The Gas Station

Carl shook the dust from off himself when he reached the gas station. He had followed the right branch which was pure luck in this wasteland. The building looked shabby and was placed next to a small crop field that was bordered with barbed wire and a fence, marked with a couple of "No Trespassing" signs.

Nobody was there when he entered. It seemed that it had been abandoned a long time ago. Carl searched for a telephone when an old man entered the room from behind.

"Hey stranger!" the old man said in a slow and controlled voice, as if he had to fight to get out each single word.

"Hi! My car broke down a few miles from here".

"Car?" the old man still seemed to struggle to get the word out.

"Must be something with my motor. Can you have a look or call a mechanic?"

Before Carl lost his conscience, he could see the regretful expression on the old man's face.

When he woke up, he was lying in the middle of the crop field. He was bound by some strange plants that held him down to the earth. He could not move but he was able to see that this was a plant he had never seen before. He felt his life energy being sucked out slowly.

The old man was sitting on the porch behind his gas station. He was desperate because another life had been sacrificed, just to keep him alive. He knew that the plant will never let him die, because he was the person who took care of it when it arrived several years ago. And every time he had high hopes that this nightmare might come to an end, it brought another victim to his place.