BlackOut Horror Story

0:00Thunder shook the gas station windows

0:02and the lights flickered and I grabbed

0:03the counter. The fluorescent steadied

0:05and I exhaled. I was 16 and pulling a

0:08solo shift because the other guy called

0:10in sick. The storm had been building for

0:12an hour and every time the thunder

0:13cracked, the lights blinked and the

0:15dread punched through me. I paced past

0:17the fire extinguisher on the wall for

0:19the 10th time. A box of zip ties sat on

0:21the shelf under the counter next to the

0:23scissors. I counted the register twice

0:25to keep busy and slid the drawer shut

0:27and every light on the block died at the

0:29same time. The register died and the

0:31coolers stopped and I grabbed the

0:33counter because the dark was instant and

0:35total. I yanked out my phone and the

0:37screen said, "Citywide power outage." My

0:39boss had already texted, "Stay put. Lock

0:42the doors." I locked the front door and

0:44paced behind the counter and the

0:45security camera above the register

0:47blinked once and went dark with

0:49everything else. I texted my friend Nate

0:51because he always answered no matter

0:53what time it was. "Bro, the whole city

0:54just went dark. You seeing this?" No

0:56response. Nate was the kind of kid who

0:58texted back before you put your phone

1:00down. We shared a desk in shop class and

1:02he chewed the inside of his cheek when

1:04he was thinking. Rain hammered the roof

1:06and nothing else made a sound. Something

1:08banged against the side of the building

1:10and I dove behind the counter with my

1:11heart hammering. Wind was rattling the

1:13propane cage outside. I shoved a toppled

1:16display back up with shaking hands and

1:18laughed at myself for jumping. A knock

1:20on the glass. I spun and a woman was

1:22standing in the rain holding a sleeping

1:24toddler against her chest. She knocked

1:26again and her face was desperate through

1:27the wet glass. [music] I flipped the

1:29lock and pulled the door open. "Can I

1:31just get gas? My daughter's asleep and

1:33I'm almost on empty." The toddler's head

1:35was on her shoulder and one tiny fist

1:37was clutching a stuffed elephant and she

1:39was drooling onto her mom's shirt. "Of

1:41course, pumps are down, but I can flip

1:43the manual override in the back." "Thank

1:45you so much. We've been driving for 40

1:47minutes trying to find somewhere open.

1:49My husband's deployed and it's just me

1:51and her and I've been going in circles

1:52in the dark." I handed her a paper towel

1:55and she wiped the rain off the toddler's

1:56face and the little girl scrunched her

1:58nose and squeezed the [music] elephant

2:00tighter without waking up. She could

2:02sleep through a hurricane. She basically

2:04is. The woman laughed and the relief of

2:06having another person loosened the knot

2:08in my chest. I'm Caleb. Michelle and

2:10this is Lily. I noticed a name tag

2:12safety pinned to the elephant's ear,

2:14Ellie, in wobbly marker. Michelle caught

2:16me squinting at it. She named it

2:18herself. Can't spell yet, but she got

2:20close. She bounced Lily and hummed

2:22something and Lily's fist tightened on

2:24Ellie's trunk in her sleep and Michelle

2:26kissed the top of her head. We'll be

2:28home soon, baby. The gas station felt

2:30warmer and smaller with them in it

2:31[music] and the blackout didn't matter.

2:33I went to the back room to flip the

2:35manual pump switch. I could hear

2:36Michelle laughing at something [music]

2:38Lily did in her sleep. The front door

2:40chimed behind me. I came back out and my

2:42stomach dropped through the floor. Three

2:44men in ski masks and gloves inside

2:45[music] the gas station. The biggest one

2:47already behind the counter. The second

2:49flipping the lock. The third two feet

2:51from Michelle. She yanked Lily against

2:53her chest and the girl woke up

2:55whimpering and Michelle's face went

2:56white and everything warm about the last

2:5810 minutes died. Nobody moves. He

3:01grabbed my collar and I swung at him and

3:03he caught my wrist and slammed it down

3:05and had a zip tie cranked around both

3:07wrists before I could swing the other. I

3:09kicked and he pinned my legs and dragged

3:11me to the counter and zip tied my hands

3:13to the metal shelf underneath. I yanked

3:15immediately and the shelf rattled and he

3:17kicked me in the ribs so hard something

3:19cracked and I curled around the pain but

3:21kept pulling. He crouched and ripped my

3:23name tag off. Caleb, I know your name.

3:25When this is over, you forget

3:27everything. He pointed at Michelle.

3:28>> [music]

3:28>> That baby stops crying or we have a

3:30problem. Lily was wailing. Michelle

3:32pressed the girl's face against her

3:34shoulder and rocked [music] and the

3:35terror on her face gutted me so

3:37completely. I pulled at the zip tie

3:39until my skin tore and blood ran down

3:41both forearms and dripped off my elbows.

3:44Michelle saw it and her face crumpled

3:45[music] and she mouthed stop, but I

3:47shook my head and kept pulling. The big

3:49one ripped the cash drawer out and bills

3:51scattered. "300? That's it?" He swept

3:54the drawer off the counter and it

3:55crashed into the chips. "We hit the

3:57houses. No alarms. No cameras. This is

4:00home base." He pulled a list of

4:01addresses from his pocket. The small one

4:03crouched in front of Lily, his head

4:05tilted almost gentle. "How old?"

4:07Michelle's voice shook. "18 months." The

4:09gentleness vanished when he straightened

4:11up. "Keep her quiet." Two of them went

4:13out into the dark. The small one stayed,

4:15jittery, pacing. His mask was crooked

4:17and I could see his jaw and something

4:19about it tugged at the back of my brain.

4:21The way he chewed the inside of his

4:23cheek, I'd seen someone do that every

4:25day in shop class. The second they left,

4:27I started pulling at the shelf. The

4:28screws were loose in the old wood. I

4:30braced my feet and pulled and my cracked

4:32ribs screamed and I bit down until I

4:34tasted blood and the screws [music]

4:36ripped free. I flattened behind the

4:38counter. The security camera had a tiny

4:40green light, battery backup, [music]

4:42still recording. I grabbed the scissors

4:44and sawed through the zip tie and it

4:45snapped and blood was running down both

4:47wrists and relief surged so hard through

4:50me my head spun. The fire extinguisher,

4:52red metal, [music] 10 ft. He turned from

4:54the window and walked toward Michelle.

4:56"Your car still running?" She nodded.

4:58"Keys." She pulled back. "Please. Her

5:00car seat's in there." He grabbed [music]

5:01for the keys and she twisted and Lily

5:03screamed and the fury was so instant and

5:05blinding my body moved before my brain

5:08caught up. I ripped the extinguisher off

5:10the wall and swung at the back of his

5:12legs and he went down hard. He rolled

5:14and kicked me in the stomach and I

5:15doubled over but held on. I swung again

5:18and his shoulder crunched and he crashed

5:20into the chip display [music] and the

5:21whole unit toppled and cans and glass

5:23exploded everywhere. He grabbed a bottle

5:25and hurled it at my head and I ducked

5:27and it shattered against the wall. I

5:29charged and swung low and caught his

5:31knee and he buckled. Ellie was on the

5:33floor between us staring up with button

5:35eyes. [music] I slammed the extinguisher

5:37into his chest and he let go. "Michelle,

5:39run. Your car." She sprinted for the

5:41door with Lily screaming. I shoved

5:43through the back room door and slammed

5:45it and threw my weight [music] against

5:46it and he hit it from the other side so

5:48hard my feet slid. I jammed the mop

5:50handle through the door handle and burst

5:52out the back exit. Michelle's van was at

5:54the pump. She was turning the key and

5:56the engine clicked dead. [music] She'd

5:58been running it for 40 minutes. Dead

5:59battery. The panic was choking me. I

6:01sprinted to the hood and slammed my

6:03palms on it. Pop it. She was shaking so

6:05hard she couldn't find the latch. Lily

6:07was screaming in the back. Michelle, the

6:09hood. She found it and I ripped the

6:11cables and dried the terminals with my

6:13shirt and inside the store the mop

6:15handle cracked. He [music] was almost

6:16through. Try now. Click. Nothing. I

6:18slammed the battery housing and

6:20corrosion crumbled off the terminal.

6:21Again. Click. The engine coughed and

6:23died. The back door was splintering. I

6:26grabbed both terminals and squeezed them

6:28against the posts with my bare hands.

6:30Now. The engine caught and roared and I

6:32yanked my hands [music] free and slammed

6:34the hood. Drive. Don't stop. What about

6:36Drive. She tore out and the tail lights

6:38vanished. I sprinted to the front and

6:40hauled the door shut with my bloody

6:42hands slipping and grabbed [music] the

6:43padlock from the propane cage and it

6:45took three tries to snap it through. He

6:47was locked inside pounding on the glass.

6:50The back door splintered open behind me.

6:52He was getting out. Headlights coming

6:53fast. The other two. The van pulled in

6:56and the big one jumped out. What

6:57happened? He got out. Woman's gone. The

6:59big one scanned the dark. I was behind

7:01the air pump 15 feet away. Find him. I

7:04ran. [music] Vaulted the fence and my

7:06ribs screamed and I stumbled through a

7:07backyard. Fence rattling behind me.

7:09Boots on grass. I cut through a yard and

7:12a motion light clicked on and I was lit

7:14up and I dove and landed in a garden and

7:17kept running. I shoved through a hedge

7:19and thorns ripped my arms and came out

7:21on a pitch black street and sprinted

7:23three blocks and ducked into an alley

7:25behind a dumpster. Flashlight [music]

7:26beams at the end of the alley. Check

7:28over here. I pressed my face into my

7:30knees and pulled my feet in and the beam

7:32swept past the dumpster 6 inches from my

7:34shoes. He's gone. Come on. We're losing

7:37time on the houses. Boots fading. They

7:39went back to robbing the neighborhood. I

7:41stayed behind the dumpster shaking and

7:42crying from exhaustion. Then I heard

7:44screaming, not from the gas station,

7:46from a house two streets over. A woman

7:48screaming, "Get out of my house!" and

7:50glass breaking, and I could hear it

7:51cutting through the rain, and I knew

7:52exactly [music]

7:53what was happening. They were inside

7:55someone's home. I should have stayed

7:56behind the dumpster. I should have

7:58waited for the sirens, but Michelle's

7:59face flashed through my head and the

8:01sound of Lily crying, and I was

8:03terrified, but I shoved myself up and

8:05ran toward the screaming. A little

8:07yellow house with the front door kicked

8:09open. I crouched behind the porch

8:10railing and dialed 911 with shaking

8:13bloody fingers. Three men robbing a

8:15house on Miller Street, yellow house,

8:17broken front door. There's a woman

8:18inside screaming. I hung up. Inside I

8:21could hear them tearing through

8:22cabinets, and the woman was sobbing. I

8:24grabbed a garden gnome off the porch

8:26next door and hurled it through the side

8:27window of [music] the robbers' van, and

8:29the alarm erupted. The big one came

8:31crashing through the front door, and I

8:33was already running. He saw me in the

8:34streetlight for half a second. "It's the

8:36kid from the station." Both of them came

8:38after me. I sprinted down the alley, and

8:40the big one was fast for his size, and I

8:42could hear his breathing getting [music]

8:44closer. I cut left and grabbed a

8:46recycling bin and threw it behind me,

8:48and plastic [music] bottles exploded

8:49across the pavement, and he tripped and

8:51went down hard and cursed. I vaulted a

8:53chain-link fence and dropped [music]

8:55into a yard, and there was nowhere left

8:57to run, so I crawled under a deck and

8:59pressed myself flat against the dirt,

9:01and cobwebs stuck to my face, and

9:03something skittered across my hand, and

9:05I clamped my jaw shut to keep from

9:06screaming. Boots [music] on the pavement

9:08above me, flashlight beam sweeping

9:10through the fence slats. The light crept

9:12along the edge [music] of the deck 6

9:13inches from my face. "Check under

9:15there." "We don't have time. That

9:17alarm's going to bring every neighbor on

9:18the block. We go now." The van peeled

9:21out. I crawled out from under the deck

9:23and spit dirt out of my mouth and

9:24stumbled back [music] to the yellow

9:25house. The old woman was standing in her

9:27doorway in a bathrobe clutching a phone

9:29and shaking. "Are you okay?" "They took

9:31my mother's jewelry box. It was the only

9:33thing I had left of her." Her Her broke,

9:35and I grabbed the porch railing because

9:37my legs were about to give out. The

9:39police are on their way. I called them.

9:41She looked at my wrists. The gauze from

9:43the zip ties had soaked through, and

9:44blood was dripping off my fingers onto

9:46her welcome mat. Oh, honey, you're

9:48bleeding everywhere. I'm okay. You are

9:50not okay. You're a child. [music] She

9:52went inside and came back with a dish

9:54towel and wrapped it around my worst

9:56wrist and tied it tight, and her hands

9:58were gentle and steady even though she'd

10:00just been robbed. What's your name?

10:01[music] Caleb. Caleb, why on earth did

10:03you run toward this house? Because I

10:05could hear you screaming. She pressed

10:06her hand against my cheek, and her eyes

10:08filled up. I heard sirens getting

10:10closer, and I turned and ran back toward

10:12the gas station because the night wasn't

10:14over. The parking lot was dark and

10:16empty. The padlock was on the front

10:17door, but the back door was hanging off

10:19its hinges. I stepped through, and glass

10:21crunched under my shoes. The store was

10:23trashed, chips and soda and broken glass

10:26and the cash drawer on the floor. I

10:28grabbed the fire extinguisher from where

10:29I'd dropped it. Then I heard breathing

10:31behind the ice freezer. I raised the

10:33extinguisher and crept toward the sound.

10:35The green glow of the security camera

10:37lit up a face, and I stumbled backward.

10:39Nate Mitchell. I'd known [music] that

10:41jaw. I'd been staring at it all night

10:43through the crooked mask, and my brain

10:45had been screaming at me to recognize

10:47it, and I wouldn't let [music] myself.

10:48Fourth grade. He came to my birthday

10:50party, and we ate so much cake we both

10:52threw up. Shared headphones in study

10:54hall every single day for 2 years. He

10:56was holding his shoulder where I'd hit

10:58him with the extinguisher, and tears

11:00were running down his face. Nate. Caleb.

11:02A woman and a baby were in this store. A

11:04little girl with a stuffed elephant was

11:06screaming on the floor while you stood

11:08over her. He flinched at every word. I

11:10told them the station was closed. I told

11:12my brother. Your brother kicked my ribs

11:14in. He's my brother. I couldn't say no.

11:16You could have said no. You have my

11:18number. You sat next to me in study hall

11:20yesterday. I know. He pressed his face

11:22into his hands. He said nobody [music]

11:24gets hurt. Quick money. My brother got

11:26out of county 6 months ago, and he

11:27showed up at my house and said he had a

11:29plan, and I was going to help. You could

11:31have said no. You've met my brother. He

11:33was [music] right. I had just met his

11:35brother, the man who cracked my rib and

11:37ripped a cash register apart with his

11:38bare hands. He moved into my room, took

11:41my bed, [music] ate my food, told me I

11:43owed him because he didn't snitch on me

11:44for something I didn't even do. [music]

11:46Nate wiped his face. I'm not making

11:48excuses. I'm just telling you what

11:49happened. Headlights swept through the

11:51windows. The van was back. Nate's face

11:53went white. They're back. [music] My

11:55brother won't leave without me. He

11:56grabbed my arm. If he finds you here,

11:58he's not letting you walk out. [music]

11:59The flashlight cut through the broken

12:01back doorway. The big one ducked in, and

12:03he looked even bigger in the dark, and

12:05[music] his boots crunched on glass. He

12:06was carrying a crowbar from the van.

12:08Nate, let's go. Nate squeezed my arm.

12:11Stay down. He stood up. I'm here. The

12:13flashlight hit his face. Where's the

12:14kid? Gone. He ran. The big one grabbed

12:17Nate by the collar and shoved him toward

12:19the back door. Nate stumbled and planted

12:21his feet. Wait. We don't wait. I said

12:23wait. The big one swung the flashlight

12:25beam around the store, and it landed on

12:26me crouched behind the aisle, and I

12:28could feel it on my face like a heat

12:30lamp. He's still here? He shoved Nate

12:32aside and came down the aisle with the

12:34crowbar raised, and he was twice my

12:36size, and the fury on his face was

12:38volcanic. You locked my boy in. You let

12:40the woman [music] go. You called the

12:42cops on us at that house. I raised the

12:44extinguisher. That's not going to stop

12:46me. I squeezed the handle and sprayed

12:48him point-blank, [music] and he screamed

12:49and staggered clawing at his eyes and

12:51crashed into the cooler doors, and glass

12:53[music] shattered. The second guy came

12:55through the back door. Nate stepped into

12:57the aisle between us. He spread his arms

12:59wide and planted his feet. Enough. The

13:01second guy stopped. Nate's [music]

13:03brother was screaming and wiping his

13:04eyes. Get out of my way. No. Nate, I

13:07swear to God, move. This is my friend.

13:09His voice cracked. His mom drove me to

13:11school when mine wouldn't. She packed

13:13[music] me lunch because nobody packed

13:14mine. I sat next to him every day for 2

13:17years, and he never once made me feel

13:18like I was less than anyone. He was

13:20crying and shaking and half the size of

13:22his brother, and he didn't [music] move.

13:24I'm done. I did this because you told me

13:26to, and I watched a baby scream on a

13:28floor because of us, and I'm done." His

13:30brother lunged around him with the

13:31crowbar, and Nate grabbed his arm, and

13:33they crashed into the shelf, and cans

13:35rained down, and I swung the

13:36extinguisher [music] and connected with

13:38the brother's back, and he dropped the

13:39crowbar and howled. The second guy

13:42bolted for the back door. [music] Nate

13:43and his brother were on the ground, and

13:45Nate was holding his brother's arm with

13:47both hands screaming, "Stop!" And I

13:49kicked the crowbar down the aisle and

13:51grabbed the front door key ring off the

13:53wall, and my bloody hands dropped it

13:55twice, and I yanked the padlock free and

13:57threw the door open, red and blue

13:59flooding the parking lot. Three

14:00cruisers, officers pouring in. "Three

14:02inside!" They rushed past me and pulled

14:05all three out in handcuffs. The brother

14:07was still wiping his eyes and cursing.

14:09Nate came out last. He was bleeding from

14:11a cut above his eye, and his hands were

14:13cuffed behind him, and he was 17 years

14:15old. His face found mine across the

14:17parking lot, and he held my eyes, and

14:19neither of us blinked. The kid who stood

14:21between his brother and me with his arms

14:23spread was being loaded into a cruiser,

14:25and I pressed both hands over my face.

14:27The security camera battery backup green

14:29tinted footage of the whole night. The

14:31officer played it on his laptop. Three

14:33men entering, me on the floor, Michelle

14:36holding Lily, me breaking free, the

14:38extinguisher, and at the end, Nate

14:40stepping between his brother and me with

14:41his arms wide. "We have everything on

14:43camera, including that kid stepping in

14:45front of a crowbar for you." The

14:47paramedic wrapped my wrists in white

14:49gauze. "These are deep. You'll have

14:51scars." Michelle's minivan pulled into

14:53the lot. She got out, and Lily was

14:55asleep in the car seat with Ellie tucked

14:57under her arm. Michelle crossed the

14:58parking lot and walked straight into me

15:00and held on shaking. "You told me to

15:02run." "You needed to run." "She's okay.

15:04My baby's okay because of you." [music]

15:06She brought Lily over and put her in my

15:08arms, and she weighed nothing and

15:10smelled like baby shampoo, and her tiny

15:12hand curled around my finger, and I

15:14choked up because this little girl was

15:16safe and had no idea what happened

15:18tonight. My mom showed up in her

15:19bathrobe, police scanner in the kitchen.

15:22She grabbed my face and saw the bandages

15:24and the bruise and pulled me in so hard

15:26my ribs screamed. You're done working

15:28nights. Mom, you're done. I buried my

15:30face in her shoulder because I was 16

15:32and I'd fought three grown men twice and

15:35saved a woman from a house and I wanted

15:36my mom and she was here. The old woman

15:39from Miller Street gave a statement. She

15:41described the kid who threw a gnome

15:42through the van window and the

15:43dispatcher confirmed my 911 call. He ran

15:46toward the screaming, she told the

15:48officer. Everyone else would have run

15:49away. Nate me from county, one page. I

15:52stepped in front of my brother because

15:54you swung a fire extinguisher for a baby

15:56you didn't even know. I want to be the

15:57kind of person who does that. I'm not

15:59there yet, but I'm trying. I

16:01screenshotted and almost posted it to my

16:03Snapchat story and then put my phone

16:05down because some things aren't for the

16:07internet. I read it twice. The register

16:09was replaced, but the dent in the

16:10counter from where his brother [music]

16:12ripped the drawer out was still there.

16:13My first day shift, I found Ellie behind

16:16the shelf where she'd rolled during the

16:17fight. I picked her up and put her on

16:19the counter. Michelle came in a week

16:21later with Lily on her hip and the

16:22little girl [music] pointed and

16:24screamed, "Ellie!" and I handed it to

16:25her and she hugged it against her face.

16:27Michelle grabbed my hand and held it.

16:29She didn't need to say anything. I

16:31squeezed back. Lily was already toddling

16:33toward the candy aisle like nothing had

16:35ever happened in this building.