A young musician finds himself locked inside a gas station bathroom in the middle of the night by an unseen assailant, caught between the horrors on the other side of the door and the horrors rapidly skittering down the walls inside.
Abe is a deeply layered character, and despite this being a novella, we’re given plenty of insight into his background, which I really appreciated. The story delves into his past and explores his relationships with those closest to him. That phone call with his brother at the beginning did a great job of establishing who Abe is and where he stands within his family.
I really enjoyed the gradual buildup of tension and anticipation throughout the story. The addition of the animals from the reptile farm was unsettling, and as someone who’s terrified of spiders, those moments in the bathroom were particularly tough to get through. I can’t even fathom being in that situation—trapped, terrified, and then having to decipher cryptic notes on top of it all.
This wasn’t the most gruesome book I’ve read, but it definitely had its fair share of unsettling moments. While I didn’t find it especially scary, the vivid descriptions made it easy to picture everything playing out in my mind. It certainly makes you think twice about stopping at a gas station in the middle of the night!
⭐️3/5 A shorty, wacky and wild read!
