A VERY DARK tale (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 32

If not for the approximate location of the buildings that stood in chain lined down the street, I'd say that this was an entirely different town. Besides, the streets became longer and to two shabby blocks were added a few more, making it look like a cozy small town.

Instead of the bar and the town's inn, there were a pharmacy and a small deli café that was placed right in the corner. However the building that used to held the bar stayed the same, minus the old windows and doors.

My eyes scanned the street and fell on the three older men sitting on the bench right outside the pharmacy. They all looked like respectable gentlemen except I could notice their eyes gleaming with cold light. With oh so familiar cold light.

My memory stirred and flashes of images started blinking in my head. As much as I didn't remember the majority of my life, the most important events stayed untouched in the chambers of my brains. Something that Dr. Farmosa never managed to scoop out of me.

My shaded gaze traveled by two figures that were sitting outside on the porch curiously observing me. One of them licked his lips and smirked pointing his chin in my direction. Such thugs that sat by the bar wasting their lives in bottle lived scattered all around the country. Anywhere you go, you can find one of them staring at you in a hair-raising way. The thought brought unpleasant shiver run through me, and I swiftly looked away.

Before long, the one who acknowledged me first got up and lazily stepping by the dusted road made his way to the truck. His face was what I call unpleasant. It wasn't ugly; in fact, his face was shaped nicely and still held youthfulness. What made it uncomfortable was a sat of his yellowish raunchy eyes and know-it-all attitude. He was exactly the kind who liked to violate, to rape, to steal, to watch you suffer. He was what you call a lowlife. A real lowlife.

Carelessly, he leaned on the window of the truck from my side. The window was slightly rolled down that let him shove his covered in dirt and blood fingers inside. I didn't move or even flinched away. I was too shocked to move. And once I turned my head to look at him, he sent me a creepy grin. The worst part was that he didn't say anything, he just kept eyeing me like his prey making me sick to my stomach. Because he didn't need to say anything. The silent messages were written all over his face.

The guy pulled his tongue out making a weird move with it, and winked at me as if saying 'if you want a good time, you know where to find me.' Then he straightened up patting the body of the car and started unhurriedly moving to the bar porch. At the same time, Troy emerged from the door of the adjacent building and headed towards me. He and the guy exchanged some kind of look that didn't really mean anything, but still I sensed a warning that passed between them in a split second.

I flinched at the vivid vision from my past, and my eyes zeroed on the old man with the similar face that I dug out from the depth of my memory.

It was the same man.

Instead of cringing, I felt a cold smile growing on my lips. I didn't know if it was because I recognized him, or because now I had full authority over him. Interesting...

"Park the car, Spencer," I ordered in a neutral voice, not giving away my excitement. Spencer glanced at me warily but complied nonetheless.

"Do you want to ask around the people, if someone knows the people you're after?" he asked when stopped at the curb on the other side of the street and turned off the engine.

"Something like that," I nodded. "By the way," I took my handbag. "Do you need something from a pharmacy?"

He made a thoughtful face and pursed his lips. "No, not really."