[Music] I've always believed in the importance of routine I liked knowing what was coming next planning out my day even if my job wasn't exactly predictable being a construction site manager meant long hours in constant stress deadlines inspections keeping people on track it didn't leave much room for anything else least of all spontaneity Rachel my wife wife she's the opposite she thrives on unpredictability on those moments when life throws you a curveball I suppose that's one of the reasons I fell for her in the first place her ability to shake up my world to remind me that not everything had to be controlled but lately things had been different we'd been different the past few months had been tough she was working overtime as a graphic designer deadlines piling up the pressure suffocating her I knew the feeling all too well but we'd been taking it out on each other little arguments about nothing really but they built up that night had been one of those nights a minor disagreement about dinner had turned into a tense silence the kind that gnawed at both of us and I could see it in her eyes that look of frustration disappointment we weren't connecting anymore not like we used to she'd suggested the drive as a way to break the tension it was something we used to do when we were dating get in the car late at night and just go no destination no plan just the road ahead I hadn't wanted to at first but when I saw the look on her face I knew it was her way of trying to bring us back to something familiar something comfortable so we left our apartment a little after midnight with nothing but the open road in front of us we didn't talk much at first the car's engine hummed softly beneath us the low glow of the Dashboard Lights casting Shadows across r face as she stared out the window I glanced at her every so often wondering if she was thinking the same thing I was that we needed this we needed a reset a way to step outside the mess of work stress and arguments that had taken over our lives as we drove the city began to Fall Away replaced by long stretches of Highway that seemed to stretch endlessly into the night there was something peaceful about it something almost hypnotic the fields on either side of us were cloaked in darkness the sky heavy with clouds hiding the Stars it felt like we were the only two people in the world just me Rachel and the road I stole another glance at her hoping for some sign that the tension between us was easing but she was still quiet her fingers absent-mindedly drumming on the armrest the silence wasn't awkward it was just there lingering like a third presence in the car I turned the radio on hoping for a distraction but all I got was static I flipped through the channels but none of them seemed to work guess we're on our own tonight I muttered mostly to myself Rachel smiled faintly but didn't say anything the miles rolled on and before long the gas gauge dipped lower than I was comfortable with I hadn't noticed it before but now it was nearing empty I glanced at the dashboard silently cursing myself for not filling up before we left there was nothing around us but empty fields and the occasional flash of distant headlights if we didn't find a gas station soon we'd be stranded out here we getting low I said breaking the silence Rachel looked over at the gauge her brow furrowing slightly do you think there's a station nearby I hope so I replied squinting at the dark Horizon we don't have much Choice a few more minutes passed and just when I was starting to worry I saw it a flicker of light up ahead like a beacon in the night a gas station dimly lit but unmistakable relief flooded through me there I said Rachel nodded her eyes fixed on the station as we approached it looked old run down the kind of place you'd expect to see in the middle of nowhere the neon sign flickered weakly barely readable and the parking lot was empty except for a few rusted cars that looked like they hadn't moved in years ears creepy Rachel muttered under her breath yeah I agreed pulling up to one of the pumps I killed the engine but the moment the car went quiet I felt a strange creeping sensation it was subtle just a nagging feeling at the back of my mind like something was off I glanced at Rachel and by the look on her face I knew she felt it too let's just get the gas and go she said her voice tight I nodded stepping out of the car and heading toward the gas station's small convenience store inside the store was as rundown as the exterior suggested the fluorescent lights buzzed faintly overhead casting a harsh yellow glow over the warn lenium floors and Dusty shelves the place looked like it hadn't been updated in decades old magazine racks faded advertisements for long forgotten products and behind the counter a lone attendant sat staring ing blankly ahead the man was old his skin leathery and wrinkled his deep set eyes following me as I approached he didn't say anything at first just nodded toward the register his expression unreadable his uniform was faded the name tag barely legible and for a moment I wondered how long he'd been working here just need to fill up I said trying to keep my voice light the man didn't respond just nodded again his gaze drifting toward the clock behind him I followed his eyes and felt a flicker of confusion the clock read 317 a. m. but my watch said it was barely 12:45 a.
m. your clock's fast I said pointing at it he didn't respond didn't even acknowledge the comment just stared I felt Rachel's hand on my arm and I turned to see her looking around her brow furrowed in confusion the clocks she whispered they're all different I glanced around realizing she was right there were several clock scattered around the store one above the door another near the magazine rack and yet another above the restroom each one showed a different time 8:22 p. m.
2:05 a. m. 12:01 a.
m. the one above the restroom was flashing like it had reset itself must be broken I muttered something was wrong the air in the store felt heavy thick with something I couldn't quite place I handed over the cash to the attendant who barely seemed to acknowledge the transaction as we turned to leave I heard him mutter something just barely audible you've been here before I stopped turning back to him what did you say the man didn't respond he was already staring off into space again his eyes fixed on something I couldn't see Let Go Rachel said tugging at my arm there was an urgency in her voice that made me comply without question we got back into the car both of us unnerved but trying not to show it as I started the engine Rachel glanced over at me did he seem weird to you weird is an understatement I said pulling away from the pump let's just get out of here a few minutes later we were back on the road driving into the darkness once again I tried to push the strange of the gas station out of my mind focusing on the road ahead but something about that place lingered gnawing at the edges of my thoughts then Rachel said the words that made my blood run cold is that the same gas station I looked up and my stomach dropped there it was just ahead of us the same rundown station the same flickering neon sign the same rusted cars it didn't make sense we hadn't turned around we hadn't even veered off the road but somehow we were right back where we started that's impossible I muttered gripping the steering wheel tighter we were driving straight the whole time Rachel's face had gone pale Mark what's happening I didn't have an answer I drove past the gas station not stopping determined to keep going there had to be a lot of local explanation for this maybe we'd missed something but as we drove further the unsettling feeling only grew the road stretched on endless and dark but no matter how far we went we kept coming back to that same gas station again and again I tried to shake it off it had to be a mistake maybe I'd missed a turn without realizing but deep down I knew that wasn't it the creeping dread in the pit of my stomach told me this was something else something I didn't want to acknowledge I took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel harder trying to sound calm for Rachel's sake we must have made a wrong turn I'll try a different route Mark Rachel whispered her voice tight with fear we didn't make a wrong turn her words hung in the air thick and unsettling she was right we hadn't made any turns at all we'd been driving straight without without saying anything else I kept driving passing the gas station and pushing the car forward the tension between us was palpable the silence between us loaded I could feel Rachel's eyes on me could sense the unspoken question she was too afraid to ask the sky was still overcast thick clouds blotting out any light from the stars or Moon the only illumination came from our headlights cutting a narrow path through the dark and the occasional flicker of headlights from distant cars always far off always disappearing as quickly as they came and then the gas station appeared again I slammed on the brakes the car skidding slightly as it came to a halt we were both staring at the flickering neon sign the rundown pumps The Rusted cars that hadn't moved it was the same gas station it's not possible I muttered under my breath my voice sounding Hollow even to me Rachel's breathing had quickened Mark what the hell is happened we've been driving straight for over 10 minutes how are we back here again I didn't have an answer my mind was racing trying to make sense of it but there was no logic to this nothing that made any sense but then I noticed the time my watch read 1:10 a. m.
Rachel check your phone again I said my voice tight she pulled it out and looked at the screen it says 430 but that doesn't make sense it's only been like 30 minutes since we left the gas station The Drad that had been simmering beneath the surface flared into fullblown Panic the clocks in the store were wrong too I said more to myself than to her it's like time isn't I didn't finish the sentence I didn't need to Rachel was staring at the radio now her eyes wide Mark she whispered listen the radio had been dead for the entire drive just static but now through the crackling interference I could hear something a voice faint at first but growing clearer like it was fighting through the static to reach us and it was saying our names Mark Rachel the voice was distorted warping in and out but it was unmistakable it was Rachel's voice she recoiled in her seat her face going pale that's that's me I reached for the dial turning the radio off The Voice vanished but the silence it left behind was somehow worse we sat there for a long moment both of us too stunned to speak eventually I started the car again but there was no Escape no other Road all we could do was keep going forward and hope that eventually we'd find a way out of whatever nightmare we'd stumbled into we passed the gas station again but this time something was different there were cars in the lot now cars that hadn't been there before The Rusted hulks were still there but parked alongside them were a few newer models sleek and shiny as if they had only just arrived and inside the store I could see people moving between the shelves flickers of movement that hadn't been there during our previous visits look Rachel said her voice trembling as she pointed toward the station there are people I pulled into the lot my hands shaking as I turned off the engine Maybe they can help us or maybe they're stuck too she muttered but I could hear the faint glimmer of hope in her voice we got out of the car the air heavy and thick like the atmosphere itself was pressing down on us the gas station looked the same as before rundown ancient but now it had an almost alive feeling to it as we stepped inside the florescent lights buzzed overhead casting the same sickly yellow glow over the store but this time we weren't alone an older woman stood near the magazine rack her eyes fixed on us as soon as we walked in she didn't blink didn't smile just stared her expression was vacant her face pale and gaunt as if she hadn't slept in years at the counter a tall thin man was purchasing a candy bar I watched as he handed over the cash then immediately unwrapped the bar and took a bite then without saying a word he walked back to the shelves picked up the same candy bar and walked back to the counter to buy it again it was like they were stuck on a loop repeating the same actions over and over unaware of anything outside their own small repetitive World Rachel's grip tightened on my arm something's wrong with them yeah I whispered my eyes darting around the store letun just ask if they've seen anything as I approached the man at the counter I opened my mouth to ask him something anything that might give us a clue about what was going on but before I could say a word he slid another dollar across the counter bought the same candy bar he'd already purchased and without so much as glancing in my direction he turned and walked toward the door I watched him leave my pulse quickening with a sense of unease the door jingled as he stepped outside and through the dingy glass I saw him make his way to an old beat up car parked at the far end of the lot he moved slowly methodically Rachel was standing beside me staring too Mark what's wrong with him I don't know I whispered not taking my eyes off the man he reached his car his hand gripping the door handle but then just like that he was gone not gone as in he got in the car and drove away he disappeared vanished one moment he was there the next he wasn't like he'd been AED from existence Rachel gasped stepping closer to me her hand gripping my arm did you did you see that I nodded too stunned to speak we stood Frozen staring at the spot where the man had been just moments before I half expected to see him reappear maybe stepping out from behind the car or from the Shadows but the lot remained eerily still empty what the hell I muttered taking a step back toward the door my hand instinctively went to the handle ready to leave but then I heard it the soft Shuffle of feet behind us the same man was walking toward the counter again my blood ran cold he emerged from one of the aisles his expression blank as before the same candy bar in his hand he approached the counter like he hadn't just vanished outside like he hadn't left the store at all his movements were identical his gate deliberate as if he was repeating the same action caught in some unending Loop the attendant didn't say a word he didn't even look surprised he just took the dollar slid the candy bar across the counter and the man turned to walk away heading right back toward the door I felt my heart pounding in my chest trying to make sense of what I was seeing Rachel tugged at my sleeve Mark what's happening is this real before I could answer the door to the gas station J L again my breath hitched as I turned to see who had entered it was the old woman from before the one who had been standing by the magazine rack staring at us earlier except now she was walking in through the door like she had never been inside the store her pale wrinkled face remained expressionless as she made her way past us her slow footsteps dragging across the floor but instead of heading to a different part of the store she walked right back to where she had stood before near the magazine aines and resumed her position her eyes once again locking onto us unblinking the man at the counter finished his transaction and just like before he stepped outside I watched him carefully this time my stomach twisting in knots as he made his way to his car he reached for the handle again but the moment his hand touched it he vanished my head spun the world tilting around me none of this was making any sense Rachel's grip tightened around my arm and when I turned to look at her I could see the Panic rising in her eyes Mark we need to get out of here now but before we could I spotted something that made my heart stop a photo board hanging near the back of the store at first glance it looked like a typical bulletin board the kind you'd see in any small town shop pictures of regular customers snapshots of smiling faces but as I got closer my breath caught in my throat there among the photos was a picture of Rachel and me standing by our car the photo had tonight's datee written beneath it Rachel I called my voice shaking she came to my side her eyes widening as she saw the picture that that's not possible we didn't take any pictures I stepped back my heart pounding in my chest the more I looked the more I began to recognize the faces in the other photos some were people I hadn't seen in years old old friends from high school and a neighbor who' disappeared Without a Trace and all of them had dates beneath their photos dates that didn't make sense dates that hadn't happened yet we ran for the door both of us breathless with panic but as we stepped outside the gas station seemed to warp the lights dimming the air thickening I glanced around trying to make sense of it but the world felt wrong like reality itself was stretching bending Mark Rachel said her voice barely above a whisper I don't think we can leave her words echoed in my head chilling me to the Bone I wanted to deny it wanted to tell her she was wrong that we just needed to keep trying but deep down I knew she was right we were trapped caught in some kind of loop and every attempt to escape only brought us back to the same place maybe there's something in the back office some kind of clue something that can explain this together we ran around the side of the building heading for the small office at the back of the station the door was unlocked and inside we found an old desk cluttered with papers and log books I rifled through the drawers hoping for anything that would make sense of this nightmare then I found it an old log book dated decades ago the entries were short scribbled hastily but the more I read the more my heart raced each entry detailed strange occurrences at the gas station time distortions customers trapped in Loops people who vanished Without a Trace and the last entry made my blood run cold it mentioned a couple a couple who had died in a car accident after driving around the gas station at night the entry was signed with our names I stumbled back from the desk the weight of it all crashing down on me Rachel but before I could finish the radio in the office crackled to life the same distorted voice Rachel's voice came through the speakers announcing a car crash involving a young couple the description of the car was ours the names were ours as the broadcast continued it became clear we were the couple in the report we were the ones who had crashed the ones who had died at this point we decided to go back inside the gas station and try to figure out what was happening I pushed open the glass door hearing the faint jingle of the Bell overhead the air inside felt different this time stale colder like it had been left untouched for years but when we stepped inside something wasn't right the clerk the old man with the leathery skin and deep set eyes was gone in his place stood another attendant a younger guy maybe in his mid 20s he wore a modern uniform with a name tag that read Danny pinned to his chest and and his expression was more lively but no less unsettling he glanced up as we entered flashing a customer service smile that didn't reach his eyes can I help you folks he asked his voice too cheery for the atmosphere in the room I stopped in my tracks my head spinning with confusion where's the other guy the older man I asked glancing around the store as if he might be hiding somewhere the clerk's smile faltered for a second his eyes narrowing every so slightly older man he repeated I've been working here all night there's no one else Rachel's grip tightened on my arm I could feel the tremble in her fingers the same fear that was creeping up my spine mark this isn't right she whispered her voice barely audible I nodded trying to keep my composure but the strangeness of it all was starting to wear me down we need to use the bathroom I muttered more as an excuse to get away from the Eerie conversation I didn't know why I said it maybe I just needed a moment to think to catch my breath to figure out what the hell was happening the clerk nodded pointing toward the back of the store down the hall last door on the right I led Rachel through the narrow aisle toward the restroom my mind racing with a thousand thoughts at once we reached the restroom and I pushed the door open the smell hit me first a sharp musty odor that made my stomach turn it smelled like something had been rotting inside though the room itself looked clean sterile in a way that didn't match the rest of the gas station Rachel hovered in the doorway as I stepped inside the harsh light making the tiles look almost gray there was something unsettling about The Silence in here a kind of heaviness that pressed down on my chest making it hard to breathe then I saw the writing scrawled across the walls in black marker were messages hundreds of them overlapping and crisscrossing each other some of the words were faded barely legible While others were fresh the ink still sharp and Stark against the White Tile no one leaves it never ends beware the time thief the words sent a shiver down my spine and my breath caught in my throat I took a step closer running my fingers over the writing feeling the rough texture of the ink beneath my skin Rachel gasped behind me Mark what is this I shook my head swallowing hard I don't know but we need to try to get out of here Rachel and I hurried out of the restroom the Eerie messages echoing in my mind the clerk at the counter was still there but his cheery demeanor had faded his eyes tracked our movements as we made our way toward the exit his expression unreadable we did didn't speak to him we didn't say anything at all I just pushed open the door and we rushed back to the car our hearts pounding in unison Rachel climbed into the passenger seat her breaths coming in short shallow gasps Mark what's going on how are we why does it feel like we're stuck here I shook my head starting the car I don't know but we're leaving I pulled out of the parking lot the tires skidding slightly on the gravel as I sped onto the empty road the night seemed darker now the sky a suffocating blanket of clouds that blotted out the stars I could feel Rachel's eyes on me her fear palpable but I couldn't bring myself to look at her I needed to focus on getting us out of here for a while the road stretched ahead of us the gas station Fading Into the distance behind us I glanced at the dashboard the clock had reset again this time reading 3:00 a. m.
