Hunted

Mick

Fog is covering every building in sight. Fuck, if I ever slept, this would be too early. I huff, glancing at the dash. It's fucking 5 o' clock in the morning. Red flashes in the corner of my eye. "Oh, shit!" I slam on my breaks, trying to avoid running the stop sign, still cursing out loud. "Fucking fog" The rumble of my old blazer is the only noise in this small ghost town. I park by the sidewalk near what appears to be their coffee shop. If it's worth a damn, it'll be open...

When I step out of my vehicle, I'm greeted by the Autumn air. That, followed by a cool breeze. This is my favorite time of year. There's a smell. It reeks of some...thing. Vamp? Shifter? Witch? What the hell is it? I shrug my shoulders, then step onto the sidewalk. Five tables occupy the space outside. Each one has papier-mâché pumpkins with leaves, in the middle. Some even have the cliche black cat added. Arched back, spiked fur, the whole thing. These fuckers go all out with the cheesy Halloween shit, huh. There's a wooden sign near the door, swinging and creaking in the wind. Mystic Brew. I scoff, "this has to be the place."

Cheesy ass Jack-O'-Lanterns and goofy little spiders cover the otherwise clear windows. There's two folks working at the counter inside. One looks like they could kick my ass, despite their height. Their hair is cut short and everything they're wearing is over sized. They have feminine facial features, but it could be a dude. Fuck if I know. There's another, but her face isn't showing. It's buried in the book she's reading. All I can see is long, black hair. So, I assume it's a her. Heh, nerd.

On the door to Mystic Brew, there's a stupid cartoon vampire with fangs. He's smiling and waving. To make things worse "Velcome" is printed above his head. This is fucking ridiculous. Everything here screams fucking stereotypical bleh bleh bleh bull-shit. I reach up, pulling the door handle. It opens and immediately, there's the most obnoxious noise I've ever heard.

'Ting Ting Ting'

What the fuck? My eyes dart up in reaction. It's a fucking bell. Why, and why the fuck does it have to be so loud? After the shrill of it dies down, I scan the room to make sure it's clear. I'm the only person here besides those two. You need to find all exits before taking another step. That's what my father always told me in the beginning of my training. My mind also creates weapons out of various objects around me. Most of the things here have the potential to hurt someone. Good, I may need to use that to my advantage.

All of those random thoughts are interrupted by one of the workers. Turns out the nerd is a girl. She perks up from her book. "Good morning! Welcome to Mystic Brew," her voice is soft and different. I need to hear it again. No, I came to this town for a reason, and it's not some nerdy chick. When my eyes lock on hers, I freeze.

Sage

'Ting Ting Ting'

Shit, dude. My body twitches involuntarily. I jerk my attention from the book I was reading, to the sudden disturbance. A ringing noise alerts me, and everybody else in range, somebody is here. Although the bell is successful in its job, it's fucking annoying. Sam, my co-worker, and I, tell the owner how much we loathe it every time we come in for our shift. In case you couldn't tell, he doesn't care.

A crisp, Fall breeze enters before a mysterious, dark haired man steps inside, spreading the aroma of fresh coffee and muffins. There's two things I notice immediately. One, his beard. The next, his energy. He's never been here before. I would have remembered. Not just that, our small town doesn't get many visitors.

"Good morning, welcome to Mystic Brew." I smile, hopefully welcomingly, while sliding my current read into a large pocket on the purple work apron that's tied to my waist. My eyes are fixated on the man holding his position in the doorway. The scowl that spreads across his face leads me to think he's not a fan of the bell either. Tell the boss, dude, we've tried.

Once the remainder of the sound fades out, his eyes drop. I follow them around the cafe. He seems to be judging his surroundings before deciding what to do. Strange. I start to wonder what his deal is, when he moves.

He takes one step forward. Almost black eyes meet mine. The uncomfortable look he had shifts to focus. Damn, why so intense?