A night journey in the car. Traveling through the south. The car has that loud quietness rumbling through it. Outside the car is the occasional sound of a car softly passing by. I look about me. The car is dark but I can see everyone in the car. Me and my family all squeezed into the five seater. Us three children in the back; we’re getting far too big to all be in this small car. I shift my weight to my side and let my backpack sit on my right leg. I try to cross my feet but all the bags are now intertwined with my feet and ankles. I give up. There’s been talk of eating at waffle house diner. We are all now sitting and waiting to arrive so we can eat our late dinner. Outside lights from a little town start to show up in the windows. I am getting excited now. Soon I’ll be out of the squashed feeling and be able to stretch. Finally, we’re pulling up to waffle house. We’re all getting out with great stretches of our limbs. I look to the waffle house. My smile slips. It looks old and run down.
“Come on lets go inside.” My mom is saying to us. We all start chattering.
“I am hungry!” I exclaim.
“I think I’ll have bacon waffles.” One of my brothers says.
“I’m going to have pancakes like I always used to get.” I say.
I am catching bits of other sentences:
“…Waffles…”
“…Maple syrup…”
I can tell we are all looking forward to this. We’re walking towards an empty booth, and sitting down. The inside of the diner isn’t any better than the outside. The dinner smells like dirt with a waft of waffles. The booth is covered in crumbs. We’re chattering more as we pick up the grimy menus. We’ve all come to a conclusion, about what we want to order. I look about me, twisting my body. The leather seat which I am on squeaks under me. My bare legs have started sticking to the warm leather. I wipe sweat off my forehead.
My eyes catch on a mysterious old man staring at me. I am suddenly very uncomfortable.
He is standing up and walking towards me. My heart has started thumping. My face goes hot. He’s sitting down just behind me and my brother, at the counter. I twist my body forwards again.
“Where is the waitress?” I am asking my family.
“On her cig’ret break.” Says a rough voice behind me. My family aren’t showing any signs that they heard or even see the man. I twist in my seat towards the man with a groan from the booth seat. I just stare at him. I hear a faint whistle from his nose. A sudden shiver runs through me. All I hear now is my heart beating fast and the buzzing of the fluorescent lights. The man’s old yellowed eyes are shifting about him. He’s suddenly leaning forward towards me. I lean back and hit the rickety table with my back. He smells like onions and cow patties.
”You don’t wanna be in this town little girl.” The creep man says. “Bad stuffs happens here.” He’s gone into a disgusting coughing fit. I Feel his breath attack me and some spit flies. I jerk my head back.
“Listen,” he says. “Tonight o’ all nights is bad timing. Up your family and drive outta here. We’s jus’ ‘bout to get some strange visitors. I git gut fillin’s ‘bout this stuffs.”
“Aliens?” slips out of my mouth.
“Yes. Oh Some fin is ‘bout to happen soon. Perpar your girl.”
He turns away. I turn back to my family. The waitress has made her way over to us.
“Can I take ya’ll order?” She’s saying, but in that moment we all notice a couple of cockroaches scurry from under our table to the next table.
“We’re okay actually.” My dad is saying, while we all stand up and walk out of the place. We’re in the fresh humid air now, laughing at the ridiculousness of what just happened. As we all pile into the car I think about the strange man’s warning.
“Let’s go find a hotel.” My dad is saying to us all.
“Out of town.” I say.
We’re driving and I am looking out the window, not at the town but the skies. I see nothing but darkness.
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Hi! First time publishing something on Wattpad. Let me know what you guys think! And if i get enough good reponses I will turn this short story into a book(Ish) here on Wattpad! So please let me know if this is what you want! Hope you enjoyed it!!!
