Chapter Nineteen #2
I scanned the diner, but no sign of Atlas. Maybe he was hiding in the men's room? Worth a shot. As I made my way between the tables, I noticed something odd… every guy in the place swiveled his head toward me like I was a magnet and they were made of metal.
Their hands grabbed onto the table, the strength in the grasp of the wood startling me when I walked by.
A waitress turned around, from taking an order and saw me. Her hair was tied up in a bun, her tawny skin shimmered under the harsh lights. “Something wrong, hun?” She came toward me and noticed the men staring at me. “Are you lookin’ for someone?”
“Atlas.” Was all I could say. “He wears a red plaid shirt every day, real quiet… he…”
The waitress's lips curled into a smile.
"Oh, Atlas! Sure, honey. Comes in like clockwork for his pancakes.
Always drowns 'em in syrup and picks through his fruit bowl like he's searching for treasure.
" She twirled her pen between her fingers, her gaze drifting dreamily toward the ceiling.
"That man is something else. Can't believe he's still flying solo, if you know what I mean. "
I curled my upper lip to reveal my fake fang, the plastic edge catching the diner's fluorescent light.
She tucked her pen behind her ear. "Oh, honey, are you and Atlas an item?"
"Yes." The word came out like a growl, darker than I'd meant it to be.
She gave a low whistle and sashayed away. "Haven't spotted him today, but good luck with that tall drink of water, sweetheart."
I frowned. She was so much prettier than me. Would Atlas want her more?
I slapped myself in the face. Get over yourself and your pity party!
I scanned the diner one more time, ignoring the stares and the waitress's innuendo. The men were still gripping their tables, knuckles white, eyes intense.
Did I stink that bad?
I shuddered, attributing their behavior to whatever stinky pheromones Atlas had left on me.
I spun on my heel, exiting the diner as quickly as I could.
The fresh air outside was a relief, but it did nothing to cool the heat pulsing through my body.
I leaned against the wall, my thighs trembling with an insistent ache, while something deep inside me clenched and released with a maddening rhythm.
Cheese on a cracker.
I stumbled into the street, drawing attention rather than repelling it.
People gravitated toward me like I was some kind of spectacle—a fox wandering through a playground at noon, or a raccoon staggering down the sidewalk in broad daylight.
The kind of sight that would make the locals reach for their shotguns while muttering about rabies and public safety.
I didn’t want to get shot, I just wanted to get laid!
“I’m fine!” I held onto my stomach because I couldn’t hold onto my lady bits. The men who were most likely the monstrous type in the town glared at me and whispered.
I wandered the streets of the small town all day and tried to keep my hand out of my pants for indecent exposure.
At least I was burning calories with all this wandering, though eventually my legs turned to jelly.
I stumbled into the only real alleyway in this postcard-perfect town—a narrow gap between Mama Giordano's (where garlic-scented steam escaped from upstairs apartment windows) and The Daily Grind.
Any other day, that Italian restaurant would have my stomach performing operatic solos, but now my body hungered for something else entirely.
The coffee shop's windows framed couples leaning close over ceramic mugs, their easy laughter like sandpaper against my frayed nerves.
Yeah, have coffee with loved ones, you sick bastards.
I placed my back up against the wall. For an alley, the place was stupidly clean. The dumpster in the back didn’t stink that bad, and the drips of water running down pipes were actually settling.
That’s it, concentrate on something else entirely. Think of the water drops, how they hit the ground, the splash. Wouldn’t it be nice to see a waterfall?
I’m going to have to pee soon.
I continued to concentrate, slowly slid down the wall and sat on the ground. I could still feel my heart beating fast, my body trembling.
Gods, I craved him.
Time slipped away as I sank deeper into the stillness. My mind drifted back to those Saturday mornings at Zen Flow Studio, where I'd learned to breathe through panic attacks. Somehow, those same techniques were working against whatever supernatural horniness had hijacked my body.
The scraping of claws on sidewalk outside startled me, awakening myself from my deep meditation. I opened my eyes to see that it was dark outside. Like, dark-dark.
How long did I meditate for?
The heat between my thighs erupted again. My breasts felt heavy, but this time, I had more energy. I wasn’t tired, ready to face the day, er, night as it were.
This could be bad, really, really bad.
Especially since I was breaking a rule of the town. The moon was up, a chill in the air, thankfully, because my skin was burning hot.
The sound of claws scraping concrete echoed through the alley again.
My body tensed, recognizing that sound—Atlas had those distinctive taloned feet.
Could it be him? Despite my shaky legs, I pushed myself up from the ground and stumbled toward the alley's entrance.
Curfew be damned. After what I'd seen, after what I'd done with Atlas, monsters weren't exactly news to me anymore.
The streetlamps that were there to brighten the streets weren’t on, so only the moon lit up the path. The trees that lined the streets were thick, almost covering the whole town in itself. It was cute, but there wasn’t any time to think about all that now.
I sprinted, seeing that there was a tall person in front of me. The back was wide, wide enough to be wings. Atlas. The clack and scrape of the feet fueled me further, and I ran and panted. The figure stopped, and it was like slow motion as they turned.
Yes, sir, I’m going to pounce on you like a wild puma getting its game.
I lurched forward with his name bursting from my lips.
As my ankle twisted beneath me, I was sent hurtling forward in what seemed like slow motion.
My hands shot out instinctively, grasping at the figure before me as gravity betrayed me.
My cheek collided with something firm and warm through denim, and my fingers curled around what should have been the solid curves I'd memorized just hours before.
A whimper escaped me as the ache between my thighs throbbed in anticipation of relief.
But when I was hugging said, squishy, delectable butt, it was in fact, not squishy and delectable.
There was no butt.
It was skinny, bony. My arms basically wrapped around this person twice.
A twig.
This person was a twig, and I could break them easily.
And I was rubbing my face all over their pencil dick.
I screeched and pushed away, falling on my butt. When I looked up, I saw a very disgruntled Slenderman with his hands on his hips. He had tentacles I had never seen before coming out of his back; they were wiggling around, making him appear larger from behind.
I squinted at the creature's jagged mouthful of teeth, searching for eyes that weren't there. "You're definitely not Atlas," I said, my voice cracking with disappointment.
The blank face tilted backward in what might have been indignation.
"Brilliant observation," it hissed through those needle-like teeth. "Do you see any wings? Or that ridiculous fur? Or his unnecessarily generous posterior?"
I lifted my lip and growled.
The mayor leered over me, his pointed teeth shining in the moonlight. “Why are you out here? I’m trying to perfect my costume…”
I rolled my eyes and stood up. “Liar, I know you monsters are real.”
The mayor's posture stiffened, his elongated frame stretching even taller.
"I know what you are," I said, jabbing my finger toward his hollow chest. "Atlas is a real Mothman.
Lucien, too. This whole town is just a playground where you monsters lure in humans for your entertainment.
" My voice grew bolder with each word. "And guess what?
I don't care. I want Atlas—need him—right now.
So, tell me where he is before I make a scene your precious little town won't forget.
" I punctuated my demand with three sharp taps against his chest.
He was not amused.
His spindly fingers locked around my wrist like handcuffs, flinging my arm away with unexpected strength. "Does nothing in that fragile human brain of yours register fear?" he hissed.
"I literally just hooked up with a Mothman and lived to tell about it," I said, ripping my hands away and tossing them up. "If he wanted me dead, I'd be dead. And what about Harlow? You think we were just supposed to think she was just some random chance Harlow ended up here?"
The mayor's throat vibrated with a guttural sound as his tentacles thrashed behind him like agitated snakes.
His jaw unhinged, revealing row after row of needle-like teeth that hadn't been visible before.
"Tread carefully with that tongue of yours, human," he said, voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
"Atlas may have marked you with his scent, but I will eliminate any threat to what belongs to me. "
I cocked my head and folded my arms over my chest. "Well, well. Isn't that fascinating?" My fingernail clicked rhythmically against my arm as I stared him down.
A punch to the uterus had me doubling over in pain. I landed on my knees, feeling arousal gather in my underwear.
The mayor took a large sniff. “He put his seed inside you. What a complete idiot. I will take you home for the night, help you sleep. You can find him in the morning.”
I jabbed a finger at him from my crumpled position on the ground, pain still radiating through my abdomen. "Back off! I don't need your help," I snarled through gritted teeth, trying to maintain some dignity despite being curled into myself.
Before everything went dark, I caught one final glimpse of the mayor's featureless face contorting in what might have been disgust—his needle-teeth gleaming as he wiped at the smooth patch where a nose should have been.