“Welcome to Taylor County”
Tiana smiled as she drove past the sign. It had been a long drive to the small town, surviving only on a diet of cigarettes and energy drinks.
She walked into the convenience store. A bored, twenty something clerk sat behind bullet-proof glass watching a small television.
Tiana walked around the store, and grabbed some essential supplies for the unfurnished apartment, including a local map of the area from a stand.
After pricing the items, the clerk asked "Anything else?"
"Yes please, Sarah" said Tiana, referring to the name badge on the clerk. "A pack of Marlboro Lights.” Sarah put the cigarettes and lighter on the counter. Tiana took a twenty out of her purse and paid for her purchase. Sarah took the bill and gave Tiana the change.
Tiana unwrapped the pack, tore it open and extracted a cigarette. She went to spark the lighter.
"You can't smoke in here!" said Sarah, agitated.
"Yes I can." said Tiana. She sparked the lighter and lit the cigarette.
Suddenly, Tiana’s eyes began glowing, and the clerk felt herself powerless to resist. Tiana had special powers of mind control, and spent years harnessing its power throughout her teenage years. Once Sarah’s eyes were locked, she was putty in Tiana’s hands.
"Yes you can."Sarah droned.
Tiana took a hard drag. The smoke hit her lungs. Tiana felt a surge of power as the nicotine hit her brain. She sucked on the cigarette again.
"Do you smoke?" She asked.
"No," Sarah replied.
"You do now," said Tiana. "You absolutely love cigarettes. You smoke at least a pack a day." She hesitated. "Help yourself."
Sarah pulled a pack from the display, awkwardly opened it, extracted a cigarette and lit it with a lighter from the display on the counter. She took a deep drag and smiled.
Tiana left the store with her groceries and got back in the car, cigarette dangling from her lips. Smoke soon filled the interior. The ash on her cigarette grew long. Tiana nonchalantly flicked it onto the carpet. She took drag and after drag, gulping the smoke down greedily, before crushing the cigarette out in the once unused ash tray. She immediately lit another.
Sarah emerged from the store, pulled out her cigarettes, and lit up. She smoked hungrily, as any pack a day smoker would. She stuck the cigarettes back in the apron of her uniform. She took drag after drag. Tiana, watching from the car, smoked in unison.
The clerk sucked hard on her cigarette one last time, dropped the spent filter to the ground, crushed it with her shoe and went back inside.
As Tiana lit up a new cigarette, she drove off…
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author