What Not To Do In The Valley

The Gas Station

Shawn's actually just a regular human guy. He has autism like his dad, and his dad's dad, and so on. 

He got his ADHD after he sold his attention span to a shady-looking salesperson in return for an antique lamp. He suspects they were a moth. 

He's definitely human, though. 

Tonight was normal. The usual amount of bleeding teens walked into the building. The tall one in the jester's hat approached the counter and Shawn automatically responded, "No."

Dart pushed Shawn's face aside and leaned over to reach the shelf behind him.

"Not cool, dude," He told them, not strong enough to push them away and looking at the two bloodier teens staring at him.

A short boy with four smaller, slimier, less developed arms under the two he was supposed to have. Blood oozed through the pockets of his cargo pants. 

A person bandaged from head to toe holding their head up like that one scream painting, but looking around so bored. Blood dripped from his cheeks and down his chin. 

Dart finally stepped back, pocketing a fresh pack of cigarettes and waving goodbye. Shawn knelt on the counter to grab them by the long jingly hat.

"Hey. You straight up can't have that."

"You weren't going to sell it to me..." Dart muttered. 

"Yeah, cause your fake ID sucks and those kids look like they paid you to do this."

Dart looked at the bloody duo with an air of annoyance. "I won't get a real one next month anyway. I'm not allowed to drive."

"Take some responsibility, dude. How old are they? Ten?"

Jay felt a little embarrassed at that moment. He looked to Benny for some sort of response, but he was too busy being a wildly offended fifteen-year-old as if he didn't have a babyface. 

His jaw fell off his face when he tried to shift his hands. Splattering onto the floor. flecks of blood getting as far as the sweets displayed by the checkout. 

It was an odd staring competition. Shawn let go of Dart's hat and they looked around the store slowly.

Shawn was transfixed on the jaw. Tendons and skin distorted and stretched. A stray tooth halfway to the wet floor sign that was celebrating its two-year anniversary of being put out for a long gone soda spill. 

He did not notice the sign was still there. 

Jay wanted to apologise so much for ever coming here but all he could do was hum and gurgle. He kept looking to Dart in a panic.

Shawn sharply inhaled. "This shit is what happens when you let kids smoke!" He gripped Dart's arm tightly while gesturing at the mess. "Be better."

Dart stammered and gave up as Shawn confiscated the cigarettes and shooed them out the door.