Mostly just looking at voice and tone/vibe? First draftness, beware!
The Desert Dwellers Radio Show
No one came into the gas station in the middle of the night, but eighteen year old Ramona Shaw liked that part of the job. It was the last gas station between here in Shoshone, California and Pahrump, Nevada, and her boss always said he could charge whatever he wanted or they could drive 30+ miles in any direction to the next station.
The harsh florescent lights around the gas station left a soft glow against the pitch black desert. She was out in the middle of nowhere, but Ramona wasn’t entirely alone. She had her trusty radio show for company.
Desert Dwellers is an amateur radio show that runs from 11pm to 2am, by a guy who called himself Dante, out of Roswell, New Mexico. Ramona found the show by accident years ago, thought Dante just used it as a kitschy deal to get people to come to the lame Roswell alien museum, which Ramona had been to with Abigail during spring break. Every episode is a topic, and Dante actually listens and helps callers figure out the truth of what they’re seeing (if there is one), interviews knowledgeable people with credentials on the topic at hand. Now Desert Dwellers was the only good thing Ramona had left in her life.
Ramona and Abigail were supposed to apply for the same college, but Ramona couldn’t see herself continuing in school, and she backed out of their agreement. Maybe it was just a cop out, but she let Abigail go. But once Abigail left for college, the train depot stop shut down two months later, 90% of Shoshone lost their jobs, the town being owned the railroad. Ramona’s dad was a train engineer, and she knew she was on borrowed time now. Being a gas station cashier wasn’t going to cut it for much longer.
For now, she didn’t have to think about that. The familiar, eerie intro song played through the store on Ramona’s trusted radio, a little black one with a handle. It was her mom’s, but as soon as she found Desert Dwellers, Ramona kept it for herself. She never bothered changing the station to anything again.
Welcome to Desert Dwellers, folks. Dante’s familiar voice put Ramona at ease, like hearing an old friend. Her heart panged as she instinctively still looked for Abigail. Ramona hoped that Abigail was listening, too.
Before we get started, I wanted to talk to you folks about a wonderful product. Hey, before you groan, just a reminder that I gotta keep this show running….
The doorbell rang as a guy walked in. He was a big guy, stretching his legs as he walked through the store. Ramona kept an eye on him, but turned up the radio.
The man went straight for the hot dog warmer. Long haul truckers always had funky meals that they scraped together from whatever the gas station had. After a moment, the man brought up a smorgasbord of food and energy drinks to the counter. Ramona didn’t question it, just rung it up.
“Your gas prices are a ripoff,” the man scoffed.
Alright, the lines are open now. If you have or still do work for Area 51, please call in. We want to hear from you. Have you seen alien beings at Area 51? Tell me your stories.
“I don’t set the prices,” she said for the umpteenth time that month. She bagged up the items and recited the total.
“Do you want gas, too?” She just wanted him gone so she could listen to her show, the only thing that made the first half of her shift bearable. “It’s 27 miles east, or 15 miles west to the next gas station, depending on which way you’re going.” A friendly smile plastered on, but she banged her toes against the floor. Get. Out. Of. My. Store.
The man grumbled. “Fine.” She added gas to his total and he paid. The doorbell rang as he left. Ramona leaned back against her chair.
*Yeah, hi, Dante. Am I on the air?
Yes, what’s your name?
Brandon.
Hi Brandon. Do you work at Area 51?
No, but my girlfriend did, she’s an army medic. She’s asleep right now, but she told me a story once, where she saw an experiment…*
Of all the spooky mysteries, and there was a lot Ramona was skeptical about, Area 51 was the most fun to believe. Once, Ramona and Abigail tried to go to Groom Lake, the salt plain that was the major physical landmark of Area 51. It was three hours away from home, but they got turned away at the military gate that was at least 50 miles from the lake. It was the day Ramona was certain that day that she loved Abigail with all her heart. That day’s Ramona was very not pleased with current Ramona’s decision. She screwed it all up, out of fear. Ramona Shaw was a coward.
Then Abigail calls in with their shared Area 51 story, the parts Ramona doesn't remember because she was too busy fall in love, and the radio station gets mysteriously cut off, and sets everything else in motion.