Only What the Moon Sees - 5. Chapter 5

The clerk was just standing there, unmoving. He almost looked like a cardboard silhouette in the darkness. Gabe continued to stare at the man, heart beating wildly, breath getting shallow. He didn’t dare turn around. He just kept staring.

Without losing his focus on the clerk, Gabe slowly moved a hand towards the shifter. He knew as soon as he put his foot on the brake, the man would likely move, possibly towards the truck. No brake, no brake, Gabe repeated in his mind. He wanted to be ready to floor it and get away like a thief in the night. The problem was the truck’s transmission. Being an older truck with manual shifting, the gears had become a bit clunky and temperamental. If he messed up on the clutch or ground one of the gears, the clerk might easily catch up.

But Gabe knew it was a risk he had to take. He didn't know what was going on. He didn't understand the true danger he was actually in. All he did know was he had to get out of the area and head back towards the population.

The risk had to be worth the reward.

Gabe mustered up his courage. With the road being flat, he cautiously and deliberately released the parking brake so it wouldn’t make a loud bang as it normally would. With the parking brake off, the next step would determine whether he made it home or not. Gabe hovered his feet above the clutch and the gas. He shifted into first gear as quietly as he could.

Just a little gas . . .

But the clerk suddenly moved, causing Gabe to panic. His foot slipped off the clutch, causing the truck to lurch forward and stall. The clerk was now almost running to the truck, faster than what Gabe could do to get the engine started again. Just as the man reached the rear of the truck, he came to an abrupt stop. Gabe was nearly hyperventilating, shaking with terror.

Then he saw someone else behind the clerk.

It was the man with the piercing eyes!

Thinking it was safe because there was at least one more person out there with them, Gabe opened his door and began to step out. But just as he was halfway, a loud hiss came from near his rear tire.

A mountain lion was sitting on the pavement right next to the tire, crouched and ready to pounce. It was facing the rear, but sharply turned its head to hiss again at Gabe.

Freezing, Gabe stared at the large cat. Living somewhat near the mountains, it wasn’t unusual to see mountain lions, black bears, or deer every now and then. Kids were taught early on how to handle encounters with the local wild animals, but up to that point Gabe had never needed the lesson. Still, he knew not to startle the car and to get his door shut as quickly as possible.

Slowly sinking back into his seat and lifting his leg back inside the cab, Gabe softly closed the door and rolled the window up. His breathing hadn’t calmed and now he was trembling quite obviously. He looked in his rearview mirror.

The clerk was still standing right behind the tailgate, but so was the other man. The stranger seemed to be saying something to the clerk, but it wasn’t discernible.

“Hey,” the man suddenly spoke, breaking the silence of the night. Gabe didn't move. He didn’t respond. “Take him home. I’ll deal with this.”

Gabe wasn’t sure what he meant. Who was the man even talking to? Was there someone else with them? What the hell was going on?!

“Drive,” Someone said next to Gabe.

Flinching in fright, Gabe clung to the door, moving his body as far away from the passenger as possible. How did he even get in the truck?

"Who . . . What . . .?” Gabe huffed out, nearing the point of hyperventilating.

“Just drive,” the stranger said calmly. He looked over at the terrified human and smiled softly. “It’s okay. You’re safe, but you need to drive.”

Gabe felt anything but safe. The stranger in the passenger seat hardly looked any older than Gabe, which made him feel slightly less terrified. But given that the stranger managed to enter the truck without being noticed made the unease linger like a mosquito bite. Sitting normally again, though still stiff with tension, Gabe turned the key to start the engine.

“Good,” the stranger said. “Go home.”

Shifting into first, Gabe looked in the rearview mirror and saw nothing. Both the clerk and the other man were gone. Looking ahead, Gabe slowly began to drive away from the scene where he nearly died.

* * *

Fifteen minutes passed before Gabe worked up the courage to exit the truck. He had been sitting in his driveway, gripping the steering wheel tightly. His hands were numb and sore, but the fear had kept him paralyzed. Even the stranger in the passenger seat had left long ago, not saying a word when he opened the door and disappeared.

Surveying the area before opening his door, Gabe cautiously crept out of the driver’s seat. Not taking his eyesight off of the front door to the house, he haphazardly reached into the bed of the truck for his backpack. There was only about 40 feet between him and the safety of the front door. If he dashed he could easily make it, but it would take a second to unlock the door. That’s when the attack would come, he was sure.

He began nearing the point of hyperventilation again. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t move. He didn’t want to die that night. It was too early. There were too many things he hadn’t done yet.

And, worst of all, he had never even–

“You gonna go inside?”

Gabe nearly jumped out of his skin, though he did trip over himself and land on the concrete of the driveway. He sharply looked up at the source of the voice.

“Stay away from me!” Gabe demanded as firmly as he could, but it sounded fairly weak being followed by the deep breaths of fear.

“Hey, I’m not gonna hurt you. If I wanted to do that, I would have done it a long time ago. Like on the way here in your truck.” The stranger from the passenger seat kept his distance towards the end of the truck bed. He was caring enough not to approach the human in his terrified state.

“I don’t care. I don't know what’s going on. You and . . . Then the clerk . . . And now I’m home. How did I not . . . Who . . . What’s going on?” Gabe felt like vomiting. He had never been so terrified in his entire life. The stress and anxiety of the past hour was suddenly crescendoing inside of his gut, churning and swirling around.

The stranger nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you really got caught up tonight. It’s a good thing we were keeping tabs on that clerk, though. Another minute and you would’ve been . . .” Realizing he was about to scare the poor boy even more, the stranger trailed off. “Anyway, let’s get you inside.”
Standing up awkwardly, Gabe said, “You left.”

“Nah, I didn't leave. I was waiting for you to get out of your truck. And now that you are, I really need you to get inside.”

“Are you coming inside?”

“I can if you want, but my job is just to make sure you are safely indoors.”

Gabe wasn’t sure why, but there was a sense of security with the strange fellow. Sure, he magically appeared inside the truck. Sure, he seemed to be quite mysterious. But Gabe was still alive and unharmed minus the toll all the stress had taken on his 18-year-old heart. In fact, staring at him, Gabe wasn’t sure the stranger was even that much older than himself. His facial features were pretty boyish and cute.

“I don't know what I want. I don't know you. I don't know what happened back there. I don't know what’s going on.”

The stranger sighed, casting his gaze downward. “All right. I can’t say much, Kayden would massacre me.” Kayden? “But if you go inside, right now, I’ll fill you in on what I can. Okay?”

Gabe thought for a moment. His mom wasn’t home, and wouldn’t be for quite some time he was sure. She didn't particularly like people she didn't know inside her house, but the stranger would likely be long gone before she could ever know.

“Okay,” Gabe nodded, unsure of himself. He kept his backpack dangling by his side with one hand and grabbed his keys from the ground.

What am I doing?

* * *