Duskwood

1.

Those old country roads were barely traveled, barely remembered or kept up. They were as lost as the two driving along were; nose buried into the map in front of her as her fingers curled around the edges of the paper.

"We are so lost, babe." Chuckled in her throat, dark skin glistening in the summer heat even the AC blowing causing her bob-cut hair to flicker and dance.

The guy, he shook his head to her words. "Nah, babe we're right on track."

Hardly, you could feel the disappointment in the girl's scoff in the leather passenger seat. She collapsed the map into her lap, brushing those delicate fingers through her thick, dark hair. Her eyes wandered to the window, farmlands passing them by.

"Ah fuck," The guy exclaimed, loud and it caught the girl's attention.

She shot him a pointed look of concern, "What is it?"

The guy sighed heavily, scratching at his beard that needed a good shave. "We need to find a gas station and get some fuckin' gas apparently."

She looked confused, eyebrows knitting in thought before she parted her lips.

"But...we just got gas about an hour ago?" Questioned as if she didn't believe him, she leaned towards his direction seeing the arrow lowering with each minute.

The guy sighed heavily. "Yeah, I know..."

Thanksgiving was just around the corner, licking at their soles. A trip to his parents halfway across the country whom he hadn't had a chance to visit in a good couple years, wanted to formally introduce them to the girl who had stolen his heart. It seemed so simple and yet complicated, the need for a parent's approval on who you dated because you knew that if your parents didn't like who you were dating then you would dump them quick on the side of the road like the dead cat that the couple had just run over for the hundredth time as it rotted and steamed on the scorching pavement in the heatwave of Southern United States.

Pulled in quick off the path, peeling off the moment they saw it and it seemed like some kind of light in their confusion and annoyance. 

An old gas station that one could only hope was still operational.

Slam. Slam.

The car doors thudded upon their exit of the vehicle, dirt and rocks crunching under their feet as the front door of the old station creaked open and an old man with a pipe between his lips peered out.

"H-Hey!" The guy called out to him, waving an arm in the air as the girl came to stand beside him, watching the old man stand there staring at them.

The guy lowered his arm to his side. "Do the pumps work?"

Splat, the old man spit out whatever he was chewing on after plucking the pipe from between his fingertips. He stepped out further onto the porch, thin in frame like somebody who hadn't been fed a healthy diet his entire life. Old dirt caked against his skin, he shuffled towards them.

"Ah yeah, just gotta give em a good kick is all." Southern drawl heavy on his tongue as he fixed the dusty old hat on his head.

The guy took a breath of relief, glancing at the nearby sign to determine the gas price.

Bam.

The old man kicked the side of the gas pump.

Bam.

Bam.

Bam.

The couple heard a ting come from the pump, the lights flickering on just barely enough to notice in the daylight and underneath the dilapidated awning above them.