Tribulation (Soulless Wanderers, #0)

by Drew Strickland

  “Okay, hun. Just the coffee?”

  Daniel nodded as she put down the receipt for him. Nothing a five dollar bill couldn’t cover, plus tip. “Thanks, I think I’m gonna hit the head before going out.”

  “Okay, just be careful for that poor girl. Such a shame, isn’t it?”

  “You’re too kind,” Daniel told Theresa, and he meant every word of it. Her kindness is what got the better of her.

  Daniel walked by the ladies’ room and pressed his ear against the door. There was no sound from inside. He slowly eased the door open and peeked inside. There was nobody there. He turned to the men’s room and opened the door. Nobody. He turned his attention down the hallway and saw another door. It led to what looked like a storage room. Inside, there was a sliver of light from a door that was cracked open. He smiled and turned around. He quickly left the building and looked outside.

  The sun was getting a little lower, but it was still bright. There was no young woman in sight. Daniel put his hand against his belt and felt the knife still sitting there. He was glad he had decided to bring it with him on his hike. He had no intention of killing anyone when he started the trek, but life was always throwing curves and gifts, and he was glad to be ready for them when they came. He made his way around the building and took a quick glance.

  There stood the girl, her attention on the door she had escaped from. His instincts were right to come around the other way. She would have been spooked had he come through the back door. She was counting the cash she had stolen from the counter. By her feet was a box of what looked like liquor. Not only did she skip her bill and steal the cash from the counter, but she also raided their supplies. Daniel was impressed. He supposed everyone had their own quirks. She stole and he killed.

  He stepped forward, nearing closer to her. She still hadn’t seen him, but when his foot hit the loose gravel in the road, she heard him. Her head whipped around and her eyes met Daniel’s. “Where’d you come from?” she asked.

  “That’s pretty impressive, what you did in there.”

  “Glad you liked it. Now fuck off.”

  Daniel smiled and took a step closer. She was scared, and Daniel could feel it. She was used to conning and getting away with it, but here he was. She wasn’t going to have any fight in her. She was obviously a flight person. He took a step closer, closing the gap between them. “So, what’s your story?”

  “You’re not gonna find the kind of fun you’re looking for with me, pervert. I’m not that hard up,” she said, looking him over. Daniel didn’t move. It wasn’t the right time to make his attack, but she saw him and knew he was suspicious. He didn’t know how to let this one go now. Before he could think of anything, she made the decision for him. She quickly threw a fist at his face, striking him across the jaw and got behind him. “I warned you.” She pulled a knife out and brought it to his throat.

  Daniel had obviously underestimated this woman. Once again, he found himself helpless and trapped. This was definitely not going the way he had planned, but then again, what was his plan? The back door swung open, and Theresa popped her head out. Before Daniel knew it, the girl had taken off and was out of sight. Theresa turned and looked at Daniel, now standing by himself.

  “Everything OK?”

  Daniel looked around at the complete emptiness of the alley. The waitress hadn’t seen the girl in the alley with him. ”I will be.” Daniel grabbed at his throat, feeling where the blade was pushed against it just moments ago. More than ever, Daniel was convinced that this girl was going to be the perfect person. He was just going to need help.

  7

  Daniel could still feel where the knife had been pushed against his skin. There wasn’t any damage, but the memory of it felt so real still. It was more his ego and pride that were hurt. He was hoping to change all of that, even if it meant tucking his tail between his legs and asking Greg for help. He wanted to repay his friend for such a great gift, and maybe he was still doing that. Letting Greg in on the hunt was probably a better idea anyway.

  Daniel saw the hill ahead of him, topped with the red walls of the shipping container. He made it up the incline and opened the door. Greg flung around, startled by the noise. “Christ, Daniel. Where the fuck have you been?”

  Daniel smiled. “Did I actually get the jump on you?”

  “You wish. Startling someone is a lot different than getting the jump on them.” Greg’s chest pumped up and down as he breathed heavily.

  “Whatever you say, man, but I think I know the truth.”

  Greg shook his head. “You gonna answer my question or not?”

  “A hike. I wanted to stretch my legs—”

  “Which takes like ten minutes, not a whole afternoon.”

  “I found a girl.”

  Greg’s ears perked up, and Daniel saw his eyes flare inside. “Go on.”

  “She’s alone. I know that for sure. No car, no friends in town. Says she is heading to a funeral—”

  “So, someone will be looking for her if she doesn’t show.”

  “Nope. She’s lying. I have no idea where she is going, but she’s definitely not going to be expected by anyone.”

  “How do you know all of this?”

  “I followed her.” Daniel found himself smiling. Greg really seemed interested in the girl, so he knew he made a great find. It was a great moment while it lasted.

  “And she didn’t see you?”

  “Not quite. She saw me, but only because I was in the room. Nothing major.” Greg nodded, still waiting for more. “Until the diner.”

  “What happened at the diner?”

  “She jumped out on the bill, so I went to look for her. She kind of got the jump on me.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “I mean, I approached her, and she got spooked.”

  “So, she ran?”

  “Or put a knife to my throat and threatened me.” Daniel felt a wash of red fill his cheeks. Telling his friend and mentor some girl got the better of him was quite embarrassing.

  “Sounds scrappy. Maybe we should move on, find someone else.”

  “No way, she is definitely the one.”

  “You fucked it all up, Daniel. She’s already on to you.”

  “Maybe not. I know where she’s staying and where she is going tonight, some club named Penny’s. She doesn’t know who you are. Besides, she just thinks I’m some dude looking for a cheap fuck.”

  Greg narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Funny, because that’s who I always thought you were, too.”

  “Very funny. So, what do you say?”

  Greg thought for it a moment, then smiled. “I hope you have something nice to wear, `cause it looks like we’re going clubbing.”

  8

  The bar, or club, depending on who you were asking, was packed full of people. For being such a small town, Daniel would never have guessed there would be this many people filling the building. The building was much larger than he would have imagined, as well. When they entered, it almost felt like a gentleman’s club, not that Daniel had been to one, but he had seen what they looked like on TV.

  Once they were passed the front desk, where they accepted the cover charge for entering, it opened into a large bar. Tables and chairs were scattered about with booths tucked into the corners. Past the tables was a very open dance floor. There were two different levels, separated by steps, but they both played the same music. People gathered and humped wildly as the music blared. Daniel thought it was interesting to see people blatantly rub up on each other, not trying to be subtle about the fact that all they wanted to do was fuck, yet nobody was actually trying to fuck. Instead, they danced.

  Daniel shimmied his shoulders as the button-up shirt rubbed against him in ways he wasn’t used to. He usually felt comfortable in a short-sleeved shirt, maybe a Henley or Polo. The dress shirt with a collar was something new to him. He had never tried to look dressy. He looked over to Greg, who looked like he fit right in. He moved his head slightly to the music
and wore a button-up shirt with some gaudy design across the front that wrapped to the back. The only thing that made him stick out was his age. Greg was ten years older than Daniel, and while he didn’t look uncomfortable, he definitely looked older. Daniel however was the right age but looked awkward. He wasn’t young enough to pass as a college kid, like many of the others in the building, but he was only in his late twenties, so it wasn’t far off.

  Daniel was beginning to regret the club decision. Not only did he feel out of place, but it was packed. With this many people here, it would take forever to find the purple streaked brunette. Besides, how would they get her out of here with all these eyes? “I don’t know, Greg.”

  Greg shook his head. “We’ll be fine. Just loosen up, Danny.” Greg shouted over the music. “We can find her. You know what she looks like, so I’ll follow you. You said she has brown hair and purple in it?”

  Daniel nodded, it was the only thing that made her stand out. He didn’t know what she would be wearing, but he imagined it would be something just as revealing as all of the other girls in the place. He looked as a group of girls walked by them, giggling. They all had dresses on, mostly black, that pushed their breasts up high and showed about as much skin as they could before getting to the nipple. Daniel had no interest in them, but he definitely understood why all the other horny young guys would be here.

  Daniel scanned the room and saw mostly black dresses and blonde hair. Some brunettes and touches of color in the clothing, but nobody that even resembled the girl he was looking for. This was going to take forever, if it even happened at all. “I don’t know. There’s so many people here.”

  “Any good prospects, pervert?” a female voice asked from behind them. Daniel and Greg both turned around. A blonde girl stood in front of them with a smile. Daniel looked closer and saw the earrings, and then went to her eyes. It was the young woman he was looking for.

  “What happened?” Daniel asked, not completing his thought. He only motioned to his own hair.

  “Oh, the blonde? I like to change it up sometimes,” she said, smiling. “I’m Libby.” She held her hand out, but Daniel only looked at it.

  Greg stepped in and shook her hand. “Gregory. And this is Danny.”

  “Danny? I suppose I owe you an apology.” She still held her hand out, and Daniel finally took it.

  “For what?” he asked, trying to brush off what happened earlier.

  “For putting a knife to your throat. I kind of overreacted. But you caught me in the middle of everything, and I put my guard up, ya know?”

  Gregory laughed. He looked at Daniel, his eyes curious. “She seems to have gotten the jump on you again.”

  Daniel pushed Greg’s words off. “It’s OK,” he said.

  “Let me buy you a drink. Both of you, if that’s alright with you?” she looked at Greg, then back to Daniel.

  “Buy?” Daniel asked, finally getting a hold of himself.

  She winked and led them back to the bar. The three of them ordered quickly from the overworked bartender. He poured them as they asked for the drink, obviously trying to get everyone in and out. It almost seemed as if he needed more help but was able to handle it all. “Nineteen dollars,” he said, putting the drinks up.

  “Just put it on my tab,” Libby said. “It’s under Lisa Schroeder.”

  He nodded and turned around. The three of them grabbed the drinks and sat in a booth at the back of the bar.

  “Lisa?” Daniel asked.

  “Look around. Think he can tell the difference between all the other blonde’s in black dresses?”

  “I thought you said you were buying.”

  “I didn’t say where I was getting the money from, now did I?”

  Greg had a smile slapped across his face. It was obvious to Daniel that he was impressed with the girl. “So, Libby, what are you doing here?”

  She looked at Daniel, then back to Greg. “I like to tell people I’m going to my father’s funeral—”

  “I’ve heard that one,” Daniel said. He took a long sip from his whiskey and Coke he ordered. The bartender was generous with the pour. He must have been impressed with the dress Libby wore. Her breasts were shoved up high and hanging out as much as they could be. He didn’t remember her being so ample in that region earlier in the day. It was amazing what modern clothing was able to do these days.

  “Really, I’m just traveling around. This place was just on the way to Vegas. I needed a place to stop and rest, so here I am.”

  “And then what? Con your way around, taking advantage of those nicer than you?” Greg asked.

  Libby stared him down. “I didn’t see you protesting at the bar.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, I am all for whatever someone wants to do. I am just trying to understand. It’s actually quite impressive.”

  “What about you guys? Danny here walks around alone, creeping up on girls, while you what? Like to watch?”

  “I like to do more than just watch,” Greg said, the corner of his mouth lifted. “But you’ve got us all wrong. We’ve got a place here to get away.”

  “We’re just up here for fun,” Daniel said.

  “Oh, I get it,” Libby said, giggling. “I don’t know why it took me so long to understand. I think that’s just great. You two get out of town, nobody knows about it where you’re from. Now the age difference makes sense to me.”

  Daniel crinkled his forehead. He had no idea what she was talking about. Greg was older, sure, but what did that have anything to do with them getting out of town? “I don’t follow,” he finally said.

  “It’s okay, Danny. I’m accepting of all of that. Though, you’d think a bigger city would be where you’d be more accepted instead of a small town like this. I think it’s great, although a little disappointed. You were a little too handsome to be true,” she said with another wink. “The good looking ones seem to always bat for the other team.”

  It finally hit him. “We’re not gay,” Daniel said. Greg only laughed.

  “It took you a while for it to settle in, Danny.” It obviously didn’t bother Greg, and honestly, Daniel had no idea why it bothered him. He wasn’t gay, not that he had a problem with anyone who was gay. They all bled the same to him. But that it was coming from Libby. She had bested him twice now, and it was as if she could just say and do whatever she wanted.

  “You’re not?” she asked. “Then maybe I still have a chance,” she said, getting closer to Daniel. She put a hand on his leg, and he jumped back. “Or maybe not.” She licked her teeth and smirked.

  Nobody had made Daniel more uncomfortable than this woman had. Something about her kept drilling into him, kept driving him crazy. It was like she was always one step ahead of him and his mind couldn’t keep up.

  “I appreciate the drink, Libby. But you didn’t come here to sit in a booth with an old guy and, well, an awkward idiot, did you?”

  She laughed. “I’ve been enjoying the company, but I suppose not. Thanks for the chat, and the laughs,” she said, looking at Daniel.

  “Anytime,” Greg said. Daniel only glared at her as she walked away.

  “What the hell was that, Greg?” Daniel asked. “Why did you send her away?”

  “What the fuck were we gonna do, Daniel? Sit here, talk to her while she kept fucking with your head? You really think you could turn it around?”

  “I wouldn’t have to. We’d only need to take her and kill her. It wouldn’t matter how much she was in my head.”

  Greg shook his head. “That’s not how this works. She seemed like the perfect target, but she’s a wildcard. She’s too unpredictable, and I’m not gonna fuck everything up just because you have some beef with a girl who pulled a knife on you. Do you understand?”

  Daniel nodded. He didn’t agree at all with Greg. He fumed, his neck getting hot from the anger. He hated to roll over and accept it, but he wouldn’t dare challenge Greg. Not to his face, at least. Daniel stood up. “I’m gonna go walk around.”

  �
�Just forget about her, Daniel. Go talk to some people, but make sure you’re nice and Danny about it all. We’ll blow off some steam, don’t worry. We’ll find an easier target.”

  Daniel walked away from the table. He already had his target and nothing was going to stand in his way of getting what he wanted.

  9

  Daniel couldn’t stop thinking about how wrong Greg was. He had listened to his friend so much, but this time he wasn’t right. Daniel had to prove him wrong. Libby was a little bit different than who they were used to killing. Yes, she was a little bit wild. Yes, she took advantage of people. But all the more reason that it should be her. She still checked all the boxes. She wasn’t anyone important. She didn’t have any people looking for her or any close loved ones. She was technically a stain on humanity. Maybe she wasn’t lazy, but she didn’t offer anything to anyone.

  Daniel looked around at the crowd. He had already lost her in the small amount of time that it took for he and Greg to have a conversation that went nowhere. Daniel was wasting his time trying to convince Greg, and Greg was wasting his time trying to do the opposite. Now, he stood in the middle of a dance club looking at a sea of blondes again. At least he knew what he was looking for. The problem was, that described almost every other woman in the building. Oh well, technically, he had all night.

  Daniel walked to the bar and waited for the bartender to show him attention. This time, he wasn’t so quick. Daniel didn’t have the benefit of large tits nearly popping out. He watched the overworked bartender pass him by twice before finally speaking up. “Hey, the longer I stand here, the longer I take up space that one more of these floozies could be using instead.”