Oh yeah? Well, I’m never coming back! How about that!

No sooner had I replaced the shocks and struts on the front of my 2002 Honda Accord I noticed a scraping noise on the front left side. I knew the front brake pads were almost due to be replaced by why now? I just spent $800.

“Can’t a guy get a little break between repairs and maintenance?” I said to the mechanic. I hadn’t been to this brake shop before but they had decent ratings. He said, “You want to know the mechanic’s secret to making the brake pads last longer?”

I leaned in, curious to hear what he had to say. “Sure, what is it?” I asked.

He grinned slyly and replied, “Don’t use your brakes.”

I rolled my eyes at his joke and waited for him to give me some actual advice. But to my surprise, he continued, “No, really. I’m serious. The less you use your brakes, the longer they’ll last. Of course, you can’t avoid using them altogether, but if you anticipate stops and slow down gradually instead of slamming on the brakes, you’ll be doing your brake pads a favor.”

I nodded, impressed by his advice. In my head I added, “Thanks for the tip,Captain Obvious.”

As I got into my car and drove away, I made a mental note to try his advice and see if it made a difference. But as I approached a red light, I couldn’t resist the urge to test out my shiny new brakes. I slammed on the brakes and the car skidded to a stop. I notice a movement to my right and realized the mechanic was sitting in the passenger seat.

“Hey, how did you get in here. What is going on?”

“I told you the mechanic’s secret and you defied me.” His eyes were glowing red. “Now you have to pay the price!” I stared at him in disbelief as his eyes turned completely black. Suddenly, his hand shot out and grabbed my neck with an iron grip, cutting off my air supply. I struggled to break free, but his strength was overwhelming. “What the hell is happening?” I gasped, my face turning red as I choked.

“You should’ve listened to me,” he growled, his voice low and menacing. “Now, you’ll learn the hard way.”

I clawed at his hand, trying to pry it from my neck, but it was like trying to move a steel bar. Panic swelled inside me as I felt myself slipping away, my vision starting to fade. Just when I thought it was all over, the pressure suddenly released, and I gasped for air, coughing and wheezing.

I looked up to see the mechanic grinning at me, his eyes back to their normal color. “Just kidding,” he chuckled. “But seriously, don’t ignore your car’s brakes.”

“Oh, okay, thanks. I’ll do that,” I said but he was gone.I shook my head, trying to shake off the weird encounter with the mechanic. I started the engine and drove off, still feeling a little shaken. As I drove, I wondered if it was just a strange joke or if there was something more to it. I tried to put it out of my mind and focus on the road ahead.

But as I approached the next red light, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding. I remembered the mechanic’s warning and decided to heed his advice. I slowly applied the brakes, coming to a smooth stop. I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw a car speeding towards me, skidding to a stop as the driver tried to avoid slamming into me.

My heart raced as the car came just inches from my bumper. I let out a shaky breath and felt a wave of relief wash over me.

I looked close at the driver of the car.

What the?

It was the mechanic. He got out of his car and stomped over to my driver’s door, threw it open and pushed me in the passenger seat. “You don’t listen, do you?” he yelled as he stomped on the gas and headed out on the highway, weaving through traffic at 110 miles per hour.

I pulled out my cellphone to call the police. He slapped it out of my hand and slapped my face all in one motion. I reached out to choke him as he did me and he laughed. His head came off his body and floated – I was grabbing air. I sat there in stunned silence, staring at the headless body of the mechanic. I wondered if I was hallucinating or if this was some kind of sick joke. But then, I noticed something strange happening to the body. It started to convulse and twitch, as if something was trying to escape from inside it.

Suddenly, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared from within the body, piercing the darkness of the car. I felt a chill run down my spine as the eyes stared at me, their intensity growing. I wanted to scream, to run, to do anything to escape this nightmare, but I was frozen in fear.

Then, the eyes spoke. “You should’ve listened,” they growled, their voice like gravel. “But now, it’s too late.”

With a sickening squelch, the headless body started to transform, its limbs stretching and contorting into an amorphous mass. It slithered towards me, its movements quick and decisive. A voice came from deep within the creature. “Never come back to my brake shop. NEVER!”

I said, “No problem, Blobby, but you can count on a very poor rating on Yelp, I guarantee that.”