11

Small Miracles?

It feels like I'm driving for about half an hour when I see a very small town nearby. As I enter, I see a sign. It reads:

WELCOME TO DARK WOOD! POPULATION: 84

Jeez, I think to myself, less than a hundred people? Does that even qualify as a town? It's more like a village if you ask me. Plus, what type of a name is Dark Wood? Is this going to be exactly like a horror movie? What the hell? Come on, people, be more creative...

As I pass the sign and drive through the town, I don't hear anything. There's the soft buzzing of nature but that's all. There are small shops, too, but the windows are covered in a layer of dust and the buildings themselves even look tired. It looks like no one has lived there for a year or two. Not super long. It wasn't that run-down.

Huh? I think to myself. No one is here... I mean this place is small, but still...

Maybe it's because EVERYONE DIED! A voice in my head says. Maybe that's why no one is here! Anyone who lived here is dead!

I don't think about that possibility, though. It's ridiculous to... I have to stay calm. I take a deep breath. I drive slowly through the town and see a diner.

Finally! Maybe I can get an actual meal! But wait, this place is run down... How am I supposed to eat something from there if no one lives here?? I think. Ah, who cares, I'll check it out anyways. So I park the motorcycle and grab my gun from my pocket, ready to shoot if I need to. Who knows what could be in that small building?

I'm skeptical of the diner, so I slowly open the door and walk in. At first, it appears that no one is there. Great, just my luck... I sarcastically think to myself. So, since no one is there, I put my gun in the back pocket of my jeans. However, examining the place further, I see a man with his head on a table sitting at one of the booths in the back. I'm unsure whether or not I should wake him up, but after a few seconds, I figure, what's the harm in waking him up? So I poke him gently on his shoulder, and he shoots his head up suddenly and says, "WHAT IN SAM'S HELL?!"

Startled, I reach for my gun but don't pull it out of the pocket. I tell him, "I'm sorry to bother you sir, but this place is empty, which I'm confused about, but I was wondering: do you work here or something?"

He replies, "Miss, you almost made me piss myself. But no, I don't work here. In fact, I don't live here, either. I'm a traveler."

This intrigued me, since I just stumbled upon this town, so I continue to talk to him, "Oh, okay. Well, I think I'm lost but I'm kinda hungry so do you know if we can eat anything here?"

He looks at me confused and says, "Miss, you're standing in a diner..."

Embarrassed but slightly annoyed, I say, "Well, no one is here, so I didn't know..." I trail off.

He sighs and says, "Maybe there's food in the back."

As I'm walking away to the kitchen, the man says, "Wait," So I stop. He continues, "Don't look back there... There could be something there..." This slightly scares me but I let him continue, "Sorry, I was being an asshole before. I could take you to a place not far from here that has food. It sounds crappy but it's a grocery store, and I heard that no one goes there anymore."

Where could you possibly have heard that? I think. But I consider his words. It sounds like a good plan. However! Why on God's Green Earth would I just go with some man I found in a diner in an abandoned town?? That's just not logic. I will not be like the stereotypical stupid person in movies! So, I decide to talk to him for a few minutes.

A few seconds after he asked that question, I respond, "No offense or anything, but I'd like to get to know you first before we go anywhere." I chuckle nervously and ask him, "Why don't we just sit down and talk at one of the booths for a minute?"