Utter darkness enveloped Aaron and his mind went blank. Icy tentacles of terror slowly enveloped his body and he felt his limbs grow weak. His body shaking, he backed up and bumped into something. The jolt was enough to awaken some of his senses and he realized that there was screaming. It was the woman, behind the counter, with the baby! Then he heard a scrambling sound near to him and several deep gasps. It was Greg, the fat worker who must be trying to crawl away.
Then the banging began. Directly in front of him, Aaron could hear a distinct slamming against what he deduced to be the convenience store doors.
Bang.
The doors that had stood between him and the disfigured creature right before everything went blank.
Bang!
The very doors that slid open for him automatically.
BANG.
The power! Aaron realized. The doors were powered and the storm must have knocked out the power with the lights and now whatever the hell was out there couldn't get in.
BANG!
A feeling of confidence slowly overtook Aaron's previous terror and he began to think quickly. They had to get out of there before the creature broke through, there must be a back door, they also needed lights, Greg should know. "Greg," Aaron whispered, "Greg," Aaron repeated louder groping around the food isle where he remembered hearing Greg moving. "Greg!" Aaron called, "We need to go out the back and we need some lights." No sooner had he finished his sentence then the lights flickered. Aaron felt the hairs on the back of his neck tingle. The lights flickered on and off again, and then back on. Turning around Aaron saw a sight that iced his veins. A blood spattered glass door slid open revealing the equally bloodied monstrosity so intent on entering the store. The creature moved fast and soundlessly towards Aaron.
The Gun! His mind screamed as the thing started to fill his view. He started stepping back and began to raise his arm towards the creature when he felt something under his back foot, which soon became his front foot as he fell backwards. He pulled the trigger and the gun kicked in his hand. Then he hit the floor.
Aaron saw the creature fly over him and slam into the food rack. Spewing candy bars and bags of chips, the food rack and creature fell and skidded across the floor into the counter. Turning over onto his stomach he watched as the creature slowly rose to its feet. The terror returned to his body and he felt his limbs go numb and his thoughts slow to a crawl. Aaron watched as the creature, fully illuminated in all of its grotesqueness, slowly began turning around as if scanning the store. He noticed one of its arms was freely spilling blood onto the assortment of processed snacks at its feet.
The screaming started when the lights flickered out again. A loud crunch sounded from where the creature was standing moments before. The screaming turned into panicked and painful sounding shrieks shortly after and they stopped altogether with what sounded to Aaron like a wet towel slapping against a wall.
Aaron noticed his ears were ringing, possibly from the gunshot or from the hammering of his heart. Then he noticed the loud pattering of rain from the storm outside. Finally a strange sort of squishing sound started from behind the counter. Aaron was thinking about how it sounded an awful lot like somebody was wringing out a soaked washcloth when a flash of lightning jolted him back to motion.
Aaron slowly got to his feet. His legs were weak beneath him but he managed to get up and steady himself. He felt a little light-headed. His stomach was twisted in knots. His breath was quick and sharp. The gun in his hand felt heavy in his shaking hand. His thoughts were jumbled and unclear.
The thing was inside. What was it? What is that noise? The screaming was from the woman. Why did it stop? What happened to the fat man? Baby? That noise. Oh god. What did it do to her? What was it still doing to her? Is she dead? She must be dead. It killed her. I am next. What to do?
Then out of the darkness and uncertainty came one very clear and certain thought. Move.
Aaron turned towards the door and started moving. He was almost there when his foot hit an object that clattered loudly and rolled across the floor in front of him. He heard the wet slurping noise stop behind him and a crunch in the darkness. Run!
Moving quicker Aaron reached out and felt the sliding doors in front of him. Finding the seam he slipped his fingers between the doors and jammed one to the left. A gust of cold wind battered him as he slid out of the convenience store. He heard something hit the unmoved door behind him and grunt. Sprint!
Aaron sprinted out into the storm towards where he had parked his truck. Heavy rain fused with the wind to batter and blind him further in the darkness. Jamming his hand into his pocket he found and pushed the buttons on his key fob. He heard the familiar beep-beep of his truck unlocking behind him and turned to see his tail lights flair. That is when a dark object plowed into his side sending him to the slick pavement. Aaron screamed.
Before Aaron could think his right hand was raised and he pulled the trigger. The gun kicked and flashed. The dark figure standing over him stumbled backwards and gasped. Two more flashes and kicks and the figure went down. A wave of confidence swept over Aaron as he rose to his feet. Moving over to the figure he looked down and heard a light-wheezing coming from it. With one more bullet the wheezing stopped and Aaron felt something warm splash his face.
Relief flooded through Aaron as he moved towards his truck. He had killed it and now he could go and save the baby and the fat man. He would need a flashlight though. Opening the door to his truck Aaron leaned over and started feeling around under the passenger seat. Feeling the cold metal cylinder of his emergency flashlight he pulled it out and clicked it on and off. Lightning flashed and Aaron thought he saw something moving by one of the gas pumps in front of his truck. Reaching up Aaron clicked on his truck’s high beams and froze. The creature was standing there seeped in crimson.
The creature just stood there almost staring at Aaron, who just stared back. Then slowly turning his head Aaron glanced behind his truck towards the figure he killed. Gleaming in the eerie red glow of his tail lights were three reflective objects affixed to the dead mass. Two circular lenses and one rectangular name plate that Aaron knew read Greg.
Turning back around Aaron noticed the creature had disappeared. Mind numb and body shivering Aaron got into his truck, locked the doors and started the engine. He then drove away into the darkness trying to get as far away as possible. And when he got to the highway he turned right. Heading north.
