewhere not far from where we stood. It sounded as if something made of glass had fallen from a shelf and shattered. What startled us more was what came after. It sounded like quick footsteps crunching through the broken glass. I felt Ry’s grip on my hand tighten slightly. “I don’t think we’re safe here,” they said softly. I nodded in agreement and tried to keep walking, but my legs wouldn’t move. I gasped and nearly fell back at the feeling of something touching my ankle. Both Ry and I looked down in shock. There was a girl clinging to my leg. I immediately recognized her as one of my coworkers thanks to her uniform. She pulled herself to her feet and whispered hurriedly, “You can’t be out in the open like this when they emerge. They’ll find you too easily.” Ry tugged me away from her and protectively held me close. Her attention snaps towards them. “You’re not in uniform… They’ll come for you first.” I locked eyes with Ry for a moment, then turned to look at my coworker again or ask what she meant, but she was retreating. I stared with wide eyes as she lowered back onto the floor and her limbs began snapping in unnatural angles. She moved out of sight slowly. We heard the crunching glass again and then everything was silent. I had no idea whether we should heed her warning. I still wasn’t fully sure that I believed any of this was really happening, but something in my gut told me it’d be best to get somewhere more safe. After all, our journey towards the exit still hadn’t gained any progress. My eyes darted around as I searched for the darkest spot I could see. I saw, not far from us, an area where the dim emergency lights didn’t reach at all. I pointed and grabbed Ry’s arm. “Ryder, we’re going there and we’re going there now,” I ordered. They didn’t argue, and I could tell they were becoming just as scared as I was. My legs felt so much heavier than they ever have before, not like any kind of fatigue I’ve ever experienced, more like an outside force influencing my energy. Ry practically had to drag me behind them as they made their way towards the darkness. We huddled close to each other in the murky blackness of the shadow-shrouded aisle. I held them to my chest tightly, my breath shaky. I winced at the sharp pain suddenly shooting through my legs. I was thankful that we were already on the ground, otherwise I may have collapsed. I’d never been more confused and afraid in my life. Nothing was making sense. They must’ve been able to tell just how terrified I was, because they quietly assured me, “It’s alright. It’s a dream. It has to be.” I just nodded, trying my best to believe it. I shut my eyes and slowly continued nodding. I tried so hard to wake up. I still wish it had worked. Maybe if I had just let myself believe it was real, I would have opened my eyes sooner. I wouldn’t have been in such denial when they were pulled off of me. I wouldn’t have had to be brought back to reality by their scream. I could have saved them from that thing. That huge, horrible monster. I could hardly make out any features beyond its intimidating size, the sharpness of its appendages, and the foul stench that came from it, reminiscent of rotten meat. It tore Ry from me and dragged them away. I tried to follow, but the pain in my legs was still far too much. I cried myself to sleep last night. I woke up this morning when someone shook me awake. My eyes fluttered open and I looked up to see the same coworker who gave Ry and I that warning about… Them. Right away, tears stung my eyes as I realized that none of it was a dream. Tonight, I won’t hide. If they took Ry, they’ll take me too. I’ll do anything that it takes for any chance to be with them again.