The air at night is far different from the air in the day. Some might call it eerie, and some relaxing. Sometimes, that air might change should someone find themselves in a strange or unfamiliar situation. A dark road, no streetlamps, no curb or railing, far enough from any buildings to be lit at all, until a lone car happens to drive down and illuminate the path with its headlights.

A small family sat in that car, trying to find their way back home. The nighttime radio would crackle occasionally, and the passengers could only sit in silence, listen to it and contemplate. They were just barely too far away to tune in to any of the good stations, so their only choices were a few late night AM radio talk stations. Every small bump on the road was felt by everyone, since there was nothing to distract them from it. All the subtle movements of the vehicle that would normally go unnoticed were now noticed by everyone- perhaps consciously to counteract boredom; or perhaps unwittingly. All they could see was the road lit by headlights and the indicators on the dashboard. One complained about needing to use the restroom, but had to wait until civilization was reached again. Time seemed to work differently in times like this. Everything ran a little slower. After what felt like hours, but may have been mere minutes- or perhaps even longer, the driver spotted a side road that led to an empty parking lot. With hope that there was a place to stop and rest, the car was turned into the lot and parked near the small roadside store that stood there. The building clearly looked run down from the outside- the walls were cracked, the letter ‘O’ on the sign was blinking, a window was shattered- and several other small details that added up to one conclusion. The family, getting out of their car, took a silent, collective note of it all. The interior was not much better; possibly worse than the outside. The air noticeably shifted upon stepping inside. It seemed thicker, and gave off a much different feeling as opposed to the air just outside. There were more cracks, some sort of filth or crust covered everything, there were multiple burnt out lights, and there was a lingering smell that couldn’t quite be located nor identified. Additionally, the premises lacked any semblance of human presence. There was no chatter, no footsteps, no sign of any kind of activity anywhere in the store. The only sound that remained was the electric buzzing coming from a few of the machines in the building. One of the party wondered to themselves whether the building was abandoned.

There was another odd, unidentifiable quality about the place. It felt as if something were missing, or maybe it was that something was there that shouldn’t have been. Something beyond the five senses.

Not wanting to stay there any longer than was necessary, they all quietly agreed to take as little time as they could inside, and then get out as soon as they could. The young one who needed to use to use the bathroom quickly ran into it, wasting no time at all. Another of the group went to browse the shelves. Most of the items were fully stocked, but there were some that had clearly been purchased. They pulled a bag of sunflower seeds off the rack and walked up to the counter with them. There stood no one behind the register, though- and after calling out for anyone who might be in the back room of the building a few times in vain, they returned the bag to where they found it and slumped down with the rest of their family, who had all been idling by in an open area formed by a strange arrangement of shelves since they came inside. Not much later, the child returned from the restroom with a worried expression, as if they’d seen something they hadn’t wanted to. The company all decided not to ask about whatever it was, already knowing they most likely wouldn’t like the answer. As everyone got up, one of them set down a bag of chips they had been reading the contents and health information of out of boredom then promptly joined the others. And with that, the large vehicle was boarded once more, the engine was started again and the car was driven off, back onto the dark, twisty road. The family was once again subjected to the monotonous noise of the car’s engine, the tires rolling on the road, the few clear AM radio stations, the low visibility, and the crushing boredom. Often experiences are remembered for any extreme circumstances or excitement involved. Things that cause one to feel strong emotions. Sometimes, though, something is remembered because of how remarkably unusual it is in contrast with daily life. As the group listened to the tires roll across the asphalt, they all wondered when they’d be able to finally lay down and rest.