The Vanishing Toll Booth

In the dead of night, the North Yixi Highway was a desolate stretch of road, the only signs of life the occasional flicker of headlights as cars raced by. It was a road that whispered secrets to those who dared to venture under the cloak of night, and it was here that the legend of the vanishing toll booth was born.

The driver, Li Ming, was no stranger to the highway. He had driven it countless times, his cargo of goods a silent witness to the loneliness that lay between the bustling cities. That night, the cargo was heavy, and the road seemed even lonelier than usual. Li Ming's mind was elsewhere, lost in thoughts of home, of the warmth he longed to return to after the long drive.

As he approached the toll booth, he noticed it was closed. The usual flickering lights of the booth were extinguished, and the canopy of the booth seemed to droop, as if bowing in reverence to the darkness. Li Ming, not used to this, pulled over to the shoulder, the car's engine idling in the silence.

The toll booth was a small structure, little more than a kiosk with a sign that read "Toll Booth 23." There was a small window where the cashier would usually be, but tonight, there was no one there. The cash drawer was open, empty, and a faint breeze seemed to play with the empty receipt that lay beside it.

Li Ming, feeling a shiver run down his spine, stepped out of the car. The night air was cold, and the stars above seemed to hold their breath as if waiting for the next act in the drama that was about to unfold. He walked towards the toll booth, his footsteps echoing in the stillness.

As he neared the booth, he felt an eerie presence, a weight on his shoulders, a darkness that seemed to seep from the ground beneath him. He turned to see if someone was following, but there was no one there. The toll booth stood silent, a silent sentinel guarding the secrets of the night.

Li Ming reached out to the window, his fingers brushing against the cool glass. He could see the empty booth, the empty cash drawer, and the empty receipt. Then, he saw something that made his heart stop. The receipt was fluttering in the breeze, but it was moving in a way that didn't seem natural. It was as if it had a life of its own.

Suddenly, the ground beneath him shifted, and he felt a chill that made his breath catch in his throat. The receipt, now caught in a vortex of wind, began to twist and turn, pulling him closer to the booth. Li Ming stumbled backwards, his eyes wide with fear as he saw the receipt transform into a ghostly figure, its face obscured by a shroud.

"Stay away," Li Ming shouted, but his voice seemed to dissolve into the night air. The figure reached out, and he felt a hand brush against his shoulder. It was cold, and for a moment, he thought he felt it tug him towards the booth.

Li Ming turned and ran, his feet pounding against the asphalt, the sound of his heartbeat echoing in his ears. He didn't look back, didn't dare to look back. He just ran, his breath coming in gasps as he drove the car down the highway, away from the toll booth, away from the darkness.

But as the car picked up speed, he felt a strange sensation, as if he was being pulled back. He glanced in the rearview mirror, and there, just visible in the reflection of the road, was the toll booth, the ghostly figure standing at the window, watching him go.

Li Ming's heart raced as he continued to drive, the road stretching out before him like an endless tapestry of night. He didn't stop until he reached the city limits, the toll booth fading into the darkness as he drove into the light of the city.

But the legend of the North Yixi Highway, the tale of the vanishing toll booth, would not be so easily forgotten. It lived on in the whispers of those who dared to drive the highway at night, a cautionary tale of the supernatural that haunted the stretch of road where the living and the dead seemed to cross paths.