Chapter 1

When I was 19, I worked the overnight shift at a gas station just on the outskirts of my town. From 10 at night to 6:30 in the morning, I’d be left alone to my own devices. The gas station was located on a long stretch of road that was pretty busy during the day, but usually not as traveled during the night. I’d get an average of about a dozen or so people who would pop in to grab candy, coffee, or to fill up their tanks. Most of the time I’d just be on my phone, occasionally getting up to fulfill my duties around the store.

I remember that night like it was yesterday. I had already been running late; my car had trouble starting up, but my dad was able to get it up and running. The wind was blowing something terrible; the sky had turned gray and I could smell it in the air. It was about to storm. I didn’t mind it; This meant that my night would be even more uneventful than usual….or so I thought. I had to swerve to avoid hitting a deer that had suddenly emerged from the tree line on the side of the road; Swearing under my breath as my heart pounded, I glanced up into my rear view mirror. The deer was watching me drive away.

My co-worker, an older woman named Beth, tried to pretend not to be annoyed once I finally got there. I apologized profusely, but she said her goodbyes and headed out. I inspected the four pumps we had outside, making it back inside just in time to avoid the rain. As thunder boomed overhead, I walked the store, making sure everything was properly stocked and snack machines were running smoothly. Then I sat in my trusty, fifty year old chair and pulled up YouTube. I had a few customers stop by, but the storm only seemed to be getting worse, and eventually the road was completely empty. I snapped out of my digital trance enough to grab a hot dog, but noticed that my phone was on its last breath. My charger, of course, was in the car, and I sure as hell wasn’t going outside. I lowered my head under the counter, but one of my co-workers had taken the community charger. Assholes. The building seemed to shake from the next round of thunder, and, suddenly, the lights were out.

I sat up, looking around for the flashlight. Instead, I found a dark figure standing in front of the counter. I gasped, falling back in my chair. Somehow, this hunk of wood that had survived since the ice age finally splintered under the weight of my fall. I sprung up, staring in confusion and apprehension at the person standing before me. He wore a black cloak, his hood raised; His face, round and bearded, was barely visible. He was tall, and for the life of me I cannot tell you how he had gotten there without me noticing. I had not heard the jingle of the front door, and even if he had somehow bypassed that, I had only been below the counter for a second or two. What unnerved me the most, though, was that he seemed to be completely dry; There was no umbrella in sight.

“Sorry bro, you scared the hell out of me. What’s up?”

He simply stood there, staring at me. I was now even more aware of my on-life-support cell phone, as, with the power out, I couldn’t even hope to use the landline. The man’s dark eyes shifted from me to the back of the store. “You have drinks here?”

“Uhhh, yeah, man. Right back there.”

He stared for a few seconds longer, then moved stiffly towards the coolers. I wondered if I should make a run for it then, but something seemed to be telling me not to. I wasn’t sure if it was because I thought he would easily chase me down, or if I was just trying to be rational. This guy was definitely weird, but why risk getting into trouble with my boss by abandoning the store and cash register? I tapped my foot nervously as I sat waiting for him to return. When he did, he placed the small bottle of water on the counter. The storm outside rendered the dark store even darker; I could barely see anything around me. The man’s eyes were boring into my face. “You have any smokes?”

“Yeah, man…which ones would you like?”

“What do you recommend.”

I didn’t want to turn around, so I just started listing the brands that I knew. When I finished, he tilted his head slightly.

“You know those are bad for you. You shouldn’t smoke, Derrick.”

My heart skipped a beat. What the fuck? “How do you know my name, man?”

“Your name badge.”

I felt like an idiot. This weather and situation was making me irrational. I just needed to calm down and take care of this guy. I reached for the scanner to ring the gentleman up and felt stupid for the second time in as many seconds. The power was out; I couldn’t ring him up anyway.

“The register’s useless. It’s on the house, man. Have a good night.”

The stranger looked at the register, then back at me. He seemed like he was trying to come up with some excuse not to leave; I wondered if he had been hoping I would open the register so that he could rob me.

“I’m not leaving. Not yet.”

Fuckkk. I glanced at my phone; completely dead. I had this terrible, terrible feeling that I would be too. This guy hadn’t done much, he wasn’t loud, but danger and something horrible seemed to be lingering in the atmosphere. I had nowhere to go. I could try to fight him, but this guy was massive. As our staring match continued, there was movement outside the glass doors. I could see a white car pulling up to one of the pumps. I can tell you I’ve never felt so relieved in my life; Finally, someone else was here. I was saved.

Two young men got out of the car, one of them in a black shirt the other red, and began jogging through the rain towards the building. The stranger in front of me turned, then moved faster than he had all night, walking swiftly over to the doors. He stood glaring outside at the boys, both of whom froze in their tracks. One of them screamed as the other turned to run; they slid and stumbled in the rain and their complete and utter terror back to their car. They hopped in, and the third person, the driver, peeled out of the lot. What the hell was that? Did they know something about this guy that I didn’t? Their reaction had been almost comical with how terrified they had seemed, even more than myself.

The stranger turned back to look at me. My stomach dropped. There was no help…I was stuck here with this guy, and completely at his mercy. He blinked for the first time all night, then cracked a smile. His teeth were surprisingly white; pearly even. “Have a great night, Derrick.” He pushed the door open and walked out. I didn’t know whether I was more confused or relieved. I ran over to lock the door, only to see that the man was not outside; there was no car, and he wasn’t walking in any direction. He seemed to have just completely disappeared.

The power came back on about two hours later. My nerves had finally returned to normal, and the rest of my shift passed without incident. The early shift worker, Seth, pulled up at his usual time and shook my hand.

“Derrick, man, I’m glad to see that you’re okay.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I wondered aloud.

“You haven’t seen any updates on your phone? There were some guys who robbed and shot a gas station attendant a few miles from here. I thought the boss man shot you a text or called you.”

“….Maybe he did, my phone’s dead. What…what did these guys look like?”

Seth scratched his chin. “If I remember correctly, they were in a white Toyota. Two young guys, and a driver too.”

My face had surely drained of all color the way Seth looked at me. What? This didn’t make sense…I had nearly been a victim of these guys. But if they had a gun, what had terrified them so about the stranger in the cloak? What had they actually seen through those doors?

I left the building, splashing through the puddles to get to my car. I sat there in the driver’s seat for a second, just staring into space. Then I turned to look for my phone charger. It was there in the passenger seat, right next to my name badge.