Chapter 6 Joel
Joel
Half-asleep as I was, it was no surprise when my toe snagged on the second step, and I pitched forward.
I caught the railing at the last second, nearly tumbling straight off the bus and landing face-first on the pavement.
The near accident was enough to startle me awake with a little burst of adrenaline. Damn, that would’ve hurt.
“You okay there?” the bus driver asked.
I waved it off and gave him a tight smile and a pathetic thumbs-up.
“All good. Night.” He looked skeptical, but this was the last bus of the night, and he was probably just as eager to get home as I was.
The door closed with a wheeze, and the bus pulled away from the curb, leaving me standing alone on the sidewalk in the pale yellow glow of the streetlight.
There was no other traffic, no pedestrians.
Just little old me, worn down and flagging fast.
Fuck, I was exhausted, body and mind. Days like this didn’t happen often.
It was surprisingly easy to juggle three part-time jobs: the café three weekday mornings, the bar on weekend nights, and walking dogs as needed for my clients in the afternoons.
But every now and then, the universe decided to throw me a curveball.
A coworker at the café went home yesterday with the stomach flu, and my boss, Jack, asked if I could cover her shift today.
Money was nice, I liked it very much. I was a big fan of spending it, and knowing my heat was due soon and I would have to take a few days off, it wouldn’t go to waste.
So, I found myself saying yes without really thinking about what it would feel like to be up at 5am, then work all three jobs, not getting home until close to 4am.
By the time I had a post-work shower and snack, I would’ve been awake for a full 24 hours.
I sighed, my breath rising in the air in a puff of steam.
The cool night air should’ve been bracing, invigorating, like a slap in the face, but all it did was make me burrow my nose into the top of my jacket.
My limbs were dead weight, and I had to psych myself up for the two-block walk home.
Come on, you can do it, inner me said, but his voice was much quieter than the one that said, Fuck that.
“Uuuugh,” I groaned, shoes scraping the pavement as I forced myself to stagger forward. The longer I put it off, the higher the chance that I would just fall asleep right here, and my bed was calling.
With my nose still tucked in my jacket and my hands shoved deep in the pockets, I could barely see where I was going.
Not like I needed to. I’d walked this same stretch of street more times than I could count, and I could probably just close my eyes for a quick catnap and still make it home in one piece.
Past the park on my left, it wasn’t until I rounded the corner that I looked up.
As familiar as my surroundings were, my body instinctively flinched at the unfamiliar silhouette that crouched halfway up the block.
My knees locked up, and I gasped, blinking hard to clear my vision as my brain rewound what I thought I saw—a large, black cat with glowing yellow eyes.
On second glance, though, there was no giant cat. It was just a folding sign the florist had forgotten out front. “Seriously,” I scolded myself with a shaky laugh. “The second time in a week. Grow a spine already.”
Now a little more alert, I glanced around at the quiet neighborhood.
There was nothing visibly out of place, but it felt…
off. Like a held breath, the air was laced with a sense of anticipation.
I strained my ears to listen for anything that didn’t belong, but the only sounds I heard were a dog barking in the distance and the buzz of the streetlight overhead.
What was going on with me? I’d been more distracted lately, unsettled in some vague way I couldn’t pinpoint.
Ever since I got that tattoo… No, that wasn’t entirely accurate.
Ever since North gave me the tattoo. It had nothing to do with the ink itself and everything to do with the artist. When he’d wandered into the café the next day, part of me wondered if he’d searched me out.
I was picking up some kind of vibes from him, and I’d hoped he would make it a regular occurrence.
I must’ve been insane, though, to think a guy like North would be interested in someone like me.
I was too short, too scrawny, too pale and freckled, almost like I never spent time outside (accurate).
My interests were reading, watching movies, playing video games, and…
well, that was about it. But North was cool, in that aloof, creative-genius, I’m-dangerous-don’t-mess-with-me way.
Back in high school, he would’ve been the type to hang out in the parking lot smoking, only showing up to class when he had nothing better to do.
He was probably the guy everyone lusted after but no one could touch.
Meanwhile, I’d been on the debate team, and I spent my lunches playing DnD.
Shaking my head in frustration at myself, I picked up the pace. I could be home in two minutes, and asleep in 15. Nothing else mattered beyond that right now. My unrequited crush (delusion) was a problem for another day.
When I looked up again, though, the hunched shadow was back, and this time, there were no errant display signs disguising it for what it was.
I nearly tripped over my own feet in my rush to backpedal.
Even as I backed up at full speed, I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
It was like some kind of demon, hypnotizing me with its mind-fuckery.
All this time I’d thought muggers were what I needed to worry about.
But then, right before my eyes, it unfolded from itself and grew in size.
It was all graceful curves and smooth lines as it prowled toward me, melding with the shadows and making it impossible to see it clearly, though its eyes were too bright to be anything but supernatural.
“P-Please don’t eat m-me,” I stuttered, my voice echoing through the empty street. “I bet I taste awful.”
The monster made a rumbling sound I interpreted as laughter, as if insisting I would indeed be the most delicious snack.
My eyes flicked past it to where my apartment was, so close, but that beast was between me and safety. Maybe I could make a break for it? Light glinted off sharp teeth, and I just about pissed myself. Nope, not happening.
“Shit,” I muttered, finally spinning around so I could run, my body moving on instinct. Arms pumping, shoes slapping the pavement, I careened blindly forward without a plan beyond putting as much distance as possible between me and that… that monster!
My muscles quickly warmed as my system was flooded with adrenaline. Maybe it wouldn’t follow me. Maybe it was just defending its territory, and now that I was gone, it would ignore me. One glance over my shoulder, though, dispelled that theory. It was not only following me, but it was closer!
Oh gods, I’m going to die.
My brain shuffled through ideas. All businesses around here were closed this late, so nowhere I could duck inside. I could call the cops, but they would never get here in time. I could scream for help, but all windows were dark, and if anyone did come out, they could just as easily get hurt too.
With no better option, I cut left then ducked down the back lane that ran behind the row of businesses and apartment complexes.
I splashed through a questionable puddle, nearly slipping, but managed to regain my footing.
“Ohmygodohmygod,” I chanted, eyes focused straight ahead on the fire escape. That metal ladder was my only hope.
I could hear it behind me, picking up the pace, and I gave it all I had. A cramp pinched my right side, but I didn’t dare slow down. If only my old gym teacher could see me now. They would no doubt raise my mark to an A.
I barely slowed down as my hand curled around the metal rung, and I heaved myself up as fast as I could, arm over arm. I swore I felt its breath on my neck as I pulled myself up. Tingles crawled up my spine, expecting to feel teeth tear into my calf at any second.
When I reached the first landing, though, I collapsed onto my hands and knees, wheezing for breath, and looked over the edge, expecting to see the large beast poised to leap. But just like last time, there was nothing there.
“What?” Was I going crazy? Hallucinating?
Maybe I had fallen asleep while walking home and this was all some kind of waking nightmare.
My entire body was shaking, sweat cooling on my skin.
I looked up and down the alley, then shook my head.
“I don’t care if it was a nightmare, no way in hell am I going back down there.
” On rubbery legs, I climbed up the rickety stairs to the roof of the apartment building, then used my key on the roof access door.
By the time I’d stumbled into my suite, I wasn’t sure what was real anymore.
Kedi was sitting in front of the TV in the dark, video game controller in hand.
“Hey, dude. How was work?” Before I could answer, he sniffed the air then whipped around on the couch, his eyes a strange blue-gray color I’d never seen on him before.
He must’ve gotten contacts. “What’s wrong?
” he snapped, shoving to his feet and closing on me.
“I-I don’t know,” I stammered, shaking my head. “There was this… monster. It was all black, twice my size, with these glowing yellow eyes. It chased me. I swear, it was going to eat me!”
Kedi’s expression smoothed over, any trace of concern melting away. “Oh yeah? That’s cool.” Then he wandered back to the couch and picked up the controller again and went right back to his game.
“Cool?” I echoed, incredulous. “You don’t believe me.”
“No, no, I believe you.”
Huffing, I moved to stand in front of him, blocking his view of the TV, with my arms crossed over my chest. “I didn’t have a single drink at the bar. I’m not drunk.”
He shrugged, leaning to look around me. “I didn’t think you were.
” Then why the hell wasn’t he worried about the monster I absolutely saw?
“You’ve been awake for like 24 hours. You’ve gotta be exhausted.
I’m just suggesting maybe you’re… blowing it out of proportion.
You know? Like, maybe it was just a stray dog or something.
I promise, you were never in any real danger. ”
I snorted, stepping back into his way. “We need to call animal control.”
He winced, pausing his game, but for some reason, he seemed to be avoiding eye contact with me.
“At this time of night? Nobody’s going to come out here to catch a stray, Joel.
They probably don’t even have anybody answering the phone.
Why don’t you get some rest, and we’ll give them a call in the morning. ”
I deflated. He didn’t believe me. The one person in the world I thought I could trust to have my back.
I felt so discouraged. “Sure. Whatever.” Sighing, I shuffled to my bedroom, closed the door, and walked over to the window.
Heaving the pane up, I leaned out as far as I could, scanning the empty street below.
Maybe Kedi was right and it was nothing more than a hungry stray, looking for a handout.
Movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention, and as I watched, a set of yellow eyes blinked at me, before it melted into the shadows once more.
I gasped, goosebumps skittering down the back of my neck as I watched whatever it was disappear into the night. “I know what I saw,” I whispered angrily.
After I was sure it was gone, I crawled into bed without bothering to shower or take off any clothes.
My body was completely wrung out until nothing remained but my most base emotions.
I wasn’t surprised to find I still felt a sliver of fear, but as I drifted off into a fitful sleep, I found another more disturbing emotion remained…
Excitement. And for some inexplicable reason I chose not to analyze, my dick was hard as hell.