The Unknown

Weird Guy

Her cape above....

It's late. As I look up at the clock, at this monotonous job I have, its a 24 hour pharmacy, and I'm on the graveyard shift. The clock switches to 3 o'clock, as my eyes flit back to what I'm doing. I was pulling some tags in the back, when I hear the bell ring one solitary time, signaling me that someone requires service at the register.
There, standing at my register, is a tall looming figure. His shoulders are tense in his black pinstriped suit. He runs his fingers through his tousled, brown black hair, and as I get closer the man tenses up even more and freezes. When he begins to turn and look at me, I quickly move around him to the register. I take his actions as aggravation, and hurry myself. As I log myself back into the register, (I haven't had a customer since midnight, so it logged me out...)
I glance at him guardedly. He's quite big actually. I've never seen a man that big, well except basketball players, that one time I won front row seats.... He's not fat by any means, he's just... well he just large. His suit, working very hard to contain his massive biceps. I'm sure they are the size of my head. The black dress shirt underneath his blazer would pop quite a few buttons if he flexed to hard.
I cleared my throat a little as I grabbed the only item he purchased. Advil. Who knew, big guys that look indestructible get headaches too.
"Erm Sir, what brings you here so late?"
I swore I saw him shudder a little, and close his dark eyes. But his smooth facade is right back to quiet indifference. He grunts. But that's all the answer he gives me.
"Ho-kayyy" I breathe out under my breath hoping he didn't notice. He's staring out the glass windows, that form the whole front of the stores wall, and automatic doors. Scanning the parking lot. But when he hears me ring up his item, his intense eyes are back on me. His eyes glint, as my cheeks color from his stare. "I-is there anything else I can do for you today Sir?" I choke out.
His eyes scan me up and down, but he shakes his head. I breathe a sigh of relief, and he grips the counter, his jaw clenching when he hears the sound. I shiver and quickly mumble his total under my breathe. 'Gee this guy is on edge'.
He hands me the cash all crumpled up, grabs his item, and rushes out the door.
"Sir! You gave me too much!" I shout after him, as I uncrumple what looks to be a $100 dollar bill. My eyes widen, when I hold it above me in the light, and relise its real. I swallow hard when he doesn't even flinch, let alone turn around and come back. I quickly make my way around the counter, and make to run after him, but I stop just inside the walkway, to our automatic doors, and look out into the parking lot. It's dark, it's foggy, and a chill just runs down my spine, at the emptyness of the parking lot. 'Was he even really here or did I just imagine it?' I look to my hand still holding the crinkled $100. Well he was definitely here, but how did he disappear so quickly.
I straighten my unoriginal, navy blue, company shirt, and stomp back inside. 'What a pompous ass! Paying $100 for Advil? I'm not a charity case, just because I work at an over night pharmacy. I don't need you're pity tips. I can take care of myself, thank you. Always have always will.' I storm to the back, where I was pulling tags, and begin furiously ripping tags off the shelves. "Stupid suits" I growl quietly. "Pompous.... Think their better than me... No good...Over paying." I grumble and pout, like a child. I really should just be thankful. I needed this money. My rent is due, and I'm $250 short... Hence the graveyard shift. I still wouldn't have made it on time, but this hundred puts me just over, with the money I'm making from this shift. 'But still, I could have figured it out.'
'You mean you could have degraded yourself, by begging Arthur for scraps again.' A voice says in the back of my head, snidely.
That man, would make me grovel on my hands and knees, for a couple of bucks. You'd think he'd be nicer, considering he's my father, but no. He's never been nice. My self esteem has suffered greatly, from his verbal lashings. He makes me feel like anything I can't do for HIM, is a crime. I've never been good enough. At least he's never laid a hand on me, neglected me yes, but he has never hurt me physically. He knows I could break his arms and legs, like toothpicks, before he'd ever lay a hand on me any way. I've got Krav Maga to thank for that. Picked Krav Maga up from my favorite uncle, when I was about six. He helped me learn till I was about 12, haven't stopped training since then. I never saw him again, after the day I turned 12, he left me a note saying he was traveling the world. He always talked about doing it, I guess he finally decided to go.
He always sends me cool things from all over the world, like Jus De Bassap. Its a tea like drink, best served cold, from senegal, and its my favorite, I drink it all the time. I miss that man, he never would have left if he knew I've been taking care of myself, since he left. Well that, and the emotional and verbal abuse, from Arthur, definitely would have made him stay. But I didn't have the heart to tell Uncle Drew in any of my letters. He was 22 when he left, the youngest to ever make a name for himself, in his school. My heart hurt thinking about him, I wonder what he would send me this month, it was about time for one of his packages. I recieved one everytime he traveled to a new country. He's a photographer. His pictures were litteral works of art. Such a contrast to his older brother, my father, the accountant, bleh. Boring. Sometimes I think thats why he berates me so. He's just bored.
My breathing regulates, and my heart slows, from the monotony of pulling tags, and thoughts of my uncle. I still can't believe, that weird man, did that. And what was his problem anyway. Whatever.

***

It's the end of my shift, and I place the change from my wallet into the register, the correct amount for the advil, so I don't have to break the hundred. I want to keep it for some odd reason. I finish everything I need to do before I leave, and pack up my stuff. I put my Hourihan, forest green, wool, Donegal tweed, cape on. It's from Ireland. I think you can guess who gave it to me. I wear it in the fall always. Heading out to the parking lot, it's about six AM. I look around the dark empty parking lot, like he's ganna be there waiting for me, but he's not. 'Of course he's not that would be weird' says that sassy bitch in the back of my mind.
I shake my weird thoughts off and hop in my 95' Dodge Dakota. My baby! It's green, with a big wide pueter strip, through the middle of it horizontally, both colors have a slightly sparkly finish. A red and yellow, pin stripe, separates the pueter, from the green on top. I got it lifted cuz I'm crazy like that.
As I pull out the lot, I could have swore I saw a black Jag, following me. Super nice looking car, by the way. But it turns down a dirt road before we get too far, and I wave my aniexty off as nerves, from being out all night and that creepy guy.
Heading up the stairs to my apartment, I slip my check for rent, through my supers door, mail slot. Opening my apartment door, I walk in yawning. It's empty and lonely, but its home. I'd get a cat, but I'm never home. My apartment is plain, nothing special about it, except for the trinkets from my uncle. I don't do much decorating. The only thing I decorate is my baby. Custom seat covers, bass built into the seats. I've lived in my car a few times, so I just had a bedset built into the bed of my truck. Now the bed of my truck is litterally a bed. The cover turns into a makeshift tent. It's quite useful actually.
I unpack and snugle into bed, for a nap we will call it, I don't sleep much. As I toss and turn for one measly hour of sleep, I wake suddenly. A weird feeling runs down my spine, like there's someone in my house. But I know that can't be true. Its probably from a dream I can't remember.
I look over to my clock, it's three PM, I've been sleeping 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off, for the last eight hours. I give up on sleep and get up. It's Saturday, which means I have today and tomorrow off. Showered, fed, and in my exercise atire, I head out for a run, it's about 6pm.
Running, I notice it's getting dark already, because it's fall.
'No shit sherlock'
'shush you sassafrass.'
Am I seriously arguing with myself. Suddenly I get this weird feeling somebody's following me.
'What is wrong with me?' I ask myself. 'no one is stalking you, you crazo' I rub my temples as I run.
'Someone's there you idiot' there's that saucy bitch again.
I slow my pace and look at the buildings I run by, to see whats behind me, to make it look casual. I can actually run for quite a while, but I stop and put my hands on my head, and bend over, like I'm really tired, and I can't breathe, when I see a black flash duck behind a building. Pretending to breathe heavy, I lay down in the leaf covered grass, my knees bent, and arms spralled out to my sides. In this position I look really vulnerable, so stalkers drop their gaurd, and give away their positions. Yes I've been attacked before. A few times actually, and they fall for this every time. I'm pretty volatile in any position, but this ones my favorite. Thanks Krav Maga.
I hear foot steps come around another building in the distance, as I stare up at the sky.
'That's it, whoever you are, come a little closer.'
I hear a crunch behind the tree I'm laying next to. I spring to my feet and run to the tree to catch my little stalker.