Homer was currently at his job at the gas station, mopping the floor, as always.
Chippy's, the place was called. The mascot was a big toothed, big headed, big cheeked chipmunk with a red baseball cap. Homer thought it was absolutely hideous.
The gas station was built around a year ago, but despite that, it was already starting to run down as it wasn't really taken care of that well. There were a few holes on the wall, rust on the floor, the whole place smelled musty (with a faint trace of sweat), and the ice cream freezer hadn't been restocked in ages. And don't get me started on the bathroom stalls.
No wonder barely anyone stopped by.
There were really only two people who actually worked at the location;
Homer, and Zack, a 17 year old boy with severe acne and ginger hair who worked at the counter and constantly chewed gum. He and Homer didn't interact a lot.
This excluded the manager who kinda just sat in his office doing barely anything all day.
Homer groaned to himself as he listened to Zack chewing and blowing bubbles with his gum, combined with the ticking of the clock.
Anxiousness clawed at his stomach. He had promised Lisa that he'd be at the canyon tomorrow. Which was now today.
His eyes darted over to look at the clock. 9:58 PM. Two more minutes.
Doubt crept into his mind as he remembered that what he experienced last night HAD been a dream. What if everything that happened last night was just a figment of his mind and he was being silly?
No. It had to be true. The dream was so clear. The feeling of his pups' soft fur in his hands was so realistic.
Well, tonight he was gonna find out. Thankfully New Grand Canyon was open until 12 at night.
Suddenly he heard the bell ring as footsteps sounded at the doorway. A customer? At this time of night?
He tried to peek over the shelf of snacks that was blocking his view of the door, but he couldn't see who it was.
"Hiya Homer!"
Homer jumped with a small yelp as he turned to face...Bee? From New Grand Canyon?
"Bee! What're you doing here? You scared me!"
"Oh! Sorry! I was just coming to buy some jerky. For the coyotes!" The young girl bounced slightly and grinned.
The mention of the coyotes made Homer's heart beat fast. "Oh really?"
"Yep! I have it right here!" She lifted up the bag of regular beef jerky and held it in Homer's face.
Homer gently shoved it aside. "Well, you better hurry up and pay for it. We close in..."
He looked at the clock.
"...one minute."
"Ok!" Bee seemed unfazed.
She walked up to the counter where Zack sat chewing his gum, Homer following slowly. Zack grabbed the jerky and examined it.
"Is this all?" He asked.
Bee nodded eagerly. Zack scanned the jerky and handed it back to her.
"That'll be $5.00."
Bee handed him the money and, just as she did, Homer looked up and noticed that the clock had hit 10:00 PM.
Bee, Homer, and Zack filed out of the gas station. The manager came out not long after and flipped the sign from "Open" to "Closed", and he and Zack went back to their cars.
YOU ARE READING
Coyote Kids: A Simpsons AU Story
FanfictionHomer Simpson has felt nothing but lost ever since the death of his family. It was his fault. It was all his fault. Springfield, the city he had once called home was now a ruin called New Grand Canyon. But one day, while visiting the final resting p...
