The Final Shift

The bell above the café door had long stopped chiming by the time Lyra finally untied her apron.

Sunday shifts were always brutal, but today had been relentless. A coworker had called in sick, and with the extra six hours she’d picked up, Lyra had been on her feet for nearly fourteen straight. Her legs ached, her shoulders burned, and even her breath felt heavy in her chest as she stepped into th