Chapter Text
“Damn it!” Josh slammed his fists onto the steering wheel. “What is your problem?” The car has started shutting on and off, every light on the dashboard blinking in and out of consciousness. There was an unlabeled exit in 1 mile, if he could just make it that far. Just a little bit farther. He coaxed the car forward, letting off the brake.The car finally shut off and he was able to steer it onto the exit. Of course this has to happen while it’s raining. Could anything be worse? He thought, burning with rage.
He turned on the parking brake and popped his door open, hitting the latch for engine access at the same time. He was immediately soaked by the torrential rain fall. Oh my god.
He walked around to the front of the car and turned on his cell phone flashlight with some struggle, considering EVERYTHING was wet. He grabbed the hood latch and propped it open, trying to see the problem in the near black. He caught a whiff of smoke in the rain. Burnt rubber, an acerbic note in the freshness of the night.
It must be a belt, but which one? He thought.
Then he saw it. The timing belt was torn, and there must be something wrong with the ignition or transmission if it was shutting on and off. He honestly wasn’t sure of the extent of damage, and it added another layer to his annoyance.
He shouted in frustration. He just needed to go, he didn’t need to be grounded. It’s home all over again. Trapped. Trapped. The anxiety made his shoulders tighten.
Calm down, Josh. Where are you? Figure out where you are. His practiced internal dialogue took the wheel. He looked around for a green metal sign to tell him where he was, his phone flashlight making beams through the rain. He saw a glint behind him. Exit 21-P. Gas, 0.2 miles to the left.
Josh now had a decision to make. Should he stay here, trapped in a broken car, trying to stay dry, but trapped? Or should he walk to the gas station and see if anyone could help him?
The need to move won over. Josh started walking up the exit ramp, freezing in the rain despite it being July.
When he arrived at the gas station, he realized how stranded he truly was.
Two pumps.
This gas station only had two pumps, and there wasn't another building in sight for miles. The trees, dark and ominous in the rainy night, loomed around the station like city walls, absorbing the little bit of light it managed to omit. He walked up to the miniscule storefront. It was one of those gas stations his parents taught him were unsafe, the kind with weeds growing out of the sidewalk and the energy of mildew. Like he cared anymore.
He tugged the metal door open, and a bell rang, announcing his arrival. If it was possible, it was even colder in the gas station. It probably had to do with the fact that he was soaked from head to toe, and they had the air conditioner on full blast.
“Hello?” A voice asked from his right side.
Josh turned to see a boy around his age staring at him, shocked. Josh couldn’t tell if he was genuinely surprised by seeing another human, or if he was slightly wired.
“Hey.” Josh choked out, at the same moment that he shivered from head to toe.
The other boy simply stared for a moment, before clicking into hyperspeed and grabbing a few towels from a stack of cleaning supplies next to him on the desk. He practically ran around the counter, the heavy half-door clunking behind him.
“Here.” He said, handing the towels to Josh.
“Ah, thanks.” Josh responded, awkwardly trying to dry himself off with the small pieces of cloth.
They stood in silence for a moment, the other boy staring him down with wide, mildly threatening eyes.
“So…” The boy began, his word hanging in the space between them for a moment. “Nice to greetcha! I’m Blurry!” He stuck his hand out, literally like for a handshake, like they do in movies, and Josh registered that it was painted black. And not just like when you've been painting in art class and you get acrylic paint on your fingertips. His hand was entirely black.
Josh kind of shook his head in confusion, to clear up everything that was happening at once. The cold room, bright lights, the fact that his clothes were sticking to his skin, this hyper kid who was, oh, there was no other word for it than being weird.
“Hi, uh…” Josh lifted his hand for a half wave instead of touching the kid. “I’m Josh. Where am I?”
“Oh.” Blurry kind of looked at him like it was obvious. “Why?”
This kid. Josh thought. Is he trying to piss me off?
Josh kind of glanced around the border of the room where it met the ceiling, waiting.
“Oh!” Blurry said. “Oh, you meant it. Well, this is Slowtown. Home of absolutely nothing, in the middle of nowhere Ohio!” He said this with a cheerful tone, like being sardonic had never occurred to him.
“Slow- town?” Josh repeated, enamored by what a strange name it was.
“Yep! Home to 3,000 of the world’s most normal people. No, we don’t move slowly. Hah!” He said this like it was a preprogrammed dialogue option in his head. His laugh fell off into the quiet. Josh blinked.
“Yea, well. My car broke down. So I walked here. Anyone here who can help?” He looked behind Blurry, to see if anyone else was in the station.
“Well! I mean, I can!” Blurry exclaimed. Josh looked at him with his eyes narrowed and did a double take when he noticed.
“Are your… eyes red?” He asked before he could answer the question himself.
“Oh, I mean…” Blurry looked at the floor, his previous energy suddenly gone. “...yeah.”
He said this so quietly that if they had been in a louder room, Josh wouldn’t have heard it.
“But!” Blurry said, looking back up and powering back on, as it were,“You said your car was broken!” He reached out to touch Josh’s shoulder, but Josh winced away before he could make contact. “Right.” Blurry answered his own question, a query that hadn’t even been made.
“Well, maybe we should wait until it stops raining,” he said.
Josh, still dripping onto the doormat, shook his head. “Yeah, probably.”
“Can I get you anything? Blurry chirped, like this was his house and he was the host, instead of them being in a dingy, cramped, cold gas station. “Redbull?”
“Sure.” Josh said. “You have classic?”
“Always, bro.” Blurry responded
God, this kid talks like a character in a Disney Channel show.
He tossed the can from the fridge and Josh caught it, his years of minor league baseball finally having some practical use. Josh took a few steps towards the front counter, his sneakers squelching, turned so his back was to the counter, and sank down on the tile floor to open the can. Despite how frigid the liquid was he felt a little bit of warmth at the familiarity of the beverage. Months of travel, and a million gas stations, and at least they always had Redbull. He cracked open the can and took a sip, the acidic, sugary smell hitting him, and the carbonation slightly burning the back of his throat.
His little moment of peace was interrupted, though, when Blurry sat down right next to him, criss-crossed, with a can in his hands.
“So, Josh!” Blurry said, staring at the can he had gripped in his weird painted hands. “Tell me about yourself.”
Oh brother. I met this kid 10 minutes ago and he wants to have a heart to heart? You’re kidding.
“Why does it matter?” Josh snapped, in his most apathetic, careless tone. “You’re literally some random stranger at a gas station I ended up at by some freak accident. I’ll be gone within a few hours, or whenever this rain clears. Why do you care?” His frustration with the boy was starting to spill out. “I mean, you’re weird. You’re just some kid who works at a gas station. What do you want with me?”
Josh was met with silence. When he looked up at the boy, he realized how hateful that was. Blurry looked genuinely hurt.
“God, I’m sorry, listen, it’s just been a really long night. I need you to give me some space.”
“Yeah, yeah… yeah, okay.” Blurry stood up quickly. Josh couldn’t quite tell but he might have sniffled, like he was about to cry. “Yeah, I’ll go,” and he just as quickly disappeared. Josh heard a wooden door shut.
He took a deep breath.
I just need to get out of here. As soon as possible.
He took another sip of the redbull, and stared out the window, watching the rain against the dark night sky.