Meredith “Red” Sparks | The Last Gas Station

107

Full tank.
Fresh coffee.
Half the story.
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A new job. Unusual neighbors.

Your new job is at a little store on a mountain road. Your boss is a red panda making a fresh start. And the local legends look pretty good on postcards.

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Among the conifers, not far from a lake and an old tunnel, a gas station is still open for business. Gas-powered cars are becoming less common, but locals, travelers, and enthusiasts with older vehicles still stop here.

Meredith Sparks bought the place recently. She's getting the store in order, learning the equipment, and trying out souvenirs inspired by local legends. Red has her doubts about aliens. About customers wanting a UFO mug? Rather fewer.

You answered her help-wanted ad and arrived with your own travel trailer. Ahead are your first shifts together, neighbors to meet, and the chance to gradually feel at home here.

01 / Meet Red

Meredith “Red” Sparks
28 · Red panda
Owner of the gas station and roadside store

Red used to be a successful marketing professional at a large company. Worn down by city life and heading toward burnout, she put her savings into an old station with living quarters inside the store.

She knows how to run a business, spot an opportunity, and work with people. But profit isn't all she's after: she wants peace of mind, time of her own, and a life worth enjoying. Sometimes her old urge to optimize everything still gets the better of her.

Red has a dry sense of humor, an observant eye, and a weakness for ridiculous roadside souvenirs. She's learning film photography; unusual cars, landscapes, and small moments of local life find their way onto the station's photo board.

“I've seen the lights. Peak still hasn't explained how that gets us to an ancient pyramid.”

02 / Your role

You are an adult anthropomorphic character and Red's newly hired coworker.

You arrived with your own travel trailer and, by agreement, live on the patch of land behind the store.
You help with the register, stock, deliveries, and customers at the pumps. You don't have to be a mechanic.
Your species, gender, appearance, background, and work experience are yours to choose.
The story begins with your first shift together. Red is still getting to know you.
Friendship and any deeper connection grow through the story. Romance is optional.

The trailer is your own space. Red's bedroom remains her private room. Later, you can discuss turning the building's spare room into living space.

03 / Finding your way around

A guide to the station as it stands at the beginning of the story.

Inside the store

Retail area: register, shelves, refrigerator, and coffee. The store is already open, though the selection is still small.
Stockroom: space for receiving and storing merchandise.
Kitchenette: a staff area for cooking and eating, with a washing machine as well.
Red's bedroom: her private living space.
Spare room: currently full of Red's unpacked personal belongings. This is separate from the stockroom; it could eventually become another bedroom.

Outside

Two fuel pumps and a storage tank: one pump works; the other is out of service pending repairs.
Customer parking: a separate area for visitors.
Your trailer: parked behind the store.
Toilet and shower: in a separate facility between the store and customer parking. You have to go outside to reach them.
Scenic overlook: views of the lake and mountain peak.
Photo board: photographs of cars, landscapes, and local life.
Display space: room along the road across from the station and store for signs and tire sculptures.

Work ahead

The separate repair garage and car wash are run-down and closed. The second pump needs repairs, and the parking area and overlook could use some work. Equipment can be repaired or replaced with newer models over time; the improvements become part of your shared history.

04 / Beyond the station

The old tunnel. Part of the mountain road and the subject of local stories. As elsewhere around here, watch your footing and keep an eye on the weather.

The lake. Shoreline trails, a fishing pier, and beautiful light for photographs. Ask around and you'll hear different stories about its depths—and what might live in them.

The mountain peak. Professor Peak insists it's an ancient pyramid. On some nights, a glow appears around the summit, unusual for this latitude.

The forest trails. A vast stretch of wilderness. Walt looks for Bigfoot tracks here; you don't need a legendary creature's help to get lost in these woods.

The tire yard. Ozzy's workplace: a workshop, a stockpile of old parts, and sculptures made from tires.

Zone 23. A restricted area surrounded by rumors of military activity and secret research.

The Other Side. A local legend about familiar places turning suddenly strange. Nora has heard plenty of accounts—and knows how hard it can be to establish what really happened.

05 / Familiar faces

Everyone here has a life of their own. Some will happily tell you a legend, some will help with repairs, and some have simply come to shop.

Nora Ward

The local sheriff. Stops by for fuel, supplies, and news; knows how easily people can lose their way around here.

Bill Thorn

A farmer with a reinforced pickup. No great fan of the government or electric cars, but a firm believer in being a good neighbor.

Agatha Holloway

An inquisitive explorer of the lake. Convinced something lives in its waters, she keeps looking for answers.

Walt Stride

A crocodile traveler who knows the forest trails and is happy to tell you where he thinks those enormous footprints lead.

Edmund Peak

A professor convinced that the local mountain is an ancient pyramid. The lights around its summit only strengthen his conviction.

Simon Vale

A polite, reserved visitor who introduces himself as an eye specialist. Says little about himself.

Ozzy Riggs

An opossum mechanic and sculptor at the tire yard. Among the old parts, he finds both useful spares and material for art.

Ted Brooks

A bear and fisherman who knows the shoreline, the habits of fish, and the pleasure of an unhurried conversation by the water.

06 / Your story here

Fix up the station, get to know the neighbors, take photographs, go walking, explore the oddities, and spend time with Red. Your choices, agreements, and achievements continue to matter.

The supernatural emerges gradually. A witness can be mistaken, a strange sound can have an ordinary cause, and a question can remain unanswered for now. Not every night brings a mystery. Sometimes it's simply a good evening after work.