Walking around the gas station, I felt myself growing impatient. I kept glancing at my phone, awaiting the text from my roommate. She was supposed to pick my up from work, but she was also terrible at responding to texts. I've tried calling a few times on my way over here, but they all went straight to voicemail. Was she sleeping and put her phone on silent? I wouldn't put it past her.
The reason I went to the gas station was mainly to get out of the rain. I had just finished locking up the building at the fast food joint I worked at and, undenounced to me, it was pouring down rain. And as I peered out the window of the gas station, I could see some lightning flashes. Normally I would have no problem walking, but I'd rather not get drenched and potentially struck by lightning on my fifteen minute walk home.
It had felt like an eternity, but I had finally gotten a text back from my roommate. I was right, she was sleeping. She used her same excuse of her long shifts at work. She said she'd be here shortly. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was going to be saved from whatever disaster was happening outside.
I walked over and waited by the front door, watching out for my friend to show up. As I did, I could feel the cashier's eyes on me. What was his problem? I shot him a glance back and he turned away, carrying on with what I assumed was cleaning.
Something clicked in my head, maybe he was expecting me to buy something. I mean, it did feel a little weird going into a store without buying anything. So, as I waited for my roommate, I went over to the coolers in the back of the store and grabbed a soda. I was feeling a little thirsty from the shift I just got off of. With the cold bottle in hand, I walked up to the cashier and sat the drink on the counter. He promptly scanned it and I gave him the money. A normal exchange. I turned my back and wandered back over to the front door when I felt my phone buzz. It was my roommate. And as soon as I read the message, my heart sank. She said that her car wouldn't start. She apologized and asked if there was anyone else who could give me a ride.
I looked back outside. The lightning was now as constant as flickering lights, the wind making the trees sway in the heavy wind. The wind itself was blowing the rain right into the windows of the building, making it sound disastrous outside.
"Is everything alright, Miss?" said a voice from behind the register. It was the cashier. I looked back down at my phone, hoping that what I'd read wasn't true. I turned to the cashier and told him that I was stuck here until the storm passes. In response, he looked outside and was also pretty shocked by the storm. He turned to me, "Yeah, that's fine, stay as long as you need."
I nodded, slowly turning back to the window. I was just in time to see a car with blinding lights pull up in the spot closest to where I was standing. As the lights faded, I saw the silhouette of a tall and scrawny man step out of the drivers side. He made his way to the door of the gas station. As he got closer and I could see his face better, I noticed that his eyes were locked on me. My heart nearly leaped out of my chest when I saw what he looked like. He seemed to be a decrepit old man with his wrinkly skin clinging tightly to his face. There almost seemed to be no muscle underneath, almost like a walking skeleton.
As he walked in, he was still staring at me, his face blank. When he was close enough to me, he spoke in an unsettling raspy voice, "Don't you know its rude to stare?" As he walked further back into the store I heard him mutter a few words under his breath, some of which I can't repeat.
What was his problem?
"Don't mind Gerald," the cashier said. "He's always walking around like he's got a screw loose. But he's harmless."
I glanced back at the old man, trying to stay quiet, as to not cause trouble.
Shortly after, the man returned to the front and dropped a few things on the counter. He then turned back to me after realizing I was still where he'd first seen me.
"What's the matter," he said almost mockingly. "Are you afraid of a little storm?"
He gave his money to the cashier and grabbed his bag of things from the counter. He then turned back to me as he headed out the door. "I've walked several miles in storms far worse than this."
As he headed out, I could barely make out the words, "Kids these days are so weak."
This made my blood boil. I wanted to go out there and give him a piece of my mind, but I was quickly taken out of that mindset of rage when the lights in the store suddenly went out. I may have possibly screamed a little bit.
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