“Ugh….”
I think it was around 1:00AM on a Sunday. I stumbled upon a run down gas station across an intersection after I left a party when I drank my heart out and got kicked out trying to start a fight with someone.
I was craving cigarettes, so this gas station was perfect. However, something certainly felt off about it. First and foremost, I was almost 100% certain that there was never a gas station here. I used to come across this intersection every morning in high-school, so my memory was a little fuzzy. Even so, I’d never miss it if there really was a gas station there.
Second, it was quiet. Too quiet. No birds, crickets, anything. I lived in a semi-rural part of town, so there not being any animal noises was definitely a sign of to look out for, but I was too drunk to care.
I hazily stumbled onto the the property, when my phone rang,
“Huh, why’s Lililah calling me at this hour?”
Lililah is an old high-school friend of mine. That’s where we met, but we part ways after college. Even so, we never stopped contacting each other. Lililah was a good kid. She never stayed up late, finished her homework on time and overall was a good person, so her calling me this late piqued my concern.
I hit answer and the line crackled for a second before her voice echoed into the darkness,
“Xan! Hi! I have a favour to ask…” she laughed nervously.
I sighed, “again?”
“I’ll pay you back this time! I promise!”
That was the thing about Lililah. Even though she was a good friend, she asks for a ton of favours and never pays you back.
“…okay, what is it?”
And every time, I was willing to hear her out,
“So… I really need this ribbon that’ll fit my dress perfectly for a dance next week! Can you get it for me?”
Alright, that was odd. It was almost 1:30 in the morning, Lililah’s awake, and now she’s asking me to buy an accessory for her? Talk about out of character.
“Uhm… wouldn’t the shop be closed by now?” I asked nervously,
“Please!!! It’s just right down the block!! I’m counting on you. Thanks Xan! Love ya!”
The line crackled again, and the sound signalling the other party has hung up played instead. I frowned, and hopped in my car, getting ready to scavenge the block to see if there was a dress shop open.
In the end, all the shops were closed as expected, so I circled back to where I thought the gas station was, but surprisingly, nothing was there. Throughout the drive I felt more and more at ease. The silence around me felt soothing instead of eerie, and I honestly thought I’d sobered up and that gut wrenching feeling was gone, so the night felt as clear as ever.
Maybe I was just way too drunk when I saw the gas station, but I wasn’t sure. Either way, I pulled out my phone to give Lililah a call back, but she didn’t answer. Typical. She probably went to bed already. I hop back into my car, and made my way home.
The next day I popped into homeroom, expecting to see Lililah waiting for her ribbon, but she wasn’t there. Ever since last night, it felt like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, almost as if I’ve been reborn. However, everyone in class seemed extremely tired. They were quiet and sullen. Looks like they really partied hard last night.
I make my way over to a friend and sit down,
“Hey, have you seen Lililah?”
He looks at me with a disgusted look,
“Xan what the hell? What kind of joke is that?”
I was taken aback,
“What’s wrong? Wh-“
“Lililah is dead.”