So it was late summer and I was working my first well paying job at a gas station.
I’d done tons of under the table stuff like a bouncer and cleaning up bars when they were
closed but I had become really proud of the fact I was working this hard.
For reference, i'm a male and I was 19 years old at the time.
Anyway, let’s call this gas station I was working at the Mell Store.
At Mell Store we had three shifts.
The morning, the afternoon, and the overnight shifts.
Seems pretty standard for any store that would be working really hard to screw over their
employees.
What I mean by that is there are usually supposed to be three people working on the first two
shifts so that everything can be managed without much difficulty.
Except for the evening shift, which had only one person who had to be trained as a supervisor
to work.
And That was me at the time of this story.
I had made it to supervisor in a couple months which added to my boosted ego at the time,
but then the only other supervisor, we'll call him Jeff, decides to quit and goes to
make a living in watch making.
Anyway, I’m working at the Mell Store on the Afternoon shift when I got the news about
the other supervisor, because this guy had apparently never heard of a two weeks notice
before and I get told I have to pull the Late night shift, but if I do I get overtime pay
and a day off.
I’m pretty stoked about the idea of a day off so I accept my fate and get ready for
a grueling night by telling Tammy, one of our new coworkers, that I’m going to take
a nap in the back office to get ready for it and to wake me up when her shift is up
so I can start closing down the store.
When working the night shift we have to go ahead and shut the front door, lock it down
tight, turn off all the lights, and operate out the window with a neat little box that
let’s people put in their cash and allows me to give them a few items through it after
they pay.
This is pretty helpful mostly when people wanna act like drunken idiots who would otherwise
trash the store if we let them in this late.
I had maybe three customers before midnight struck and I could lock the doors, but as
soon as I did this guy comes out of nowhere in a truck pulled in like a maniac and nearly
hit the front door to the gas station before screeching to a halt, backing up and then
hopping out.
He looked pretty lanky and medium in height so I wasn’t really afraid of him, at first.
He walked up to the door and stared at me as I tried to tell him through the door we
were closed but I’d be happy to see him at the window next to the register.
He didn’t say a word and just kept staring at me before smiling, showing me these nasty
cracked yellow teeth that looked like they hadn’t been brushed a day in his life, but
it’s the Midwest so I’m used to some guys looking like this.
Then, he walked over to the window, but in a really slow way that seemed to be done to
intentionally to piss me off.
So I took my time instead and shut off the main lights to the building, smiling back
at him each step of the way, like I was some badass or something.
When I got over to the window he was still smiling and at this point I assumed he would
be drunk and my hand kinda twitched towards the phone we kept under the register, but
I decided I didn’t really have enough proof on that to call the cops.
Drinking and driving was taken pretty seriously at the store by the head manager but we had
to be sure before getting the police involved.
Finally he says something and it catches me off guard.
“I’d like a cat in a bag.”
I raise my eyebrow at him and say, “Excuse me.
You want what now?”
That’s when his eyes narrow and he starts to really study my face and then looks down
at my name tag.
To make it clear, I look a little bit like Jeff, the supervisor from before, so what
he said next made some sense.
“Oh, thought you was Jeff.
He leave any of the good stuff for me?
An eight ball maybe?”
I know what an eight ball is but only from hearing it on the news and stuff so I just
shake my head at him, a little bit bewildered he’d be so casual about it with someone
who he’d never dealt with before and so I ask him if there’s anything else he’d
like.
He gives me a huff and just says, “Gas then.”
He then puts his card in the box and I pull it in.
Our practice for this was if they gave us their card first we go ahead and let them
pump as much as they want and just swipe the card afterwards.
We put a lot of faith into our customers like that but the policy sort of changed after
this for very obvious reasons.
So, we'll nickname this guy "Mark".
Mark pulled up to pump 6 and positioned himself so I couldn’t really see him pumping gas,
so I go back to working on cleaning up the store.
Ten minutes later and I realize the pump never gave a beep for stopping so I look out the
window to check on him, and Mark is standing outside of the door, dripping wet in what
I assumed at the time was gas, and just smiling in at me.
I run to the register and hit the emergency off, stopping whatever gas might still be
spilling out and I’m thinking, and hoping against all odds, that it was all just a mistake
or something and that the pump handle broke and just wouldn’t stop pumping out gas.
That’s when Mark pulls out his lighter and I hit this little pager we have under our
register that looks a lot like a garage door opener.
It alerts the police and fire department incase of a fire or a robbery.
So here I am, 19 and suddenly scared shitless because this crackhead has covered himself
in gas and has now started laughing his ass off while trying to start up his zippo lighter.
And the only thing keeping me separated from him is a flimsy glass door.
He starts banging on the door with his free hand, still trying to light his lighter and
he’s saying something along the lines of, “Tell Jeff I want my stuff!”
He’s just repeating this over and over and I don’t get why he just couldn’t go and
bother Jeff instead of me.
Well the police and Fire department arrived but that only made Mark hurry up with the
lighter, shouting for them to stay back.
To shorten a really gruesome part, Mark lit himself on fire.
The Firefighters tackled him down and put it out but he was evading them for a couple
seconds and he was definitely seriously burned before they could put it out.
The good news was he didn’t catch the gas that was left on the ground on fire so I had
to clean that up with this kitty litter shit we had in the back.
I heard a day later Mark died in the hospital, mostly because he was hopped up on a bunch
of shit on top of the burns that he received.
The thing that sticks with me is the smell he left behind just outside the front door
where they put him out, that burned skin and hair smell.
I quit the next month after putting in my two week notice.
I couldn’t handle the stress of the overnight at that place after that.
To add a bit of backstory I was an active duty Marine a year prior to this story happening.
Granted we are trained to take lives and deploy to other countries to fight.
Sad to say that I never got the opportunity to deploy.
BUT!
If I wasn't trained as a marine I honestly think I wouldnt be here telling this story.
Now onto the story.
This story took place last year on a cool summer night here in Arizona.
I just got off from work and took a co-worker home from a late night dinner after the shift.
I passed by a gas station after I dropped her off.
I was working 2 jobs at the time so it was already late, around 2:00 am.
I knew an energy drink would help me wake up tomorrow morning for my next job.
So I was slowly pulling into this EMPTY gas station.
I noticed no other cars anywhere.
that's when something caught my eye as I was pulling up in front of the entrance.
There was a shadowy figure that suddenly pulled up along one of the walls of the gas station.
It crept along the walls getting closer as I pulled up and turned off my car.
But at the time I couldn't care less because I was tired and I figured he was just a drunk
about to ask for change or something like that.
I saw the outline of his face as he pulled away from the shadows.
He opened his mouth to say something.
But before he could say anything, I cut him off and said
"Hey, ill be right back sir." he just stood there and then stared at me
as I walked into the gas station.
I wasn't even thinking about him cause I was tired and just wanted to go home.
I swooped up my favorite energy drink and walked up to the cashier.
I Paid for my drink in a matter of a minute, as the cashier wasn't in the mood to make
any small talk.
I pushed the entrance door open and I noticed that the man was no longer there.
I was looking around for the man as I approached my car to only see him coming from the dark
corner again.
But something seemed off about him this time.
I didn't care to stick around to see what was off about him, and went to go open my
car door.
Then I heard rapid foot steps approach from behind me.
I turned around as fast as possible to make eye contact with him.
He was just staring at me less then a arms reach away.
Every option suddenly ran to my head screaming to just get in the dam car and slam the door.
But he was already too close for me to try anything without him trying to do something.
So I wanted to try to create a peaceful conversation as a desperate attempt to try to get this
creep away from me.
I said "Hey... its you again.
Is there something I can do for you??"
his whisper had a scratchy tone to it as he said
"Got any change?
I was actually thrilled!
I was happy cause I could just give this creep some money as a peaceful resolution.
I said "Sure do!
hold on ill dig it out for you."
by the time I grabbed a fist full of change as I leaned into my car, I heard the passenger
door behind me open and then I felt a handful of my hair get pulled into my drivers seat.
My hair got yanked back really hard as he whisperd
"You fucking scream or yell ill fucking kill you!"
then I felt a knife slowly glide over my throat... he then whispered
"Understand?"
I carefully nodded up and down. he then replied
"Now we are going to New Mexico!
Dont do anything stupid or ill cover your cars interior with your blood!"
at the time I was thinking "FUCK!!!
THIS CANT BE REAL!?
FUCK!"
So I had to think and relax.
Thats one thing that my Commanding Officer said in the Corps.
"The key to victory is a clear conscious & a cool head" so I asked him
"OK, how we going to do this?
you tell me directions?
I can then feel his grip on my hair loosen.
"Good! smart kid!
I hate it when they beg me to let them go.
Now use your GPS or whatever."
his knife was still gently pressed up against 70% or so of my throat.
So I told him I was slowly going to reach into my glove department for my GPS.
Then I asked him where in New Mexico we were going?
he laughed and told me to just shut up and drive
why was he laughing now!?
This guy was a complete psycho!
I was there driving and praying in my head for a chance to open where I would be able
to fight back.
I can tell that his knife was starting to get loose around my neck for every 5 mins
I drove.
The knife at the start of this drive was at 70% but now it was at around 50%.
I had to make a right at the intersection.
Finally, I saw an oppurtunity.
I saw this Ford Ranger (Pick up truck) coming down the street I was supposed to join on.
In my head I asked myself "Do you really want to die a coward?!"
Then, as I saw the Ford Ranger approach at a rapid rate, I PRESSED ALL the way down ON
THE GAS.
Then BOOM!
All I remember from all the commotion is the guy leaning back as I slid my hand under his
wrist of the hand that was carrying the knife and pinned it against the steering wheel of
my car.
I can hear the horn blaring attracting more attention.
He let go of the knife and ran out of the car as the intersection made itself known
to me again as my surroundings were no longer blurry.
I wanted to run after him but the driver of the Ford Ranger grabbed me and said
"HEY!
WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?
DO YOU HAVE INSURANCE!?"
I was trying to push through the guy to catch that fucking coward! but the only words that
escaped my mouth were "DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!!!!"
That was all I was yelling as I saw the dark silhouette of the man disappearing into the
darkness..
I told the police everything when they arrived.
I did everything you're supposed to, but nothing really ever came of it, and they didn't see
anyone matching my description of the man.
I now carry my gun on me and a few knives, So I WILL NEVER be the victim of something
like this again.
I am a female and I was working day shift at my job at the gas station in Salt Lake
City, Utah.
It was fairly quiet, and I was by the register doing chores while my assistant manager Dan
was counting money locked back in the office.
It was a Saturday morning and very slow which was pretty normal on a Saturday.
I was cleaning the registers and counters when this tall, lanky guy walks in and I greet
him as he quickly walks into to the bathroom.
He was tan and had dark wavy hair that was unkept and he was wearing a long green jacket
with jeans and a t-shirt.
I just figured he really needed to go do his business and I continued to do my chores so
I wouldn't get in any kind of trouble later.
My work was interrupted when the man came out of the bathroom sounding like something
really bad happened.
"Excuse me miss, I'm so sorry."
He kept apologizing profusely.
"I accidentally clogged the toilet and it's really bad."
I reluctantly told him that I would clean it up and that he didn't have to worry about
it.
"I can clean it up; do you have a plunger or something?"
I told him that we had a plunger and again that he didn't have to worry about it.
He kept insisting.
I started to feel uneasy.
I was beginning to think he wasn't just insisting to be nice.
I told him once again that I would clean it up and that it was my job.
I started for the supply closet which was right in between both bathrooms and I thought
would be where the plunger was.
He followed directly behind me.
He opened the door to the men's restroom and held it open.
"Come on I'll help you clean it."
My heart started to pound and my head was screaming for me not to put one foot near
that bathroom.
"I feel bad just come in and we'll clean it."
He wouldn't stop.
I stepped back.
"I'll clean it.
I just have to get my assistant manager."
I stammered starting to walk toward the office.
He gave me this annoyed look on his face.
I knocked on the office door and the guy was standing right by me.
Dan answered the door and I told him I needed his help for something and that I needed him
out front.
At first, he almost locked the door back up but I asked him again with the most scared
look on my face.
"Dan, I REALLY need you up here."
I was so happy when he caught my signal.
He walked up to the front and started engaging in conversation with the guy.
The guy was telling him what was going on while I put on gloves and snuck into the men's
restroom.
What I found gave me chills, he purposely stuffed paper towels into the toilet so it
clogged up.
There was nothing else in there.
I walked out of the bathroom shocked at my findings.
My assistant manager turned his back and the guy looked down at me and smiled like a child
finding the perfect toy.
He was still apologizing for the bathroom and he brushed the back of his hand down my
arm.
I was shocked but if I wasn't and in my right mind, I would have told him to keep his fucking
hands off me.
He stuck around a little longer and eventually got gas.
When he left, he smiled at me and walked out to his pump, and kept looking back to me.
I told my assistant manager what had happened and he was taken aback by what I told him.
Luckily one of my regulars saw the guy getting talked to by cops a few days afterwards and
was told he wasn't allowed in the area anymore.
I was relieved to hear that but I still shudder when I think about what could have happened
if I had went into the bathroom with him.
I now keep pepper spray underneath my register at all times because you never know what could
happen, day or night.