Sabine

As my driver pulled up to the curb of the clothing boutique Catherine worked at, I took a deep breath before stepping out of the car. After instructing my driver to wait for a moment, I put on a big smile as I strode in through the front door. It only took a second to find Catherine organizing a rack of god-awful clothes.

She spotted me as I approached and immediately smiled. “Welcome back. I was starting to get worried when no one came to pick up your purchases.”

I didn’t have to fake the smile I gave her. “Yeah, my day took a little turn after I left here earlier.” With a quick look around the store, I noticed she was the only one working on the floor. “Where’s that thing you call a manager?”

Catherine let out a small laugh before covering her mouth. “Oh, uh, Adaline is in the back doing who knows what, but she’ll be leaving soon. She never stays to close.”

My eyes rolled as my head slowly shook. “Of course, she doesn’t.” With a quick peek at the counter, I noticed my bags still sitting there. “Okay, Catherine,” I said turning back to her. “I’m going to need you to listen very carefully and to trust me. Really trust me. Do you think you can do that?”

Catherine seemed hesitant, but as she stared into my eyes, I could feel her resolve settle. Granted, that probably had more to do with the spell of persuasion I had cast in the ride over. Either way, she lightly nodded her head. “Yes, I think I can.”

I could guilty for using magic on her after. “You and I are going to go to the manager's office in the back, and you are going to quit.” The look of shock on Catherine’s face only made me smile wider. “Once you do that, you and I are going to get in my car outside to go wherever you want and never come back here.”

Catherine’s eyes shifted around as she thought about everything I had just said. “Sabine, I wish I could, but I have two kids at home and I can’t just quit before I find another job.”

I tilted my head to the side and smiled before placing my hands on my hips. “Except you already have another job. One as a full-time administrative assistant, in fact. No interview needed. No need for a resume. The job is already yours to start on Monday.”

It took everything in me to not become overwhelmed by the extreme increase of emotion building inside of Catherine. She looked at me with confusion, to which I only smiled more while giving her a reassuring nod. Her eyes started to water before she put her hands on her cheeks. “You can’t be serious. How—what—are you serious?”

There was no fighting my own tears that managed to break through. “I’m dead serious. And, it’s a government job, which means great compensation, great health benefits, great retirement benefits, not to mention holidays and vacations.” I took a moment to dig some tissues out of my purse for the both of us. I was prepared for Catherine to cry, but I hadn’t expected to tear up myself. “Now, all you have to do is go back there, grab your stuff and quit.”

Just as we finished composing ourselves, the door to the back opened as Adaline came striding out. Her head was high as she scrolled through her phone. Without looking up from her screen, she addressed Catherine directly. “Alright, Cathy. I’m leaving for the evening. Before you finish tonight, I want you to clean the refrigerator in the back. It’s disgusting.” When Catherine didn’t say anything, Adaline looked down from her phone. “Did you hear me? I want—oh,” she said after noticing my presence. Her face remained cold and unmoving. “Hello, Miss Lancaster.”

Without missing a beat, Catherine slapped the phone right out of Adaline’s hand. My eyes widened as Catherine got as close up to Adaline’s face as she could. “First of all, my name is Catherine. Not Cathy. Second, you can clean the fridge yourself, because I quit!” Catherine had a fire in her eyes as she turned and walked towards the door. “Come on, Sabine. Let’s ride!”

There was an amazing feeling of pride built up in my chest as I gave Adaline a devious smile. “Actually, Ads. I’m just going to leave all of the disgusting clothes I bought earlier and have the credit card company just cancel the purchase.” I paused for a moment to see if Adaline had any retort, but she just stared at me dumbfoundedly.

Catherine held the door for me as I exited before she turned one last time towards Adaline. “By the way, we all know your real name is Peggy and that you're from Dubuque, Iowa, bitch.” She then proceeded to slam the boutique door shut and high-five my driver standing by the car before getting in. “Oh, my god,” she said excitedly. “I can’t believe I just did that. I haven’t done anything like that since I was your age.”

I pulled out the folder from my purse detailing everything about her new job and placed it in Catherine’s lap. “Consider this a new lease on life.

As we rode to Catherine’s apartment building, we went over the aspects of her new position. It was a pretty standard job and because she was a regular human, it wouldn’t entail her being involved in any of the supernatural aspects of the Department of Metaphysical Security. She just thought she would be working operations for an office that tracks and manages budgets for local army bases.

Once parked in front of Catherine’s apartment building, I got a good look at the surroundings. “Oh, Catherine. I have to be honest. This is a rough-looking neighborhood.”

She sighed as she looked out of the window with me. “Yeah, it’s not the best, but it’s close to the kid’s school and the subway.”

I waved her response away with my hand before looking her in the eyes. “Okay, there is one more thing I can do for you and it’ll actually be a lot easier than it was getting you the job. My uncle owns multiple apartment buildings in the city closer to your new job as well as much better schools. First thing Monday, I’m going to call him and we are going to get you and your kids set up.”

Catherine started full-on crying. Before I could do anything, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around me. “Tha--thank you so much, Sabine. I don’t know how I could ever repay you,” she said before letting go.

I grabbed some more tissues for her and myself. “Well, you can start by not crying in front of me. Waterproof mascara only goes so far.”

Through her tears, Catherine smiled ear to ear. “I’ll try, but you’re not making it easy. Actually,” she said before looking out of the car window at the street. “There’s a little diner at the end of the block. Let me treat you to a little late dinner.” She immediately noticed my obvious grimace. “Please. You’ve got to let me do something to thank you. If you don’t,” she started fake crying. “I’ll just fall to pieces again.”

Even though I rolled my eyes, she still managed to get a smile out of me. “Fine. But only because I legitimately cannot handle any more crying tonight.”

After the driver let us out of the car, Catherine pointed down the street about five buildings down. “The diners just up there. People usually just get food to go, so it’s a pretty quiet place to sit and enjoy a bite to eat.”

I paused for a moment as I looked up at her apartment building. “You don’t want to bring the food back to your apartment? Aren’t your kids waiting for you?”

Catherine let out a sarcastic laugh. “Not at all. My youngest is at a sleepover and my fourteen-year-old daughter is face-deep in her phone while watching tv. She’d rather I text her than invade her space with actual conversation.”

It took less than two minutes to walk down the street to the diner, and as soon as we walked in, I saw exactly what Catherine had been talking about. The diner was completely empty. It was a moderate size space with a row of booths along the wall and a long counter with bar stools that stretched the length of the diner. The walls were wood paneling on the bottom half and beige-colored walls on the top half.

Catherine walked ahead of me before stopping at a booth and gesturing for me to sit down. As I sat, I tried not to notice how the seat seemed to stick a little to my pants. Not even a minute after I was adjusted, the waitress, a woman in her early forties with long dark brown hair in a ponytail, was already at our table.

She smiled sweetly at Catherine. “Kids driving you crazy again?”

Catherine moved her head from side to side. “When aren’t they?” She asked with a laugh. “Nicky, I’d like you to meet my new friend, Sabine.”

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The waitress turned her sweet smile in my direction. “Well, hello. I’m Nicky and any friend of Catherine’s can order anything she wants off the menu.” She finished with a wink before only handing me a menu.

I looked from Nicky to Catherine with a questioning gaze. “Are you not eating anything?”

Catherine looked confused for a second before she realized why I was asking. “Oh, Nicky knows what I want. I get the same thing every time.”

Nicky put her hands behind her back, before looking up to recite the order. “A double chili cheeseburger with garlic waffle fries smothered in more cheese and a side of onion rings. Oh, and one root beer float. Honestly, Catherine,” she said looking back down. “That is a heart attack special if I’ve ever heard one.”

Catherine just shrugged her shoulders at Nicky. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll put you in my will.”

After Nicky gave Catherine a playful slap on the arm and walked away, I took a look at the menu. It was hard not to look as disgusted as the menu items made me feel. “Oh, Catherine. If this is your way of saying thank you, I’m glad I’m not your enemy. Oh, my god. There's a burger on here that uses donuts as buns!”

Catherine sighed as she rubbed her stomach. “And it is as delicious as it sounds.”

There was no point in looking at the menu. I knew there wasn’t anything I would find that wasn’t covered in grease. “First thing you should do when your benefits kick in is go get a physical.”

Catherine leaned forward onto the table, and with a soft gaze, stared right into my eyes. “Sabine, I really am so unbelievably grateful for everything you’ve done for me today. So, please don’t take this the wrong way, but why in the world would you do all of this for someone you’ve known less than 24 hours?”

I couldn’t blame her skepticism. If someone had tried to do for me what I had done for Catherine, I would have threatened them with mace to explain themselves. After taking a deep breath, I returned Catherine’s soft gaze with one of my own. “I have this talent where I can tell what a person is really like before they even show me. Call it intuition or just a good judge of character. But, from the minute I saw you today, I could tell you were a really amazing woman with a big heart. You have this natural maternal aura about you. That,” I paused for a minute because I could feel my eyes welling up. “That is something I haven’t seen in a very long time. My relationship with my own mother has never, um--.” My voice cracked and Catherine immediately reached her hands out to hold mine. Her eyes were beginning to get wet. “Me and my mom have never really been close. The only thing she genuinely cares about is her career. And because of it, now my parents are getting a divorce, and I just feel really alone all of the time.” I stopped for a moment to wipe away the tears clouding my eyes. “Catherine, you promised!”

She was crying almost as badly as I was. “Well, you started it and I’m not sorry,” she said with a laugh. “Now, I may not be your mother or understand why she wouldn’t want to spend time with her amazing daughter, but as a mother myself, let me tell you right now that you are an amazing and special young lady. You have a heart that wants to love and you deserve good things. Don’t ever let anyone make you different.” She squeezed my hands a little tighter. “And, Sabine, you are not alone. Not anymore. You’ve got a friend right here.”

With a few final tears, I took a deep breath and regained my composure. “Wow. All of this crying has made me dehydrated,” I said before clearing my throat. “Speaking of, maybe we should flag Nicky down for some beverages.”

Catherine briefly nodded in agreement before suddenly looking confused. “Now that you mention it, Nicky should have brought us waters by now.”

I surveyed the diner for her, but Nicky was still in the kitchen. “Why don’t I go make sure she’s doing alright back there.”

Catherine craned her neck to look around as well. “Are you sure? She probably just got caught up with something,” she said watching me as I stood up.

“Yeah. I have to go to the restroom, anyway. Plus, I want to ask if there’s anything they can cook that won’t make my face break out.” I gave Catherine a pat on the shoulder before heading from our booth to the swinging kitchen door.

Walking past sinks and ovens, I looked high and low for any inkling of where Nicky might be. As I stood in the middle of the kitchen, I listened for any sounds that might point me in the right direction, but there was nothing. Just total silence. Not only couldn’t I find Nicky, but there were no cooks, bus boys, or anyone else around.

Without hesitation, I moved to a kitchen wall, placed a hand against the surface, and closed my eyes. As my breathing went in and out, I opened my mind to the present state of the diner. Allowing it to show me everything happening inside and outside of the diner. My first conclusion had been accurate. The interior of the diner was completely empty except for Catherine and myself. As my mind's inner eye moved to the exterior of the diner, a cold chill ran through my body. There was nothing.

Outside of the diner, there was only total darkness. No other buildings. No cars. No street. There was nothing but black all around us. I quickly pulled my hand from the wall and opened my eyes. Suddenly, the silence around me was deafening. It was possible I was dealing with an escaped entity, but what I couldn’t wrap my mind around is what happened to the diner and where we were. The one thing I did know was that I needed to protect Catherine.

With quick steps, I made my way back through the kitchen. My eyes were set on the door to the dining area when the lights around me flickered on and off for a moment. I paused only for a second but raised one foot to keep going. That’s when I felt it. Something cold was gripping my other ankle. I began to look down, but before I could see what was gripping me, the lights flickered again. At that moment, the cold grip pulled at my leg, making me fall forward.

A second after falling, I quickly got on my hands and knees as I looked around for the entity. Okay. That’s enough. I took a deep breath and focused on projecting a protective barrier around myself. Nothing happened. “What the hell?” I clenched my fists and tried again to pull the magic inside of me to the surface. Still, nothing. I couldn’t access any of my magic.

My breathing began to go in and out quickly as I realized I was powerless. The lights flickered again, and this time I spun around in every direction. Whatever was going on, I still needed to get back to Catherine. With the kitchen exit in my sight, I took off in a run. A few feet from the swinging door, the lights went out. Panic was swelling inside of me, but I didn’t stop. With everything I had, I threw myself through the kitchen door and landed on the floor behind the counters.

I quickly pushed off of the ground while surveying everything around me. The diner looked completely normal and undisturbed. Over at Catherine and I’s booth, she and Nicky were looking at me like I had gone crazy. After pushing my hair out of my face and dusting my clothes off, I put on a fake smile and walked back over like nothing was wrong. “Sorry about that,” I said while sitting back down. “I tripped on my way out of the kitchen.”

Catherine’s face was a sea of concern. “Are you sure? That fall looked like it hurt quite a bit.”

I widened my fake smile as I reached for my purse. “Yeah. No, I’m fine. But I think we should probably go. It’s getting late and I just remembered that I actually have a really important assignment for school that I need to get a jump on.”

Nicky looked back and forth between me and Catherine in confusion. “Well, let me at least grab you both something to take for the road. I’m sure you’re both still hungry.”

I shook my head while shuffling out of the booth. “That’s okay. I’m really not that hungry.”

Nicky nodded her head and gave me a small smile. “Sure thing, darling. Just be careful out there. You don’t want to get lost in the endless darkness.”

Her words made me pause as I looked her in her eyes. “What did you say?”

Nicky’s face froze in a smile as her head slowly tilted to the side. “The darkness,” she said as the register in her voice lowered. Catherine shrieked as the skin on the left side of Nicky’s face began to melt, revealing a tar-like surface underneath. An entity. I turned towards Catherine for a moment, but when I looked back at the entity, it was gone.

Catherine and I looked at each other before we both quickly started moving out of the booth. I reached for my purse, but as soon as I had it in my grasp, a hand reached out from under the table and grabbed my wrist. The entity pushed its head up between my legs as it crawled its way up to me. Its face was more than half gone as an inhumanly wide mouth of sharp teeth smiled up at me.

I couldn’t move. I couldn't scream. I couldn’t breathe. Every part of me was frozen in fear. Suddenly, I felt myself being pulled out of the booth as Catherine let out a strained yell. Once I hit the floor, my body regained mobility but at the same time, the lights went out. Catherine quickly helped me to my feet. I looked back at the booth, but the entity was gone.

Catherine and I were holding on to each other as tight as we could while looking around the darkened diner. The only sound was our heavy breathing. We stood in total silence, surrounded by the darkness inside as well as outside. We were trapped.

I opened my mouth to whisper to Catherine, but as the first syllable formed in my mouth, the door to the diner flew open. Catherine and I both turned to the door before an invisible force lifted her legs and pulled her towards the exit. At the same time, I was pulled in the opposite direction further into the diner. I watched as Catherine flew through the door and into the endless black surrounding the diner.

My body slammed into a wall before falling hard onto the floor. I pushed myself up using my arms, but the moment I moved a leg to stand, the shin bone snapped forward in half. The sound of the bone-cracking and flesh-tearing filled my ears. I screamed as tears erupted from my eyes at the pain. Using my hands, I turned myself onto my back and looked down at my severely injured leg. Standing by my foot and staring at me with pale yellow eyes, was the entity. Its body was completely black while a dark substance dripped off of it. The entity smiled as it slowly knelt down and crawled towards me. I could feel myself freezing up in terror again. It moved till it was sitting on top of my stomach. My eyes were glued to it as I watched its smile grow impossibly wider before it quickly grabbed my arm and snapped it backward at the elbow.

My throat was raw as screams tore out from the agonizing pain. I could feel the shock setting in as I lay there staring into its pitch-black face. Little by little, the entity moved closer to me until our faces were barely an inch apart. No longer able to take it, I shut my eyes and screamed as loud as I could.

When I opened them again, the diner light was staring down at me. It was hard to process exactly what was happening, but the entity was gone and the lights were back on. Arm and leg broken, all I could do was lie there and cry. After only a few seconds, the real Nicky came out from the kitchen area with cups of water in her hands. As soon as her eyes landed on me, she screamed almost as loudly as I had. She was the last thing I saw before everything went black.