A Fire in the Dark

A Stranger in the Dark

  I turned off the lights and locked the main door of the restaurant, repressing heavy yawns. The night had been busier than habitually and as a consequence, it had taken way longer than habitually to close. Clients had been demanding, impatient and my ass had been grasped more than a couple of times. I had had to kick out a bunch of noisy drunk guys when they wouldn't leave after the closing time. I definitively deserved a raise I would never get. Saying I was exhausted was a euphemism. But I didn't remember a time when I wasn't...
 

It was seven passed two in the morning when I started walking my way home still wearing my ugly vintage waitress uniform. The street was desert under the dim halo of its lights. Shadows were creeping in dark alleys. The deep silence was making every little noise sound like gunshots and breaking glass disrupting the early morning peace. I wasn't even flinching anymore since the drill had been the same for some years already. Working my ass off to pay bills, coming back home in the middle of the night, sleeping only a few hours, beginning again the cycle.
"Did no one ever tell you how dangerous it is to walk all alone at night?" This time, I did jump at the predatory voice. Who was still outside at this late hour in a quiet little town like Sparks Creek? No one except potential murderers. "Don't you know what happens to pretty girls who do?" the voice carried on maliciously.
Carefully, I turned around slowly to evaluate the threat. Once my stare caught his, I knew I was completely trapped, just like a fly in his spider web. Was it totally displaced to admit that my assailant was breathtakingly awesome? Yes, it was. But it didn't change the facts. Was it the embryo of the Stockholm syndrome speaking?
I could never take the time to answer myself logically at the moment because I was too busy detailing the guy. I would have put my hand to the fire that he was about twenty, just like me. His beauty was cold and dangerous. Another unexpected world for it struck me: supernatural. "Maybe I've been told." In the shadow, his eyes seemed black as voids and I felt myself aspirated in their depth. He also had straight dark hair reaching under his jaw. When we took it all in, he looked almost animal, inhuman.
"Maybe I just don't like to listen", I replied with feigned courage. He smirked in a wolf-like way that made me shiver. I knew I had to get out of there at the speed of light, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The handsome stranger seemed to have some kind of attraction power that froze my free will. In total opposition with my survival instincts, my body wanted to get closer to him, to touch his pale skin, to feel the scar that extended itself from the corner of his eye to his cheek bone under my fingers.
"Do you? Then just don't listen some more and let a mystery man in the night take you someplace else... Believe me, I can make it worth your while." The offer was appealing in a certain way. I was craving to know about him, to learn why he was so fascinating... However, I still had a bit of a head on my shoulder. Fortunately. I had to get some sleep in order to be able to bear work the next day. Plus, I didn't have time to get kidnap, which was more than likely to happen.
"You're not from here, are you? I've never seen you around", I wonder with a detachment that surprised me. The sudden change of subject didn't catch him off guard. Nevertheless, he stopped to think for an instant, as if he was searching for the best answer to give. "We could say that I'm a long lost local, I guess." The progresses were too little, the answers too vague. "Is that so?" I pushed innocently. His lazy smile swelled again and a light ray caught his white teeth, making them gleam menacingly. He took a step in my direction while I stayed frozen on the spot, unable to react physically.
"How uncivil I am, I forgot to present myself. I'm Kade." From his new location, I could evaluate his sizes better. He was taller than me, but not by much. I couldn't deny how he looked fast and agile. Like a feline ready to rip off your throat. He wore black and black only, which shaped his body perfectly. "And you are?" he continued with a marked interest. "Going home", I retort with the little amount of strength I could gather. Another step forward. His muscular, but lean shape was now close enough to shadow me from the street lamps light.
"Aww come on. Don't be like that, little firefly." Here we were again, the fly and the spider. Yet, his tone didn't imply that he was mocking me with that nickname. On the contrary, it sounded almost... caring? Totally shortcutting my brain, my lips formed the words. "I'm Heather." Crap, now it would be even easier for him to find me again if he wanted to. How great, I only had a few hours left to live. That was, if he would let me go after this casual little conversation.
Then, as if we were sharing a dirty little secret together, he said, "Heather, like heat. How suiting. It's a real pleasure to meet you, Heather." He winked devilishly. The way he said my name, as if it was honey on his tongue, gave me goosebumps.
My mouth was still functioning on its own accord when I affirmed bluntly, "The feeling is shared, Kade." I didn't know why, but I meant it deep down, as if my subconscious knew things I didn't. During a fraction of second, his corner smile became genuine, before returning to sarcastic.
"How long exactly are you staying in Sparks Creek?" I asked, half hoping, half apprehending. "As long as I have business to attend to here..." He replied with innuendo that I couldn't understand like if it was a joke to himself. "And I hope business keeps me here long enough..." Well I didn't, I tried lamely to convince myself.