When I first heard the screams from the kitchen, I was sure it was a joke.

If you've ever worked in a restaurant, you know how crazy things can get in the kitchen.

People are always messing with each other, arguing, yelling, or just being really weird to make the co-workers laugh.

After the screams, I looked up from my seat in the delivery driver pickup area

and soon went back to messing around on my phone.

It was late on a Friday night, and I was at a local chain restaurant waiting for a delivery order.

I worked for DoorDash at the time while I went through school.

The dining area of the restaurant was pretty dead, with only two tables occupied,

and the people at them were mostly just chatting and drinking.

I was sitting near the kitchen in one of the three chairs next to the side entrance.

I'd picked up from this restaurant many times before, so I knew the deal.

Usually, there were two or three dashers waiting for food, but this night it was just me.

The scream had clearly come from the kitchen.

It was a man's scream, I was pretty sure, but high pitched.

That was kind of why I thought it was a joke.

I looked at the flimsy swinging doors to the kitchen on my left, but didn't see anything.

That was when I put my attention back on my phone.

Then the sound of raised voices came from the kitchen.

It sounded like people were getting riled up back there.

I looked out into the dining area, front of house, they call it,

and saw the people at the tables looking back toward the kitchen,

even though they couldn't see the doors from where they were.

...