I am writing this story in a cold sweat after the hell I just escaped. I guess let’s start with some context
My name is Alex Walker. I was on my way home from visiting my parents out of state it was getting late and I wanted to grab a bight to eat before I stopped at a hotel for the night. Among the many closed stores there was one that caught my eye. Sally’s American Diner its sign still read “open” so I pulled into the parking lot looking at my watch it was 1:42 A:M. Which I guess explains why no other car is here except one a small black S.U.V sat under a lamp post but something was off the car looked old and dusty as if no one had used it for centuries.
I didn’t really care mainly cause of my stomach demanding food. As I walked into the diner I saw a woman sitting at the main countertop as she looked over at me with a friendly tone and said. “ Hello there welcome to my Diner I’m Sally and I will be your waitress for today follow me.” She said as she walked towards a booth near the back of the Diner she put a menu on my table and said “can I start you off with something to drink?” Before I responded with my usual coke I noticed the menu looked odd as well it’s design was severely outdated actually this whole place looked out of date. But the weirdest thing was a quote on the menu “Sally’s American Diner run by Sally since 1960”. The woman before me looked exactly like the Sally in the picture it was 2022 and she had no physical appearance changes either this woman was blessed with a perfect body or something was wrong. I was snapped out of my thinking by Sally tapping me on the shoulder as she looked at me and said. “Sir do you want a drink?” I collected my thoughts replying with a simple. “Just a Coke please.” She walked towards the counter filling up an old glass with coke and heading back to my table to give it to me she pulled out a little notebook as she set my drink down and said.
“What would you like to order sir?” I had no real preference so I just said. “Give me what you recommend.” she doodled on her notebook and walked in the back I didn’t see her until ten minutes later when she came out with a plate of grits, eggs, and biscuits as she set them down she walked away just telling me to enjoy my meal. I admit it tasted great but as I kept eating I felt weak until I suddenly passed out.
I don’t know what transpired from that moment to here but I slowly gained consciousness. As I heard a conversation between Sally and a man in chef’s attire they said. “Listen Greggory we are low on meat and this tourist that rolls into our Diner that no one will miss is here and you don’t want to butcher him?” The man I now knew as Greggory turned to her and said.” Sally We can’t keep doing this people are starting to catch on the last thing we need is another tourist murdered in Larkin in the news.” Sally was fuming as she replied in a strict tone. “I don’t care we need meat you’re the butcher so do your damn job.” she said storming out the room. At this point I realized what was about to happen as Greggory raised his cleaver something in me I guess adrenaline coursed through my veins as without any hesitation.
I jolted up punching Greggory in the face the punch knocked him off of his feet. As I grabbed his cleaver I began cleaving into his face by the time I pulled out the cleaver he was dead I felt sick until I remembered what he was about to do to me. I held onto the cleaver as I walked out of the back room into the main diner. I saw Sally as she turned around about to say something until her face filled with horror as she saw the cleaver I was holding and the blood on my shirt she lunged at me I swung the cleaver hitting her in the gut. As I let go of the cleaver I bolted out the door starting my car and driving away from there before I got out the parking lot I saw from my rear view mirror Sally standing in the window looking at my car drive away before falling to the ground.
I got into a hotel finally managing to go to sleep the next morning I went back to the diner to see it in decay. Spray paint all over broken windows but the same black S.U.V in the same parking lot. I decided to ask someone who looked like a local about the diner. the man turned to me and told me . “Well around 50 years ago the two owners were killed no suspect was ever found however they were discovered to be feeding people to their customers ever since then the place has been there some people say that at night when no one is around the lights turn back on and the open sign flickers well have a good day.” He said as he walked off I got back into my car turning the key and driving off I still can’t tell if it was real it felt real too real so I went home and decided to write this well good day.-Alex