A pair of headlights briefly flashed across the front windows of the Gulp N Go and then continued into the night.
Behind the counter, Gus rubbed his eyes and yawned. He took a break from doing nothing to ask the empty store why the heck he needed to be here in the dead of night in a podunk Texas town. No one was going to buy anything in Blackway at midnight.
He reminded himself (for the hundredth time) that he wanted to save up to buy Mr. Lopez’s 2003 Chevy Silverado 1500.
At 16 years old Gus was too broke to afford the truck, so he’d worked out a deal with his dad; if Gus could find a way to pay for half the asking price ($4000) his dad would pay the rest.
The truck was worth it, Gus told himself, but these graveyard shifts still sucked. Oh well, he thought, Gary will be here to take over from me in 2 hours.
I just have to stay awake until then. However, this was easier said than done. An hour later Gus was losing his battle with sleep when he heard a strange sound just outside the door.
Skrrrtch Skrrrtch Skrrrtch Skrrrtch Skarrritch SCRACK, SMACK, SCRACK, SMASSH, SMAK…
What the heck was that?!
Gus stepped away from the counter and walked slowly toward the front window. He moved in front of the glass and peered out. The ground in front of the store was seething and surging up and down, splashing against the building, gashing the brick, and breaking off chunks of the wall at erratic angles.
Gus blinked and swallowed, trying to think, figure out what he was seeing, and not panic all at the same time.
A living tide of massive jet black arthropods skittered and slid past the Gulp N Go, too numerous to count. Gus caught glimpses of massive pinchers, segmented legs and eerie sightless eyes as the creatures began to eat into the building more and more. The glass of the front door starred and buckled.
Gus couldn’t explain what happened next.
Instead of hiding, screaming, or wetting himself, Gus growled in revulsion. He rushed toward the front door and smashed it open with one fearsome kick. He raised his thick arms towards the tide of abominations and waves of intense red flames shot out, engulfing and incinerating the creatures on contact.
Gus stepped out into the staggered and smoking tide of insects, sending hungry flames out in all directions and incinerating all the creatures in his line of sight. Gus stood in the midst of the smoking carnage, shaking and breathing heavily as the adrenaline slowly drained out of his body. Police sirens could be heard in the distance heading in his direction.