Misfortune

Chapter 3

I drove silently down the road with no hope.

Who could live off of five hundred dollars in the year 2000?

I'm still using my 1989 Nissan pathfinder to get around. Who knows how long this car will last before it decides to break down.

'I should've got a cheap new car when I had the money. Dammit why don't I ever think? '

Just as I was hoping that my day couldn't go any shittier, my gaslight starts blinking.

"Ugh," I whine as I tap it, hoping that it would go back to normal. It keeps blinking so I'm left with the painful decision to stop at a gas station.

I was a long way from home, broke and drained.

I pull into a small gas station just outside of Maine. The sun was just barely setting as I got out the car. I glance at what pump I'm at, making a quick note of it before entering the store.

The gas station was small with only two people in it to my luck, I hate being out in big crowds.

"Twenty on pump two," I say to the cashier as I hand him the bill.

The cashier eyes me up and down with a bored look as he takes the cash. Just before he can open the register, someone says from behind me," Your on pump three sir."

I turn my head, looking through the window. My car was at pump two as I said, I turn to face the stranger," No I'm—"

"Not?" The stranger replies as I look up at him.

I step back once I realize how close he is to me. The stranger was taller than me, he had dirty blonde hair and his eyes were black like a void. He had an overbearing aura to him as he stared at me, a smirk plastered on his face.

"I— uh, I'm sorry do I know you?" I ask while tilting my head a bit.

The strange man leans back some as he says," No you don't. But I couldn't help but overhear you say pump two?"

The man's voice was deep, I've never heard a voice deeper than mine. It was......weird. I raised a brow saying," Thanks for your concern but I'm at pump two."

The man's smirk grew into a smile," You're parked adjacent to pump two."

"No, I'm—"

"He's right sir," The clerk cuts me off as he continues," It's good he caught that, it would've been bad if the person at pump two took off with your gas."

I walk over to the doors and opened them a bit. The wind caused me to squint as I read the pump sign," Three," the strange man whispered near my ear.

I didn't even hear him walk up behind me, I instinctively moved back saying," Yeah, it's three. Sorry for doubting you."

The man looked down at me with a small smile on his face," It's good that you didn't believe what I said, don't be so quick to trust a stranger right?"

I smile awkwardly as I nod," Right."

The man observes me for a second before walking out with a small bag in his hand. I go back over to the clerk and confirm the pump. I was in no rush seeing as I had nowhere to be, so I spent some time in the store picking out something to eat. There wasn't much I could get since I had to stretch out my money for the next couple of days.

I walk back over to the register and pay for a tv dinner and a soda before leaving.

As I pump my gas, I look off in the direction I was going to be heading in. In the distance I could see the strange man from earlier walking. It had only been a few minutes since our encounter passed but he managed to walk so far.