10:32, the clock above me says.
Almost closing time. I say to myself.
I work a pretty shitty job. I have the late shift at a small gas station in the middle of nowhere, and despite being near to the main highway, there's only few people who actually stop for gas, much less to grab something from the shop. It might be because it is a kind of rundown building, but it could be that a town is only 2 miles down the road from this place.
The only reason I decided to work here was because of the relatively high pay (19 dollars an hour is pretty nice for doing nothing), and because the place was really the only place hiring. Odd thing is the last guy quit because he was spooked about flashing lights and weird noises from outside. The owner, an old guy named teddy, said that pretty nonchalantly, and while it was a bit concerning, I've been here for a week and haven't seen anything really strange.
I'm bad at explaining environments and stuff, so I drew a map to help you get the idea of how small this place is.
Small. There's only couple shelves stocked with snacks, drinks, etc. Though surprisingly, there's a computer in the back room. It has a pretty bad wifi connection, but it does have a couple security cameras. Don't know who would try to rob this place though. At most, there's probably 40 dollars in the cash register.
The bell on the door rings as a older man, with grey hair and a large beard walks through the door. He loops around the shelves as I watch intently.
I hope I'm not being weird.
He grabs a bag of sunflower seeds and a orange soda before walking up to the counter and setting them down. He grabs a pack of gum from a small display on the counter.
"Will that be all tonight, sir?"
"Yeah." He said as he began to dig around for his wallet. "Say... What happened to the other guy working here... Jason I think it was."
"Oh, he quit a little bit over a week ago. I just got hired." He nods solemnly as he pulls out his wallet.
"Well that's a shame. I always got a smile when that boy would get on edge about what I see on the road coming through here."
"What did you see? Cause my boss says there was flashing lights and noises and stuff, but never really said what he meant." He looks up from his wallet before giving a small grin.
"Well there ain't just noises boy. There's something out there. Why, just on the way here, I saw something dart in front of my truck." He paused as he scratched his beard, "It was such a strange color, and when I stopped to see what it was, it was already gone. Nothing but a whoosh and a couple prints."
I nodded along, not fully believing in his tale. Weird colored animals that disappear when you look for them? The old man is probably just trying to scare me to get a quick laugh. "Weird... Anyways, that'll be $6.17."
"Right." He dug out a 5 dollar bill and a 1 and handed it to me across the counter. I grabbed and when he still held on to it, I looked up to see him staring at my with a serious look.
"I'm not just saying things boy. There's things out here. I've driven on this road dozens of times, I know. Some stay away from folk, others don't, and when they don't, you better stay away from them. Remember that." His voice had an edge to it. He released the bills, grabbing his items from the counter. "Keep the change."
As he walked out the door, I watched intently through the glass door as he jumped into a red pickup truck, his engine sputtering on. He pulls out from one of the darkened gas pumps and starts driving away down the country road, back to the highway. I let out my breath, my heart beating harder than usual.
Okay... That was kinda scary.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm myself, I eventually regain a steady heartbeat. Glancing up at the clock, it reads 10:34.
Can't go wrong with a bathroom break. I need to calm myself anyway. I walk out from behind the counter and pull open the wooden door labeled 'employees only'. I get the smell of still air walking inside. To my left, there is another wooden door. To my right, a small shelving unit with excess stock and cleaning supplies sits, with a couple brooms and mops nearby. On the furthest wall, a small wooden desk with a old computer sits, a old leather chair sitting in front.
Going through the door to my left, I walk into the small bathroom. The sink in toilet are made from old porcelain, and I can see the cracks forming in some places. I go up to the small sink, twisting it on and waiting a few seconds before the water starts to drip out. I splash some on my face, rubbing away any muck that had formed, before glancing up at the mirror. There's a single crack forming near the center, about where my shoulder is reflected, but besides that, I look at myself.
My white and blue work uniform is wrinkled and has a couple stains. Cleaning the bathroom earlier wasn't lovely. My brown hair is dried and limp from the long day. The lack of cooling other than a small fan had done a number on my looks. My chin has a small stubble forming, one that I'll probably shave. I have small bags under my eyes. I haven't slept too good. The warmer nights make it more difficult to get comfortable. I dip my head down to give my face another splash.
CRASH
The sound of the metal door being slammed into makes me jump almost a foot into the air. I quickly turn off the water before scrambling through the door and out from the back.
WHAT THE FUCK WAS-
I see the front doors metal frame bent slightly inwards, the glass having been shattered. Strangely, a few sky blue feathers lay near what looks to be...
...there's drops of blood staining the tiled floors. Some of it is on the feathers too, and the glass.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
A deep growl followed by snarls come from outside. My eyes widen in fear towards the exposed door. A coyote? A fox? There aren't any wolves out here, but foxes and coyotes don't sound like that. Slowly, I creep up to the door, taking care to avoid the shards of glass and feathers before glancing out the doorway.
What can be described as a battle is out front. I see these massive wooden wolf looking things, a eerie green light emanating from their bodies. They look dangerous, each of them either growling or fighting. There's probably a dozen of them. But besides that, I can also see 6 others.
They almost look like horses, with hooves and manes and tails, but that's where the similarities end. They're all brightly colored, for one, and are no where near the size of a horse. Their snouts are much shorter and their eyes are massive, while their bodies are more filled out.
There's a orange one kicking... bucking off any wooden wolves attacking it. It has a blonde mane with a cowboy hat on its head for some reason. I see a yellow one with a pink mane cowering beside one of the gas pumps. I see a fully pink one leaping around like a maniac, dodging a couple wolves.
Then there's the other three which I can't even process. A white with a purple mane stands with a glowing fucking horn. It has some kind of shield in front of itself. Another lavender one with a horn and wings stands shooting fucking laser beams at nearby wolves, which catch fire on impact with purple flames. Finally, a blue one with a rainbow mane and wings is behind the lavender one, avoiding attacks. I realize that this one was probably the one to smash the door, it looking injured and missing some feathers.
Am I on something right now?
I reflexively duck as a laser strikes the wall nearby, creating a small flame and leaving a small blackened crater before it peters out.
The old man wasn't lying! Looking around, I quickly dart to the closest shelf, and begin to push it to towards to door, Chips and Snacks dumping on the floor as it moves.
It gets in place, shielding the door just a bit, and more importantly keeping it closed. Hastefully, I get behind the counter. Digging through the piles of merchandise, I pull out a stun gun stashed back here.
A few minutes pass by, with me waiting quietly behind the counter for anything. The sounds battle eventually fade till there's nothing but the chatter of voices, though they're do distant for me to make out.
Another moment later, I can hear footfalls getting closer, though they sound more like a hoof. They pause for a moment, and as I brace myself, I hear a voice call out.
"Hello? Anypony?"
Anypony? What?
The voice sounds female, young too, but before instead of thinking too much I try to continue to listen in. I can hear more chattering, but when that ends its just silence for a few moments. I peek back around the corner to look at the door.
I'm startled when the shelf is pushed away by some purple energy. I bring myself back behind, clutching the stun gun tightly in my hands, my knuckles going near white. I soon hear the crunching of glass and more steps that are most definitely coming from inside the store now.
"Hello?"
I try to caution another peek. Instead I'm face to face with the strange lavender equine from earlier, except this time, much closer than I would I like.
"AAAAH!"
It screams, rearing up on its back hooves. I scramble backwards, yelping and aiming the stun gun up. It shoots two wires, directly hitting the creature in its chest.
"AAAAAAAH!" A second scream shatters the night. Then all hell breaks loose.