Tags: re-edit

After an exciting weekend, I was getting ready for my two nights shifts.

I know most people hate Mondays, but in my own case, it’s particularly bad because not only do I go back to school, I also need to prepare for a two-day inversion of my sleeping schedule.

I am not the type to go to bed early and I tend to flirt a little too much with the morning when it comes to getting to bed.

Working from 11h00 PM to 7h00 AM, however, was pure masochism.

I normally would get to bed after 11h00 and try to get a much quality sleep until I would need to get to classes, generally rushing in the morning to get a few extra minutes of sleep.

But with the 2 nights shifts, my best hours of sleep were spent fighting against sheep to try and remain awake.

When I first got the job, I thought I would sneak a few naps between rounds to help but this proved completely impossible.

First of all, there are cameras everywhere. Second of all, I don’t control my rounds.

In 7 places of the mall, there are maintenance cabinets for either sprinklers or simply the janitors to store a mop and fill their bucket.

They are placed all around the mall and in each of them, there is an electronic box with a keyhole I need to turn at precise times or my supervisor is called.

You might think it was for spying on me and making sure I am doing my job right, but officially, it’s there to protect me during my rounds: if someone attacks me I will miss my next key turn and my supervisor will be called.

I doubt he would arrive in time to do anything should the thieves decide to kill me, but like he said, it’s not my job to be a hero.

If I see someone suspect within the mall at night, I run and lock myself somewhere safe. Only then do I call the police.

Personally, I resent that the rounds have to be done at specific times because it makes the routine even easier to learn by ATM robbers, our biggest worry during the night.

There are 3 ATM machines, two well armored with 24 hours access from the parking lot.

The one that worried us was a small corridor ATM which wasn’t as armored. In another mall in the city, thieves crashed into the mall doors with a stolen bulldozer and rammed the ATM until it’s stand gave way.

They shot the aging security agent in the leg but he died of a heart attack before the police arrived.

I was nervous for a few weeks but they never repeated their exploit.

The night shift was entirely lonely, however. Around 6 in the morning, my last round was done and some store employees sometimes came to do inventory and we usually chatted until I could leave.

The maintenance crew also sometimes had to do repairs during the night but we rarely had the occasion to talk since they were anxious to get home as soon as possible, a feeling I always share perfectly, especially now that I have two girls to get back to.

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Tags: re-edit