After haplessly returning the movies to the rental video store, Mateo De La Cruz was about to return home when he saw a 911 code on his pager. It came from his boss, Malik, who wants Matt to operate the cash register while he runs some errands.

Matt lets out a frustrated sigh. He shoves his pager back into his holster, steers his skateboard to 7-Eleven, and spends his entire afternoon standing behind the cashier. He watches customers come in and out of the store, either plucking items off the shelves or asking Matt to help them pay for their gas.

A couple of minutes later, Matt fills the customers' orders. He gives them their change and receipts, then flashes a pleasant smile. But deep down, Matt would rather stab a fork in his eyes than force himself to converse with the customers.

A part of him believed that he was wasting his talents working in shitty jobs like this, but the others wanted to see the good in helping others. Matt likes talking to people. He wants to know how their day was and what they're planning to do on the weekends.

It's just that most of the customers who come to this gas station are assholes. Several barely acknowledge his existence, a couple of them were racist jackasses, and a few would instead raid a freezer for beer and liquor than pay upfront.

Matt thinks about using his shapeshifting powers to threaten the customers to stop, but since he doesn't get paid enough to give a shit, Matt boredly watches them walk away with their loot.

Slipping the dollar bills inside the cash register, Matt closes the drawer when his employer, Malik, leaves his office, eating a Three Musketeers bar very loudly. He wears a white polo shirt and distressed denim jeans, but his black belt is too small to grasp his enormous stomach.

Milk chocolate crumbs are sprinkled on his thick, black beard. White strands streak across his black, greasy hair. He stomps around the thin, blue-tiled floors with his thick, brown sneakers until he sees Matt looking at him.

Matt wears a cream-colored crewneck sweater with Basquiat's designs on it. His baggy jeans conceal his legs. Scratching the acne patches on his cheeks, Matt moves around the gas station in his bold red NIKE sneakers.

"Hey, Cruz," Malik announces between chews. "I need you to stock up on inventory tonight. No breaks."

Matt cocks his head to the side.

"What about my paychecks, sir?" he asks. "I've been working here for five months, and you said you'd pay me-"

"I also said you need to stock up the inventory tonight," said Malik, cutting him off. "So, can you do that?"

Matt hardens his jaw but bobs his head.

"Atta boy! Now, get to work!" Malik beams, ruffling Matt's dreadlocks.

As soon as Malik leaves 7-Eleven, Matt curses under his breath and returns to the cash register.

If you thought Stanley was an asshole, Malik is the definition of one. He always cuts Matt's paycheck in half, forces Matt to endure miserable hours in the gas station, and rarely spares him a lunch break.

Sometimes, Matt dreams of shoving his boss before a moving train, but he can't. He needs the money to pay for Johnny's damaged windshield and help out with rent.

Pushing his short, dark brown dreadlocks out of his eyes, Matt wanders towards the shelves.

He was getting ready to start his duties when he caught a glimpse of a small TV sitting on a metal plank attached to the wall. Playing on the screen, are MTV News guy and Correspondent Kurt Loder explaining last night's events in incredible detail. A group of young individuals thwarted the monstrous hellhound. Although sources were a little unsure about their appearances, some were believed to be teenagers.

Matt drops his jaw. He grabs the remote from the counter and slowly increases the volume, only to hear the familiar sound of the bells beating against the glass door pane. Switching off the TV, Matt turns around, expecting to see his asshole boss again, but instead, he is met with a warm and unexpected sight.

Nadia Swan walks in, dressed in a yellow American Summers tee and a faded brown grandpa sweater. Her mom's jeans hug her legs as she steps in her worn Birkenstocks. Long, brown hair cascades over her left eye as she approaches Matt with a cheerful smile.

"Nadia!" Matt exclaims nervously, feeling a rush of emotions as he looks at her. "How are you doing?"

Nadia laughs at his enthusiastic greeting, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Everything's Hakuna Matata on my end. How about you?"

Matt feels his cheeks flush as he replies, "Same here."

He can't help but notice how Nadia's presence lit up the dimly lit gas station, filling the space with warmth and joy. As they catch up and talk about everything from books to music, Matt can't help but feel grateful for Nadia's unexpected visit. It is like a breath of fresh air in his monotonous routine, a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.

As they spent the afternoon talking together, lost in conversation and laughter, Matt can't help but hope that this unexpected encounter with Nadia is the beginning of something truly magical.

Matt scratches the back of his head again and asks Nadia about work and her dreams of going to community college.

"Work's slow. My dad's not happy I want to apply to college in Harlem," Nadia groans. "As for my mom, she thinks its too early for me to rent an apartment."

"Shit."

"Yeah, I keep telling my parents I want to move out and spread my wings, but they still think I'm this little kid who needs their protection."

"Maybe they're just worried about you."

Nadia shakes her head. "Yeah, a little too worried, in my opinion."

"I see. So, what subjects are you majoring in?"

"Philosophy and Women's Studies," Nadia answers with a simple shrug. "How about you?"

"I wanted to major in Art Studies," Matt said. "But the colleges I applied to wouldn't accept me. So, I've decided to quit and do some odd jobs in Queens."

Nadia bobs her head slowly. "Kind of like your monster-hunting job, right?"

"Kind of," said Matt, walking to the cash register. "I mean, I used to do a couple of them with Johnny until I fucked up his windshield."

"Damn, that sucks."

"Yeah, but at least he's not holding a grudge."

Following Matt, Nadia places her elbows on the countertop and watches Matt count the dollar bills until she studies the dark circles around his eyelids.

"Are you okay, Matt?" she asks softly.

"Yeah," Matt lies.

"Are you sure?" asked Nadia. "I want to know why my favorite customer hasn't visited me at the theater in the past few weeks."

"Sorry, I just got some shit I have to do."

"It's no big deal. I'm just surprised, that's all. There's this movie that came out called The Babysitters' Club. I don't know if you want to watch it, though. It's a kid's movie."

"Nah, I watched it three times," Matt replies, slipping the cash into the register.

Nadia scrunches her nose. "Wait, you watched The Babysitters' Club movie three times?"

"When I was in juvie, I got pretty bored lying in my cell," Matt explains, closing the drawer. "So, I picked out The Babysitter's Club books from the library, asked my cellmate to help me understand a few words, and became a fan."

"Understand the words?" Nadia asks.

"Yeah, as a kid, I struggled with reading and writing," he continues. "My foster parents thought I was dumb, and my teachers thought I was wasting everyone's time. I used to be afraid of writing until I met some people at Crestwood there willing to help me learn how to write sentences."

"Oh," said Nadia. "That's good."

"Yeah, I like comic books and all, but I'd rather get hit by a bus than learn homophones."

Matt checks the store to see if his boss is here, abandons the register again, and stands beside Nadia.

"Speaking of Crestwood, I heard about what happened to your headmaster that day," she murmurs. "I didn't know anything about him, but I heard he was a great guy."

Matt grins. "Yeah. He had a few screws loose, but he was ten times better than half of my foster parents."

He flashes Nadia a warm smile and asks, "So, what brings you to my humble domain?"

Nadia's cheeks flush bright red. "I'm here to ask if you want to grab a bite with me."

"Really?"

"Uh, yeah."

Matt scratches the back of his head. He looks at the unfinished shelves and wants to continue his work, but when a cute girl asks you to grab lunch with her, you don't say no.

"Sure," Matt says with a shy grin on his face. "I guess I'll grab a bite with you."

Nadia smirks. She follows Matt outside, where her brown station wagon is parked.

"Are you sure your boss is okay with that?" Nadia inquires hesitantly. "Because I don't mind picking up a sandwich for you."

"I don't mind getting lunch with you."

"Oh, awesome."

A warm smile stretches across Matt's face. Uneasy conversations swarm his head as he wants to tell Nadia how he feels. When he first met Nadia, he caught her stealing two bottles of malt whiskey inside her purse.

But instead of reporting her to the cops, Matt paid for the whiskies, took her to the back of the station, and talked to Nadia like an average person. They laughed, drank, and talked about their troubled childhoods, bullies, favorite pizza toppings, movies, art, and music.

Now, as Matt glimpses at the girl, he wants to know what Nadia is thinking about.

"So, after we grab a sandwich," he begins hesitantly. "I was wondering if you'd like to go roller-skating with me."

Nadia raises her left eyebrow. "Roller-skating?"

Matt shifts his glance to the foggy window.

"Uh," he stutters. "You know, well, we don't have to do it if you don't want to."

"Matt," said Nadia. "You still have work to do, remember?"

"Yeah, so? We'll skate for a few minutes and-"

"I don't want you to ditch work to hang out with me," Nadia states in a firm tone. "I want you to eat a good meal. So after we get our sandwiches, I am dropping you back at the station. Does that sound good?"

Matt rolls his eyes in annoyance but bobs his head in response.

"Good," Nadia replies happily. "Now, are you in the mood for a Coco-Cola or Sprite?"

Matt grins. "Coco-Cola."

"Excellent." Nadia beams. "I'll start the car."

******
After leaving Bryant's Deli, Matt and Nadia walk back to the car, where they eat their lunches silently.

They laugh together, talk about movies they regret watching in theaters, and spend hours looking at each other.

Matt licks the salt from his fingers and turns to Nadia, who devours her Pastrami sandwich with delight until loud noises force them to spin their heads around. The shock compels their eyes to widen as they witness Malik getting mauled by a towering serpent-like demon inside 7-Eleven.

Blood gushes down from Malik's gashed face, neck, stomach, and beefy arms and onto the cracked parking lot. Claw marks tear his white polo shirt and pants to shreds.

Gazing upon the shocked teenagers, a speechless Malik tries to call for help, but the lizard creature grabs Malik's head with its gaping jaw and casts him across the station.

Nadia screams. She stares at the lizard monster while Matt retrieves his loaded semi-automatic pistols and ammo clips from his bag.

"Look, you need to leave," said Matt, shoving the ammo clips in his pockets.

"What? Why?"

"Because if I don't save Malik, he'll never sign my paycheck."

Prioritizing your financial well-being over your boss' life is a selfish way of thinking. However, if your boss is a tempestuous asshole who never respected you as a person, then Matt has every right to achieve this goal, even if it means killing a reptile monster.

"If I don't come back," Matt continues. "There is a Motorolla phone in my bag. I also wrote down Cricket and Johnny's numbers in my notebook, so call and tell them what is happening."

Nadia quivers in her seat as the lizard monster lets out a menacing roar before crashing through the gas station doors.

"Are you kidding?" she screeches. "You can't-"

"Please, stay in your car." Matt insists, unbuckling his seatbelt.

His crush stares at him momentarily, then reluctantly activates the car, rolls the windows, and unlocks the doors.

"Okay, fine," Nadia says reluctantly. "But I am staying here in case you need a ride home."

"Thanks."

Matt opens his backpack and positions his takeout bag on top of the cupholder in case his food gets crushed. Next, Matt pulls the door handle, crawls from his seat, and slams the entrance behind him.

Unbeknownst to the shapeshifter, the noise draws the lizard monster away from the collapsed shelves and the freezer section. Its sharp claws run along the expired peach cans and supplies. Its yellow eyes glow at the boy as the monster runs its sharp tongue across its knife-like teeth.

Pulling his gun from his waistband, Matt flashes the creature a dismal smile and unleashes a hailstorm of bullets.

********
Silver projectiles streak across the serpent's ghastly facade and broad shoulders. Thin streams of blood trickle down its scaly, greenish-black flesh like innocent water flowing along the rocky terrain.

An exhausted Matt endures his wounds and tries to shoot its heart, but the reptile demon jerks to the right.

It steps on the puddle of blood oozing from Malik's corpse, then bursts through the windowpane. Broken glass scatters across the parking lot like leaves. A fluorescent glow shines behind the demonic creature as it advances three gradual steps away from the gas station.

Matt's grip loosens around the gun. His knuckles are bruised. His leg muscles tighten, ready to run. With his safety off, Matt empties his weapons at the oncoming creature.

He dodges. He quickly performs grandiose maneuvers as Matt brutally kicks the vengeful serpent's face. The raging snake monster scratches him, but it can't keep up with Matt's movements. His mind is constantly on Nadia's safety, yet his hearing is as sharp as a blade.

Reloading his guns, Matt unleashes a hailstorm of bullets until he hears soft clicks coming from their muzzles.

"Shit!" he curses, tossing his guns on the floor.

Hoisting its blackish-green tail, the monster tries to take another swing at Matt, but he performs a clumsy barrel roll under the beast and shifts into a mouse. He then begins scurrying upon its massive leg and clings onto the rough scales on its back until Matt shapeshifts again, but this time into an angry grizzly bear.

Anxiety runs down the demon's spine as its yellow eyes search for Matt. Its slit nose flared. The viper screeches, its thick arms flinging in the chilly autumn air. It staggers across the parking lot like a drunken idiot when, all of a sudden, a sickening swipe of Matt's claws makes everything go silent. The creature's blood-soaked feet halt dead in their tracks.

Somersaulting off the reptile's back, Matt reverts to his original form and witnesses its grotesque head tumbling behind him.

Bright yellow eyes widen maniacally until the scaly lids slither over them. Lime-green blood gushes from its thick neck. Its oily black tongue sticks out of its slimy lips. He runs toward the destroyed gas station to help Malik when Matt sees a blue glow inside the monster's shoulder.

Matt frowns. He goes over to the massive corpse, turns his hand into bird claws, and tears through the monster's flesh until he sees a small, blue animal tracker staring at him.

"What the fuck?" Matt murmurs.

© kstorm68q