—Kendra—

The jeep came to a stop in the parking space at the back of the diner. Kendra cut the engine and dug her phone out of her pocket. Her fingers moved in a frenzy as she wrote up a message.

|Kendra:

-Just parked. I Need to talk with the guy I picked up and check something on my jeep. Could you please check the lost and found for any dry clothes that could fit him?

Dots appeared on her screen when a reply came in.

|Miss Della:

-I got his height off the license you sent. The issuing date was three years ago. Is he still scrawny looking like in the face picture on it?

Since the picture he'd taken three years ago, Travis had grown out his hair that was a mix of honey-gold and caramel. The two locked eyes. His were an agate-green with hints of blue swirled into them. They were beautiful, but contrasted with the red spider veins that creeped along his sclerae like a crimson ivy creeping along a wall.

"What?" he asked, when she realized she had been gawking at him.

"Oh... sorry, my boss wanted me to-" Kendra went quiet. Was she actually flustered by the rando from the roadside? "You know what? Smile for me." A dead eye stare met her request. She shook her head and held up her phone. "Just try not to look crazy or traumatized if my boss thinks you're gonna be a problem. It'll end bad-"

She fell silent as he raised his hand to his forehead. In a sweep, he pulled the hair dangling over his face back. His head turned to show off his sharp, stubbled jawline. Travis's face was on full display as he leaned back into the seat when a loch of hair fell to the side of his face.

"Well?" He asked when a grin formed. The hand that ran through his golden and brown mane clamped onto the back of his neck, the sleeve of his shirt tightened around his biceps. Kendra only stared when she discovered the pose helped to reveal the contours of his chest strained against the soaked fabric of his shirt. "You want to take the picture? I'm getting tired."

Sure, he was a wreck, but a pretty one.

"I said look normal, not be a fuck boy." She was at a loss. Had he finally gone mad?

"C'mon, just take one like this. Considering that cheating bitch dumped me, I might as well get some good pics for Tinder." His eyes pleaded with her. "Rebound sex is way cheaper than therapy." As the stare off played out, his expression sunk. If his new plan was to pout, it was working.

A smirk formed on her face. "Fine." His grin returned. With a quick flash the picture appeared in the corner of her phone. "Ok, you want to take this seriously now?"

He brought his arm down and sat up. Facing Kendra, he gave a weak smile. Another flash filled the car. Clicking on the new image, she gave it a look over before opening her conversation with her boss again. With the picture in place, she responded.

|Kendra:

-He's a bit more athletic looking than when he got his license.

Dots moved about and her reply came.

|Miss Della:

-Well someone had a glow-up... if you ignore the bags under his eyes. Now get a move on and get in here. If he gets weird, just scream and I'll kill him myself.

|Kendra:

-I'll be in soon, just have to check something.

A thumbs-up appeared on Kendra's message. With that set, she reached into the back row of her jeep and grabbed a backpack and umbrella, then sank back into her seat.

"Hey," he looked to see her sympathetic expression. "I hope you don't mind being out in the rain a little longer. I only have one umbrella and it's not a good look for the customers if my makeup is running."

He smirked at her. "I'm already soaked. What's a little more rain?"

She smiled back. "My boss is gonna see what the lost and found has for you. Figure you already got enough shit to deal with, so let's not add pneumonia to it." He chuckled at her. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"Pneumonia is an infection caused by bacteria and viruses, the wet clothes thing is a myth." His tone teasing her.

Kendra shook her head. "Oh, so you're a doctor now?" She waited, curious about what he'd say back.

"I've worked on enough people who died of it to know." His smile left after he spoke. "Shit, was that too dark? Sometimes I forget how morbid my job is." he sank back in his seat. "Pair that with being awake for twenty-something hours..." He turned to her. "God, I just want to sleep." his stare shifted to the windshield then to the car floor.

Maybe the sudden humor was his current way of coping with everything? Whatever was going on in his head, he needed to keep it together just a little longer.

"Travis," again her hand went to his shoulder. "It's fine. I've got a dark sense of humor, also we really need to get moving before my boss comes out here with the Eight-Seventy and blows your head off." The relief from her assurance vanished with her warning as his brows rose and his jaw clenched.

He knew she wasn't joking.

"Alright." Travis said, shifting in his seat when he took a sharp breath before opening the door. Kendra followed suit. With a click, the umbrella snapped open. Rain pattered on the fabric as she made her way to the back of her jeep.

Her heart sank when she saw the damage of what had hit... no, that word wasn't quite right for what she saw before her.

A pair of metal rods with sharp ends had pierced the back of her vehicle.

One stuck out of the metal door while the other had hit the top of the spare tire on the back and torn through the fabric cover. Had it landed higher, the needle would have gone right through the glass. Would it have hit them?

"Damn, it hit the spare." She said aggravated at the new expense when Travis lumbered into view. "So, these are the needles you saw before? They just emerged from the deer?"

He inspected the back door."Yeah," He watched them when his eyes widened. "Umm... are they moving?"

"What?" she asked before watching the needle in the tire to see it was vibrating and hitting the edges of the tear in the fabric. "Let me grab some photos." Kendra wanted to have proof ready. She knew her interrogation would come after Travis's. Her phone flashed as she took pictures. She was about to step closer to take her last photo when her companion spoke.

"We don't know what these things can do. Keep your distance." He had a point. She obliged and held up her phone, then zoomed in. After getting her pictures, the pair walked to the front of the car. Once they were side by side, Kendra spoke.

"Stand on the other side of me. That way, the building gives you some cover." Once he was under the awning, he walked along the building while she stood in place.

After a few steps, he noticed and turned to her. "Hey, you coming?"

This was her last chance to warn him before they would be before the woman who would watch his every move and word. He needed to be ready for what was to come.

"So remember, stay calm and be honest. Miss Della knows bullshit when she hears it." She said, her voice hinting at the importance of not lying.

He gave a nod. "Got it. Just tell Della what I told you."

Her peach-colored lips parted in a smile. "One more thing. Call her Miss or Miss Della. Otherwise, she's gonna get annoyed with you real quick." He only gave a befuddled look. "Just trust me on this, also when we get to the front door, open it for me. She's gonna judge you on your manners, too."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

His brows furrowed. "Your boss sounds like a nightmare."

Kendra paused. If this conversation wasn't private, she needed to cover her own ass. "She's just particular about things, that's all. Besides, she's one of the better bosses I've had."

Travis relented. The two had reached the front of the diner. The entrance was in sight as they passed by a wall of windows. He looked in and only saw empty booths on the other side of the windows.

The pair stood before the front doors of the diner. Following her advice, he held the door open. Kendra shook off her umbrella, then made her way in. Travis followed suit. Once inside, he took in the decor with polished black and white diamond tiles, a long light-blue bar trimmed with pink stretched along the back wall of the diner. He turned and saw the booths in matching colors along the windowed front of the diner.

"Now dear, that's enough gawking." The woman's voice was sweet like honey, yet still commanded his gaze to the counter. Behind it, a woman stood with her gloved hands resting on her hips.

"Sorry," Travis recalled Kendra's warning. "Miss." her arms eased to her side but her piercing glare through her white-framed cat-eye glasses persisted.

"I suppose I can forgive you." She moved behind the counter with each step as the heels of her pumps clacked against the ceramic tile. "After all, you're just admiring the decor I put my heart and soul into." She stepped out from behind the counter. "Kendra, mind coming here for a moment?" Her voice veiled the order as a suggestion. She had learned that tone and what it meant quickly in working here.

"Of course, Miss Della," she said as her boss's red lips perked up.

Once the two were in whispering distance, she received her next order. "Tell Fred to make a blue plate special. Then help Casey prepare for the morning rush. I'm gonna have a little chat with him. I'll handle the coffee, dear." Kendra gave a nod and went for the kitchen door.

—Travis—

Travis watched as Kendra made her way to the kitchen door without so much as looking back at him. Instead, the scrutinizing gaze of the prim n proper proprietor bore into him.

Travis felt chilled as he stood in place. Was it from his soaked clothes or her painted smile? "Join me in the booth down here at the end, dear." Each of her steps resulted in a clack that sounded through the empty diner. Her hair was dark like pepper with hints of salt blended into it and swayed lightly with her graceful movements as she sat in the booth.

"Well? Never keep a lady waiting." She glanced to the window and raised her gloved hand to fix her well-coiffed hair as Travis made his way to her. His body felt heavier with each step.

The near day without sleep, an adrenaline rush in fleeing that monster: it had left him spent. The short distance felt like the end of a marathon. But there was still another leg to this journey.

Getting through this conversation.

He sank into the faux leather booth. A fresh wave of exhaustion hit from the newfound comfort.

Stay calm, be polite, and don't bullshit her unless I want trouble; That was the advice he received from the employee who worked for this woman.

"Well, it seems like you've had quite the night, young man. Tell me what exactly led up to you crossing paths with Kendra."

Travis nodded. "Would you promise to hear me out before you decide I'm crazy? This story will get stranger as it goes."

Amusement tickled at her smile. "Let's hear it then."

Travis took a breath in as he closed his eyes. A moment passed until his eyes opened and he let the breath escape him. "So I drove about nine hours to propose to my now ex-girlfriend."

A tinge of sympathy showed on her face. "She said no?" she raised an eyebrow at Travis.

"I wish..." He looked at the set table before his eyes locked back onto hers. "I walked in on her with someone else." Her lips parted a moment before her smile returned.

"How awful. If it's any consolation. I had a similar encounter with my first husband. As awful as it was, it led me to my second husband." The fine lines of her face hinted at the sadness that etched into her gaze. "He was a wonderful man; we had plenty of time together and we built this place together." She paused for a moment, then chuckled. "Besides, you're young. You have plenty of time to find someone better."

A pep talk was the last thing he had expected from this woman.

"Thank you... and sorry for your loss." He said.

"Now, let's get back to how you ended up here." With that, the calm feeling faded. This was still an interrogation, pleasantries or not.

"Right, so I tried to drive home, got lost, and then I technically hit a pair of deer." He paused. "This is the part where I'm gonna need you to listen to everything before you decide I'm insane, okay?"

She tapped her finger on the table. "Dear, keep going."

"So the deer had something in them. I think that whatever it is got the first deer, then caught the second one right before I hit them. Whatever the hell-"

"Language." She said, her voice stern.

Travis gave a nod. "Sorry, but whatever it is, it cut up the two deer and then stitched parts of them into one." Her eyes showed surprise yet the single strand of pearls around her neck remained unclutched. "I think this thing controls whatever it catches and kills and makes it into puppets."

Della remained silent.

The silence made Travis panic, and he resumed speaking. "I know this all sounds insane, and I was panicking and never took a picture, but Kendra has proof! The thing threw some of its needles into her jeep and she took pictures!" He felt his heart race. Did he mess up? Would she refuse to believe him?

"Is that so? Kendra saw it too?" She asked.

"She didn't get the best look at it, but I know she believes me." He shook with anxiety when she rose from the booth.

"You wait here. I'm gonna speak with Kendra." She moved away, the sound of her walking faded until she entered the kitchen.

He was alone.

A crackle of static interrupted his thoughts. A woman's voice piped out from the speakers around the diner.

"Finally... 5 AM!" she said, her energy seeming too low for what was being said. "Up next we got my rise-and-shine playlist. Yayyyyy... Okay... What do I want to kick us off with?" Was she speaking to herself or her listeners? "Ohhhhh, I know just what to play." A giggle followed. "Enjoy everyone!"

Strums of a guitar played as Travis shook his head. "This song? Really?" His father had always played this band's songs down in the basement while he worked. He was told the meaning of each of their songs.

This song's meaning was about a breakup.

"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so-" A sob left him. His vision blurred as he felt a hot stream run down his face.

Why did she cheat on him?

Why did he have to hit some eldritch abomination who got crafty with deer?

How the hell was he gonna get home, let alone get his car fixed with no money left?

He could pick from any of those racing thoughts to break down about. Maybe he could multitask and juggle the trauma all at once? He just wanted some damn sleep, or if this was a nightmare, to wake up and see that everything was fine.

"There's a shadow hanging over me-" a thought drowned out everything around him. Maybe he was finally losing what remained of his sanity.

Unable to contain the thought, he muttered to himself, "Maybe I died in the crash and I'm in hell..." He said to himself as his ears picked up the song again.

"She wouldn't say-"

He still had no explanation for why it had happened. He likely wouldn't. Life was unfair like that.

"Thanks for waiting, dear." A pair of mugs clinked together as the older woman set them on the table.

Travis only inspected the mugs. Steam rose from the coffee and danced over the surface of the dark liquid. He didn't have the strength to look up from it; he was at his limit.

"Dear?" her gloved hand ran over him when he finally looked up and his watery, bloodshot eyes met hers. Della's eyelids rose just slightly. "Let me get myself sat first." Her white pumps clacked against the tile until she sat across from him. Everything about this woman was so picture-perfect and put together.

The exact opposite of Travis, who sat soaked and haggard.

"Sorry, I've been through a lot and I just want it to be over." He was going to lose it. Anyone would be after what he saw.

Again, the gloved hand reached for him. "Dear, would some good news help right now?" He gave a weak nod. Her face brightened. "Well, there are some dry clothes for you and I'll have some food out for you soon. Don't worry about paying for it." Travis gave another nod. "Head to the restroom. It's on the other side of the dining room."

Travis rose from the booth. He shambled through the empty diner. As he walked through, he looked out the windows into the parking lot to see all the empty spaces as the rain poured down and rippled in the puddles outside.

"Now I need a place to hide away."

He just wanted to go home.

Travis had finally reached the other end. Another kitchen door opened and Kendra stepped out with a gym bag in one hand and a stack of kitchen towels in the other.

She stretched her arm out and the bag swayed. "Lucky for you, some college guys came through here and left this behind. I think it's your size." She then held out the towels. "Also, here's something to dry off with."

He stared at her for a moment. "Thank you," he said before grabbing them. The door creaked as it opened and shut, clicking the lock. He felt relief at the absence of the music.

The buzz of the fluorescent lights reminded Travis of the preparation room back home. Was it morbid that a room to prep a corpse felt comforting?

Probably.

Did he care?

No.

Travis peeled off his soaking wet shirt, maneuvered towards the mirror and got a look at his chest. A dark forty-five degree line had formed over his upper chest and lightened as it went down and across his body. Glancing down, he saw another dark line across his waist. The seatbelt had done its job. He had seen enough people with similar marks who weren't as lucky on his embalming table.

He was alive, miserable, but alive.

He brought a towel to his hair and rubbed it over his hair. The motion caused tinges of pain in the right side of his chest.

"Got to go slow." He said.

As he made progress drying himself, he put on the dry clothes, a pair of dark jeans, a white t-shirt, and a blue and black flannel. The clothes brought a welcomed warmth that the monster at the crash and the pouring rain had taken from him.

He looked at himself again. His hair was still damp but it would dry soon, then he could fix it. A knock on the door had made him turn.

"Travis," It was Kendra. "Your food is ready, but take your time, okay?" Her steps faded away from the opposite side of the door.

Food. He hadn't eaten in hours and should have stopped somewhere about an hour before he got himself lost, but he was stubborn and wanted to get home quicker.

If only he had stopped.

With hunger as his current motivation, he exited the bathroom. As he made his way back, he saw Kendra and Della talking at the booth. The two shifted their focus to him.

"Travis, dear, why don't you just sit and eat for now? We can talk after that," Della said. The offer was another relief for him.

"Thank you." He worked his way back into the booth and looked at the blue plate. Biscuits and gravy with hash browns.

It looked amazing.

Maybe his luck was changing.

Or maybe this was the calm before the slowly approaching storm.