✓ 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄 || 𝐫.𝐧.

006 | 𝐜𝐚𝐭 & 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞

𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 drive, Y/n's car inches forward and pulls up to the first row of gas pumps. The other two— diesel— sits around the corner of the station. Practically spot-lit, both rows are islands in the sea of impenetrable blackness. "Hm..." Y/n chewed on the inside of her cheek, settling into her spot in the back more until the sight of the brothers climbing out prompted her to perk up, intrigued and wanting to listen in on their conversation.

Slowly, she leaned forward and poked her head through the middle space between the driver's and passenger's seat where she periodically glanced at Lewis, then Fuller, then back to Lewis.

The blond awkwardly shuffles along the side of the car toward the building, "I'll pay, you pump. O-Or do you want to pay? I don't care." He stammered. His nerves, must like everyone else's, were shot and his mind was scattered.

Fuller stopped before changing his course to move around the back of Y/n's vehicle. "I'll pump." He mumbled.

"Okay, okay," Lewis halted only to lean down where he peeked inside where he met his friend's quizzical gaze. She moved to open one of the doors to join the blond, but he stopped her by promising, "Stay in the car, okay? I won't be long."

"Okay..." Y/n whispered and then watched as Fuller unscrewed the car's gas cap, looking around nervously.

As Lewis hurried inside the gas station's main building, he was relieved to find that the interior was empty. It also looks like it hasn't changed since '63, but that's a different story entirely. Sells shovels, worms, hunting knives, cattle teat balm, the whole nine yards. Holding out his credit card, "Where is the..." he looks around aimlessly before his eyes flicker to the left—a payphone bolted to a nearby wooden column near the counter.

The blonde quickly moves toward it, grabs the receiver, and dials zero. Once he gets a hold of someone, he holds the phone close to the side of his face, uttering, "Table Rock, please. Police Department."

Meanwhile, Fuller exhales shakily as he watches the numbers in the pump slowly turnover: $3.80... $3.90... $4.00... suddenly, a massive rumble comes from the darkness. In unison, he and Y/n turn and watch from the night, a blackened lumbering ice truck emerges. It's roughly the size of a milk truck. It pulls up to the diesel island.

With a gargantuan hiss, the truck shuts down.

For what seems like forever, the ice trucker just sits under the light. Doing nothing. It rightfully scared the shit out of Fuller, who shrinks behind the pump. Y/n, however, was intrigued and decided to move closer to the nearest opened window as she stared at the truck, waiting for something to happen. Finally, they hear the ice truck open and close, and two legs drop on the other side of the truck. A few clinks and the hum of a diesel pump compressor kicks in. Only the sound. Neither of them can see a thing, not even the driver.

Fuller whips his head to look at the store and sees Lewis talking on the phone. But then the pair hear the faint sound of a bell... a bell on the diesel side of the station. An aisle blocks Fuller's and Y/n's view—but they know the man from the ice truck has just entered the store.

Fuller swallows hard, praying to whatever ruled above that it wasn't Rusty Nail and is just some John Doe.

Lewis looks at his brother whose eyes are wide, pointing to the back of the store. Confused, the blond glances back there—aisles are in the way, but he sees the tall ice truck man's hat as the man walks. With his breath picking up, Lewis hunches over the phone as the cowboy hat stops. What looks like a broom handle suddenly rises beside the man. It bobs up and down as if the trucker is testing its weight.

Lewis is puzzled and then he sees the 'broom handle' flip upside down from their reflection of the payphone. Sharp metal spikes appear above the row of goods. Lewis realizes it's a pickax, "Sheriff Ritter is not available. When you are finished recording, you may hang up or press one for more options," a taped voice says on the other line. "Please wait for the tone."