Julian’s boots hit the linoleum behind Register 1 with a wet, sliding slap.
He didn’t pause to catch his breath. His left arm still throbbed with a burning, prickling ache as blood surged back into his frozen fingers, but his eyes were locked on the hardware beneath the wooden checkout counter.
“Julian!” Elena shouted from Register 2. She was leaning over her till, her face flushed with relief.
“The walk-in temperature readout is reversing! It’s climbing past zero!”
“The defrost elements are pulling maximum amperage from the main breaker!”
“Not fast enough,” Julian said, his voice hard as tempered brass. “Silt is still grounded in the floor drain.”
“If the defrost cycle ends before we purge him, he’ll re-condense the second the coils cool down. We have to sever his root in the sewer.”
Julian dropped to one knee on the black rubber fatigue mat.
