Chapter 1
It wasn't a complicated story, just an improbable one. I never imagined it would happen to me or anyone else, but it did - all because I reached into a gas station cooler for a Red Bull. It's funny how the smallest decisions can have the biggest impact on our lives. In this case, I decided to stop at a gas station after a long shift at work and grab an energy drink. I needed the boost of energy to conquer a boss on the new Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree game, and there's nothing like taking down a boss while sipping on a yellow caffeinated Red Bull.
"Come on," My voice spoke, wrapping around my coworker who was lagging behind me, I promised to give him a ride so he didn't have to wait an hour for the bus. It was a ritual we always conducted on Fridays, and not even the promise of felling an enemy boss could disrupt it. "Let's leave this place playa, we've been here long enough for one day." My coworker responded, laughter escaped my lips as I always waited an extra thirty minutes after my shift for him to change out of his work clothes. There was a certain level of irony to his statement that I always found endearing.
Our conversations for the short ride from work to the bus usually always revolved around women's asses, almost always followed by my coworker's catchphrase, it was cup caking and booty shaking. A phrase that only makes sense when you hear the words come out of his mouth. The phrase rolled off his tongue with a jaunty rhythm and playful pitch that never failed to bring a smile to my face.
Our workplace had recently hired a new janitorial service, and it seemed that the new management had added tight jeans to the uniform. My coworker was quick to point out this change and never failed to remind us about it. We were just kitchen workers, not medical professionals, but ever since the arrival of these Latina janitors, an excessive amount of brownies, cookies, and ice cream would mysteriously disappear from our shelves. It wasn't hard to figure out who was taking them, especially when my coworker would vanish from the kitchen with handfuls of treats only to reappear in front of a group of slender women wearing skinny jeans. He would try to communicate with hand gestures and smiles since he didn't know much Spanish, except for one phrase - 'hola mamacita' - which soon became his go-to greeting for any hallway encounter.
"She was wearing yoga pants," My coworker practically yelled in the car, talking about his new janitorial crush at work. His hand banging against the middle console of my car, as he repeated what she was wearing, his words flushed with enthusiasm. "I didn't even know they were allowed to wear that, not that I'm complaining," I spoke, my eyes quickly shifting from my coworker and back to the road, as I was approaching a red stop sign soon. He wasn't wrong, she was looking unreal in it, but he probably shouldn't have bumped my shoulder as she walked by, or used his finger to point it out. Him clutching his chest where his heart is located, and faking a heart attack might have just been the cherry on top, an excellent way to say an ass so good it kills you if you look at it.
"Dibs," I playfully joked with my coworker about his latest crush, claiming my "dibs" on her before he could make a move. My grin was so wide it almost hurt, while my coworker started yelling in protest. "You can't call dibs on people!" he argued, not realizing I was just teasing. The car came to a stop at the crosswalk, and I glanced back at my coworker who was still facing me with intense eyes. "Relax, man," I said with a chuckle, "She's all yours, I was just messing. If she does agree to go home with you, that ass ain't going to fit in this car, you are gonna have to rent a Uhaul." Laughter filled the interior as the car pulled away from the crosswalk and headed toward my coworker's bus stop.
"Wishing you good luck on the game," he says with a smile, leaning halfway out of the open car door. His backpack is already being tugged out of the front seat and onto the ground. "Thanks for the ride, see you next time," he confirms before closing my door and giving the roof a friendly tap to signal that I can begin driving away. "Get home safe man!" I call out through my open window as I shift into reverse. He waved goodbye, his hand lingering in the air for a moment before he headed towards the last bus stop of his journey. A sense of camaraderie lingers in the air as we part ways, both heading towards our destinations for the night.
It was a split-moment decision on my way home. A thought flowed through my brain, perhaps it was the subtle addiction to caffeine I have, or maybe it was fate poking her bony finger into my string of existence. It doesn't matter what caused the thought, only that I embraced it fully. A gas station I don't normally go to, as I am only in this part of the town for a short time each week. 'Yeah, a Red Bull sounds just right,' I thought, convincing myself to stop for one, not that I need much convincing to start with.
The bright blue and red Chevron sign glowed brightly against the night sky, as it outshined the dim stars flowing through the dark cloudless sky. It was a beacon, one that I had been searching for ever since coming to my decision. It was easy enough to pull into, a slight right turn, the car tires gliding over the slight bump from the curb. I never liked to park in gas station parking spots, always preferring to park next to a gas pump. My car rolled over to the number four tank, as I put my car into neutral and pulled up on the emergency break. The tired rumble of my car died down the moment I pulled the key from the ignition. My shoes brushed against an empty Big Gulp that was left to deteriorate on the ground next to my driver-side door. A simple glance down, and I knew I wasn't going to be picking it up, it wasn't my job and I was never that selfless.
"Welcome," a tired voice that had no expectations of a response, nor wanted one, rang in my ear the moment I opened the gas station door. Out of reflex, my head turned, looking towards a haggard woman, with grey hair trailing down to the counter she was hunched over. "Thanks," I muttered, not at all thankful, just a muscle memory that was trained into me by my mother. She never looked up at me or even acknowledged me after that, just simply stared at a TikTok video that was playing on her phone. The bright lights of the quick video bounced off her aging face.
I developed a certain instinct as to where energy drinks were located in gas stations, it must have been a secret power gained by those who have purchased over five hundred Red Bulls or monsters. My feet took me through an aisle littered with overpriced lay's potato chips, among clear plastic bags filled with bright colorful gummy worms. A short trip, where I adverted my eyes, not to be distracted by the shining yellow packaging that promised a salty reward with a side of crunch.
I ripped the glass door from its suction, and a cold mist spread throughout my body as the cold air blew against me. My fingers curled tightly around the frigid aluminum can, slick with condensation. The lights above flickered and buzzed, growing brighter and brighter until they were blinding white beacons. A deafening high-pitched tone pierced my eardrums, sending shudders through my body. The walls began to twist and contort, their once-solid surfaces now pulsating with an otherworldly energy. As the ground beneath me shook violently, I could feel my organs shifting inside me. And then, in an instant, the floor disappeared and I plummeted into a void of darkness. But even as I screamed in terror, I could still feel the remnants of that blinding light burned into my retinas.