"Sleepless in the Kitchen"

Sleep, something we need to function, whether we want to do it or not. It's the perfect few hours of rest that rejuvenates our bodies and makes us more alert the longer we keep it up. However, without sleep, your body will slowly decay your mind and your motor function until all there is left is rest.

Waking up, I glanced over to the window to see that the sun was just barely making its rise in the sky. The darkness was beginning to melt away, leaving a hint of light that would only grow brighter with time.
I rose from my bed and hopped in the shower. I needed something to wake me up and wipe the sleep from my eyes. I cleaned my hair and washed over my body. I dried myself and was ready to take on the day. I dressed myself and stepped out the door.
I hopped into my car, the radio popping on just a little too loud. I pressed in the volume button and turned the music off completely. I would rather be alone and sulk in the last remaining time being alone before clocking in for what could be one of the worst days at work. Rule one of working fast food, prepare for the worst.
After clocking in, I threw on my hat and jumped into the kitchen. The screens overhead were flooded with orders, all of which we had the goal of getting out in under four minutes. If any of them go late, they all count against us. And unfortunately for us, today was going to be far busier than the schedule called for.
I hopped in the kitchen and went around to find whichever station needed the most help. It didn't look too good in there. There were well over a dozen fries we needed up but none had even been dumped in the frier yet. I whipped around the few struggling people in the kitchen and grabbed a bag to dump.
Many people up front were running every which way to ensure things were working toward getting out as fast as possible. On the inside of the building, it looked like a madhouse. It didn't look any better on the outside. There was a parking lot full of cars to the point people would keep driving around the building until they found a parking spot.
Mentally, as more food kept coming in the more stressed I became. It didn't help that the only other people sharing the kitchen with me were new and had no idea what they were doing, needing a guiding hand for nearly everything they did. Tempers were about as high as the stress levels for everyone in the building.
It took nearly an hour but we managed to get the orders out and back down to a manageable level. We were able to catch our breaths for a second before another wave would hit.
As I rushed around the kitchen to restock, I was approached by a manager to stay late. It wasn't something I was too fond of, as I was running on about two hour of sleep. However, I was the most trained person in the kitchen for the job. I agreed. I would help close the store at nearly midnight.

The hours seemed to slip by faster and faster until I reached the point where my lack of sleep was catching up to me. I found myself muttering things that I normally wouldn't say, feeling too tired to put up much energy. I felt myself giving in to the tired.
It wasn't much longer before my eyelids grew heavy as I poured more fries into the fryer. I could feel my hand sliding into the boiling grease. I felt the pain but it wasn't enough to wake me. I slid even further until I was submerged and resting with my face inside. Finally, some rest.