Girl In The Checkout Line Keeps Looking Over Her Shoulder
Facing forward, groceries on the belt, but her head kept twisting around. She checked over her shoulder at least six times before it was her turn to pay.
About this scene
Big-box store checkout line, afternoon. She is third in line at the register. She has been standing there for two minutes. The flash is across the lane at the next register over. She turns to look. She turns back. She turns again. The look-back-look-forward pattern continues until it is her turn to pay. By the time she gets to the register she has looked over her shoulder eleven times.
What to watch for
The eleven over-the-shoulder glances are the visible compulsion. Each one lasts about half a second. The cashier she eventually reaches gives her a knowing smile. The cashier saw the pattern. She does not say anything. She pays and the receipt prints. She turns one more time on her way out the door, the twelfth glance, and then exits the store. The flash is no longer in her line of sight at that point. She still felt the pull.