Renegade

5

Winter sighed with relief as she sat on one of the bar stools after dinner service. There were only a few lingering customers chatting over dessert and coffee. The place is winding down and she could not help but smile as she pictured a long hot soak in her tub.

She had moved out of her foster parent's house just last year and is renting a small one bedroom loft in the middle of the town. It was no secret that she would have a more comfortable life in the huge house Jill and Gabe lived in but she wanted to be independent.

"You look just about ready to bolt out of here." Jackson's voice interrupted her thoughts. She blinked and looked down as he placed a mug of coffee in front of her.

"It's been a long day." She replied, straightening up and wrapping her hands around the warm cup. "Thanks."

"Any plans this evening?" 

Winter giggled and replied sarcastically. "Tons! You know how Redwater is such a hip and happening place at night!" 

Jackson smirked. "It could be, if you know where to go!" 

She rolled her eyes at him and took a sip of the coffee. He has been trying to convince Winter for some time now to go with him to some mysterious gathering that apparently involves most of the people within their age groups. She had never agreed to go even once despite the curiosity that it evoked in her. 

"I don't really believe there's any place in town that hosts a cool city rave or party." Winter retorted.

"You're such a snob!" He teased back, leaning on the counter and looking at her directly in the eyes. "If you would just go out with me, you'll definitely be pleasantly surprised at how wrong you are."

Winter stared back at him then squinted her eyes before drinking another sip of the coffee. "Nah... All I want to do right now is go home and have a long, relaxing soak in my tub!"

"Now that's a party I want to be invited in!" Jackson replied with a wink. 

"Keep dreaming, Jackson." Winter murmured. 

They both turned towards the entrance of the pub as the bell jingled signaling that someone came in. They noticed a man wearing a long dark coat come in and stand in front of the door, scanning the room. He was not old but not young either. His face was partially hooded by the hat he is wearing.

"Dinner service just finished but we still have some desserts and coffee to offer!" Jackson called out from the bar.

The man turned towards their direction and Winter felt a shiver scurry down her spine. There was something about the energy that this man is emitting and it made her a bit wary. Although, her paranoia is born out of experience. There has been a lot of mysterious happenings in Redwater that people either brushed under the rug and ignored or forgotten.

The man continued to look at them before he moved and settled on one of the seats by the window. He sat on the chair that faced directly towards the bar. He did not take off his coat and hat but signaled his gloved hand for the menu.

Winter blinked and tried to steady her nerves before standing up and reaching for the dessert menu. She jumped slightly when Jackson's hand enclosed her wrist, stopping her.

"I'll take this one. You just enjoy your coffee." He said with a grin.

Winter frowned as he turned around to take the menu to the mysterious stranger. She had seen Jackson smile at her a lot of times but the one he gave her just now looked fake and strained. In fact, Jackson looked like he was on guard or something. 

She stood up and walked behind the counter towards the cash register while keeping her eyes on Jackson and the stranger. She could feel her heart thud louder than usual as she tried to strain her ears to listen to their conversation. She could also see that Jackson is standing in a tense manner as if at any moment, he would launch himself towards the stranger and bite his neck.

Weird. Winter thought as she shook her head in an attempt to stop her paranoia. She stopped behind the register and stared as the guy began to make a move. Was he going to attack Jackson? Is this man dangerous? She held her breath as the man stood up while Jackson continued being tense, his back muscles beginning to hunch over.

Just as she was about to cry out a warning, the man began shrugging off his coat before taking off his hat revealing not some sinister stranger but well, actually just someone pretty normal. He smiled at Jackson while dictating his preference from the menu, his eyes twinkling behind his spectacles. The mysterious stranger actually looked very harmless and reminded Winter of one of her teachers in middle school.

She let out a long stream of breath as her nerves calmed down. She should really stop watching those horror and thriller films. She smiled as Jackson reached the counter and handed her the order sheet. 

Winter giggled at how absurd it was thinking that the customer was in any way menacing. The guy ordered the strawberry shortcake for crying out loud! She shook her head as she grabbed the cake from the fridge and began slicing a hefty size. She placed the plate with the cake on the tray and then added a mug of coffee, thinking to serve the guy. But again, Jackson stopped her and instead took the food to the customer.

This time the man looked directly at Winter and smiled. She grinned and told him to enjoy his dessert. However, before the man could respond, Jackson had turned around and blocked her view, giving her a wink and a huge grin.

"What's all that about?" She asked as soon as Jackson returned behind the counter.

"What?" He replied innocently while wiping down the counter top.

"You're acting weird, like the man is some psycho killer or something." 

Jackson chuckled. "You're being paranoid again. I think it's time you head home and relax." 

Winter rolled her eyes at him as she punched some numbers on the cash register and prepared the guy's receipt. "I have to do some accounting tonight after we close down, so the faster these folks leave, the better!" 

She waved as one of the group of customers stood up and said their goodnights to both Jackson and her. 

"I'll keep you company then." Jackson offered, dusting his hands off his apron. "I don't have any other plans tonight since you shot me down again."

"Oh boo freakin' hoo, Jackson." Winter teased as she gave his biceps a playful slap. "You don't have to stay here with me. Go and have some fun in your "rave" party!"

"One of these days, Win," he replied with a huge smirk "you're going to be so surprised!" 

Winter raised her eyebrow but did not say anything. She watched as Jackson went to the recently vacated table and began cleaning it up. She watched as his arm muscles rippled as he effortlessly carried the tray stacked with plates and glasses towards the kitchen. Really, a lot of the women in Redwater wanted to be Jackson's girlfriend but he did not seem that ready to commit. 

"Hi. May I have the bill please?" 

Winter jumped a little as a friendly male voice interrupted her musings. She blinked and stood straight while looking at the friendly face of their most recent customer. The mystery man seemed even less menacing up close. His face is openly warm and friendly while his smile suggested he was bookishly smart and optimistic.

"Oh, I could have taken it to you." Winter replied unable to help but smile in return. She grabbed the receipt and handed it to him.

"It's no problem. I can see that you're all winding down for the night." He replied while fishing 10$ from his wallet. He handed it to her. "Keep the change."

Winter grinned wider at the huge tip. "Thanks! I hope you enjoyed your meal."

"Oh that cake was lovely. I might come back tomorrow just to try the rest of your meal. I'm new in town on my way to a business trip in Canada. I heard some lovely things about this place so decided to see Redwater for myself."

"If you like cold, snow and tree infested mountain sides, then you are in for a treat!" Winter replied. "There are a few specialty shops in the middle of town as well as some really good trails if you are into hiking."

"I'll keep that in mind." He replied. "I also meant to ask what the hours this pub is open?"

"We serve start serving breakfast at 6 in the morning and we pretty much close down whenever there are no more customers in the evening." she explained. "We usually keep the coffee pots warm until midnight."

The man smiled again before putting on his hat and his coat.

"Thank you, Winter!" He replied with a small nod.

She was going to ask how he knew her name but then she remembered the name plate attached to her apron. She smiled and wave as the guy exited the resto. She looked around and saw that there were only two tables left with people. They were regulars who usually went home late and it took a lot of her will power to not call out to them and ask them to leave so she can go home as well.

Finally, for what seemed like an eternity, Winter was able to flip the sign on the door towards CLOSED. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was just a few minutes before one in the morning. She peered outside the glass frame of the door and noticed the light flurry that was starting. 

She really needs the hot warm soak in the tub just about now.

She pushed herself away from the door but stopped when she saw something big run across the street. It looked like a wolf or a coyote. She felt a bit wary but everyone has been used to these sightings especially in the woody parts of Redwater. Most of the time the animals stayed within the boundary of the forest but there were reports of some animals wandering into town.

She sighed and pulled the blinds down to cover the glass window of the door. Winter trudged behind the counter and started consolidating the day's earnings and tips. She could hear Jackson cleaning up in the kitchen and suddenly she felt grateful that he did not leave her yet.

After checking and rechecking the account books and making sure the entire dining area is secure, Winter untied her apron and headed towards the kitchen to get her stuff in the locker. Usually she did not deal with cleaning up since she prepped early in the morning. 

"I'm heading home!" She announced the minute she saw Jackson mopping the floors.

"Why don't you wait for me to finish up here and I can walk you home." He volunteered.

Winter shook her head and opened her small locker. She pulled out her gloves, scarf and beanie to wear on the short walk towards her apartment. It looked colder outside as per usual. 

"I'm really tired and I want that hot bath." She reasoned as she slipped her additional clothing on. She tucked her hair under the beanie and then proceeded to put on her coat. "I'm sorry I can't help you finish up." 

Jackson stood up straight and leaned on the mop. "It's not a problem. I'm not the one coming over at 4 in the morning."

Winter stuck her tongue out at him. "Yep! All the more reason to not wait for you. Imagine, I'm going to be up and about in three hours!"

"Don't you ever sleep?" He asked.

Winter smiled. "I try. But, ever since we came to Redwater, I hardly require a lot of sleep. I mean, I try to but I almost find it impossible to sleep long hours."

Jackson nodded. "You feel restless?" 

Winter frowned as she wrapped the scarf around her neck. Was it possible that Jackson was trying to lead her into some realization? It felt that way. Automatically, her mind wandered off towards the shifting incident when she was younger. She quickly brushed it aside and reminded herself that it was a bout of flu.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just neurotic in a way!" She replied with a shrug. She grabbed her sling bag that contained her phone, wallet, keys and ID. She said goodbye to Jackson who looked like he wanted to say something more but Winter shut the door as she stepped outside the snowy night.

She rubbed her hands together and proceeded to walk towards her apartment building. It wasn't that far so she declined the car Gabe wanted to give to her. Winter adored her foster parents but she always believed in working for whatever luxury she can afford. 

The apartment building wasn't exactly a tall, spacious building. Like most of the infrastructure in Redwater, the buildings were only up to 4 floors high. Winter was lucky enough to get a pretty decent place at the topmost floor in one of the highest buildings in town. It was also lucky of her to get a bathroom with a tub and enough hot water she needed any time.

Winter rounded the corner that led to the small walkway towards the building. It wasn't a long walk but it isn't short either. The path is situated between a spacious space on her right side and the forest boundary on her left. Usually this is her favorite part of the walk because she can just stand still for a minute and enjoy nature.

However, tonight, the woods seemed extra menacing. This made Winter want to walk faster towards her apartment building. She felt like someone has been watching her ever since she left the pub. She tried to keep calm and talk herself into believing that she's being paranoid. 

She clutched her jacket closer to her body as she hurried the last few yards towards the safety of the building. She was about to sigh with relief as she neared the entrance when something huge and heavy rammed her side.

Winter watched in slow motion as her body flew towards the left side, falling to the snow covered ground. She heard a loud thud as her head hit the ground and then a low, angry growl just before everything turned black.