Sam Walker and the Grim Reaper Services (ONC 2021)

2 - He's Not Okay

Sam cursed as coffee spilled out of the bright blue disposable cup and landed on his hand, burning him. The customer watched him suspiciously as he wrapped a napkin around the cup and handed it to her, thanking her through gritted teeth. As soon as she turned away from the counter, Sam snatched up a second napkin and swabbed it across his hand, wincing slightly. Just another painful burn from working at Caffeinated, he groused.

"Mocha latte," his coworker, Selena, snapped, not even bothering to look at him as she handed a familiar looking customer a receipt. Sam nodded, taking the cup she handed him with the name Marcus scribbled on it in black sharpie. He went about making the drink as Marcus waited by the counter, looking preoccupied. He wasn't scrolled through his phone with earbuds in like normal, which was weird.

"Here you go," Sam said, handing Marcus the cup. Marcus took it, frowning at Sam.

"You seen Jake today?"

Sam shook his head. "No, I haven't. Haven't seen him since...since Monday night, actually."

"I saw him yesterday around noon," Marcus said. "When I came back after class to get a sandwich. Haven't seen him since, and neither has Raj."

"Have you texted him?" Sam asked, furrowing his brow.

"Texted and called," Marcus affirmed. "Nothing. I even called Becky, but she says she hasn't seen him since they got out of their class yesterday afternoon."

"That's weird," Sam said, frowning. "No one's seen him today?"

"He didn't come in last night, and he wasn't at the apartment this morning," Marcus said, taking a sip of his latte. "Raj said we should call the cops if he doesn't turn up by tonight. He's really freaked, and it's starting to get to me."

"I have a class with Jake this afternoon," Sam said, chewing his bottom lip. "Classical myths. I know where he normally sits; I'll keep an eye out for him."

Marcus nodded. "Raj is going to call his parents in the meantime."

"Maybe it's nothing," Sam said, although he felt uneasy. Jake may be lazy and unreliable, but he normally wasn't this hard to reach. And it wasn't like he was a part of a broad social circle – he was either with them, Becky, or occasionally the kids in his music club. "Maybe he's cheating on Becky?"

"I don't know, man," Marcus said, looking worried. "That's just not Jake. Besides, Becky's already way out of his league, and she's a step down from the Goth over there." He jerked his head toward Selena, whose regular appearance of black eyeshadow and lipstick, black pattern T-shirt and ripped jeans, and combat boots certainly gave her the appearance of being Goth, although other customers had referred to her as emo, so Sam wasn't sure which she was. "He'd be an idiot to cheat on her. And he knows it."

"We'll call the cops tonight if he doesn't show up," Sam said. First the letter, now Jake. What's next? Selena turning into a vampire and sucking out all my blood?

Though, after a glance at Selena, Sam reasoned that actually wasn't too far outside the realm of possibility.

"Hey!" Selena called, snapping her fingers at Sam and tapping his sleeve with the large, clear plastic cup. "Strawberry infusion, dork."

Sam took the cup, rolling his eyes at Marcus as he set to making the drink. "See you later, man," Marcus said, taking a sip from his coffee before exiting the shop.

Selena shook her long, wavy blonde hair out of her face and glanced at Sam, widening her ebony-enshrouded eyes at him. "Classical myths? Really, dork?"

"I had to take a lit class!" Sam snapped back. "It's required."

Selena turned completely toward him, tilting her body toward the register, and planted her hand on her hip, lifting an eyebrow at him. "Well, I took Death in Literature for that requirement," she retorted coolly. "You had other options."