Ashley and Jim stood in line at the gas station watching the Indian girl behind the counter move agonizingly slow.
The door was wide open and the ceiling fan was trying it's best to circulate the hot air out. It was a losing battle and was squeaking and swaying.
They were forth in line and she needed to pee. It was hot and disgusting in this small store. She could feel the boys behind her staring at her behind. The little shorts helped with the heat but brought the attention that came with it. Usually she didnt mind but it was so damn hot in the store.
"Jim." Ashely tried to get her brother's attention. He was to busy making faces at the toddler a few feet away. She giggled and hid behind her mom's legs.
"Hey Jim." She tried again. The mom had noticed the girls giggles and turned and smiled at him.
"Jim. Hey!"
His eyes were plastered on the mom's yoga pants, toddler all forgotten.
'What's that tattoo on her back?' He was staring at her, staring at her hard. He knew it, Ashley knew it, the two teenagers in baseball jerseys behind him knew it, and he was sure the girl knew it as she finally walked to the counter, swinging her hips.
The bell jingling finally drew his attention away for a second. The kid sauntered in like he owned the place until he made eye contact with Jim and paused for a split second. He winked at Ashley and got behind the teenagers in back of the line.
"Ashley, your boyfriends back." It was that punk from before. The one that hassled them before, and Ashley's new go to for drugs.
"Yeah. It sure it." The squeaking ceiling fan and heat were making her angry and this punk wasn't doing her any favors showing up when he did.
" Jim, i need to borrow your car tonight for.."
She was interrupted as she noticed a shirtless man wondering through the cars in the parking lot.
Handsome, bearded and shirtless the man wandered through the parking lot with a confused look on his face.
"What the fuck?" One of the teenagers in baseball uniforms behind them blurted out. Instinctly the mother at the counter picked up her daughter and left her milk on the counter and stared at the man, glaring and confused.
He noticed her and grinned, pulling a wooden object from no where he raised it to his mouth and started to play a melody.
"The fuck is this. Is that a..? What is that?" One of the baseball boys asked.
"Pan flute." His buddy answered and then added "you dummy."
There was a sickening sound as the toddler hit the floor, followed by her screaming.
"Hey what the fuck!?" Jim yelled, as he watched the mother slowly walk towards the parking lot, slipping her shirt off.
"Whoa what the hell!" One of the baseball boys. "She just can't-" He was yelling at the clerk.
He stopped as the clerk stepped down from behind the register and started struggling to get her pants off.
"Ashely. What is going on?" Jim turned to see her with her shirt halfway over her head. Grabbing her he hugged her and yelled in her ear. "What are you doing?"
Struggling back with him and screaming nonsense she shoved him down and continued to undress.
"Mister." One of the baseball boys helped him to his feet, the second was trying to calm the little girl down but she had stopped crying and was slowly following her mother towards the parking lot.
"Hey hey, hold on, your mommas sick. You can't go with her, what's your name sweetie? " The baseball boy had picked her up and was trying again to calm her down.
"Holy shit." Joe, who until this point was silent, was at the window, white as a sheet.
Jim got Ashley in a bear hug from behind and was struggling to keep her from going outside as they got closer to the door.
He got a good look over her shoulder at the surreal sight in the parking lot.
The shirtless man with the pan flute was there, he had never stopped playing. The mother of the toddler and the clerk were positioned in front of him, completely and on all fours.
Winking at Jim he kept playing, slowly moving in a circle, the girls quivered in anticipation.
Jim's attention was split between him and the girls until he did a double take, he wasnt shirtless, he was completely naked, and wasn't a man. From the waist down he was furry, with cloven feet.
It didn't make sense, and in his shock he let Ashley go. She quickly stripped her shorts off and tripped herself getting undressed. Falling she screamed and cried, obviously wanting to join the women.
A huge bang sounded and the song stopped, and the creature fell down, blood blooming from his chest.
When Jim's ears stopped ringing he turned to look at a shaking Joe, standing in the doorway of the gas station, still holding a ugly looking little gun.
"Fucking monsters, man." His voiced sounded shakey and loud in the sudden silence.
The mother had gotten dressed and received her child from the baseball player. He stood there, confused and half smiling. The clerk just stood in the parking lot looking around, Ashely was sitting on the curb crying, still in her under pants.
"Fucking monsters man." Joe repeated. Dropping his little .22 he slumped the ground against the window. "Fucking monsters." And he was crying too.
