An Alternate Route

"Faster route available."

I frowned at my car's dash, but heeded its advice. I took the left turn onto State Route 78, causing the GPS guidance to chime and recalculate the route. "Now you finally find one," I grumbled. Although being stuck in traffic had set me back an hour, the new route almost made up for lost time.

I forgave it for its failure, for now. I texted Billy to let him know I was back on track.

Route 78 was a narrow, clearly rarely used little road that was likely a holdover from the old days of horses and wagons. Huge, old trees loomed overhead and blocked out the afternoon sun, some leaning precariously. I was more concerned about deer, however - land this unbothered was likely swarming with them. I drove carefully, but maintained a good speed while I navigated the twists and turns of the road.

My wireless signal dropped, which was annoying but not unexpected. My GPS, however, blinked for a moment before recalibrating. I was still making good time. I settled back, thinking of the friends I was going to visit and the activities they had already meticulously planned.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I saw a small gas station up ahead. I blinked, wondering if I was hallucinating after seeing nothing but trees and bushes for miles. But no, it was real, and several other cars were parked outside. Even more surprising, the price of regular fuel was less than two dollars a gallon - completely unheard of. Despite having plenty of gas, I decided to top off and not pass up such a good price.

I swung into the first station, hopping out gleefully. I briefly looked at the name - Ray's Travel Stop. Otherwise, it looked like every other mom-and-pop gas station with a small shop and bathrooms. Inside, I could see a few people milling about, likely gathering their travel snacks and coffee before continuing on.

My stomach rumbled. Snacks and coffee did sound good.

I swiped my card, plugged the station's nozzle into my car's tank and waited. It filled up quickly, and I completed the transaction. I didn't even bother to lock my car before I waltzed into the shop.

As soon as I entered, something shifted.

Everyone in Ray's Travel Stop turned to stare at me as soon as I crossed the threshold. I grimaced and put up my hands. I'd clearly interrupted something.

"Just grabbing food," I said, quickly ducking between the racks and finding the first bag of chips I recognized. Coffee? Maybe just a soda. I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. I opened up the fridge door and pulled out a Coke. I turned and almost ran into a short woman with a high hair bun. "Excuse me, ma'am - sorry."

She said nothing. She stared at me with an expression of disgust. And hate.

I glided around her, passing a police office looking at me with the same antagonistic look. I guess the police wouldn't be of help, either. I looked for the register, ducking around two other glaring men who looked like Y2K survivalists that had finally reemerged from their bunker.

The woman at the register wasn't any friendlier. She stared me down as I approached, her lips pursed in annoyance. I dumped my food on the counter, fumbling for my wallet. To the right, I could see a blond woman with two children, all frowning at me. The cashier quickly rang up my items, barking out, "$2.58."

I luckily had a 5-dollar bill, and handed it to her with shaking hands. She snatched it from me, holding it up to the light and inspecting it.

"It's five dollars, why would anyone counterfeit that?" I laughed nervously. As soon as the words left my lips, I regretted it. Me and my damned nervous chatter. The cashier looked at me sharply. From my left, the police officer came up, staring at me with his arms folded. I stayed silent as the cashier completed her inspection, seeming disappointed that the bill was legit.

She took her sweet time collecting my change from the till. I drummed my fingers on the counter, which made her stop and glare at me again. I jammed my hands in my armpits, trying to ignore the looming officer. After what felt like an eternity, the cashier handed me my change. I scooped up the money, the chips and the soda and hauled my ass out of the store.

The warm sun felt like a reprieve. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and darted to my car without looking back.

I probably should have.

I opened my car door and climbed in, tossing my stuff on the passenger seat. When I tried to shut the door, I found it blocked by one of the survivalists.

"What the hell?" I yelped.

"You shouldn't have come here," the man growled.

"No shit." I punched the engine start. I tried one last time, unsuccessfully, to free my car door. Instead, I stomped on the gas pedal.

The man hung on for a minute, feet dragging on the pavement. I nearly hit the lady with the bun, who had been attempting to stand in front of my car. I swerved to avoid her, which made the man finally let go. I closed the door and floored it, turning back onto the small roadway without any care for the speed limit.

When I dared to look in my mirrors, I saw the customers standing in a line, watching me drive away. I checked my back seat, ensuring none of them had slipped in during the fray. I was safe - but what the hell. I looked at the chips and soda, but didn't open them. Although opposed to littering on a normal day, I threw them out the window. There was no way I was consuming anything from that place.

It was luckily a short drive until I found the interstate again. GPS added another half an hour back onto my ETA, but I no longer cared. Morris and Billy would understand. The trees thinned out and I found myself in civilization again, among other drivers and safe from whatever the hell I'd just encountered.

I told Billy and Morris about it as soon as I got to their place. Billy looked at me incredulously. "Where did you say this was?" He was already looking it up on his phone.

"You sure you didn't drift off?" Morris laughed.

"Of course not," I argued. "On that kind of road I would've been wrapped around a tree in seconds."

"Route 78? That doesn't exist," Billy frowned. "I mean, it does but not in this state. Unless you took one helluva detour - but that would have added even more time."

Morris leaned over to look over his shoulder. "Check for the name of the place."

I sighed and pulled out my own phone. "Look, I used GPS. I'm sure my phone and half the government has the data."

"Yeah, I can't find anything on Ray's Travel Stop but that's not surprising. Doubt a place like that would have an online presence either way," Billy said.

I scrolled through my location data from the last day. But there, it showed me driving through a wooded area with no roads or paths. It showed me stopping for 8 minutes before leaving again, and re-entering the access road to the highway. My blood ran cold. My face must have said everything.

"Let me see," Morris said gently. I held out the phone, and he held it so he and Billy could look at it. Both of their faces were lined with worry. Even they couldn't make any more jokes about this.

"Did - did you get a receipt? Or check your bank account for the gas," Billy said.

I nodded, though my stomach had plummeted. I took my phone back and went into my banking app. There, I saw the charge, only designated as "undefined." I showed it to them wordlessly.

Morris stared at me, shaking his head in disbelief. Billy leaned back, his hands on his head.

"Hey, Leon?" Billy said slowly. "Do me a favor and never take another shortcut."