I Work At A Strange Gas Station. I've Got Some Stories To Tell.

Working at a gas station might not sound like anyone's version of a “Dream Job”... But if you’re hoping to become a Veterinary Assistant, it would be nice to be able to study at work. …… that’s what I thought 3 years ago when I got this job. My name is Cooper. And I found out how Strange this place Really Is - my first night at the Gas Station… I needed a job to be able to pay for my 1st semester of classes at the local community college. I was driving around, when I saw the HELP WANTED sign in

the window of a run down old gas station. “Milton’s Gas and Convenience Store”, was a few miles outside town on the edge of a Small National Forest. I’d never seen it before, but then again, I’d only moved here 2 weeks ago. The owner, Milton Jackson, was behind the counter watching a rerun of “Supernatural” on a small tv. He looked up as the bell hanging over the door jangled. “You here for the job?” he spoke slowly, looking me over. “Uh… yes - how’d you know” I mumbled “Tic Tac told me you were

comin” “Tic tac….?” I repeated. “...Yeah” he nodded towards the front. “That’s tic tac there…over the sign” There was a rusty metal sign that read “Milton’s Gas and Convenience Store” above the door. And perched on top was a Huge Black and White Crow. “I named her Tic Tac cause She likes Tic Tacs….. and popcorn and gummy bears. But I wouldn’t name her gummy bears, cause that’s not dignified.” “Uh…sure…” I mumbled, now starting to wonder if there really Was a Job. “You able to work nights? If yo

u are, the pay is 20 Dollars an hour from 6 at night till 6 in the mornin. - Sundays Off. I take the day shift - That’s the busiest. And you take nights. It’ll just be the 2 of us here.” he said. The thought of making 20 dollars an hour working at a place that looked like it barely gets 10 customers a week - seemed like a good deal to me. So without the slightest hesitation… I took the job. I showed up for work the following evening at 5:45. Milton told me I was expected to keep the shelves and

counters clean and stocked. Showed me how to work the register and gave me his home phone number and a key to lock the front door - in case of emergency. He said, I could help myself to snacks and there was an electric hotplate in the office, if I wanted to heat up a can of soup. Then he unlocked a drawer underneath the cash register and brought out a Red notebook. Written in Bold Black Letters across the top were three words ; “ALWAYS KEEP WATCH”. “Now this here” he said. “Is what you Really do

. - Read this after I leave. You’re not gonna believe everything at first, but eventually…you will. Just do your best. And Tic Tac will warn you if anything is coming.” I started to ask What could be coming - but he just shook his head, tapped the notebook and said he was going home to cook dinner. And he would see me at 6 a.m. Then he walked slowly out to his old truck and drove away. I stood at the front door, looked up at the crow and said, “ok Tic Tac, I guess it’s just you and me for the re

st of the night”. The first thing I did was familiarize myself with the store. I also wanted to make sure there was no one else in the building. So, I checked out the Bathroom, the storage room and the small office…. All clear. That done… I got myself a can of coke from the Refrigerated Section - settled onto the stool behind the counter and opened the Red Notebook. Listed in numerical order in careful , hand printed letters , were several pages of instructions: 1 - Do not alter this Book. Do no

t erase or change any words. When new information is discovered - add to the back of the list. 2 - Customers: If customers ask about Campsites - direct them 2 hours North to The Hadley Preserve. Tell them about Hadley’s beautiful views, clean restrooms and the campsite right next to the river. Play it up, as best you can. - - If they insist on staying in one of our 7 campsites, check their clothes for the color RED. Do anything you can, from offering cash to outright stealing - to get them to re

move anything RED. 3 - The Color RED attracts THE WATCHER…. Never go into the woods wearing RED. In fact, it’s best if you don't wear red while you’re working here. No red T-shirts. No red tennis shoes. And don’t leave a RED car parked out front. “HE” usually never comes this far out of the woods, but Better Safe than Sorry. —---------------------- I stopped reading, picked up my can of coke and walked over to the front door. When I stepped out onto the porch, the old boards creaked under my fee

t. Tic Tac tilted his head to give me a one-eyed stare. I sighed and walked out to the road. There were no cars in sight. To the left, the road passed through flatland and scrub weaving its way back to town. 500 feet to the right, the road began to rise into the foothills and disappeared around a sharp curve into thick old growth forest. This was my time for a decision. Did I stay or did I go? 20 bucks an hour was a lot to give up for an easy job… Was the old guy crazy? I didn’t know. But at lea

st he didn’t seem dangerous. I decided I'd give it 2 weeks - and see how things went. I’d agreed to this job and I would make the best of it. Period. I went back inside, and taking my place behind the counter - I continued reading: 4 - The Crow is an early warning beacon. She will tell you when ‘Something’s Coming” She is Never Wrong. When you hear her Caw, you may expect visitors to arrive shortly…. Every morning at Dawn, retrieve the stepladder from the storage room and use it to Fill Tic Tac’

s Silver Cup. It’s at the end of her perch over the door. Fill it to the brim with fresh popcorn and a sprinkling of Green Tic Tacs. That’s the only color she likes. This is her payment as Guardian of the South Road. Do this Every morning. Never Forget. 5 - If you see a Black and Grey German Shepherd out in the road, listen to him. That’s ‘Old Sarge’, and he’s here to help when things go bad. 6 - Every 30 minutes - stir the cheese for the nacho’s. If you don’t keep stirring - the cheese will har

den into a brick. 7 - If you ever see Green Thunder in an approaching storm - Get out the Flashing Hazard lights and the “ROAD CLOSED” sign from the storage room - And Shut down the road into the Park. 8 - If the sky over the Mountains ever turns a Deep Purple - This is a CODE PURPLE. Load all the emergency supplies into the tow truck - it’s always parked out back - Then Close the road and evacuate all hikers and campers. Search All Seven Campsites looking for parked cars. Get the campers and hi

kers out immediately! Say whatever you have to. Just get Every Person Out of the Park! 9 - Keep the Coffee Pot Full. If it goes below the half-way mark, Make a fresh pot. —-------------------------------------------------------------------- That was the end of the weird instructions. There were several more pages but they were mostly scribbled notes. I kept reading, until I got to a paragraph titled “Possible weapons in a Code Purple”. It read: “The “Beings” may be affected by bright light. But

This needs further testing.” I Closed the Notebook…. The Watcher, Green Thunder, The Color Red and Code Purple - this was completely ridiculous. More than that, I was getting spooked… The sun was setting - and the world - past the bright sodium lights over the gas pumps - was getting dark. A Loud triple CAW nearly made me jump out of my skin. Tic Tac hopped twice on her perch - gave me a hard stare, and flew off into the night. I was alone. And apparently….Something was Coming… 15 minutes later,

a hatchback pulled up to the pumps. The back was piled with camping gear. I breathed a sigh of relief when a woman got out, swiped her card and started filling the tank. I’d been here since 6, and it was nearly 9. This was the first person I’d seen in almost 3 hours. I watched her check to see that she had her keys and then head toward the front door. She was tall, thin and dressed for hiking - in jeans and heavy boots. With long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. I could see a plaid shirt u

nder a lightweight jacket. I was looking forward to having some interaction with another human being, when the bell jangled over the door, she walked in and the smile Froze on my face. The jacket she wore was Bright Red…. —--------------------------------------- I watched as she rummaged through the snack section. Picking out 3 packs of beef jerky, marshmallows and a giant sized Three Musketeers. My mind was racing through possible scenarios. Do I tell her she’s the One Thousandth customer and s

he can trade her jacket for anything in the store. Nope, her jacket looked pretty expensive - she probably wouldn’t go for that… Do I put my hand in my pocket and tell her “This is a stick up - give me your jacket” ….that sounded ridiculous… and it would probably land me in jail. I could just ignore the crazy old man… But no… I said i would do this job - to the best of my ability…So She placed her items on the counter. As I rang her up, I asked where she was heading. Smiling, she said “ I’m head

ed up to Red Rock Canyon, it’s not much further is it?” “I’m new around here, '' I replied. “But I think It's about 45 minutes up the road…. If you drive another hour farther North, you could camp at the Hadley Preserve. I hear it’s Beautiful and you can camp right on the river.” “No…” she said. “I’ve been driving for 5 hours. It’s getting dark and I’m ready to set up camp - heat up some dinner and go to sleep. …But maybe I’ll check it out another time”. “That’ll be 18 Dollars and 42 cents” as s

he rummaged in her purse, I stammered out the only thing I could think of, “You shouldn’t wear red out in these Mountains…. She stopped rummaging and looked up at me…”Oh…Why is that?” “Well…. Because….it… it attracts mosquitoes…. I smiled awkwardly, feeling like an idiot. “OoooKaaay…I’ll keep that in mind”... she slid a twenty across the counter and said, ”Keep the change” as she headed out the door. I’m sure she hit the door locks on her car as soon as she got in… Well THAT went well…. The rest

of the night was quiet. And in the morning I found the step ladder - made some fresh popcorn in the popcorn machine - and filled the cup on Tic Tac’s Perch above the door. I sprinkled in some green Tic Tacs as instructed. But the crow was nowhere to be seen.. Milton relieved me at 6 am - Sharp. I told him about my one and only customer. He nodded and said “You can only do - what you can do…” —------------------------------------------------- The next 2 nights were uneventful. I had only one cus

tomer - and he wasn’t wearing Red. I resigned myself to making Twenty Dollars an hour for doing very little work. I just had to follow Milton’s instructions. After straightening the store, I spent the night reading or watching youtube on my phone. At 5 am, Tic Tac gave three sharp Caws before she flew off into the dark. 20 minutes later, a Police Car pulled into the parking lot. An officer got out and walked into the store. He identified himself as Officer Jim Langston. And he was investigating

a missing person. When he showed me a print-out of a woman - my heart sank… Her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was wearing a red jacket. It was my First Customer. I told the officer everything. Well… everything but the mosquito story. I left that out. He wrote down what time she left, where she was headed - what her car looked like and what she purchased. He asked if anyone was with her - I said she was alone… Before leaving, Officer Langston handed me the photo and said

to put it up on the bulletin board with the others… It was 5:45. The sun was just starting to break through the clouds. I stepped out - onto the porch and watched the flashing lights of the Police car fade away… The bulletin board was on the left side of the porch. Until today, I hadn’t paid any attention to it. It was large, maybe 6 by 8, and it was covered with paper notices. There was the typical notice of a car for sale or a lost dog. But mixed in among those, was an unusual amount of missi

ng people. There was no certain age or race, but they all had one thing in common. They were ALL wearing something RED… Maybe there really was something strange going on - in these woods... After that morning's visit by the police, I started to take my job more seriously. Every night at work, I looked over the Park maps, and tried to memorize the Campsites and the various trails. I started keeping a record of where people were going and how long they planned to stay. I even got Milton to write d

own people's names, what they were driving and which campsite they were staying at. I tried getting him to explain “The Watcher” and “Code Purple” but his answer was always the same, “You’ll have to see these things for yourself boy.” —-------------------- Two weeks later a couple stopped for gas. They had a little boy with them in an old Volkswagen van. I noticed a red tent tied to the roof. So I told them we were having a promotion at the store. They could trade in their old tent for ANY tent

in the store! We did have an excellent selection of camping supplies. While they considered my offer, I said I’d throw in a new camp stove - and That closed the deal. A few weeks after that, a guy drove up with his gear piled into the back of his pickup truck. While he was in the restroom, I stole the red sleeping bag out of his truck and replaced it with a top of the line - green one. He never even noticed… My scariest moment was around 7 in the evening one night. A mom was camping with her lit

tle girl and they stopped for gas and supplies. The girl looked to be around 6 years old. She wore a purple t-shirt with her name, “Bella” written in sparkles on the front… She also wore a pair of little Red tennis shoes with white laces. When I found out they were headed up to Red Rock Canyon - where the last woman disappeared - I panicked. I tried everything. Including telling the mom there were Daily Glitter craft parties for campers at the Hadley Preserve. … Nothing worked. I was seriously t

hinking of following them in my car to stage a minor accident, when Tic Tac saved the day…. As mother and daughter were heading out the door, the little girl heard a soft cooing from above. She stopped to look up at the huge Black and White Crow. As she did, Tic Tac left her a present. A large puddle of bird crap landed Right on one of her little red shoes… The mom swore, gave me a dirty look, grabbed her daughter and hurried to the car. From the counter, I could see her removing her daughter's

tennis shoes and throwing them into a plastic bag - then into the trunk. Mission accomplished. As a reward, Tic Tac and I - split a bag of gummy bears…. —----------------------------------------- Things went on like this for a while. And I was beginning to think - I had things under control - When everything went to Hell… all in One Night… It started when I arrived for work at 6 and found the Gas Station Empty. The store was unlocked, his truck was parked in the lot…but No Milton. I searched eve

rywhere, inside and out. Nothing…. I called his home phone number, Milton didn’t have a cell, but there was no answer. As I was standing there, phone in hand, I heard a dog barking… Walking outside, I looked to the right. And there, in the middle of the road, stood a large black and gray german shepherd. Barking his head off. That must be “Old Sarge” . I thought, remembering his name from the notebook. And hadn’t it said “I should listen to him”. Standing there - not sure of what to do, I felt a

current of air rush past as Tic Tac flew by. She glided over the barking dog and then flew up over the trees toward the park. My eyes followed her flight. That’s when I noticed…. That the sky over the Park was a Deep Dark Purple. And it was slowly turning, like the formation of a tornado. Oh shit, shit…SHIT What did the book say! Evacuate the campers and hikers! Shut down the Park! Load all the emergency supplies in the Tow Truck! I ran back into the store and grabbed the keys to the tow truck…

In about 4 minutes I had thrown all our emergency supplies into the back and was pulling out of the parking lot. I made one quick stop at the Park entrance to throw out some orange cones and the “ROAD CLOSED” sign. Then I floored it. I followed the dog... As fast as I drove - the dog was always a hundred feet ahead of me. When we reached campsite 1 , the dog turned off the road, ran past a blue SUV in the parking lot and dove into the trees. I slammed on the brakes and followed - running. Every

couple of minutes Old Sarge would bark - so I followed the sound until I burst out into a clearing. ….It took me a minute to register what i was seeing…. There was a Dad, his teenage daughter and a little boy. They were sitting by a campfire roasting marshmallows with Old Sarge barking frantically - not 3 feet away. He was right in their face and they didn’t even see him. I think maybe the little boy could, because I saw him draw back and move behind his Dad. They did look startled when they no

ticed Me… Standing by the woods, trying to catch my breath. “ You’ve………Gotta Go….. didn’t you see…..the sky….tor…tornado coming…” I managed. The dad looked up at the darkening purple sky and he finally did start to question; “ I didn’t hear any storm warnings when we drove in today” “It came up suddenly… emergency personnel are on the way… but you need to go NOW” I stammered. “Leave everything behind - take only what you can load in 5 minutes… I have to go warn the other campers” I said. The Dad

paused, then looked at his kids and nodded. “Ok, thanks,” he said. He Poured water on the fire and started packing up. The dog seemed satisfied. He stopped barking and headed back toward the main road. When I made it back to the tow truck, Old Sarge was standing in the middle of the road - waiting for me. I started up the truck… and followed. The dog ran right past Campsites 2,3 and 4. Which I assumed - meant there were no campers or hikers there. But when we got to number 5, he flew past a gre

en toyota, the only car around, and headed back into the woods. As I jumped out of the tow truck, the wind began to pick up. I followed the barking, and this time - when I broke through the forest - I was at the top of a long hill. At the base of the hill was a river. There was one large tent set up. And I could see 2 adults sitting in camp chairs along the river. A little girl must have been napping inside the tent. Because the adults didn’t notice when she stepped outside and walked behind the

tent. She was wearing a red sweater. That’s when I saw the ball… A large red plastic ball was moving slowly toward the trees….AGAINST the wind. And the little girl was following it…. Squinting my eyes, I looked to where she was headed. From this distance, I could just make out a man standing in the trees. He was dressed in black with a long coat. And it looked like he was wearing an old fashioned Top Hat. With a Bright Band of Red along the base, I saw his long bony fingers pointing at the red

ball like he was calling it forward. I realized This was “The WATCHER” and my heart sank. I knew I’d never make it there in time. That’s when the dog took off. Growling and snapping he headed for the man in Black. The little girl was only about 20 feet away from the woods, when the dog reached her. He stopped a few feet in front of the girl. Blocking her path. The girl could clearly see the dog. Because she reached out to touch him. Old Sarge turned and licked her face. She laughed and I could s

ee the dog slowly begin leading her back to her parents. I was running now, halfway down the hill, when I noticed that both the Man with the top hat and the big red ball…were gone… At the river, I told the parents about the Tornado warning and That got them moving. They were packed and heading toward their car by the time I got back to the top of the hill. —------------------------ There were only 7 campsites with parking. Old Sarge raced past number 6 so there was only 1 more to check. Camp sit

e 7 was known by the locals as Red Rock Canyon. I had spent many nights looking through the trail Maps and I knew there was a small maintenance road that ran alongside the trail - all the way down to the river. So this time instead of running through the woods behind the dog, I turned onto the maintenance road. It was barely wide enough for the Tow Truck to make it through. But I drove as fast as I could. The tow truck jolted its way over large potholes and rocks along the road. Coming around a

wide curve, I had to slam on the brakes. There was a hiker standing in the road. With a large rucksack on his back. He was staring directly at me - but he didn’t move a muscle. He looked Terrified… I could see that he needed help. My hand moved automatically to the door handle. And that’s when I saw something HUGE move through the trees - 10 feet behind him. I would Never have seen it - if it wasn’t moving… It was at least 20 feet tall and I could only really see its Outline. The creature's tors

o, head, arms and legs were nearly invisible. It was like looking through water. Clear but wavery. It’s body was massive and it’s arms reached almost to the ground. It stopped a few feet into the trees and then it’s head snapped around to the hiker. Maybe it could smell his fear… I guess I’ll never know. The creature lumbered forward - until it towered over the hiker. Now It was right behind him. His eyes were locked on mine. Frozen in fear. I thought about honking the horn to distract it. But t

he hiker was between us and if it took one step - it would crush him. Then I remembered the notebook. There was something about Light being used as a weapon. I hit the switch for the bright lights that ran across the top of the tow truck. Praying they would work. The creature screeched and stumbled back. And that’s when the dog ran out of the woods - across the creature's path. Old Sarge was growling and barking as he backed up. Drawing the beast away from us. It screamed again… then went after

the dog. They disappeared into the Forest. As soon as it seemed safe, I jumped out of the truck and ran to the hiker. I quickly shoved him and his gear into the passenger seat. Then floored it back to the main Road. By the time we got back to the Gas Station, I’d found out his name was Samuel. He’d been doing some solo hiking for the past 2 weeks. This had been his last stop before going home. Samuel, still in shock, laughed and said “Hey, This Really WAS almost my Last Stop… Like Permanently.”

Then almost in a whisper, he said “what was that thing…” I answered honestly, " I don't know Samuel…i don’t know…” We got back to the store around Midnight. He called a friend to come pick him up. While we waited, I got us a couple of cokes, chips and some beef jerky. He asked if the dog would be ok and I said “I hope so…” I almost said ‘you can see the dog?’ but I stopped myself - thinking That would lead to a lot more questions. Questions that I couldn’t answer. After he left, I got a call on

my cell. It was Milton. It turns out - he’d had a heart attack. A random customer found him collapsed on the floor of the gas station - and called an ambulance. Luckily, it was a mild one. And with medication, he should be back on his feet in no time. ___________________________ In the end, I decided to stay. I’m needed here… And maybe I can't exactly explain what’s going on. And I still haven’t seen the Green Lightning… but I think I’m gonna stay. At least for a while… When I first got this job

I thought Milton was a crazy old man. But now…. I think that…maybe - he’s the Gate Keeper. And that makes me - the gate keeper’s apprentice… Ok… so i work at a gas station in the middle of nowhere. Where strange things happen every day. But… you know what… it’s Not Boring. The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem… My name is Cooper, and i Think This… Might… be my dream job.