The Vampire's Second Chance Part 1
1979 자
I worked the overnight shifts at the Flying Star gas station and convenience store on the edge of town. I worked alone from ten at night to five in the morning. It was a little nerve wracking. I wasn't a hugely social person, but seven hours was a long time to go with only a few interactions with people.
Usually, I cleaned and stocked in the middle of the night. That night, I was trying to distract myself from the noise of the raging storm and my disappointment at having to come in on my night off
My coworker, Tiny, got into a bar fight the night before and decked one of the cops who came in to break it up. He would be in jail until he was arraigned, his girlfriend wouldn't bail him out again. My manager was apoplectic.
She had promised me the night off because it was my thirty-fifth birthday and I was going out with my friends. As the storm rolled in, that afternoon, they started calling to cancel. I realized I was going to spend my birthday alone.
No friends. No relatives. No boyfriend. I called up my manager and told her I'd take the shift and just take a three-day weekend next week.
So I'd driven my crappy car through the lake size puddles and sheets of rain. I'd let the swing shift go shortly after I got there instead of insisting they finish their afterwork. I didn't want them to get caught up in the storm. They were mostly college kids and called me 'mom'.
They were the closest I'd probably ever get to having kids. I wasn't bitter about it, though. I had the best time during my twenties. I partied, traveled, and got to try everything I ever wanted. I regretted nothing.
When I came back home, my friends had all gone to college or gotten married… or both. They weren't the wild women I remembered. They grew out of it much sooner than I did.
In the three years since I got back home, I'd tried a lot of different jobs. Betsy tried getting me a job in her office, but nine to five wasn't my jam. I waitressed, bartended, secretaried, and finally ended up here. This was a perfect fit. I would sleep all day and be able to stay up all night.
The storm drove away customers. Two of my regulars, police officers on patrol, came in early in my shift and told me they'd check in on me a couple times. They were always really nice and it made me feel safer.
It was just after one in the morning. I’d finished the deep cleaning that I would do on really slow nights and started stocking the coolers. Soon, I was discarding out of date products and getting ready to move on to the shelves of dry goods.
I was startled from my work as the automatic doors opened and the chime went off. I came around the corner and saw a man folding an umbrella. He was tall and well-built from behind.
Moving around the counter, I smiled and made half-hearted apologies. Habits of customer service. I didn’t even look up until he responded.
“Please, miss. I’m the one who should be sorry. Something seems to be wrong with my credit cards. They aren’t working in the pumps.”
His voice was smooth and deep. Almost soothing. Like a voice that makes you immediately feel safe.
Looking up, I saw that he had a strong jaw, a lush mouth topped with a moustache, prominent cheekbones, an aristocratic nose, and the most gorgeous aquamarine eyes I’d ever seen. His salt and pepper hair was disheveled from the wind outside. He was a serious silver fox. I almost started drooling.
“Umm. I can try your card here.” I offered.
“Please.” He smiled and handed me his card.
I slid it through the computer and it came back with an error. I tried it again and got the same result. I handed him back the card and we tried another. It still didn’t work.
“It’s like the strips have been demagnetized. You’ll need to talk to your credit card company and your bank about getting new cards.” I told him.
“I have forty dollars. My car won’t need that much, but I don’t know how much it would need.” He muttered as he dug through his wallet and pulled out a couple bills.
“I can authorize the forty and you come back after you’ve filled up. I’ll get you the change.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your help.”
Thunder crashed and the lights flickered. That made me nervous. I quickly put his transaction through and gave him a thumbs up.
When he left, I picked up the inventory sheet and went out to write down what items I needed to grab from the back. It was a good job to keep me distracted while he pumped his gas. I wouldn’t be as focused on the storm.
It wasn’t the storm itself that worried me. It was the flickering lights. I stayed up all night for a reason.
Six years ago, I’d been at a festival with some friends I traveled with. We walked away from the main area to explore the woods at night.
The moon was only a sliver. It was dark and hard to see. It made it even more thrilling as we told each other scary stories while we walked.
There had been a growl from some bushes. We got nervous and turned back. I was behind everyone, so when we heard something chasing after us, they didn’t have to out run the creature, just me. And they did.
It knocked me to the ground and I felt it change from a wolf to a man. He rolled me over and ripped my shirt open. He was naked and I was terrified.
I reached up and jammed my thumbs into his eyes as hard as I could. His hands changed into claws and he slashed at me as I crawled out from under him. I could feel the blood running down my body as I ran back to the festival.
My friends were on the other side of the tree line arguing about whether they should go back on their own or get festival security to come with. I stumbled out, holding the slashes over my ribs. They caught me as I fell to the ground, my adrenaline crashed and the blood loss finally got to me.
I’d always heard stories about werewolves, but I’d never seen one until that night. I was rushed to the hospital and they had to put in hundreds of stitches to piece the flesh over my ribs back together. It was the end of my traveling and partying days.
One thing I didn’t count on, was how much of a deal breaker scars could be with men. It was why I didn’t have a boyfriend. The first date or two went well. Then we had the s*x talk and I told them about the scars or I showed them. Mainly because the first guy who saw them without warning ran away so fast he left his shoes.
Now, the dark terrified me. I couldn’t sleep in the dark. I stayed awake all night. I kept my lights on. I made sure I was always around people on my days off. I wouldn’t let the monsters get a second chance.
My job was perfect, because I had a reason to stay up all night and the store was always bright. Even the lot around the store was bright. It was like a beacon of safety. Except on stormy nights when the lights flickered.
I heard the doors open and the chime ding. I came back from the dry goods and went behind the counter again. I put in the code for a difference return and the drawer popped open.
After collecting the change, I handed it off to the silver fox. He smiled. His teeth were perfectly straight and white. Men who came in at this hour almost never had all their teeth, and what they did have was poorly kept.
He looked down at my nametag and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Thank you for your assistance, Billie.”
“No problem, sir. It’s what I’m here for.”
The man turned to leave and there was a flash of lightning followed immediately by a clap of thunder that shook the building. Then, everything went dark. I froze and started panicking.
“Billie? Are you alright? You’re hyperventilating. Take deep, even breaths. You’re okay.”
I felt a cool hand cover mine on the counter and shrieked before jumping away. I ended up crashing into the display behind me and falling to the floor. Once I was on the floor, it seemed that my senses came back to me.
“I’m so sorry.” I whispered as I started feeling around under the counter for the flashlight.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s pitch black and you were already panicking. Are you afraid of the dark?” He asked gently.
“Unfortunately. And our generator is waiting on parts to come in, so it’s down right now.” I explained as I searched.
When I found the flashlight, I turned it on and looked at the mess I’d made. At least it was only a customer who witnessed it. I could always tell my manager that I just bumped into it because it was dark.
“I can manually open the doors for you. I’m sure you don’t want to sit in a dark convenience store.” I said as I made my way out from behind the counter.
“I do.”
“What?”
“You’re frightened. The streetlights are out, making it even darker. I know young women can take care of themselves, but I’ve lived a long time and it’s instilled certain practices in me. I can’t leave a frightened young woman in the dark.” He replied.
I laughed. “You don’t have to stay because you have a thing about damsels in distress. I’ll be fine. I can manage this.”
“I’m not leaving. I can stay until the lights are on or someone comes in to be with you. When do the other cashiers come, Billie?”
“Five. The next shift starts at five.”
After I said that, I realized I just told him I was all alone until five in the morning. I didn’t know anything about him, other than the fact that he was hot. He could be a serial killer or something.
“You’re starting to breathe quickly again. I was only checking because I have to be home before seven. I didn’t want to leave you alone if it was still dark at that time. My name is Dennis. Dennis Lyons.” He told me.
“Billie Mason. Well, Sybil, but I go by Billie.” I said.
“Sybil is a lovely name. Would it be okay if I got you a bottle of water from the coolers? You look like you could use some water to help calm you.”
“What do you mean I ‘look like’ I need water?” I squeaked.
“The flashlight is shaking like it’s on a paint mixer, Billie.”
“Oh. I forgot I was holding it. Yeah. Water might be a good idea.” I chuckled nervously.
I heard him head for the coolers on the far wall and I tried to take calming breaths. He didn’t seem like a bad guy. This would be fine. No werewolves could get me. I was safe.
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