Chapter Forty-five
Their Sanctuary
Smoke drifted past my face as soon as the pub door swung closed behind me, the smell of tabacco consumed the air. It was busy inside , a rowdy bunch of men sat at the bar joking with the bartender. Bellowing over in laughter and hitting each other on the back as they drank from huge beer glasses. I subconsciously pulled up the collar of my jumper feeling instantly vulnerable. This is so stupid, I should just go wait in the car like Nathan told me to.
"What will it be honey?" The white haired bearded man behind the bar called out to me. He was a plump man wearing a worn mustard coloured sweater, he had a wrinkled aged face with a creased forehead. The men all followed his gaze to me, they were all over the age of thirty most of them smoking lung killing cigarettes. They eye'd me like prey,their eyes roaming me like I was on show for them. They made noises of appreciation that they made my stomach curl.
"um ..." I pause trying to find my voice in the loud room "Actually I was just-"
"Aw come on little thing come and sit with us" One blonde haired male grinned patting the stall beside him. I cringed at the version of Nathan's nickname that came out of his mouth, strange to admit that it only felt right coming out of Nathan's mouth.
"No I'm fine thanks ..." I said looking around the pub noting it's decor, it was old fashioned and dated with shabby curtains and peeling wallpaper. Pictures of landscapes and old buildings hung from the walls charred with smoke and dust.
The door swung open behind me, breathing in a gust of wind from outside that made me shiver. I jumped in fright at the sound it made when swinging open and bouncing of the stone walls. I turned around to find a young man carrying a pile of heavy looking wood logs he was fair skinned and dark haired, a sharp prominent scar ran harshly across his jaw line.
"Where do want these?" He called over the noise to the old bartender.
"Throw a couple on the fire lad" He said not glancing up as he served more pints out to the men "Put the rest out the back"
The boy did as he said walking past me to attend to the dying fire, which was burning in the dark and soot covered fireplace.
"Now you look like a whiskey kind of girl" The old bartender quirked an eyebrow "Come take a seat and ignore these idiots-"
A round of "HEY" sounded from the drunk men who flipped carelessly about on their bar stools and fell into each others shoulder. I considered running out to the car instead but now I think about it I am thirsty ...
"Ok" I said hesitantly and walked around to the other side of the bar away from the men, I sat down on a wooden bar stool that looked in the shape to collapse "No whiskey though just water"
"No whiskey huh?" He inquired reaching down under the bar and retrieving a branded glass water bottle which he set in front of me "how old are you?"
"Eighteen" I lied twisting the cap on the water "Have you got a straw?"
He snorted a laugh as if in response "Your not from around here, are you?"
"I knew I'd never seen her before" The blonde haired man from before slurred across the bar "I would of remembered such a beauty, she's nothing like your redhead now is she Fred?"
Fred who was dark skinned with a close shaved haircut grunted in response glaring at the blonde man in fury looking like he's about to pounce. Redhead ... I hope Nathan's careful with her.
"Cool it boys, no more fights under my roof you hear me?" The bartender pointed at the blonde man with a serious glare "Especially you Joe"
"I hear you Chester" He nodded returning back to his beer and mumbling to himself "...loud and clear"
The bartender who is called Chester turned back to me with a sigh "They're too much of a handle in my old age"
"They come here often?" I take a sip of the water which is ice cold and refreshing in the fiery warmth of the pub. The young man who had been tending to the fire appeared behind the bar and asked if any of the men needed refills, almost all of them said yes.
He laughed "Their hear every late afternoon until early in the morning, it's exhausting but hey they pays the bills"
"You got that right!" One of them cheered sloshing his beer over the counter and across Joe's shirt who didn't seem to notice, the scarred man was quick to wipe it away with a napkin. He worked so casually behind the bar, as if he had enough years of knowledge as Chester. His scar however intrigued me, somehow it looked strangely familiar to me.
Chester followed the gaze of my eyes with a noise of understanding"That's my grandson Issac only twenty-two and he know the ropes of this place better than I do, he's been working here since he was eleven before the outbreak ..."
The outbreak of the vampires ...
I nodded in understanding for that's what Grandpa used to call it. Sometimes he'd whisper in his sleep when he'd drifted of reading the newspaper in the front room '...the outbreak will be the end of us all'he would mutter it over and over again until mum would shake him awake.
"Oh they wanted to take him away of course, we were sent that goddamn letter when he was sixteen like everyone else" He said the memory shadowing his face with a grim look in his eyes "'the delight' the 'honor' no I wouldn't fall for it, I'd already lost his parents to those devils and I wasn't about to lose him too"
"That's awful, I'm so sorry" I said feeling shocked he shared this with me.
"Yes I think so too" He sighed looking at his grandson with a glimmer of gratitude "I'm just glad I have him"
"Those bastard Vampires!" Joe barked suddenly as he glared down his cup, slumped against the counter muttering to him "Taken away everything I ever had ..."
"He used to be a headteacher, a good one too apparently " Chester explained and I raised my eyebrows hard to imagine him being anywhere near children "I know hun, however the outbreak changed us all. It took away his wife-"
"She couldn't handle it, off her meds she was" Joe coughed down his cup hiccuping despair "Paranoid bitch she had to up and dose herself. She left me ..."
I sucked in a harsh breath unable to think of something say. Joe appeared now to me in a very different light.
"Don't worry dear, everyone in this room has been affected by them someway or another, I'm sure this is nothing to new to you" Chester smiled understandingly and turned away to serve another pint of beer.
He's right this is nothing new to me, I heard about these stories all the time from my friends and distant family. Vampires running havoc, destroying lives left, right and center. My family has been lucky.
"Anything else?" Issac was suddenly in front of me and gestured to my empty glass bottle.
"No I'm okay, how much was it?" I asked reaching into my pocket.
"No don't, its fine" He said holding his hand out in refusal to take anything.
"Are you sure?" I said pausing.
"Of course" He said with a positive smile "what kind of world do we live in if we have to pay for water?"
I shrugged "Perhaps one where water is served in really expensive looking bottles"
He laughed gently "Grandpa's right, you're not from around here" He cleared away my glass bottle and wiped down the surface of the wooden counter.
"What makes you guy's so sure about this?" I frowned trying not to feel hurt over something stupid.
"You're not like the people who walk in through those doors" He said gesturing to them "The type who come here to drown their sorrows, to forget"
"Do I have to be?" I watched his scar move as he spoke, a dark red slash that wriggled every time his mouth moved. It wasn't ugly, just different.
"To live around here, yes" He walked around the counter to straighten the stools next to me which had before been sitting a bit askew "Most people I've met come to this town to escape, to rid the burdens of everyday life and to find a place which is hidden from the Vampires radar."
"And is that why you're here?" I asked without thinking my curiosity getting ahead of me. I cringed and quickly started to apologize "Sorry I don't mean to be-"
"It's fine" He shook his head taking the stool seat beside me "And I've lived here all my life, when I was younger this was my sanctuary. So hidden so isolated from society, a tiny village where life is different. But the world changed and so did our quiet little village, people sense this place is different the moment they drive through and it's no wonder it becomes their sanctuary too. Who are we to judge them right?"
I nodded, this place is different. It's no wonder people come here to escape, perhaps if more people knew about this place they would all be lining up. But I guess that defeats the purpose.
"So what about you huh?" He asks leaning his elbow against the counter looking intrigued "Why are you here mystery girl?"
"I-" A loud deafening sound ricochets from behind me and bounces of every stone wall. A large gust of cool icy wind blows against my skin. I gasp at the sound whipping around to discover the last man on earth who should be in this town.
His cheeks flushed and fangs bared his dark eyes burned with determination. A trail of dark red blood dripped down the corner of his mouth like a water droplet falling from the sky only way less innocent.
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Happy belated Halloween! You guys are all hating me for the cliffhanger I can tell, I would of written more but it's my first day back at school tomorrow and sleep is required for me to function (sucks doesn't it?)!
Also during this half term I have been slowly editing my chapters and man they needed work! It really makes me cringe reading some of the stuff I wrote I hope you can all forgive me! So if you find any confusing things that don't add up, I promise I'm getting around to it (just very slowly!)
OK that's all, If you guys are getting fed up for waiting for chapters you can always start reading my new book soundless sleep which is also being updated today! xxx