Chapter 278

It was almost midnight when Sunita arrived at the gas station. The sky above was a flat, oppressive black, and the only sound that reached her ears was the distant hum of a train, far off. A cool breeze swept across the desolate station, carrying with it the scent of dust and exhaust fumes. She shoved the heavy door open, dragging herself inside. The fluorescent lights buzzed above her, a sound she had grown used to over the years, but tonight it felt more like an omen than background noise.

She'd been working here for four years now, since the family had moved from her small village to the city, desperate for work. She'd never liked the job, but it paid the bills, and that was all that mattered.

The night shift was always the hardest. The hours dragged on, and the occasional drunk or high customer did little to make things better. But tonight was different. Something felt wrong, like the calm before a storm.

As Sunita sat down behind the counter, she noticed a small envelope that hadn't been there earlier. Her heart skipped a beat, a cold sensation crawling up her spine as she carefully opened it. Inside was a single sheet of paper, with a set of instructions written in bold, messy handwriting. The ink seemed darker than it should've been.

The rules:

1. Never leave the counter after midnight.

2. No matter what.

3. Don't answer the door for anyone.

4. If you hear footsteps near the storage room, do not check.

5. Keep the lights on at all times.

6. If the phone rings, don't pick up.

7. Do not speak to anyone who doesn't seem right.

8. If the air feels cold, leave immediately.

9. Do not trust the mirrors.

Sunita's fingers trembled as she read the list. What was this? A prank? Her manager had a strange sense of humor sometimes, but this… this felt different. Still, the list wasn't long, and it didn't seem like too much to follow. Besides, she was alone, and the night was eerily quiet.

She decided to ignore the feeling creeping over her and went about her usual routine. She checked the gas pumps, wiped down the counters, and made herself a cup of tea. The station was mostly empty at this hour, with only the occasional vehicle pulling in to fill up.

The minutes passed slowly, the clock ticking louder than usual. Sunita kept glancing over at the piece of paper, her unease growing. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching her.

Around 2 a.m., the first thing on the list happened. The door swung open, and a man stumbled in. His clothes were torn, his face covered in dirt, and he looked like he'd been walking for hours. His eyes were bloodshot, and he swayed slightly as he approached the counter.

Sunita's heart raced. The rule about not answering the door crossed her mind immediately. She froze, unsure what to do. The man didn't seem dangerous at first glance, but there was something unsettling about him. His gaze was vacant, distant, as if he weren't fully present in the world.

"I need help," he muttered, his voice low and strained. "I've been walking for miles. Please, can you help me?"

The words on the paper flashed in Sunita's mind. She remembered the rule: Do not speak to anyone who doesn't seem right. He didn't seem right. Something was wrong with him. But she couldn't just leave him out there.

She took a step back, her mind racing. She opened her mouth to speak, but then, as if from nowhere, a cold draft swept through the station, biting at her skin. It wasn't just the chill of the wind. This was something different. The temperature dropped so suddenly that she could see her breath misting in the air. The man didn't seem to notice. His eyes were fixed on her, unblinking.

Sunita shivered. She didn't want to break the rules, but she didn't want to seem cruel either. She took another step back, her hands shaking as she reached for the phone.

"Are you… okay?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

The man didn't answer. He only stared at her, his eyes widening. He began to approach her, his steps slow, deliberate.

Suddenly, the bell above the door jingled again. Another person entered, a woman this time. Her eyes were wide, her face pale, her hair wild. She looked as though she'd just run a marathon, panic written across her features. She glanced at the man, then at Sunita, and froze.

"You need to get out of here," the woman said, her voice frantic. "It's not safe here."

Sunita felt her heart pound in her chest. The woman's warning sent a shiver down her spine. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but before she could, the phone rang. It was sharp, piercing, cutting through the silence like a knife. The ringing echoed, almost as if it was coming from all directions at once. Sunita hesitated. She glanced at the paper again. Do not pick up the phone.

Her hands were trembling as she reached for the receiver.

The moment her fingers touched it, the woman screamed.

"No!" the woman cried. "Don't answer it!"

But it was too late. Sunita's hand closed around the phone, and as she lifted it to her ear, everything in the room changed. The lights flickered, then went out completely, plunging the station into darkness. The cold air intensified, wrapping itself around her like a suffocating blanket.

And then she heard it. A soft scraping noise, like fingernails running along a window. The sound wasn't coming from outside. It was coming from the storage room.

She dropped the phone, her pulse racing.

The scraping grew louder.

The man moved towards her, his steps slow but determined. Sunita backed away, her mind scrambling to process the situation. The woman was still there, her face now contorted with terror.

"You have to go!" the woman shouted. "You have to leave before it's too late!"

But Sunita didn't know where to go. Her legs felt like lead. The list of rules swam in her head, but it didn't help her now. She could hear the scraping getting closer, feel the floor trembling beneath her feet. The cold was unbearable. Her breath came in shallow gasps.

Suddenly, she heard something else—a low, guttural growl that made her blood run cold. The man—no, not a man—he wasn't human anymore. His face had contorted into something monstrous, his eyes wide with a hunger that sent panic crawling up her throat.

The storage room door opened, and a figure stepped out. Its shape was unclear, blurry, like it wasn't quite solid. It was tall, impossibly tall, and its limbs stretched in unnatural directions. The scraping continued as it moved closer, dragging something heavy behind it. Sunita's knees buckled, but she couldn't move. She was paralyzed by fear.

The woman screamed one last time, but it was cut short. Sunita felt the creature's presence before she saw it fully. It was there, inches away from her, its face a grotesque mask of empty eyes and cracked skin.

Sunita couldn't breathe. Her chest tightened, and the room seemed to close in around her. The rules were useless now. It didn't matter that she had followed them. There was no escape.

The creature reached out, its hands long and spindly, and as it touched her, Sunita felt the life drain from her. The coldness spread through her body, and her vision blurred. She wanted to scream, to run, but her body refused to obey. The creature's grip tightened, pulling her closer, its touch like ice.

Her last thought, before everything was consumed by darkness, was of the list. It was too late. There was nothing left to do.