Chapter 7
Derek
Derek couldn’t believe that he’d let Clayton talk him into this insanity. What the hell was he thinking, anyway?
You know what he’s thinking, he scolded himself, he wants you to get to know her so you’ll feel guilty about not interfering with the High Council. Doesn’t hurt that her friend is easy on the eyes, either.
As if he needed help with feeling like a royal asshole. That particular feeling just sunk in deeper as he watched her walk away with her cheeks slightly flushed after their bout of ‘Who’s gonna blink first?’ He sighed and sipped his drink, stuck in his own thoughts as the conversation flowed around him. His main problem was that he just didn’t want to get distracted from trying to find Damian. And once he found him, he’d be leaving the area again anyway so he wouldn’t even be around to help her. His priority was Damian. Always Damian. That boy was his whole world and if he couldn’t get him back…He didn’t even want to think about it.
Then why the hell didn’t you look away when she caught you staring? He stifled a laugh at himself, knowing exactly why. She was a beautiful woman. Maybe not classically beautiful, but he found himAnd those bright, pale green eyes of hers definitely outshone the foggy memory of them he’d had. Especially when framed by her dark brown and purple hair. It didn’t help that Clayton and Sherry seemed to be hitting it off. Which, surprisingly, made him happy even if it did have the potential to complicate his plan of not getting involved with this woman. Clayton deserved to have some fun, after all. He just wished it wasn’t with these two. Avery had already recognized him once. Thankfully, humans did this great thing where they denied the truth if it didn’t fit into their version of reality. So, naturally, she talked herself out of what her eyes and her gut knew. In her mind, there was no way he was the same man. It just wasn’t possible, exactly like she’d said.
Shaking his head silently, he took a drink of his soda and sat back, tuning his attention back to Clayton and Sherry’s conversation.
“You know, I’m pretty sure all this political polarization is just a way to keep the people distracted. The problem is, everyone’s so distracted that nobody knows where to even look to find out what else might be going on. Plus, it’s not like the issues they’re throwing at us aren’t important. But it just raises the question of, what the fuck are they hiding, then, if they’re using this bullshit to hide it?” Sherry was saying.
“See, this is why I don’t vote. I don’t trust any politician as far as I can throw ‘em. Hell, probably not even that far.” Clayton laughed, shaking his head, “None of them truly give a flying fuck about the little guy, so what’s the point of even trying?”
“At least if we vote we get the choice of who’s going to fuck us raw?” Derek chimed in. “How’d you guys even get onto this political shit anyway? You hate talking politics, Clayton.”
“Well, I mean, I don’t hate it. It just usually ends up in an argument because most people are stupid. Sherry,” he gestured toward the woman in question, “seems to be a rare exception.”
“I don’t know about all that, but I do know a lot more than I used to thanks to Avery. She tries to stay out of the bullshit too, but something always draws her back in,” Sherry huffed, “Once that girl gets started researching, she doesn’t stop until she knows everything about the subject. Don’t even get her started on this abortion shit going on now. Unless, of course, you’d like to have an hour-long lecture about it.” Sherry laughed, “I’m actually surprised she hasn’t dug into the adoptive parents that picked up that kid today.”
Derek’s ears perked up at that, without trying to show too much interest, he caught Sherry’s eyes and held them, “Why would she want to look into the foster parents? What was wrong with them?” He pushed a little power behind his gaze, allowing his eyes to start swirling gently, forcing the truth from her lips. This was a power he rarely found the need for. He always figured that if he had to force a person to be honest, then it wasn’t somebody he wanted to interact with, anyway. That he was using it on this sweet woman made his stomach turn, but he’d use every trick he had if it’d get him closer to his son.
“She said there’s something off about them. Can’t figure out what, but she swears there was something weird. They were just tooperfect.” Sherry answered monotonously. Clayton elbowed Derek in the ribs, hard, and he coughed, breaking the stare with Sherry. Closing his eyes and calling his power back into his chest where it always sat in wait for him, he breathed deeply.
“Whatchya all talkin’ about now?” Avery’s voice made him jump, he opened his eyes slowly and glanced at Sherry, who was trembling slightly. A quick shake of her head and it was like the last thirty seconds had never happened as she turned to Avery.
“Oh, just politics and bullshit. Ya know. Oh! I think I see our food coming out!.” She scooted out of the booth, allowing Avery to slide back in against the wall. Derek couldn’t help but look at the bandages down her arms, which she’d mostly kept hidden til then. Yeah, he’d seen them earlier but hadn’t realized just how extensive they were. They nearly covered both her forearms, and there was even one up on her bicep.
“Are those from the car accident?”
Avery looked up and met his eyes, moving her arms on top of the table, he watched her finger the one that was around her upper forearm. “Yeah. I had to break out the back window to get the kid out. Didn’t really get all the shards sticking out of the window though. Probably gonna have some decent scarring, but…it was worth it, you know? I’m glad the kid’s gonna be alright. Even if I couldn’t get to his Dad.”
Derek’s throat squeezed tight at the mention of his supposed ‘death.’ Just imagining the terror that Damian must have felt throughout the whole ordeal made his skin heat. He swallowed roughly and took a sip of his soda before he tried to speak. “Well, I’m sure if his Dad was here, he wouldn’t have wanted you to do things any differently.” Derek reached out, placing his hand lightly over hers before realizing what he’d done and jerking his hand back. “I’m sorry–”
“No, it’s fine.” Avery looked to the end of the table and his eyes followed her gaze, falling on a young waitress struggling to hold a very large tray with four dishes on it.
After their food was distributed, they all fell into a sort of comfortable silence as they ate. Derek’s mind wouldn’t stop racing and he barely even tasted the food he shoveled in his mouth. His thoughts kept straying back to how upset she’d sounded about being unable to ‘save’ him. There was no way that she was actually upset that he’d ‘died’, was there? Why would she care about a stranger anyway? Nobody was that altruistic. At least, nobody that he’d ever met. Shaking his head at himself, he glanced up and found her eating her quesadilla with gusto, which made his lips curl in an almost smile. Her eyes were closed and she let out a small moan of delight and he found he couldn’t help the grin as he watched her enjoy something so simple as a quesadilla.
She chose that exact moment to open her eyes and look right at him. Her cheeks turned a warm pink and she covered her mouth, swallowing the bite that she’d been savoring. “I’m sorry, I think this is the first real meal I’ve had all day.”
“No need to apologize. It’s nice to see a woman unafraid to show her appetite.” To punctuate that statement, he took a large bite of his bacon cheeseburger, watching as the ketchup and mayonnaise dripped out of the far side of the bun and onto his plate. He wiped his mouth as he chewed the slightly too large morsel and swallowed. “By all means, don’t let our presence keep you from thoroughly enjoying your food. Trust me, we’re no better.”
Avery just smiled and continued eating her meal, evidently having decided to take him at his word even if she refused to make any more of those undeniably sexy sounds as she ate.
Derek found himself watching her as his mind wandered, until he nearly stuck his straw up his nose because he wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing. After that, he made it a point to pay more attention to what he was doing instead of the woman sitting across from him. When he glanced over at Clayton and Sherry, he saw them locked in a staring match just as intense as the one he’d shared with Avery and couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath. When Avery cocked an eyebrow at him in question, he nodded to their friends and grinned.
He watched as Avery grabbed her drink, shifting her eyes to the side without turning her head too obviously. When she saw Clayton pull his lower lip into his mouth, she finally gave in and turned to look at Sherry…who was licking the sour cream off of her fork while maintaining some steamy eye contact with the man across from her. Avery snorted and covered her mouth, which jerked Sherry and Clayton’s eye’s away from each other. The fact that they both blushed in embarrassment made Derek chuckle, which pushed Avery into a full-on belly laugh.
“Sherry, it has not been THAT long since you’ve had a man, girl.” Avery bumped shoulders with her friend, who bumped her back harder with a laugh.
“Maybe not, but it’s been too long since I’ve had one so damn good looking. And, those arms. Can you blame me for taking advantage of my sour cream like that?”
Avery just looked over at Clayton with a glint in her eye, “I guess not. They both are pretty delectable, aren’t they?” She smirked at the men, before taking another sip of her soda. “But, cool your jets, woman. This is the get to know them stage.” Then she looked at Clayton seriously while she seemed to think something over before coming to some decision, “Although…if you want to take her back to her house, I’ll make sure your guy gets home safe.” Her lips curled as she polished off the last of her meal and sat back.
“Say no more.” Clayton said with a grin, shifting his weight so he could drag his wallet from his back pocket and remove a few bills, more than enough to cover everyone’s meals plus a decent tip for their server. He looked at Sherry as she finished off the last of her drink and pushed out of the booth.
Derek pulled the truck keys from his pocket and slid them over the table to Clayton, shaking his head in amusement. “Be safe, you two.” He wouldn’t stand in the way of his friend ending his night out with a bang…literally. And if Sherry’s best friend was okay with it, then who was he to object?
Clayton just patted his front pocket as he stood up, “Always safe, my dude. I guess I’ll see you in the morning?”
“I’ll be shocked if you show up by late afternoon.” Derek replied.
“Get outta here. Just remember that I will hear ALL about it tomorrow night. You better show my girl a damn good time, Clayton.” Avery warned, though the curl of her lips belied the serious tone she’d used.
They left, and she sat back with a sigh, but her smile was unmistakable which had Derek’s lips curling in response. “Been awhile for him too?” she asked.
“Yeah, which is mostly my fault. He doesn’t like to go out alone, and I’m not much for the social scene.”
“Same, honestly. I’d rather stay home and read or binge a show most nights unless there’s a concert coming to town. Guess it’s a good thing I got Sherry or I’d never know what people act like in real life,” she said with a laugh. “Suppose I owe her for keeping me from becoming a full-blown recluse, so being her wing-woman so she can get laid is a small price to pay.
“Yeah, I get it. I’m kinda the same way, minus the concerts. Usually just me and my son. We recently had to move in with Clayton though since there was an issue with our apartment.” He hedged the truth, not technically lying since there was an issue with their apartment, it just wasn’t the sort of issue she’d be assuming. “So, like you, coming out to be his wingman every now and then isn’t too much trouble, long as my kid is able to stay with a friend.”
“Makes sense,” she said through a yawn, covering her mouth with her hand. He found his eyes drawn back to the bandages littering her arms and he sighed. This woman had permanently scarred herself to save his son, and he couldn’t even thank her for it. That fact soured the food in his stomach and he found himself growing angry over the whole situation once again. Reminding himself to take deep breaths helped calm his ire, though. Since really, there was nothing he could do about it right now. Getting angry wouldn’t help the situation any.
“Well, ready to head out?” he asked, checking the time on his watch and seeing it was almost two in the morning.
“What time is it, anyways?” she asked, as she gathered her purse and started sliding out of the booth.
“About seven til two,” he replied, as he scooted to do the same.
“Oof, momma always said nothing good ever happens after two. Guess that means it’s as good a time as any to get home.” she smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear as she stood.
“Probably a good saying to live by. Will keep ya out of trouble at least.”
“I don’t know about that, I got into plenty of trouble way before two in the morning, most nights. Luckily I just knew how to get back out of it,” the smirk on her face tugged at something inside him and he wondered what she’d be like if she was completely comfortable around him. Was she playful? Quiet? Outspoken? He had a feeling she was all of those and more, and he couldn’t help wanting to know. But that would spell even more trouble, the exact thing they were talking about avoiding. He had to keep her at a distance. Use her to figure out where Damian was, and then leave. The less she cared about him, the better. Plus, if he was able to get Damian away, maybe she wouldn’t be under threat by the High Council anymore. Yea, you know how likely that is. He silenced his thoughts and held the door for her as they made their way out into the cool night air.
Avery took a deep breath and sighed. Looking over at him before tilting her head to look at the darkened night sky, which made him want to do the same. Most of the stars were hidden from sight, behind thick clouds that spelled rain in the near future, though hopefully not until after they blew overhead and away from town. The air was charged with something that he couldn’t quite name. Something anticipatory almost. Like there was some unknown on the horizon that when it got here, it would change everything. Shaking his head, he started walking towards what he hoped was her car, a newer model, maroon colored Ford Escape. Not realizing that she wasn’t behind him until he reached the door and looked back. Avery was still just staring at the sky, seemingly lost in thought, so he walked back towards her.
“You alright?” he questioned, and she smiled in response.
“Yeah, I just love this time of night. My husband and I used to sit outside and listen to the various critters. The world seems almost empty of humans this late, you know? Like it’s just us.”
He could understand that, until a motorcycle chose that exact time to roar into the parking lot, causing Avery to jump. Laughing at herself she said, “Well, it’s much better when you’re away from town and shit like that is a rarity.” She pointed at the bike as it parked and it’s two riders, an older couple who’d obviously had a bit much to drink, walked into the restaurant.
“Can’t say I’ve gotten to experience that simple silence you speak of. I’ve always lived in a town or city of sorts. Even before I met my wife. I grew up in a small town, sure, but we were pretty crowded and it was never truly quiet, you know?” He placed his hand against her lower back, steering her towards the car, and thankfully she let him.
“I couldn’t imagine constantly being surrounded by people. I grew up in the country. Well water, oil heat, the works. A stiff breeze would knock out our power for hours.” She huffed a laugh, “Thankfully, the house we bought is close enough to town to enjoy the modern convenience of city water and natural gas, but far enough away that I can still sit outside and enjoy the silence at night.” She stopped by her door and he opened it for her before moving to the passenger side door and climbing in. “Even at my job, I’m not around many people. Yea, I see the occasional customer, and I met Sherry because of it, but for the most part it’s just me, the road, and my jams. The only time I really enjoy being in a crowd is when I’m with Sherry or at a concert. Sherry is a bit of a buffer, and concerts…” she trailed off, the ghost of a smile touching her lips.
“What about them?” he asked.
“Concerts, especially in the pit? You…you feel alive, you know? Like finally, you have some kind of connection to everyone around you. You’re all there for the same thing. The music. The ambience. The camaraderie. There’s really nothing like being in the middle of the pit at a hard rock or metal concert. It’s unreal. It…it reminds me I’m alive, and that I’m not truly alone. A form of self-care, if you would.” She laughed and looked down, pulling her keys from her purse before tossing it into the back seat. “Sorry, I tend to ramble when I talk about my live-music addiction. And, trust me, it’s truly an addiction. I have two drawers full of nothing but concert t-shirts I’ve bought over the past few years. It’s bad. My husband took me to my first one, and even after he passed I couldn’t stop going every chance I got. It makes me feel close to him again, even if I’m usually going alone.” She looked over at him shyly before buckling her seatbelt and starting the car.
“I think the only thing I’ve ever been that passionate about is my son. It sounds awesome, though.” he said as he buckled his own seatbelt. “Makes me regret never going to one. Maybe I’ll change that, though.”
“Yeah? Trust me, once you start, it’s a hard addiction to break. I still haven’t managed. Not that I’ve ever really tried, though.” she laughed at herself before throwing the car into reverse and backing out of the parking spot.
“So, where do you live? Think I’ve been talking your ear off enough.” Avery asked, pulling out into the street.
“Just up near the hospital,” he answered, distracted while searching through his pockets. Fuck, he thought, I didn’t take the house key from Clayton. Huffing and grumbling under his breath as he continued searching, finally he just sat back. He could just break open the door, but that would mean he’d have to replace the door knob tomorrow. Maybe Clayton left a window open? Doubtful, while it wasn’t a bad part of town, it was still a relatively crowded neighborhood, and Clayton wouldn’t chance it. With his central AC, he rarely even opened the windows to begin with. “Shit” he whispered to himself, throwing his head back against the headrest in frustration.
“What’s wrong?” Avery asked.
“Well…I forgot to get the house key from Clayton before he left, and I’m pretty sure he locked the doors and windows before we left.”
“Hmm…we could stop and check just to make sure?”
“Yeah, that works. Maybe he forgot the back door or a window I can climb in. Turn right up here,” he pointed to the next intersection, “Make the next left, then turn into the second alley. I’ll check the back door first.”
She followed his directions, and soon they were pulling up behind his friend’s house. “Right here is fine,” he smiled at her.
Putting the car in park, she got out of the car with him and looked up at the pretty victorian style house. “Wow, this is gorgeous” she said.
“Yeah, it’s his mom’s, but she’s been in a nursing home for the past few years with dementia. He still sees her almost every day, though.”
“Shit, that must be rough.”
“Yeah, I’d assume so. Can’t say I’ve ever heard him complain about it, though.” he started walking through the small back yard that bordered the gravel alleyway, heading for the back door with a dim yellow light shining above it. When he reached it, he tried the knob, finding it locked just like he’d assumed. He moved to walk around the house and check all the windows, and she followed behind him, silently.
“Sometimes I think it’d be nice if my Mom got dementia.” she said randomly, and he stopped to look at her for a second.
“Really? Not a great relationship, I take it?”
She snorted a laugh, ”Unless you consider consistently degrading your daughter no matter how hard she tries to earn your approval a great relationship.” She sighed, “I guess that’s not really fair. Just, my mom is not a happy woman. And she made it a habit to push her misery onto her children and her husband. Nothing was ever good enough, and she’s never been shy about her disappointment. Even worse, she hasn’t changed a single bit in old age. My Dad still stands by her, though. Says he ‘made a commitment’ when he married her, and he intends to stick by it. But, my Dad’s the exact opposite of her. He loves life, and he loves his kids, and he’s always, always told us so. Sometimes I think he’s just making up for Mom’s iciness, but truthfully, that’s just the type of guy he is…and I really don’t know why I’m telling you all this” she finished with a self-deprecating huff. “Anyway, I don’t think he left anything open for you to crawl into. So…do you want to just crash at my place? I have a couch that’s surprisingly comfortable. Clayton can just pick you up in the morning or whatever.”
The offer surprised him and he hesitated before answering, so she went on, “Unless you want to call him to bring you a key. Yeah, actually, maybe I should just call Sherry and tell her–”
“No, no, I don’t want to bother them two. I just hate to intrude. I mean, fuck, we just met.”
“And it was my idea, not yours” she laughed. “An offer of a place to sleep does not a sexual invitation make, Derek. Geesh, men” the last was said under her breath as she turned to go back to her car.
“Wait! That’s not what I meant, Avery.” Fuck, you’re an idiot, he berated himself. “I just…ugh. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. Or maybe I just didn’t want to make myself uncomfortable, I guess,” he chuckled, running his hand over his chin, “I’m fucking this all up, aren’t I?” he asked, the side of his mouth curling into a sort of half smile.
“Nah, gotta be something there for you to fuck it up.” Ouch, he thought, but she was still talking, “This is just me, trying to be nice so that you don’t have to sleep on your friend’s porch until he shows up sometime tomorrow. Nothing that deep.” she barked a laugh, “But, if you’d rather sleep here, by all means” Avery waved her hand towards the house behind me.
“No, no I really wouldn’t. If you’re sure it’s not too much trouble, I can at least promise to be a perfect gentleman.” he moved to open her door and waited until she sat in the driver’s seat before shutting it and walking around to get back into the passenger seat. “I’ll call an uber first thing in the morning if I don’t hear from Clayton.”
“Whatever floats your boat,” she replied, driving down the alley to make her way to her house.
The air between them had grown tense. He tried to come up with something to say, anything to dissipate the static between them, but kept coming up blank. When she flicked on the radio to fill the silence he sunk into his chair in relief. Derek couldn’t figure out why this woman made him so flustered. He kept sneaking glances at her every time they went under a streetlight, and he couldn’t help but loathe the fact that the easy conversation he’d enjoyed seemed to have evaporated into the cool night air behind Clayton’s house. Her shoulders were tight and her hands were clenched around the steering wheel as she drove and she never once looked over at him.
Probably a good thing, he realized. If she didn’t like him very much, then she wouldn’t try to get to know him. The further away she was from him and his bullshit, the better. While this was what his head kept telling him, he couldn’t help but feel regret at having already pushed her away. Especially when everything in him was telling him to keep her close.
Still, it was only one night. Like a sleepover. What the hell could really happen in one night?
Chapter 8
Avery
Avery’s mind was whirling. The fact that she’d just invited a veritable stranger back to her house for the night was bouncing around in her skull and making her question her own sanity. And that his first reaction was to decline bothered her more than she wanted to admit. What’s worse was that she couldn’t figure out why. Hooking up hadn’t even been on her mind, but she couldn’t deny the attraction she felt to this man. Apparently an attraction that was entirely one sided. She had at least hoped for a bit more conversation and to get to know him. This was the first time that she was actually interested in talking to a man for more than two minutes, and the possibility that he dreaded being in her company so much that he was going to sleep on a porch made her feel dumb as hell for even that cautious optimism.
The street lights flashed by until eventually they stopped altogether the further she drove from town, and still he said nothing. She wasn’t going to break the silence first but the tension in the air was bothering her. Cars were sparse on the road tonight and yet they’d had a set of headlights steadily behind them since they’d left the street the restaurant was on. Not an uncommon occurrence, though, since a lot of people who lived towards her house tended to work rotating shifts on the gas pads, so the roads were never completely silent even out here.
Eventually she couldn’t take the silence so she flipped on the radio, which was tuned into her favorite satellite rock station. FM signal was spotty on her mail route so she’d been paying for Satellite radio for a few years now, even if she’d had to buy a new radio for her mail jeep so she could use it. Luckily, it came included in her personal vehicle, she’d just had to get a separate subscription for it. Cheaper to have two separate accounts than a single one with two radios, she’d found out.
Bopping along to the song coming through the speakers, her hands finally began to relax on the steering wheel and she was able to take a deep breath. A look into her rear view mirror showed those same headlights still keeping pace the closer she got to her road, which struck her as odd. Most other drivers usually branched off before they got this far away from town.
Turning down her driveway, she finally risked a glance over at Derek and found him staring out of the side window, looking like he was deep in thought. His face was mostly shadowed, but the illumination from the screen in her dash bathed the left side of his face with an eerie blue light. As she drove down the slight hill, the car behind her pulled to a stop at the top of her driveway. She kept going downhill until she parked in front of her house and the car pulled away to head further down the road.
“Weird…” she muttered to herself, reaching into the back seat for her purse. They both exited the vehicle, and as soon as Derek was out he looked up, just like she had at the restaurant.
“Wow. That’s…a lot of stars” he breathed.
She looked up and smiled. “Yeah, it is. Main reason my husband and I chose this house. We both loved stargazing, and we wanted our children to have the opportunity to love it too.”
“You have kids?” he asked in surprise.
“No,” she answered, sadness tinting her voice, “We never got the chance…” she trailed off and sighed. She couldn’t help as her eyes drifted up to the windows that lead to one of the empty bedrooms that were supposed to be filled with their children. Shaking off the sudden melancholy, she started walking towards the house, sifting through her key ring to find her house key.
“I’m sorry” Derek’s voice was right behind her and she startled, dropping the keys. He bent down to pick them up and hand them to her, his fingers lingering against the skin of her palm as he handed the keys back. “I know how hard it is to continue with life after all your plans basically go to shit. I never wanted to be a single father, but the universe had other plans, I guess.” Derek stepped back, giving her space to unlock the door.
Avery walked in and flipped the switch on the wall, illuminating the living room. She hung her keys by the door and kicked her shoes off, placing them on the small shoe rack next to the door. Derek followed her lead and lined his shoes up next to hers, and suddenly she found herself back in the past..
“Why are you looking at shoe racks online? It’s just us two, it’s not like we have enough shoes between us to cause a mess” Rylan asked her, leaning over her shoulder while she scrolled through Amazon.
“Because it won’t always be just us. Soon, we’ll have so many itty bitty shoes that we won’t know what to do with them. They’ll just be sitting there piled up in the corner, or strewn around the house.So, I’m being proactive and buying us a shoe rack. It’ll be nice when we have my parents over, too. One less thing for my mother to judge me about,” she replied.
Rylan bent even further down and nuzzled her ear, making her laugh and pull away from him, though she managed to hit “Buy Now” before turning to him and pressing her lips against his in a searing kiss.
“I don’t, but the less she bitches, the less we’ll argue, and the more time I’ll get to hang out with my Dad. Plus, I got a cool one. Look, it has dragons on the side!” She smiled at her find, a black metal shoe rack similar to a wrought iron fence, with elaborate dragons on the top of each end. Very Game of Thrones-esque, if she did say so herself.
“Alright, alright, you win. That is a pretty cool one. Now, can we go upstairs to practice making those little humans that are going to fill the shoes that will no doubt still be strewn across the house, shoe rack or no shoe rack?” Rylan purred into her ear, running his hands down her arms, raising goosebumps along her skin–
A hand landed on her shoulder, making her jump and shudder.
“Hey, you alright?” Derek asked, pulling his hand away. He was standing next to her, close enough that she could feel the heat from his body seeping into her arm, and she suppressed a shiver as she shook away the past, and all the feelings that came with it.
Avery smiled up at him and nodded, “Yeah, just a bit of deja vu,” she lied, not wanting to bring up the fact that there hadn’t been a pair of men’s shoes on that rack in the two years since her husband had passed.
“Ah, I see,” he replied, looking around her living room. “Nice place. Do you own or rent?” Derek asked, craning his neck to see into the other rooms.
Avery smiled, “Own. Ryland and I bought the place super cheap as a bit of a fixer-upper. Him and my Dad rebuilt most of what you see. My uncle redid all the pipes after they were ripped out by squatters for the copper. My Dad and I laid the carpet. I wish I knew where the pictures we took when we bought it are, you wouldn’t believe how far this place has come. Now, I just need to find time to give the exterior some TLC.” she chuckled, “Ryland used to keep up with it better. I’m lucky if I have the time or energy to mow the grass once a week.”
She walked into the kitchen, setting her phone and purse down before moving to the coffee maker and grabbing a pod from the drawer below it. “Coffee?” she asked over her shoulder, “This thing can do iced or regular, and I have a bunch of different flavors, and a few flavored creamers in the fridge. Think I might even have some whipped cream and chocolate syrup if you wanna get fancy with it.”
“Hmm…anything mocha?” he moved beside her, peering into the drawer of coffee pods. She plucked one out and showed him.
“Dark chocolate mocha okay? Ooh, that does sound good, actually” she said, almost to herself as she moved to the fridge to grab the half ‘n’ half, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup.
Avery grabbed a clear glass from the cabinet over the sink and squirted some chocolate syrup around the inside of the glass so it made streaks, then filled the cup with ice from the fridge dispenser. She spooned some sugar and a fair amount of half ‘n’ half over the ice and set the cup on the drip tray, popped the new pod in, switched it to “iced” and then hit “brew.” Two silent and dragging minutes later, she grabbed a spoon, stirred her coffee and topped it off with some whipped cream and more chocolate syrup. Grabbing one of her reusable straws from the cup they sat in, she took a long drink of her coffee and groaned happily.
“Yep. Mocha was a great choice.”
Derek just stared at her and laughed, “Would you be willing to make me one just like that?”
Avery smiled and set her cup down, grabbed another one just like it and got to work on his drink. A few minutes later, they were sitting across from each other at her small kitchen table, sipping on the chocolate decadence she’d created.
“Guess you worked as a barista in a past life?” Derek chuckled, leaning back in his chair. His eyes roamed over her with honest curiosity, and Avery found herself smiling in return.
“Maybe, but I doubt it. I just know how to use Google to the best of my ability. You can learn how to make anything if you’re willing to search for it.”
Derek nodded, “This is true. I swear Pinterest was a life saver when Da…”
The sound of breaking glass and a soft thud cut him off, and they both startled. Avery stood up and went to walk into the living room where the noise had come from, but Derek grabbed her arm.
“Wait, I’ll go check it out. Stay here.”
“Please,” she scoffed, “It’s probably just another bat. Wouldn’t be the first time one busted its way inside. Last time it was just the screen on the front door I had to replace.” She pulled her arm free, debating on whether to be annoyed or flattered by Derek’s show of protection. She wasn’t a helpless damsel, after all.
Avery walked into the living room, Derek keeping tight on her heels, as if afraid something might jump out and grab her, which amused her. She spotted the hole in her front facing window, first. She didn’t see the dead bat until she was halfway into the room. It had rolled all the way under her desk. Blood spotted the carpet in what must have been its path to its final resting place, and she sighed as she realized she’d have to break out the carpet scrubber.
“Yeah, see? Just a suicidal bat. Happens a few times a year, but this is the first time one actually broke a damn window.” Avery shook her head, walking over to inspect the dead critter. She grabbed a pen off her desk and squatted down next to the bat. This close, she could see the fuzzy, dark brown fur on its head and smell the thick, metallic scent of blood. It’s smooth, black, wings were curled tight around its body and the critter’s fuzzy, little snout draped over its curled wings. Avery found herself wanting to touch the wings, to see if the skin felt as soft as it looked. Instead, she gently prodded the bat with the pen, rolling it so its body was facing up, the same way its face should have been facing except it’s head was nearly cut off. Blood leaked from the wound and Avery stood up, scratching her head.
“Hey, Derek?”
“Yeah?”
“Is there any blood or fur on the broken window?” Avery finally looked over at him near the window, where he’d stayed.
Derek bent down to inspect the window, looking at it from multiple directions..
“No, it’s a clean break. Almost looks like a baseball came through instead of a flying animal.”
“Mmk, I’m gonna go grab a pair of gloves from the kitchen. I need to see something.” Avery went to the drawer where she kept her gun, and a small box of vinyl gloves she used for various purposes. Pulling two out, she debated on grabbing the pistol but thought that might be overkill, and she didn’t want to freak Derek out. She slid the gloves on as she went back over to the dead animal. Squatting down, she slid one hand under the bat’s body, and another under the thing’s head, cradling it gently. She grabbed the bat’s head in two fingers and slowly bent it back. Thick blood oozed out of the gash, onto her gloved fingers and she stood up, moving under the lamp beside the door.
She could see bones and dark red meat in the gash on its neck, but no tearing or jagged edges. It was a clean cut, nearly all the way through. The only thing holding the bat’s head on was about two inches of skin at the back of it.
“What are you inspecting it for?” Derek asked, coming up beside her.
She turned her body, blocking the gruesome sight in her hand, “How squeamish are you?” she asked.
“Not at all, why?”
Taking him at his word, Avery turned around, holding the dead bat out for him to see. “Look. This thing is damn near decapitated.” She bent the bat’s head back so Derek could see what she was talking about. “But it’s not torn. That didn’t happen because of the window.”
Avery watched the color drain from Derek’s face as he stared at the gaping wound in the bat’s neck. “Don’t throw up, damnit. You said you weren’t squeamish!”
“I’m not going to throw up, Avery. But we have to go. Now. Right now.” He turned, looking out of the window into the dark driveway and the woods beyond.
“What do you mean, ‘we have to go’? It’s just a dumb prank. It’s a Saturday night, after all. Dumb ass teens party in these woods all the time. They probably got bored and wanted to torment the loner chick in the farmhouse.”
Just then, the bat twitched in her hands. Avery dropped it, gasping. “What the fuck?” was all she got out. Right before her eyes, the very dead bat spread its wings, its nearly severed head folded backwards, and she could see the lamplight glinting off the smooth white bone and glistening muscle as it flapped its wings and lunged right at her.
Avery screamed, flinging a hand up to ward off the creature. It bounced off her forearm and made a wet, smacking sound as it hit against the wall and fell to the floor, leaving a red trail the whole way down. The bat stood up again and shook its wings out. It went to lunge again but Derek stomped his foot down on its tail, keeping it in place. Gurgling sounds came from its severed throat as the bat thrashed, trying to resume its attack.
“What the fuck?!” Avery yelled, transfixed at the sight of the nearly headless bat fighting for freedom.
“Fire! We need to burn it!” Derek yelled back.
“Where the fuck am I supposed to get fire from, Derek?” Avery snapped, looking around the room. She saw the empty plastic tote she used for laundry at the same time Derek did, dashing for it, she hurriedly slammed it over the animal, hearing a wing snap with the force of her movement. Derek barely pulled his foot out in time. Avery stood up, brushing her hair out of her face. She saw the tote lift up with the force of the bat’s thrashing and quickly placed her foot on top of it, holding it in place and effectively trapping the creature.
Breathing heavily, Derek looked at her and she could swear she saw blue and gray mists in his eyes. Then she blinked and they were gone. “We need to burn it. It won’t stop coming for you until we do.”
“And how do you know this, Derek?” Avery asked, suspicious.
“Because I do, alright?” He turned to the kitchen, “Tell me you have a giant sauce pot or something in this place.”
“Of course I do, I’m half Italian after all.” She pointed into the kitchen, “Bottom cabinet, second from the left. Can’t miss it.”
Avery watched him disappear into the kitchen, trying not to think about the scratching and thumping she could hear, and feel, below her foot. A dead bat coming back to life to kill her? Nope, would not think about it. At least not until after it was dealt with, she told herself. She heard him rummaging through the pots, then the sound of the cabinet closing with a snap.
“Got any newspaper or anything? And where would I find a lighter?” Derek called from the kitchen. She could hear him rummaging through drawers, silverware and utensils clattering as he slammed each one shut, clearly not finding what he was looking for. Finally she heard an “Ah hah!” Then a faint, “Yeah, she’s probably gonna need this, too.”
Avery suspected that the this he mentioned was her pistol, since she knew she kept it in the same drawer as her grill lighter. Her suspicions were confirmed when Derek walked back in with the sauce pot, with the lighter clanging inside it and her pistol still in its holster in his other hand. He handed the latter to her and she clipped it in its usual spot on her right hip.
“Why am I going to need my gun, Derek? What the fuck is going on?” she planted a hand on her left hip, the movement awkward with her foot still up on the plastic tote, the damned bat still scratching and thumping against the sides of it. Avery dropped her hand and stared at him, waiting for some kind of answer that would make everything make sense.
Derek handed her the pistol, then went to her printer that was set up next to her desk and grabbed a few sheets of paper. He started tearing them into pieces and dropping them into the sauce pot, never meeting her eyes. “You painted a damn target on your back, Avery. Once we’re somewhere safe, I’ll try to explain everything. For now, I just need you to trust me. Can you do that?” He finally looked up from the pot full of paper, meeting her eyes.
Everything in Avery wanted to rebel against trusting this man. A man she knew basically nothing about, except his first name. Any sane person would say no. Who would trust a stranger, after all? But that’s not what came out of her mouth.
“Yes,” the word shocked her. “Between you or the zombie bat, I think you’re the clear choice right now.”
Derek smiled at her, “Okay, I’m going to light this up and put it on the ground next to the bin. When I say the word, pick up the bin and back away. I’ll grab the bat and drop it in the fire. If it gets away from me, do not let it scratch you. No matter what, you cannot let it scratch you.”
“Why, will I become a zombie or something, too?” Avery asked, only half joking. She was pretty sure she was on the verge of hysterics but so far she was holding herself together. Her shaking hands would say differently, but she just chose to ignore that for now.
“Or something.” Derek sighed. He lit a rolled of piece of paper and dropped it into the sauce pot. A few seconds later Avery could see flames licking up the edge of the pot. She moved her foot and braced her hands on the sides of the bin, waiting for Derek’s word.
Derek brought the pot over and set it down. He kneeled next to the bin and looked up at her while the flames in the pot grew higher. “Ready?”
She nodded.
“Go!”
Avery lifted the bin, using it as a shield as she backed away. She heard scrabbling and a grunt from Derek as he fell on the bat. He grasped its legs and tried to keep its wings wrapped tight as he squeezed it. Almost faster than Avery could track, his hand whipped out and dipped the creature into the pot. The thing immediately caught fire and he let go of its legs, dropping it fully into the pot, where she could hear it still scrabbling until she heard a sudden whoosh and the flames grew two feet before beginning to die down. The smell of burning fur and meat reached Avery’s nose and she coughed. In just a few seconds, no more sounds came from the pot.
Derek sighed, standing. “All that’ll be left is ash. The pot’s probably trashed, though. Sorry.”
“It’s just a pot. I can get a new one. I’ll take any excuse I can to buy more kitchen stuff. Fuck knows I need a whole new pot set, anyways. And knives. Could really use a new set of those, mine are dull as shit. Maybe a new griddle, too. Might just go on an Amazon shopping spree next pay check.” Avery was rambling. She knew she was rambling and yet she couldn’t stop. A bat had just come back to life and attacked her. A very dead, almost decapitated bat.
Avery was pacing back and forth, running her hands through her hair to try to stop the shaking. Suddenly, Derek was in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders to halt her movements. She pulled away and he dropped them to his sides. Avery watched as his fists clenched and released, clearly debating what to say. She spun around and continued pacing, unable to stand still.
“Demagerians.”
Avery stopped mid-stride, her heart pounding in her chest, she turned to face Derek. “What did you just say?”
“Demagerians. Rather, the Demagerian High Council. That’s who sent that bat. And they won’t stop at just a fucking bat.”
“How do you know that name? I didn’t even know it until yesterday. It’s not even a real fucking word!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.
“I know it because I am one. And I used to be one of them.” Derek turned around and went into the kitchen. “Do you have any extra clips and ammo for that gun?” He asked, surprising her.
“Back of the drawer where the gun was. There’s a clip and a box of ammo.” Avery answered automatically, sputtering, she added, “Why, though? What the fuck is going on Derek?”
Derek pointedly avoided the question. “Go pack a bag. At least for a few days. Anything past that, we’ll figure out. But we need to get out of here before they send something else, like a fucking bear. I’m sure you have some of those in these woods.” Derek walked back in with the spare clip and box of ammunition. He tossed them both to her. “Keep the clip handy, throw the box in your bag. And hurry up.”
Shaking her head, and shocked that she was even humoring him, she went upstairs and grabbed a large duffel bag out of her closet. She threw a few pairs of jeans, some tank tops, a few t-shirts, an extra bra, and a week’s worth of socks and panties in the bag. She darted into the bathroom and grabbed her toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, and her hair brush. Everything went into the bag. Avery’s eyes fell on the picture of her and Ryland on her nightstand. Deciding quickly, she grabbed it, wrapped it in one of Ryland’s favorite band shirts and pushed it into the middle of the bag. Content that she’d be able to buy anything else she needed, she zipped it closed and ran back down the stairs.
“Good?” Derek asked when Avery came into view again.
“I guess.” Avery swung the bag onto her shoulder. “Grab my purse from the kitchen, please?”
Derek turned to do as she bid. She slipped her shoes back on, seeing that Derek’s were already missing, then grabbed her car keys off the hook by the door. Avery’s eyes roamed her living room. When they fell on the fish tank against the wall, she cursed softly. Juggling the bag and her keys, she managed to get the container of fish food open and sprinkled a bit of extra food into the tank. “Hopefully you guys will be okay for a few days,” she muttered to the fish, “Goldfish can last a little while, I heard.”
Of course, the fish didn’t reply. They simply darted after the flakes, happy as could be about the extra treat.
Moving back to the door, she glanced down at the sauce pot, now filled with a pile of ashes, exactly like Derek said it would be. Avery felt the panic setting in again and she took a deep breath, trying to stave it off a little longer. Derek came back with her purse and a few bottles of water, one of which he uncapped and dumped into the pot.
“Just in case, don’t want any spare embers lighting the whole place up.”
Avery nodded, opening the door. With one final look around her home, she followed Derek outside.