June 21, 2008 - An Interesting Stop

Saturday, June 21, 2008
An Interesting Stop Category: Travel and Places

Today I trekked down to good Ol'Chase City to visit my folks. I took Sherlock with me since Jerry stayed home. It started out as a nice day, with the minor exception that work called me four times in the 90 minutes it took for me to get there. The day was good, and I departed from Mom and Dad's house around three thirty.

So we're driving along, just me and the hound, when the gas light comes on. Mind you, it's not an uncommon occurance - like most of you, I put off filling up as long as possible. After the light came on, I pulled off into the closest gas station that I could find: McKenney.

Now, if any of you know where McKenney is... well... wtf. For those of you who don't, join the rest of the universe. McKenney is a patch of grass nwith a zip code. I pulled into the gas station and got out of the car. I looked around - a cemetary, a mobile home sales place, and a gas station. That's McKenney. There were NO cars in the gas station parking lot. I was sure they were closed, but I had to find a restroom pretty badly, so I walked up to the door. It was open.

When I walked in, it was like a scene straight from the vault of the Twilight Zone. Nestled in a haze of fried chicken and cigarette smoke were four tables, all full of people. Another four or five people were standing around socializing, and another few behind the food counter, serving up nachos, hot dogs and of course fried chicken. Two women stood quietly behind the cash register, cigarettes in hand.

Thankfully I noticed a bathroom, so I made my way to the back of the restaurant/store/gas station. The room grew quiet as I passed by.

I hurried in the bathroom, which had no mirror, no soap, and no towels. I couldn't get the water to turn on anyway, so I guess none of that really mattered. I walked back through the silent rest stop and outside. Still terrified, I pumped $20 worth of gas in my tank and slid back into the driver seat. The dog was still fast asleep in the back, much to my relief. I locked the doors and pulled away - totally creeped out.

I would like to make a public request that we as Virginians put the "town" of McKenney on the list of the ABSOLUTE MOST CREEPY PLACES ON THE PLANET.