2 AM Solace Vending Machine

Synopsis

It was 2:17 AM when her phone lit up, its blinding glow piercing the dark room. Luna Fletcher buried her face in her pillow with a frustrated groan. "Great, wide awake again." Flipping onto her back, she stared at the familiar crack running across the ceiling. That made it 108 sleepless nights in a row. The irony was thick. Luna was a popular ASMR sleep streamer with three million followers. Her audio series, Lights Out with Luna, had racked up over a hundred million streams. Yet here she was, unable to catch some Zs herself. It would be the ultimate scandal if her fans ever found out. A sudden ping cut through the silence. Her phone lit up with a push notification: [Alert: A 2 AM Solace Vending Machine is active in your area. Exclusive to the sleepless souls. Distance: 150 feet.] Luna squinted at the text. "Scammers are really working overtime tonight. Who uses creepy urban legend bait at two in the morning?" She tried to swipe it away, but the banner clung to her screen like stubborn malware that wouldn't close. "Fine, let's see what kind of scam this is," she muttered. Grabbing her "Dead Inside" hoodie, Luna slid into her slippers and headed out. A crisp breeze bit at her skin. Down at the corner, Aldo Cook's food truck was still cranking out smoke. The man was zoned out, staring blankly at a double bacon cheeseburger sizzling on the grill. Following her phone's GPS, Luna stopped in front of a vending machine. She had walked past this rusty box by the bus stop a million times. Normally, it held cheap bottled water and canned coffee. Tonight, though, something was wrong. A soft, cozy light glowed from the usually dirty glass. Text flashed across the tiny screen: [Good evening, sleepless soul. Please pick your Solace.] The drinks were gone. In their place sat rows of clean white boxes, numbered from 01 to 24. A small label sat beneath each box. [Solace 01: For the nights when everyone else is asleep and you feel left behind. Reminder: You aren't.] [Solace 07: For the moments your boss screams at you and you can't fight back. Contains: One guilt-free, virtual clapback. No risk to your job.] [Solace 13: For the brokenhearted in desperate need of a good cry. Warning: Contains non-toxic tear gas.] [Solace 24: The Ultimate Solace. For the moments when words when words aren't enough.] Luna's mouth twitched. "What the heck?"