Case File #345601 - The Convenience Store

[Digitally Transcripted Copy of Testimony Given By REDACTED]

The officers all think I’m crazy. They don’t even want to listen to me anymore, so they’ve shoved me here in this little cupboard of a room to write about what I saw. Useless. The paper they’ve given me is crumpled too, and a ballpoint pen that seems to be running out of ink. Look, it’s skipping! [Scribble of a spiral, ink cutting out every other line] God, they don’t care do they? And here I am trying to make their jobs easier, because they sure as hell will get chewed out when they find out what I’m saying is real. I hope the ink doesn’t run out before I’m done.

God, I want some of that coffee they’re having. Maybe it would make me even more rattled than I am already. Whoever is reading this, I must apologise for my shaky handwriting. It’s bad normally, but my hands are just so damn sweaty now. Chicken scratch, almost. Can’t even understand what I wrote after the word “little” up there. Cugboond? Oh well, not my problem anymore. 

I’m just trying to avoid putting what I saw into words, aren’t I? I’m going to have to, sooner rather than later. Maybe it will make me feel better.

I’ll start from the beginning. My name is REDACTED. Normally I’d consider myself just your run-of-the-mill kind of guy. I’ve graduated from university recently with a Bachelor of Computer Science. It was tough, not going to lie. Don’t even like it that much, but it’s basically a guaranteed job if I did halfway decent. I did. Currently am working on the front-end coding, HTML and CSS, for a small start-up. Pay is decent, I have enough to get a coffee every day on my way to work. Pretty lucky, I have to say, considering the job market. Not seeing anyone, no. I’ve dated a bit, but given my faculty the options are a bit limited. I should be going out to the bars but not really interested yet. Gotta get myself settled before settling down and all. 

Speaking of work, there’s this cute girl that works at the convenience store near me and I pick up some lunch there most days just to take a peek. Cute smile, seems that she’d be very friendly outside of work. She always has this cute little necklace on, and wears some fashionable rings on her fingers to cut through the monotony of her uniform, I suppose. The most memorable was the one she wore on her right pinky finger, with a little rose-gold crescent moon.

Nothing wrong with a harmless crush, right? We don’t say a word to each other except some formalities. “Hey, how’ve you been?” “Your total is $8 all in all. Cash or card?” “Thank you, have a nice day!” 

Romantic. 

I’d been hopping by for the past few weeks or so. The coffee they sell smells similar to what the idiots out there are having. Acidic, smelling more of hot, sour water really. Can’t even smell the beans. Not worth it except for the kick in the ass the caffeine gives you. What I would do for one right now. [Indentations from the pen have made a small rip in the “n” in “now”] Fuck, where was I? Oh yeah, convenience store girl, how could I forget?

Over the last week, I went to the store on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. It’s Sunday now right? So yeah, it’s been a few days. I’ve had time to process. When I went on Monday, there was this suspicious-looking man at the store. It was strange. He was wearing a black trenchcoat in the middle of summer, and his skin was deathly pale. Not like I have the best tan, considering I sit at a screen all day but it was noticeable. I was looking at the bags of chips on the shelves, choosing between Pringles and Ruffles, when I noticed him standing by the drinks section. He didn’t look interested in any of the stuff on offer, but I thought that he would like a slushy considering his getup. I was standing, sweating bullets and was surprised to see that not a single bead of moisture dotted his face. I figured, hey, maybe he’s just one of those people who are perpetually cold. You know, needs like at least two blankets to sleep properly. Weird but, who am I to judge? 

So, I decided on Ruffles for that extra salt kick and went on to go and grab a hotdog from one of the little glass heaters they have in there for my actual lunch. I honestly could go for one. Maybe after I get this piece of shit pen to work. [Frustrated scribbling] 

I noticed then that the guy was staring straight at me. Our eyes locked, and the hairs on my arms started to rise. There was a chill that pierced my body, straight into my heart, and I couldn’t look away. The store had gone silent and the temperature seemed to drop at least two degrees. I tried to look around for anyone else in the store, but my neck couldn’t move. It was like it had seized up, and all that I could use was my peripheral vision. My heart was pounding, I could hear it in my ears. I wondered if I had huffed something from outside accidentally, or maybe stood up too fast from the computer chair I was using at work. That’s impossible, I hear you say. Probably. Possibly? Well, now I’ve got myself thinking I’m crazy again, but I’m lucid! You’re reading this and it’s relatively clear. 

While I was standing there, frozen in my tracks, sweat trickling down my temple and dropping to the floor below, my chips fell from my hands. With a resounding “pffp” they hit the tiled floor and everything seemed to click back into place. The smell of acrid coffee slammed into my nose, the lights seemed too bright and I had to shield my eyes with my hand. My legs shook uncontrollably, and my stomach was churning. The sweat hadn't stopped.

When I looked up, I saw that the man had turned away, back to me, and I struggled to pick up the chips. The temperature had gone back up, I could crane my neck and move around again. But from the corner of my eye, I saw the cute cashier stare at me with a terrified look on her face: eyebrows raised, chest rising and falling quickly. Quickly, she took off her necklace and placed it inside the cash register. When I finally went to check out my hotdog, chips, and can of Coke, she said nothing, her face ashen. Our past exchanges weren’t romantic, but they were something. This? This was nothing. 

I should have stayed behind and asked what was wrong, but I ran as quickly as I could back to the office to catch my breath and calm my thoughts. All I could think about in that moment was what happened to me. Fuck, you know, maybe this is all my fault. If I had stayed, maybe she would’ve had a chance. [Dried teardrop on the page]

I went back on Tuesday to satisfy my grim curiosity and see if she was alright. When I went and got my usual, but switched the Coke up for a Sprite, she seemed much. Happier? Calmer? Than when I had last seen her. We even had some good conversation about the weather. That was new for me. The strange thing was, the man wasn’t there. I guessed at the time that maybe that was the reason for her change of mood. I also noticed that her necklace was still there when she opened the cash register. The red jewel sparkled even in the shadows of the machine. I paid using bills, which I only do occasionally, just to check it out and it confirmed that what I had seen the previous day had actually happened. Sated, I went back to work and did everything as normal. I didn’t even go back the next day because I had a feeling that she’d be alright.

Come Thursday, I realised that I didn’t make enough dinner the night before to bring for lunch, so it was another convenience store day for me. I was looking forward to another hotdog. I waltzed into the store, but the moment I opened the door I knew something was wrong. The usual chime of the bell for alerting staff of customers didn’t go off. In its place was just an eerie quiet. Much like what had happened when I looked at the man, and he looked back at me. I could hear the blood being pumped in my body, could hear it rushing through my veins. That quiet. I was going to call out, but my voice caught in my throat. Not because I had flubbed it, but because my mouth refused to open. Worst of all, I could smell something metallic in the air, extremely different from the usual smell of cleaning products used for the tiled floor. No, this smelled almost of iron, and it wafted up to me and around me, almost tangible like I could reach out and touch this cloud of scent. The store lights were closed. Still stuck at the entrance, I could see that the store was empty, except for the sound of cloth swishing. A heavy piece of clothing, one not suited for the sweltering weather outside. The cashier was nowhere to be seen. It hit me then that what I was smelling was blood. I tried to vomit but my stomach cramped. Then I saw it.

Behind the counter was a hand, stiff and gnarled. Almost as if it had been reaching out to grab something. It was old, an old hand. With a little crescent moon ring on its pinky. Underneath it was a puddle of viscous liquid. I heard the rustle of bat wings right beside my ear and tried to recoil.

Then the lights turned on, and it was gone. So was everything else in the store. Just empty shelves, cobwebs on the corners of ceilings. Like nobody had been there in the first place.

On the upside, I could move again. But the store was empty. I called the police, and they came. I gave them my statement, recounted everything I just wrote here but admittedly in less detail. They turned me away, saying that there had never been a convenience store in the first place. There were no bloodstains, no trenchcoats, no hand. There was nothing. 

I went back today, just to check for something that had been bothering me for the past few days. The cash register was still there, after all. And there it was. That single necklace. I’ve turned it into the police as evidence, but they say it’s not evidence of anything, considering that nothing had happened in the first place. 

They should at least run the tests.

[Testimony Ends]