A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Shifting against the old vinyl, (f/n) tried to keep herself warm in the car while she waited. Her hands were under her armpits, and her knees were up to her chest. She understood that it was impolite to put her feet up on the car seat since it wasn't her car, but she was doing her best to maintain her body heat. Krista hadn't given her the car keys; she only had opened the car for her before she had gone back inside, so there was no way for her to switch on the heat.

At least, her stomach was full, and she was recovering some bits of energy from the hike. She even had more snacks for later in her bag by her feet. They mostly were granola bars except for a few bags of dried fruit. Her coffee was next to her too, but it had grown a little cold. No steam rose from the small opening in the top, and barely the cup warmed her hands if she held it.

There was a pressing problem too besides the possibility of the creature charging out onto the street and towards her. Her body required sleep, and she hadn't received it for over twenty-four hours. She was exhausted, and the coffee wasn't fully keeping her eyes open.

Already, she had caught herself drifting off several times, but she couldn't fall asleep in Krista's car. She only had known the woman for almost an hour. Thankfully, the seats weren't a new, plush fabric, or she wouldn't be able to resist the urge as much.

Her eyes averted over to the driver's window. She peered over to the station's store. Krista remained at the counter, and she helped another customer that had stopped by ten minutes ago. Presently, she appeared normal and wore a kind, work smile, but her behavior from before and recently had been ... bizarre.

Not only had she seemingly forgotten a strange statement of hers but also she had insisted that (f/n) wait in the car even though she had fifteen minutes of her shift left. Krista had created the excuse that her oncoming coworker was a bit of a flirt and would cause her problems if he saw her. (F/n) had been skeptical that he was that bad since he probably would've received multiple customer complaints, then. Then again, the gas station was out in the middle of nowhere, so the owner probably hadn't received too many applications for the job.

Krista hadn't taken no for an answer, however. If (f/n) hadn't moved her legs willingly towards the entrance doors, she wouldn't have been surprised if Krista had shoved her out. At least, the cashier had been nice enough to unlock the car and not make her wait outside of it. (F/n) supposed, though, that not encountering another individual was for the best. It was possible that Krista's coworker watched the news and would recognize her. That would cause too many issues, but that brought her back to the puzzle that was Krista.

You really are her, aren't you? The statement rang in her head again. It was possible that Krista was fully aware of whom she was, but she was keeping that detail a secret for some reason. That reason troubled (f/n) if that truly was the case. Was Krista planning on using her as bait for the creature? If so, the cashier's scheme would fail, and the creature would kill her.

The thought of the cashier woman being one of the creature's fanatics greeted her mind again. Krista did love the paranormal from the sounds of it, and her behavior had become unnerving after the mention of Dunnuuna. If she was one, was she jealous? Did Krista intend to travel to the ghost town so that she could perform an offering to the creature in hopes of gaining his favor?

A chill snaked up her spine, and (f/n) had to rub her upper arms. Perhaps, Krista plotted to kill her in the cabin where that awful scene had been. If the cashier had known about the town and cabin's history, it was possible that she had made the connection to the creature too. Like Nick, she might've even researched for the other missing person reports.

Uncertainty badgered her. Her hands traveled to her head, but they soon dragged themselves down through her (h/l), (h/c) locks. (F/n)'s eyes saw a car pull into the parking lot, and it parked closer to the building. From her view, she could see that the driver was a man in a uniform. Krista's shift was over.

Changing her gaze back to the store, she nearly jumped. She blinked and stared back at the store counter. Her eyes narrowed, but Krista was facing the other way tending to something behind the register. The one customer left the building and soon drove off, but (f/n) didn't focus on that individual. No, her eyes pinned themselves to her knees. Had she imagined that?

When she had looked over, Krista had been staring directly at her. She hadn't been able to be certain, but it had appeared that a grin had been on her lips too. Her heart calmed down a little in her chest, but her whole body tensed. Almost everything in her told her to bolt out of the car and make a run for it.

Unfortunately, a car ride to the town would be the best option. (F/n) reminded herself that she would jump out of the car if things began to take a turn for the worst, but that didn't quell the forming fear in her. Her legs lowered, and her hands clenched her pant legs. She tried to remove the image of Krista's grin from her mind. It might've not even been real.

"Oh, it had been real." Her body straightened itself. Feet kicked themselves up onto the divider between the front seats. (F/n) struggled not to stare into the rearview mirror. "You know that it had been real. She had looked about as horrid as that thing." A loud chuckle hit her ears. "She might be even worse than you. She might actually love it, and you're in her way."

His feet shifted, and he leaned forward. Out of the corners of her eyes, she saw his hands and the side of his face. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, but his voice's volume didn't decrease. "Then again, you're pretty obsessed with that thing too." Almost, her eyes snapped open. "But, at least, you don't paint your nails red."

Alarm struck her. She forgot his statement before the last one as her mind developed the picture of Krista's nails. (F/n) didn't even hear the light chuckles or notice that Brent vanished from the car. Those bright, red nails infiltrated her mind completely. It wasn't difficult at all to picture the paint morphing into blood and dripping from her hands.

Drip. Drip. Drip ... Tap. Tap. Tap. At first, she didn't even register the change in sounds. (F/n) didn't note that the sounds had become realer. It wasn't until she heard the taps a few more times that she stared up and over. Her heart leaped in her chest, and she practically rammed herself against the passenger side door.

Across from her and staring through the window was Krista. She lowered her right hand and tilted her head to the side in puzzlement. Krista opened her car door and chuckled a bit. "Sorry, I hadn't meant to scare you. I hadn't thought that you would be that spaced out." The cashier seated herself and closed the door.

(F/n) shook her head a little bit. "It's ... fine. I just haven't received that much sleep."

Tossing her bag into the back, she stuck the key in the ignition and started the car. It roared to life, and (f/n) could've mistaken it for death zipping at her. "You should get some rest now, then. It's going to take awhile before reach the town, and I don't think that you would want to sleep there." She drove the car out of the parking lot and headed west. A kind smile was on her lips, but (f/n) couldn't help but focus on her nails and her tone.

Something about her last statement sat ill with her. (F/n) could tell that Krista had meant it to sound funny since who would want to sleep in a ghost town that might've been the origin of the creature, but there was an underlying tone to it. Would she not sleep there because Krista would attack her? Was Krista hoping to make a game out of killing her?

Questions tormented her mind, and a headache grew. All the while her (e/c) orbs never left the woman's nails. Krista noted her passenger's silence and glanced over before she followed (f/n)'s gaze. A cheery grin spread on her lips, and she chirped, "Oh, I repainted them a few days ago. You like them?"

If the situation were different, the question would've been harmless. (F/n), however, felt that Krista's question was comparable to asking her about a murder weapon. "Well ..."

"I know that they're pretty simple, but I like them that way." She fanned out her left hand and admired them. "I don't need all of those fancy designs. These are just perfect, so I need to make sure that the color never fades." Krista set her hand back on the wheel, but she briefly looked to (f/n) again. "Or, do you just not like red?"

"It's not my favorite color, but I've never seen such a bright red before." (F/n) hoped that would distract Krista from asking something related to the color red again.

"Oh?!" Surprise graced the woman's face, but something else sparked in her brown eyes. "That's such a shame. At one of the rest stops on the way there, you should let me paint your nails. I think that I have the right bottle in my bag."

"Thank you, but you don't have to worry about that. You're doing enough for me already." She smiled, but it was hard to keep it from cracking and not chuckling nervously. A large pit formed in her stomach. Thankfully, Krista faced the road again. Mentally, (f/n) sighed in relief.

"But, I want to." A smile decorated her lips, but her eyes didn't meet (f/n)'s again. It was unsettling.