Abandon Read Online Free PDF

lights from the Quick-Mart and slowed her car slightly, wheels spitting gravel as she turned in.  Pulling up to the gas pump she got out of her car and ran her credit card.  The machine prompted her to enter her zip code and choose her grade, which she did and began to pump gas.  Grinning at the sign that said she wasn’t to leave a running gas pump unattended she walked toward the Quick-Mart.  Did anyone ever pay attention to those signs?  She knew she certainly hadn’t in the history of her time pumping gas.  
    Stepping inside she looked around.  Not seeing anyone, she assumed the attendant was in the back.  She searched around the store for a second, grabbing a soda, some chips, and moved to the counter to pay for her goods and grab some cigarettes.
    “Hello!” she hollered into the back room from where she stood.  “Anyone there?”  She got no response from the back room, not even the shuffle of feet which would signal that someone was coming to assist her.  She began tapping her drink against the counter impatiently.  “Hello?  Anyone?”
    She swiveled a little to look outside.  Maybe the attendant was outside checking on the pumps and she just hadn’t noticed when she came in.  Not seeing anyone, she pivoted back towards the back room.  Still no response, or really any sound coming from back there.  Maybe the attendant had headphones on and couldn’t hear her.  She left her goods on the counter and began to step towards the back room.  The closer she got, the more a smell she was unable to define began to assault her nose.  It was unlike anything she had ever smelled and she wondered what it could be.  When she finally rounded the corner to look in the backroom, she noticed an older gentleman slumped in a chair toward the back, barely visible from the place she stood.  
    “Hello, sir, are you okay?” she said, inching towards the man.  Maybe he was sleeping and if so, she didn’t want to startle him considering the fact that a gun was placed precariously next to him.
    A gun.  The smell.  Suddenly, her brain connected the dots and she covered her mouth with her hand.  She could see it now, the brain matter on the wall and the way his jaw was slack.  He had shot himself.  Holy shit.  She was staring at someone who had shot himself.  Running to the front she picked up the phone behind the counter and began to dial 911.  The phone beeped back at her letting her know that she could not place that call.  She cursed, slamming the phone in its cradle and ran out the front of the store to her car.
    She was shaking as she opened her car door looking around for her phone.  She almost dropped it multiple times and finally managed to unlock it and press the buttons for 911.  Her phone beeped loudly, telling her that service was unavailable, her call would not be placed.  Cursing, she slammed her phone against the car and tried again.  No luck.
    Annalise slumped against her car.  She had seen dead bodies before, but nothing like that.  His head, his lifeless expression, it would be forever imprinted on her brain.  She knew that she was going to have nightmares for years to come regarding that scene, and thinking about it again she doubled over getting on all fours and hurled up the cupcakes and champagne she and Meredith had consumed earlier onto the rocky pavement.  Wiping the corners of her mouth, she sat up and cleared her mind.  She couldn’t call 911.  She couldn’t help the guy in the store.  Through her now blurry vision, she looked back towards the door.  She didn’t even know at this point if she’d be able to go back in there.
    It was then that she noticed the Blue Rhino cage to the left side of the store.  There were at least 20 propane tanks in there. If she could get the keys off the body, she could get enough propane to last whoever she was meeting with at least a couple months.  Standing up, she brushed the little pieces of gravel off her hands and made her