Luckily, I was quick to dodge the shelf. Had I hesitated for a second longer I would've without a doubt been crushed. As the shaking started to slowly die down, the lights went back to normal, albeit they lost their original intensity.

"HEY! ARE YA ALRIGHT?" The cashier yelled in alarm as he came rushing out of the back room with his co-worker.

My throat felt dry, so all I could do was slowly shake my head in response. As the man sighed in relief, he tried to navigate his way through the messy store as all of the shelves were practically destroyed as food and packages were littered all across the floor.

Once the man noticed the fire outside, he went back into panic mode. "Shit..." His voice trailed off as he looked back towards his co-worker. "CALL THE EMERGENCY SERVICE!"

The fire department made haste to put out the flames before things became even more disastrous. Unfortunately, nothing could be done about the two who were inside the car.

As the blonde jock started to angrily kick a nearby trash can, I could see him try to conceal his tears by taking out his aggression on anything he could.

"And have you been drinking?" One of the police officers asked as he continued to take note of the situation on his notepad.

"What?" The brown-haired boy asked in disbelief. "What does that have to do with anything—"

"Drunk driving is a serious offence, Mister Matthews." The police officer responded coldly.

The boy merely rolled his eyes as he scoffed in response. "My friends have just died and now you're gonna write me up for drinking?"

"Might I remind you that it is also illegal for a minor to be in possession of alcohol."

As the police officer continued to grill the boy, his partner rested a hand on his shoulder. "Cut the kid some slack, Joe. He's been through a lot tonight."

The threatening police officer gave his partner daggers with his eyes. But surprisingly, he ended up conceding on the matter. "Playing the family friend card, huh?" As the police officer looked the boy sternly in the eye, he sighed as he put his notepad away. "Just don't let it happen again, got it?"

As I watched the police head inside the gas station, I felt a soft tap on my back. I jumped back in surprise. "GAH!"

"S-Sorry for creeping up on you like that! I was just wondering if you were okay." The blonde jock asked in sincere concern.

That should be my line. You're the one who just lost two of your friends. So, if anyone should be comforted right now then it's him and his friend!

"I'm fine. But what about you? What just happened was... awful."

The blonde-haired boy shoved his hands into his pockets as he stared down at his feet. "I'll manage. My dad is friends with that cop over there, so he'll probably give me a ride home."

I nodded my head along slowly. "Hey, do you need a ride or anything? I noticed that you didn't come here in a car."

Ah, he's sharp. "As a matter of fact, I do. I'm trying to find someplace called Cedarwood Grange."

The boy's face slightly softened. "Oh really? One of my friends lives next door to that place. I'm sure we could drop you off. It's just along the way anyway."

I'd be an idiot to pass up on the offer so, of course, I agreed. Once we pulled up to the place I felt almost intimidated by its stature. The place barely had any TLC as vines and weeds were practically growing from the residence.

As the friendlier police officer helped me get my luggage out of the boot, he took a long look at the house. "Are you sure you don't want me to knock on the door first? Ms McCollin can be tough work sometimes."

I shook my head firmly as I took my suitcase from him. "It's fine but thank you anyway." As I went to wheel the suitcase, I quickly turned around one last time. "Oh, and thank you for the ride too!"

The police officer gave me one last smile and a silent wave before he took off in the car. Now I just had to ring the bell. I wonder how this will go down...

After ringing the bell, I stood at the door politely as I awaited a response. I heard the sound of someone swearing before several objects hit the floor in a loud thud.

Maybe I should've asked the police officer to knock first now that I'm thinking about it. As I looked around the front porch in nervousness, I noticed something peculiar in the corner of my eye.

In the house next over there was a light on in the window. I swore a shadowy figure was staring at me through it. As I squinted my eyes to try and get a better view, I was taken by surprise when the front door suddenly busted open.

"What?" The woman reeking of alcohol asked snappily.

I didn't expect the owner to look like this. But then again it does actually make sense. Her ginger hair was barely hanging together in that messy attempt at a side bun and her clothes were covered in spills and stains from the alcohol.

"I'm... here for the summer job," I said in uncertainty. I hope that goddess knows what she's doing with this narrative she's crafted for me.

The woman gave me a quick once over as she clicked her tongue in disappointment. "I specified having a boy help out." The woman went to shake my left arm. "Can you even carry a haystack?"

Probably not, my strength is pretty abysmal if I'm being honest. But I can't say that or else she'll just turn me away. So, I should just treat this as a job interview instead! "Well, I'm an eager learner so I'm always willing to take the initiative—"

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me." The woman said, cutting me off. "But I guess you'll have to do..."

As soon as she ushered me inside the house, I wanted to just walk straight out the front door again. Not only is it covered in dust but there's food, drink and clothes lying around everywhere! I swear it looks like it was hit by that earthquake earlier...

"You'll start first thing tomorrow at seven. Your room is at the end of the upstairs hallway on the left."

Damn, she's snappy! She didn't even introduce herself yet. I can see why the police officer called her tough work...

Once upstairs, I collapsed onto the bed. Ugh, it's so lumpy... As I rolled over to my side, I decided to open up my status window once more. I'm curious, I still haven't gotten my mission yet, so I wonder what else I need to do.

'Investigate the barn at 3 am'. Oh hell no!