Working graveyard shift at a gas station is pretty calm, almost nobody comes in. Well some do, but I call them the strangers. They are the kinds of “people” who you’re fairly sure aren’t human. I’ve gotten into a routine with them, never ask questions, only talk to ask if that’s all they’re buying and to tell them their totals, and NEVER try to look them in the eyes.
Those are the rules I live by. Easy enough to follow. I’ve never once broken them, not since the first night I met one of the strangers.
That was the first and last night I ever worked with someone else, his name was Mark…I think? He was a decent enough guy, kinda annoying but eh I’m not a people’s person.
We stood at our registers and waited for anyone to come in. It was almost two am by now, last person to come in was at midnight and was a guy who needed gas. Then the door opened and the bell chimed.
I looked over to see who walked in, and immediately looked towards his feet. He was obviously not human. He was too tall, limbs too long, skin a sickly white color that reminded me of a hospital, and his hair was the color of ink and long enough he could have passed as that girl from the ring.
I didn’t dare move, hell I barely took a breath. I was about to piss my pants from fear. I still remember Mark grabbing the shotgun our boss made us keep below our registers.
“I’m gonna go shoot that thing.” He said.
I wanted to stop him, but I couldn’t move. He marched up towards the stranger, I was finally able to move just to cover my ears. I felt the gun go off, only to watch in horror as the stranger turned to Mark and grabbed him up by the neck. He lifted him up, unhinged his jaw, shoved Marks head in, and snapped down.
I remember that awful crunch, the spray of blood, and how Mark’s body dropped to the ground.
The stranger walked over to me, with a bottle of water. He then grabbed a candy bar and threw it down with the water.
“W-will that be all? If so your total is three fourty six.” I remember saying after I rang everything up.
He threw down the money, grabbed his things, and left. I called the cops but when they saw the camera footage, they wrote it off as a stranger attack. I didn’t realize they were a thing till then, but I knew now. They told me how to stay safe around them, and I listened.
That was the last night I worried about the strangers. I was always a bit scared of them after that, but I never was hurt. I just follow my rules. But I did learn one thing, never get too curious. It could be your doom. But, hey, what would I know. After all I’m just a guy who works at a gas station.