—Kendra—

The hours passed by as the diner slowly came to life. Kendra's surreal morning continued as she noticed a pattern with the customers coming in. Besides the one man who had come and gone early this morning, only regulars seemed to enter the diner. As she made her usual small talk with the tables, they all made comments around the same subject.

"Is your phone working today? Mine isn't."

"This sucks. I can't get on Instagram! The Wi-Fi isn't working either!"

"All these kids whining about phones; we didn't need them to go out to breakfast when I was their age."

Everyone had lost their ability to reach the world outside of this town. She felt her heart pounding, her body felt warm as questions filled her psyche.

What if it wasn't here anymore?

What if the world was ending?

Was it right to let these people go about their day, blissfully unaware of what was out there?

She needed to ground herself before it got worse.

Her racing mind was teetering on the edge of losing control. She needed to calm herself.

Three things she could see; Miss Della pouring coffee, Andrea running food, Casey working through the window to the kitchen.

She took a breath.

Three things she could touch; The notepad in her hand for taking orders, the feeling of her uniform on her skin, and the empty plate on the table that she could clear.

Another breath.

Three things she could hear; The many conversations going on throughout the diner, the clinking of silverware on well-used plates, and the music that played in the room.

"Fill my cup, put some liquor in it."

The feeling of dread was dispersing with each breath as relief hit her.

"Take a sip, sign the check."

Tif had been chatting between the songs until she had signed off a little earlier. Sure, she never had an exact time she'd come into the diner.

She was a 'free-spirit', at least that's how she put it, but she had always made it in.

"Julio, get the stretch!"

"Please be alright," Kendra muttered to herself when the bell in the kitchen window dinged.

She looked to the window. "Table four!" Casey said when she made her way over to the pair of plates placed under the heat lamps.

"Got it." With a plate in each hand, she made her way to the end of the counter. She glanced at Travis, who still slept despite the ruckus. "Please tell me you're not comatose." She said in a hush as she passed by the booths.

"Morning Kendra!" said one of the many old ladies whose name she couldn't recall. There were so many she'd see each week.

But she could handle it. She was in control.

Kendra flashed her teeth. "Morning dear!" She said, emulating her boss as she passed the booth. She continued towards table four when the man in the booth before her destination waved at her. "I'll be right with you!" Her promise placated the man as she ventured past him and reached her goal.

A mother and her young daughter sat at the table, while the mother made eye contact with Kendra, her child was off in her own little world as she colored on her white paper placemat with crayons scattered about the table.

"Ranny, our food is here! You know what that means, right?" She looked up at Kendra, then back to the table.

"Clean up my crayons?" she asked.

Her mother smiled at her. "That's right! Now hurry and grab them, so she can set your food down for you!" The mother's voice was as sweet as the cream on top of the waffle.

The kid's pigtails swayed as she nodded. "Okay!"

Kendra stared at the scribbles on the paper placemat. Flowers, a big yellow sun, and a few trees had created a waxy forest meadow on the canvas. The doodles warmed Kendra's heart.

After all the horrifying details she had pictured, this was a dose of soul bleach.

She watched as the girl scooped her crayons up and dropped them into a box covered in stickers. With the space cleared, Kendra asked the pair a question. "So, who had the chocolate chip waffle?"

The girl's face lit up. "Me!" Her hands flew up as she waved them about.

She gave a nod. "Alright, but you should move your drawing so it doesn't get ruined!"

"Okay!" Her go-to answer. The paper rustled as it joined her crayons at the edge of the table. With the waffle set in place, the mother then got her meal.

"And a blue plate special for you." Kendra gave the two a moment to look over their meals. "Do either of you need anything?"

The mother glanced at her child. "Ranny?" She only shook her head. "Looks like we're good, thank you!" With the two sets, she made her way to the other table as the pair's conversation picked back up. "Let me cut that up for you."

"Okay!" The interaction had been just what she needed.

"Thanks for waiting. What did you need?" The man was like a cloud creeping in to block the ray of sunlight sitting next to him.

"Can I get a box?" His stare was one of annoyance, as if he were in a rush, as if it was her fault for his mood.

"Of course, you can!" she said, refusing to break character and give him the satisfaction of bringing her down.

If his complaint was that the staff was too happy, her boss would 'politely' tell the man where to shove his grievance.

Kendra made her way back to the counter when the chime at the front door sounded. A woman whose clothing epitomized a Stevie Nicks concert stepped in. The sleeves and ends of her dress flowed with her movement. The multiple necklaces over her chest swayed as she closed in on the waitress.

"Diner Galllll, how's it going?" Tif asked when she gave her the signal she was helping a customer. In response, Tif headed to the counter when she moved to the open seat at the bar down to the end by Travis, while Kendra got a box for the man.

"Here you go, need anything else?" The man stared at her, annoyed at her cheerful tone.

"My bill," he said, with a tilt of his head as if she could read his mind and having to tell her was redundant.

Kendra kept up her facade. "Oh, of course. Let me get your server, Andrea, right on it." The man only looked at her in aggravation. Kendra thought about the forest meadow the girl had drawn. This prick wasn't about to take the good feeling it had given her.

She made her way back to the counter where the other waitress had been pouring drinks. "Andrea, when you get a second, table five wants their check."

The middle-aged waitress responded. "Mr. Smiles?" She said cheekily. "On it." She passed by Kendra in a hurry. With the customer set, she had a moment to greet Tif, who had already taken an open seat at the bar.

"Hey," she said when the free spirit spun on the barstool to face her. Despite coming inside,she had kept her sunglasses on, if only to hide what most of the town knew.

Her eyes were red from using her favorite plant.

"Soooo," Tif dropped, as she leaned back and rested her arms on the bar. "How's your day been?" She crossed her legs and her raised foot Swayed lightly as she waited for details.

With customers around, Kendra had to keep her work face on despite everything she had seen and felt this morning. "Kind of weird, everything has been off-"

Yet, Tif was not subject to the same rules. "Weird? You know, I don't think that word quite works... like monster needles are sticking out of your jeep." She raised a finger, then another, as she continued to list off the bizarre events of their mornings. "Oh, also the weird animal attacks on the police radio." A third finger rose. "And let's not forget about..." Tif's eyes caught on something behind Kendra. "Is he the mystery guy? The one you found on the road?" A smile formed on her face. "Can't see his face, but going off what I see, he looks cute." The ditzy woman returned her focus to her friend. "So, is he cute?" Her brows raised from behind the frames of her sunglasses.

Kendra thought about her answer. Would she ever let her live it down if her friend learned of the thirst traps she took for Travis? "I mean-"

"Tiffany, tell me, how is my favorite radio hostess doing this morning?" For a woman whose presence was something that was normally heard coming, her knack for moving quietly was a superpower.

Had she known what they were discussing and wanted it put to a stop?

"Miss D, I'm good, been a bit of a boring day since the phones went down, but I've been trying to play what I think the people would want." A chuckle escaped the older woman.

"Of course, it has been an interesting morning, but we're still open and have customers to attend to, so I'll talk to you both once it's calmed down." Her gaze shifted to her employee. "For us all." Her polite warning given Kendra needed to get back to work.

She could talk to her later.

"Right, so you want your regular order?" Tif nodded.

"Yeahhh, but I think I'm gonna sit with the mystery man and have a chat with him." She giggled as she rose from the stool. "So just bring it to his booth, Alright?"

—Travis—

"Hey...up!" Travis felt something grabbing at his shoulder and shaking him out of his sleep. As the motions continued, he felt an ache in his chest, and groaned at what the pain meant.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Everything he wished was a nightmare wasn't.

It was all real...

"Umm...alive?" The word sounded distorted as Travis's eyes opened to stare down at the table he had slumped over. The pain continued to grow with each sway of his body when he freed his left arm and grabbed at the hand.

"Ughhh, stop! It fucking hurts!" A final twinge before his body went still and the pain ebbed away.

"Oh, sorry." The voice was feminine and unfamiliar.

"Just leave me alone..." Travis said. He pulled his arm back and got it back onto the table to block out the light. However long he slept was nowhere near what he needed. Exhaustion still caressed his eyelids as they grew heavy again. He needed more.

He wasn't ready to face everything wrong with his life.

"Loooook, I don't think you're crazy about the whole spider deer thing. I just wanted to ask you a few questions and then I'll go." Her words made Travis's eyes shoot open. His head rose from his arms when the light blinded him for a moment. The side of his hand went along his forehead to block the light from his eyes.

He heard a giggle as he tried to focus on the woman. "Sounds like we have a deal." The rustling of fabric and a jingle of metal caught his ears. As his eyes adjusted, he saw a hand extended out to him. He moved his hand away from his head when she came into full view.

A woman who looked like she fell out of an indie Instagram jewelry ad stood before him. Yet with everything he had seen this morning, she seemed to fit right in with everyone and everything else.

"You are?" He asked.

She shrugged and scoffed, "No, no, not until you tell me we got a deal, so shake on it!" Her smile returned. Whoever this was, she was determined to get what she wanted.

Travis sighed, annoyed when he shook her hand. "Fine, but I'm not saying anything till you tell me who you are." He pulled his hand away and sat back in the booth while she got situated across from him.

"Tiffany Triche, oh, but please don't call me by my full name." Her eyes pleaded with him when she smiled again. "I prefer Tiffy, please!" He only stared at her.

How much did she know about him already? Had Kendra or Della filled her in on what had happened? Did that mean they trusted her? That he could trust her? The thoughts raced about his head.

He needed answers.

"Travis!" she said with a chuckle. "Look, I'm gonna save us both some time and answer the questions written all over your face." He raised a brow. "Soooo, I'm friends with Kendra. I work at the local radio station and Kendra was texting me about you and the thing out in the woods." She shrugged "At least until our phones all turned to bricks." Her answers first brought relief, but the last thing she had said left him with a new sense of panic.

"Wait, your phones don't... does mine..." Travis grabbed his phone and saw the small words in the top left corner.

No Service

"Dammit." He had hoped he could call his father and figure out what to do. Sadly, that option was out.

"Listen..." Her airy tone had vanished, despite the sunglasses covering her eyes. He could feel her sober stare. "I know you want to go home, but you may have bigger problems right now." His eyes narrowed at her. What did she mean?

"What do you-"

"Oh my god, I love your hair!" Tiffy interrupted him with something out of left field. He only looked at her, befuddled.

Was this all a game to her?

"Well, someone finally woke up. I was worried you went comatose when you passed out." He had recognized this voice. It was Kendra. He turned to see her standing in her blue diner uniform, her peach colored lips in a perfect smile.

"So Diner Gal..." Tiffy said, "I know I'm a space case, buuuut I remember saying 'have my usual ready for me when I got here'..." She looked down at the empty table top. "Yet here I am... starving." She feigned sadness when Kendra shook her head.

"You did, but we never know when you'll actually stop in." Her gaze rose from the table to Kendra when she set her hands over her heart and her mouth dropped open. "Sometimes it's a little after nine, other times it's nearly eleven and you know Miss Della refuses to serve anyone, especially the regulars, a cold meal."

"I'm a free and wayward spirit! It's bad enough I have to stick to the program schedule at work..." She turned to the window and crossed her arms. "It feels like you expect me to be consistent or something." She sulked as Travis only wondered why this woman's attitude had shifted to something so cartoonish.

Kendra chortled at her antics. "Relax, I told Fred you're here. He'll have your usual out soon." A smile replaced her pouting face when she faced back to the waitress.

"You're the best!" Her gaze then drifted to Travis. "Anyway, getting back to what I was saying... Travis... Your hair." She reached into her rucksack a moment later and pulled out a black hair tie. "Let me fix that for you before the food comes... Please." There was no hint of that last word actually being a question.

"She's not gonna take no for an answer, Travis." Kendra said as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Ok soooo, turn your back to the bar and I'll come over there." He did as she asked and then she whispered. "So I need to keep up appearances with most of these people, so play along, please. Also, if I tap your shoulder, it means someone is listening." Once again, her voice lost its exaggeration. "Also, you're not from here, so all the nosy townies are already watching you." She leaned in. "The last thing we need is a panic."

He gave a nod when his hair swayed. "Are you an undercover cop or something?" That guess made the most sense to him.

"It's more like I watch for certain things-" She tapped on his shoulder and went quiet as she pulled his hair back. "Ok, so the hair over the face look is brooding and all but it hides those pretty eyes of yours, Trav." The sound of heels clacking against the tile approached when they stopped at the table.

"Tiffany, this is a family restaurant. If I see any funny business, you're both going out in the rain." A laugh came from Tiffany as she tied his hair back.

"Oh Miss D, I'm just doing his hair is all... I know I'll never get his hair as immaculate as yours, buuut I think I can work my magic here." Tiffy hummed for a moment as she fiddled with his hair. "Ok, I think a side braid with a ponytail will work for you." She removed the hair tie and took locks of his hair in her hand.

"Alright, I'm trusting you, Tiffany." She said before her masked ire shifted to Travis. "You had better behave like a gentleman, Travis." With her warnings issued, she made her way back to the other customers.

"Is it safe to assume she's aware of what you saw?" she asked as Travis watched her weave his hair in the window's reflection.

"You've known her longer. Do you think she'd have let me stay here if Kendra and I didn't tell her everything?" A breath hit the back of his neck as she signed. Travis felt goosebumps rise from it.

"So you and Kendra saw it, and she knows." Another tap on his shoulder. She went silent again to focus on his hair. "Hold it in place for me?" She asked when the owner of the business passed by like a sentry on patrol. He reached his hand up. She waited until the older woman had her back to them and was out of range before extending her middle finger at her. "God, you'd think I'd be doing something like..." Tiffy went quiet as she caressed his arm and worked her hand up to his neck, then finally back into his hair just in time for Della to look back at them. "I mean... I wouldn't say no to you. Buuut I got a job to do." She whispered.

"You know... you sure are interesting." Travis said, still astounded by her caress.

She snickered as she tied back his hair. "Damn, your game needs work."

His lips pursed. "Well, I just got cheated on-"

"Yeahhh, let's stop ya right there. That is not my problem." She said when Travis went silent.

She wasn't wrong.

With the final touches, she clapped her hands together. "Ok, face forward and let's see!" He turned into the booth slowly to avoid any unneeded pain. Once he faced forward, her eyes converged and took in the hairstyle. "Hmm... feels like it's missing something..." She studied him when an idea struck. She reached for the left side of his face. Her finger brushed his forehead as she hooked a loch of hair and gently pulled it until it fell to the side of his face. "There, perfect. Give me your phone!" She held her hand out.

With nothing to lose, he obliged when she took a picture. "There you go." With his phone back in his hand, he looked over the picture.

He looked good.

"Right, we got that set. Now why don't we get to business? I need you to describe exactly what you saw." She reached into her rucksack and pulled out a sketchbook and a pen.

"Umm, what are you doing?" he asked.

Tiffy dropped the book on the table and flipped open a page. "Look, it would be easier if I could show you some pictures I got, but that would raise questions. Remember, I need to act normal and not cause a panic." She loudly clicked the pen. "So tell me all about the spider deer and what it looked like. Oh, and don't worry, I've seen some shit so I can handle all the gory details." She smiled at him. "So tell me, was the thing a mix of deer and spiders?"

Travis shook his head. "No, it's all deer, it's just two of them-"

She groaned. "Please tell me I am not about to draw a deer centipede. The human one was bad enough in that movie."

Travis rolled his eyes. "Glad you're taking me nearly dying seriously."

She gritted her teeth at that, then leaned in. "Sorry, in character."

His eyes narrowed at her, yet he continued on. "So first off, the thing got sandwiched between my car and a tree." She tilted her head. "So focus on the upper body more." She nodded. All the details came rushing back. "So it took three legs from the other deer, chopped them off, and then stitched them to its sides."

Her pen stopped. "Ok wait... So which side had two legs? Left or right?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, forgot to mention it sliced off one of its front legs."

"Which one?" She asked.

He paused and thought back on the abomination that he barely escaped from. "The left one, but after it stitched all the legs to itself, they moved! It wrapped them around the tree and-" He paused. His heart was racing as his mind replayed the way the creature carved into itself. To break free of its confinement and sink its needles into his flesh.

"Breathe," she said as she flipped to a new page while Travis exhaled. "Take another breath, then tell me about what it stitched itself up with... oh and how did it amputate itself and the other deer?" Her new drawing began.

His racing heart slowed as the jittery feeling left him. He watched as Tiffy drew the new deer until he could continue. "So there were these black thread-like bits sewn all over the body of the deer." He thought back to when the needles first appeared. "Then when it got pissed off, it roared and needles popped out along with more of those threads. Some even turned into scissors and used those to cut its lower body off."

She nodded along when she flipped to a fresh page. "Okay, no lower body, then." She glanced up. "Any other major details I should know about?"

"Well..." She watched him, only to get silence.

"Use your words," She said.

"The eyes had a weird purple color to them."

His answer did nothing to deter her from drawing. "Oh, that's all? Yeah, don't worry too much about that. It's pretty common among these things."

These things? How many could there be?

Before he could press her, the kitchen door opened when Kendra came out with a plate in hand. "Okay, we got your-" She paused as she looked over the sketchpad. "Tif, what the hell?" Her smile had vanished at the drawing.

She dropped her pen onto the paper. "Whaaat?" The binding of the book scraped along the table as she slid it out of the way. "I told you; it sounds cute. If I can draw a good enough reference pic, I know someone who can crochet me one!"

Kendra stared her down. "Really?"

"Yeah, she's real good at it! She's got a table at the flea market where she sells the stuff she makes. I bet she could sell a bunch of them!"

Kendra's stare was unwavering. "You need help."

"You know, if you had a job like mine, you'd probably do the same." Despite hearing the same answer, each of them thought of a vastly different job.

"Travis, if you want to punch her, I won't stop-" The door to the kitchen opened when a man around their age stood in the doorway.

"Kendra, there's a break in the rain. Mind helping me with the trash?" He asked in a way similar to how Tiffy asked Travis to do things.

"Fine, but we got to be quick. Things are busy out here," she said, when he leaned into the frame.

"Relax. I already got most of the trash by the back door. It'll be less than five minutes." The two vanished into the kitchen when Tiffy grabbed her sketchpad.

The minutes ticked by as she finished the drawing. "Almost done..." she said eagerly. "Annnd Perfect! Did it look like this?" She held the sketch up and in the image, the upper half of a deer with more legs than it should ever have wrapped in needle-ridden black threads. Travis stared at the ink drawing. It had captured the horror of the animal carcass being controlled by the strings.

"Yes, that's it." Her face fell from the answer.

"Great, it is that one. Well, for now we need to-" she went silent as she stared out the window. "I need you to stay calm. Do not cause a panic." Her goofy demeanor was gone. In its place was one of grave concern. "You will get people killed if you panic." He gave a nod when she gestured to the window.

Travis looked out the window when he saw a deer standing in the parking lot. Unlike the one that tried to kill him in the forest, this one stood with its legs in the proper places. Though this deer had two additional deer heads sewn onto the sides of it, creating some sort of Cerberus-like deer creature.

The two watched as it walked across the parking lot.

Was it ignoring them?

"Wait..." Tiffy said as her eyes widened in horror. "It's heading for the dumpsters..."