by E. S. Moore
The strange feeling increased and I kept going, having no idea where I was headed. There was nothing out here as far as I knew—no town, no park, nothing that I would have the slightest interest in.
And then I saw it. A little sign beside a road I had never seen before. I stopped my Honda in front of the sign and had to lean forward to see it. Even with my enhanced vision it was hard to see.
“Welcome to Delai,” I said, frowning. I’d never heard of the place.
I looked around. I vaguely remembered the area, but I didn’t remember the sign or the road. It was entirely possible I had missed it before. I had been on a hunt all those years ago. It’s easy to miss the little things when blood and death lie just ahead.
I started down the road, curious as to where it led. Fresh pavement had been lain recently, so the ride was smooth and peaceful. My tires hummed on the road, a hypnotic lullaby that would have put nearly anyone to sleep.
I traveled for a good couple of minutes without seeing anything. There were just enough trees to obscure sightlines, so I was unable to see lights to the town anywhere ahead.
And when I did see them, I stopped my bike and just stared.
The entire town was lit up. From where I sat, it was hard to make much of anything out, but I could see the unbroken line of occupied houses, the distant lights that spoke of a shopping district farther ahead. It wasn’t that it was big; it wasn’t. It was just how peaceful it looked that had me sitting there, stunned.
I slowly moved down the road in awe. I wasn’t used to seeing so many lit-up houses in one place.
I paused in front of a small house with blooming flowers lining its face. A large window faced the road and the curtains were parted, giving a good view of the people inside. There were three of them. They sat around a table eating dinner. They didn’t talk, but they didn’t seem afraid of the night either.
The next house wasn’t much different. The window was smaller, but the scene had the same feel to it. A young couple sat on a couch. The soft glow of the television lit up their faces. As I watched, the girl rested her head on the guy’s shoulder and he put an arm around her.
Something deep down rumbled at that. I’d never experienced a true social life, never even really considered it. My world had always revolved around killing and the night. My brother and family had been my world when I was a Pureblood. I’d known nothing else.
I looked away, angrier than I should have been. I never should have come here. Even though I had only passed two houses, seen a couple of families, I already knew I didn’t belong.
And yet I kept going. I rode farther into town, looking from side to side. A car crossed an intersection ahead, but as far as I could tell, it was the only vehicle on the road aside from my own. It was strangely quiet, as if everyone had gone inside to relax at the same time.
Of course, that wasn’t so odd. The night was a time when most Purebloods stayed inside.
But if all the people in their comfy houses were Purebloods, then where were the vamps and wolves?
My eyes settled on the glow ahead. I couldn’t tell what it was like in the middle of the town from the outskirts, but I was sure it couldn’t be as peaceful as it was out here. Nowhere was this quiet these days.
I made my way down the road, doing my best not to look into the windows of the houses I passed. Nearly all of them left their blinds parted, their curtains pulled back. I saw so many people simply enjoying life, it was disconcerting. People didn’t do that anymore. When the night fell, the blinds came down and the lights went off.
A few more cars moved down the road ahead of me as I got deeper into Delai. The road into town was surprisingly long, the landscape dotted with houses bunched in small neighborhoods. It wasn’t until I reached the heart of the town that I saw people outside.
The gas station came first. A few people stood outside their cars, pumping gas. They stared straight ahead, eyes blank like just the tedium of what they were doing was putting them to sleep.
A movie theater with subdued lighting appeared open for business. A small line waited outside for their tickets. The people didn’t talk to each other. They just stood and waited, staring at the back of the person’s head in front of them.
I knew it wasn’t all that late, yet it was nighttime. The place should have been shut down. This wasn’t High Street. There were no streetwalkers here, selling their skin and blood and sex for a night of thrills.
So where the hell was I?
It was then I saw the diner. The sign out front proclaimed it to be DeeDee’s. A few cars were in the parking lot and a couple of people stood next to them. They didn’t seem to be doing anything.
I felt drawn to the place. I hadn’t even realized how badly I needed this until I was there. I needed a night away from all the death, and why not here? It seemed safe enough.
I pulled into the parking lot, making sure to keep my weapons hidden. While I didn’t think the people standing around were dangerous, I didn’t want them getting the wrong idea about me. You didn’t go walking into strange places with guns and swords waving about unless you were looking for trouble.
And tonight, trouble was the last thing I wanted.
I found a space in the corner of the lot and shut off the engine. A tingling sensation ran up my spine as I got off my Honda and headed for the door.
No one tried to stop me. No one tried to talk to me. A few watched my progress but didn’t seem disconcerted by me.
I reached the front door to DeeDee’s Diner. I hesitated a moment, took in the fresh night air, and then opened the door and stepped inside.
Only a few heads turned as I entered the diner. While I didn’t get the feeling that I was unwelcome, I felt out of place anyway. No one smiled. They just watched me as I crossed the floor toward a table in the back corner.
DeeDee’s looked bigger from the inside than it had on the outside. Booths lined the walls, each with its own window. There were at least a dozen, if not more, tables throughout the place, not counting the booths. A long counter was straight ahead, and another dozen stools gave customers a place to sit and sip their coffee.
Through an opening behind the counter, I could see cooks busily working on orders. A cashier stood behind the counter, and a pair of waitresses stood side by side, watching me. Another waitress was busy moving around between customers, refilling drinks.
Soft rock music from a few decades past played over the speakers hidden in the ceiling. In fact, the entire place had an old-style feel to it. It felt like I had been transported back in time, back when things were simpler, when people didn’t have to constantly look over their shoulders to make sure the monsters weren’t creeping up on them.
And I liked it. I took a seat, putting my back to the corner so I could look out over the entire diner. I could see the door from where I sat. I did it more out of habit than anything. I didn’t feel threatened here, which was an all-new experience in itself.
One of the waitresses behind the counter walked my way. She wasn’t smiling, but she didn’t seem upset either. I wasn’t used to that.
“What can I get ya?” the waitress asked as she came to a stop beside me. She sort of smiled at me, but it didn’t look right on her face, like it was painted on.
There were menus on the table; I picked one up and flipped to the drinks. “A Coke,” I said, glancing at the waitress’s name tag: VALERIE.
“K.” Valerie wandered back behind the counter to get my drink.
Everything on the menu sounded good. It was all deep-fried, and the smells coming from the kitchen had my stomach rumbling. Even though blood was the main source of nutrients for a vampire, regular food was just as important. I wouldn’t die of starvation or thirst, but it would surely put me in a bad way if I didn’t eat normal food every now and again.
Valerie returned a few minutes later with my Coke. She gave me another odd smile and readied her pencil over a pad of paper. “You ready to order?”
“Just a burger and fries,
” I said, setting the menu down. “Put whatever you think is best on them.”
She jotted my order down and tucked the pad into her apron. “Let me know if I can get you anything else.” She spun on her heel and went to fill my order.
I felt itchy sitting there waiting. I sipped my Coke, at a loss as to what to do. I didn’t come to places like this to relax. Give me a beer at The Bloody Stake any day and I would be content.
Yet, sitting here felt somehow peaceful. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something about the place relaxed me, made me feel at home. Not even the blank faces on most of the people could unsettle me.
Which was somewhat worrying in itself.
A pair of men walked through the front door. Immediately, one of them turned my way and crossed the diner toward me. His companion followed behind.
I sat up, my hand going to the hilt of my sword.
“Hiya,” the man said, sitting down across from me. “Name’s Levi.” He held out a hairy arm. I stared at the proffered hand, my face going hard.
The other man sat down in one of the free chairs. He didn’t say anything, didn’t even seem to notice me sitting there. He stared straight ahead, face slack.
“That’s Ronnie,” Levi said, withdrawing his hand. “He doesn’t say much.”
I glanced between the two men, trying to decide if they were a threat. Levi was a big man, as was the smile that seemed stuck to his face. At least he was smiling, which was more than I could say about the rest of the people here. Tufts of hair stuck up from Levi’s shirt and his eyebrows were nearly crawling from his face. He was as hairy as they come.
Ronnie was his complete opposite. He was thin and might have been good looking if it wasn’t for the scruffiness of his features. It looked as though he hadn’t shaved in a few days. His clothes hung limp on him, almost like dead things. His shoulders were slumped, his eyes sagging.
“Welcome to Delai, our little slice of heaven,” Levi said. “I wanted to make sure you felt welcome.”
The two men didn’t seem dangerous, so I moved my hand back to the table. A calmness flooded over me; it seemed to come straight from Levi’s smile.
My plate of food arrived. Valerie set it down in front of me and gave Levi a quick glance before heading back to the counter. I didn’t watch her go.
“Not the talkative type, eh?” Levi said. He leaned back. “That’s okay. I just wanted to meet you and make sure everything is as you hoped.”
“I’m fine,” I said. I was having too many odd conflicting feelings and I didn’t know why. One minute I was nervous, the next, as calm as if I was safely tucked away in my own bed. I didn’t know if I should get up and leave or sit back to stay a while.
“Go ahead and eat,” Levi said. “The food’s great here. I’m sure you’ll love it.”
I frowned at him. He didn’t know me, know my tastes. “We’ll see.”
“I know you will.” He winked. “I know it’s all kind of strange here,” he said. “It’s normal. Not everyone gets comfortable right away. It’ll take time.”
“I’m not staying.”
Levi’s smile slipped for an instant before returning. “I didn’t think you were. I do hope you choose to come visit us again. You might like it here.”
I shifted in my seat. Why was this guy bugging me? I should have told him to piss off the moment he sat down.
I picked up a fry and tasted it. Levi was right. It was pretty good.
“We don’t abide by trouble here, mind you,” Levi said. “I don’t expect you are bringing any with you, but I just wanted to let you know. You have nothing to worry about here.”
I took a bite of my hamburger and stared at him, giving him the coldest stare I could manage. He didn’t seem fazed.
Levi leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table in front of him. He looked to either side and then spoke as if he was telling me a deep, dark secret. “Your sword is showing.”
I glanced down and noticed my coat was hanging open. The sheath was too long to hide easily when sitting. I flipped my coat over the weapon and sat back. As good as the food was, I didn’t want it anymore.
Levi smiled and sat back. “She’ll fit right in, don’t you think, Ronnie?”
Ronnie looked startled to be addressed. He looked up, eyes wide. He glanced at me, then at Levi, before he nodded and resumed staring at the top of the table.
“Well, I won’t keep you,” Levi said, rising. Ronnie stood almost immediately. “If you ever get some free time, come on back. I have a few things I’d love to show you. We could always use a new hand around here.”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t know what to say.
Levi laughed. “Hope to see you around. Don’t be a stranger.” With that, both he and Ronnie headed for the door.
I watched them go, unsure what to make of them. There was definitely something odd about both of them, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. I strangely felt too good to care.
Through the window, I could see Levi and Ronnie approach a pickup truck. Levi turned as if he could see me staring and waved before getting in. As he pulled away, my good feeling drained, leaving me feeling more paranoid than ever.
I took a few more bites of my food and then tossed some money on the table without waiting for the bill. I rose and headed for the door, wanting to be as far away from the place as I could as fast as I could. As comforting as Delai had been, it was really time I got home. This entire night out had been a bad idea.
No one paid me any mind as I left the diner. I half expected someone to chase after me to force me to pay at the counter, despite the money I had left on the table. Not even the people still standing around outside gave me much more than a cursory glance.
I took the time to check over my Honda, making sure no one messed with it while I was inside. Everything appeared as I had left it. I got on and started it up.
I pulled out of the parking lot, unsure what to think about the place. Part of me had enjoyed the quiet little diner, the town around it. Part of me knew that a place like that shouldn’t exist, not with so many monsters prowling the night.
I sped down the road like I was running from something. The houses zipped by, their occupants still involved in their normal lives, enjoying time with each other.
A tinge of regret fluttered through me as I put Delai behind me. I knew I didn’t belong there, yet I wanted to. I really did.
I turned toward home, putting distance between me and the quiet little town. My life might be a mess, but it was all I had. And right then, I just wanted to be home.
6
By the time I got home, Ethan was well at work in his lab and he didn’t come up until after I had retired for the day. I wasn’t sure if he was avoiding me or not. It sure felt like it.
Maybe it was my own guilt at how I treated him that made me think that way. I shouldn’t have yelled at him. He was only doing what he thought was right. So what if his idea of right involved summoning and conversing with a demon? I’ve done worse things in my life.
I spent the day pretty much brooding. I didn’t know what to think about Delai and its inhabitants, so I didn’t worry about them at all. I never had to go back. They weren’t my problem.
What I really needed was a quiet night at home. Ethan was what was important to me. I couldn’t have him mad at me, even for a little bit.
I was out of my room and down the stairs as soon as the sun went down. Ethan was up only a few minutes later, taking a shower. I took the opportunity to do something for him I had never done before.
I tried to cook.
All four eggs burst into the pan when I tried to break them. I flipped them a few times, hoping I didn’t get too much of the shell in the mess. I put on his coffee while the eggs were cooking and considered finding some bacon, but decided against it. I was butchering breakfast enough as it was without making it worse.
By the time Ethan came downstairs, I had everything on the table. He paused on the bottom step and stared. “
What’s going on?” he asked, sounding as if I was offering him a last meal before execution.
“I thought you might be hungry,” I said.
“Uh.” Ethan came the rest of the way down the stairs, looking from me to the eggs and back again. “Thanks?”
I smiled and pulled out a chair for him. He took a seat, giving me a long, confused look before examining his food. “What is it?”
I smacked him gently on the back of the head and went to sit across from him. A plate just like his sat across from me, though he was the only one with a cup of coffee.
“No, seriously,” he said, looking down at the yellow and white mess on his plate. “What is it?”
I frowned. “Did I do something wrong?” I had to admit, the eggs didn’t quite look right, but I’d never cooked before. That sort of stuff was always done for me by people who knew what in the hell they were doing.
A smile lit the corners of his mouth, making my own lips curl. It was good to see him smile. Maybe I had jumped the gun when I thought my bad mood the night before had affected our relationship.
“It looks like you burnt half of them and undercooked the other half.” He prodded the eggs with his fork and peered closer. “What is that green in there?”
I looked at my eggs and frowned. “There’s nothing green.”
He laughed and picked up his coffee mug. He took a sip and spit it right back out, making a face. “Ugh.”
“What now?”
“How did you manage to screw up coffee?” He brushed at his tongue. There were little black specs on it.
I sighed. “I don’t ever do this, you know. You’re the one who always makes your own coffee.”
“And now I know why.” He pushed the mug away. “Did you use a filter?”
“Where are they?”
He laughed again. The sound filled the whole house, making me smile despite my embarrassment. This was what I got for trying to do something that wasn’t in my nature. Give me a gun and a sword and I could do no wrong. Stick me in a kitchen and I’m likely to kill someone by accident.