Chapter 15

Night had fallen since I had woken up, and the garish outdoor lights gave the world a surreal quality. My wet hair was ruffled by a cool breeze that was heavy with a smell of dead leaves, dying grass, and car exhaust.

In the grip of darkness, the world was once more opened to the possibilities of monsters, despite the closeness of civilization, and I could no longer discern fact from fiction in my mind. Had I been attacked by a coven and saved by a man walking only a few feet from me? Were any of my memories real, or they were all fantasy?

Staring at D's broad-shouldered back, I wondered if I wanted to find out what was real and what wasn't. After all, maybe it could appear that maybe I wouldn't like what I had to discover.

I had no other option but to follow this guy, D across the motel parking lot to the sidewalk. Under the odd colored street lights, although I was tensed and overwhelmed. I wasn't sure of what to do yet. My skin glowed pasty white and the sidewalk seethed in a thick boiling black: a surreal scene after so much confusion here and there.

I couldn't speak to him, nor did he want to speak back to me, or whatsoever, but we couldn't just speak to each other at all as we headed towards a certain small gas station and canteen in the middle of nowhere.

Only the eerie sound of the rustling cornfield broke the silence.

The convince stall was a typical concrete building, it was decorated with a grinning turtle. Tapped to the large glass windows were an assortment of signs advertising hay rides, houses to let, and a tow for on-sale cigarettes.

Further, there was an advert for the red label. It was the arrangement before that caught my attention, though. There was a rack of maps and sunglasses, a stand of motor oil and anti-freeze, and an array of junk food in appealing multi-coloured packaging.

The door chummed as we walked in, and the clerk behind the place's counter, a girl this time of about eighteen, gave us an alarmed look, it was just a surprise to her I guessed.

Shawn, the man with broad shoulders went on to the fridge at a far corner, for the Twinkies. The employees had their eyes on us suspiciously, and I wanted to glare at D and at what he was doing.
Though, to the girl's credit I supposed we made an interesting pair. I looked wet and wrinkled while D looked quite brilliant, so brilliant in fact, that I found myself glancing towards him more than once.

I picked out a handful of junk food and dumped it on the counter in an unceremonious heap. However, the shopboy was more interested in watching D than checking up on my purchases. "Mh oh- ah ah" I had to clear my throat and the boy muttered, "Will that be enough for all of you?" A snappy reply rose to my lips, but my attention was drawn to the Cigarette label display behind the boy.

Two for one was really a good advert, and a good idea- in fact, a very good deal, and right there, I could use something good. Just one cigarette or so, as probably I'll go back to not drinking anymore, or maybe never.

Maybe I would stick to smoking again, after all, that was the best time as any to start a backup. Mutilated fun buddies were one thing, but I needed cigarettes to deal with a coven.

"A packet of cigarettes, give me one please." "There's uhm-, sport ma'am very special.." the boy answered back as he stuttered without looking at me. "Uhm- okay, but I guess that will be best for me right now, and that is why I asked for a packet." I pulled the crumpled bill out of my pocket and stared at the little boy expectantly. And when he didn't move, I snapped, "he is not going to rob the place, so get over it." The boy gapped, but I had finally gotten his attention.

He blinked, no doubt working on a suitable reply but I repeated my request and the boy reluctantly grabbed a packet of cigarettes, labeled Sport and dropped it on the counter with my collection.
D reached my side, a bottle of fruit juice in his hand. His eyes had a heap on the counter, and one of his eyebrows raised disapprovingly. "Cigarette?"

"I did quit" I offered by way of explanation.
"Then maybe you should stay that way?"

I ignored him and directed the little boy to ring up the juice and some other lemon as well. With my paltry change in my pocket and the bag of goodies balanced on my lip, I followed D outside.

I finished the juice out and offered it to him, but he shook his head and nodded towards a payphone near a corner of the building. "Allow me to make a phone please, if you would excuse me!" He took a couple of steps then added, "Wait for me over here- just wait!"

I started to ask why I had to wait but, decided to let it go. I didn't reply and tell him that I didn't want to stand over there and watch him on the phone anyway. I plopped down on the curb and eyed the bag of food. It was weird that he'd just gotten juice, but then maybe he was out of cash. He had paid for the room, "maybe" after all.

My eyes are storeyed from the bag to D. He leaned casually against the phone's rusty metal shroud, his face enveloped in darkness. Multiple shadows stretched out behind him, long and black. It reminded me of the multiple complications I was facing- shadowy wraiths of half-memories and weird stories.

The idea was unsettling so I reached into my bag of treasures and soon had a cigar between my upper and lower lips.