Prologue

The scorching sun hung low in the sky, casting an oppressive heat over the desolate gas station along the Nairobi-Mombasa road. The air was dense with a stifling stillness, broken only by the distant hum of a pink Ferrari rolling to a halt. The dozing attendant, startled from his daze, stared wide-eyed at the uncommon sight. Even the mini-supermarket cashier nearly snapped his neck in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the unfolding spectacle. Weeks had passed since anything larger than a tuk-tuk had graced this abandoned outpost. As the Ferrari's door swung open, a mysterious woman emerged, shrouded in a flowing black feathery gown that concealed her from head to toe. Black gloves adorned her hands, and a hat obscured most of her face, revealing only the vivid hue of her rosy red lipstick. "Fill the tank," she commanded the attendant, her voice cutting through the stillness, as her pitch-black Chihuahua clung to her bosom.

With an enigmatic aura, she traversed to the mini-supermarket, eyes hidden under her hat, surveying her surroundings with a single exposed eye. The dilapidated walls, bearing large cracks and peeling white paint, seemed to crumble beneath the weight of her disdain. The cashier, eager to impress, straightened up with a smile, unaware of the unsettling gaze upon him.

"Welcome, madam," he greeted, his enthusiasm undeterred.

Approaching the counter, she handed him a paper bearing a mysterious list. As he reached for it, he noticed three ominous red drops. An instinct urged him to flee, but he resisted, his hands trembling as he accepted the paper. The woman, an eerie stillness about her, watched as he scurried to collect the peculiar items on her list: tape, scissors, a lighter, tissue rolls, gorilla glue, and two lollipops. Back at the counter, before he could even scan the goods, she presented him with a wad of Kenyan shilling notes, each bearing a hefty denomination. "List," she murmured, and he handed it over. Without hesitation, she set it ablaze with the lighter, the flames dancing in her unblinking gaze. Unwrapping one of the lollipops, she placed it in her mouth.

"Your change..." he began, but she was gone before he could finish the sentence. A bundle of notes left with the attendant, who fell to his knees, crying and praising God for a mysterious blessing. The Ferrari roared to life, disappearing into the distance, leaving behind an air thick with questions and a desperate desire to unravel the secrets that had just danced through the abandoned gas station. The attendant's trembling hands wiped sweat from his forehead as he stared at the charred remnants of the paper. A sense of foreboding settled over the gas station, an unspoken fear that permeated the air like an invisible specter. The once lifeless surroundings now echoed with the ominous whispers of an otherworldly encounter. The mysterious woman's visit had left an indelible mark, a chilling tale woven into the fabric of this forsaken outpost. The cashier dared not speak of the three red drops or the cryptic list, but the images haunted him as he closed the mini-supermarket for the night. As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting elongated shadows over the deserted gas station, the attendant could not shake the feeling that something malevolent lingered in the air. The darkness held secrets, and the thirst to uncover the truth clawed at his every thought, intertwining fear and curiosity into a sinister dance. The gas station, once forgotten, now stood as a stage for the unfolding of an enigma, beckoning the curious to delve into the depths of a mystery that transcended the boundaries of the ordinary.