Chapter Two
I sat dejectedly looking out the window. I had no idea how I was going to get home, which was silly, because I only lived about three blocks away. But for the past two weeks I had been afraid to walk home alone, especially after dark.
The couple of times I had been out late and the sun had already gone down, I’d had my stepdad pick me up. It had worked fine, except that tonight he had poker and my shift at the coffee shop had ended an hour late. It was now almost ten o’clock.
“Charlotte, what are you still doing here?” Mr. Jefferson asked as he came out of the back. I saw him and smiled. He reminded me of Santa Claus, all white beard and pot belly. “We did good business today. It’s always good in the summer,” he said, happily rubbing his hands together.
“Just deciding how I’m getting home,” I told him. But he wouldn’t give me a ride. He slept above the coffee shop and I wasn’t even sure he had a car. But I was tempted to ask him to at least walk me part of the way.
“Charlotte, you’re eighteen years old. You should be able to find your way home by now,” he joked.
I gave him a small smile. “Yeah, I know.”
Despite his encouragement, I still didn’t move. When he realized I wasn’t going anywhere he walked around the counter and sat on the bench next to me.
“Everything all right?” he asked. I’d been working for him for a year now and he knew me pretty well.
“Yeah, fine,” I said. There was no way I could tell him what was wrong. He’d just think I was crazy. I had tried to tell one of my friends a couple of days ago and she had laughed at me. Of course, I might laugh too if one of my friends told me that a massive black dog with red eyes was following her around and that now whenever she went outside at night, a thick mist would swirl around her. When I told her about that happening to me, my friend laughed so hard she fell out of her chair, then teased me about being afraid of the dark.
“Not looking forward to college starting?” he asked.
“No, definitely not,” I grumbled. “It should be illegal to have classes while the sun is out. School should be a rainy day activity.”
Mr. Jefferson chuckled.
“I’m sure you’ll do well this year,” he told me kindly. “It’s a great, exciting step in your life.”
“Yeah, thanks,” I said. He was right, but the easiest thing to worry about was the unknown. “I guess I should head home now.”
Mr. Jefferson had been my last hope. I knew there wasn’t anything else for it. I’d have to walk alone.
With my hand on the doorknob I turned to Mr. Jefferson and asked, “Have you ever come across an animal you knew was evil?”
Mr. Jefferson looked surprised. “There are some pretty bad animals out there, Char,” he said. “Plus, unfortunately some get rabies and are sick.”
Rabies. Hmm, that was something I hadn’t thought of. Maybe the dog had rabies. I wondered if that would give it red eyes. Somehow I didn’t think so. “Thanks again,” I said.
Mr. Jefferson, not noticing my apprehension as anything unusual, told me to have a good night.
I took a deep breath and told myself I was being silly. I was eighteen years old and nothing ever happened in this town. I couldn’t still be afraid of things that went bump in the night. It was just a stupid dog, and of course there was mist. I lived in Maine and there were a million lakes and the ocean. Just because the mist seemed to swirl around me until I almost couldn’t see anything was irrelevant. Right?
Yeah, sure.
I opened the front door and listened to the welcome bell jingle as I stepped outside. It was odd to feel so scared in a place where I’d spent so much of my life. Since it was late – past eight o’clock is late where I grew up – all the other shops along Main Street were closed. I could hear a car coming in the distance, but I knew it would just speed past.
For a moment I stood still, uncertain. Since I only lived three blocks away, all I had to do was walk down Main Street and then turn right into the residential area. It was literally a five-minute walk.
But I couldn’t move. At this moment I hated where I lived as passionately as I’d ever hated anything. I’d be fine as long as I was on Main Street, but my street had no street lamps.
“This sucks,” I muttered. Every part of my body was tense, so I pulled my phone out of my bag and held it in my hand, ready to call for help if I had to.
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