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Chapter 1
Rain
“He’s been watching you all night.” Butch rumbles in front of me as I pour him another whiskey.
Shrugging my shoulders, “It’s fucking creepy, but he hasn’t done anything and keeps ordering drinks. He’s harmless. Most likely lacks social etiquette.”
Butch tilts his head, not buying what I am selling.
“Just be extra cautious when you leave tonight. You never know. It’s the quiet, weird ones you need to watch out for. Creepy fucks.”
I laugh. Not because it’s funny. Because he’s right. Anytime you hear of some crazy shit going down on the news, it’s always the quiet ones.
“I promise Butch. Plus, I always have pepper spray nearby,” I reassure him, patting my pants pocket. It seems to appease the old guy. Butch means well. He is a regular at the bar, I have been serving him six nights a week for the past six months. My mom knows the owner, I am not technically old enough to serve until tomorrow, my twenty-first birthday, but he said ‘if I don’t tell, he wouldn’t either’, so here we are, the best unkept secret around. This town is small enough that everyone knows how old I am, but nobody actually gives a fuck.
“You know…” My co-worker Amy starts talking next to me, “I’ve heard things… You see that tattoo on his arm. Of the bat wings, like they are actually coming out of his skin…” Looking over at her, she bites her lip like she is too nervous to continue.
“Go on, Amy. Tell me your theory,” I encourage, even though I’m completely over this. Butch has been on about the guy for the last fifteen minutes. Amy has been wide eyeing me each chance she gets.
“It’s the tattoo they get once they join The Chapel.” She finally spits it out in a hushed tone. Her eyes are trying to project the same, this boy means danger.
Amy has been serving him all night and hating each moment of it.
Turning my nose up, I scrunch my face dismissing her theory. “You think he is a member of The Chapel? The freaky devil cult? They are rumored to be located miles away from here, in Blackwood. Why would one come all the way to Crest for a drink? It doesn’t make sense.”
Amy frantically covers my mouth, her eyes wide. “Not so loud. He will hear you!” Sticking my tongue out, I lick her palm and she flinches away.
“They are dangerous, Rain!” Amy hisses at me. She’s so insanely serious, I almost feel bad messing with her.
Everyone within a ten-mile radius of Blackwood knows the rumors of The Chapel. In my opinion, they exist but not to the degree that the stories build them up to. Rituals involving blood sacrifices, fires with chanting, and having an underground laier where they hold their secret meetings seem a tad too out there to be true. I definitely believe they do some crazy shit, like calling upon the Devil and thinking they have powers or whatever, but the rest is bullshit.
Smirking, I decide to mess with her a little bit more.
“He’s kind of hot, though. You have to admit it. Should I take him home? Ring my birthday in with a bang? I bet he is into some crazy shit.”
He’s been sitting in a booth all night. Back to the wall, his long legs propped on the seat. His hair is black and shaggy, falling over his forehead. Wearing a black tee, he’s covered in ink all the way to his black painted fingertips. Black distressed skinny jeans and loosely laced black combat boots finish the look. His face has remained expressionless the entire time. His full lips remain neutral, with the exception of when he uses his teeth to play with his lip ring. A septum piercing glints in the dim overhead light whenever he tilts his head to take a sip of his drink. It’s hard to tell from here what color his eyes are, but they seem dark. He doesn’t look much older than me.
And I know the exact tattoo Amy is referencing on his arm. I may have been looking back at him from time to time. My eyes linger longer than they should have been. There is no doubt he has noticed.
I find him curious, not scary.
My energy is drawn to him, I can’t explain it, but there is a pull. His staring all night hasn’t made me feel uncomfortable once. It is actually oddly comforting. I don’t believe we have met before, his face is memorable, and I do not remember it.
Breaking me out of my thoughts, Amy grabs my exposed arm, pulling me into the tiny kitchen located on the other side of the bar wall. “This isn’t funny! People talk because bad things happen when they come around. Sure, maybe some of it isn’t true. But the rumors have to have some truth to them.”
I can tell I’m stressing her out. Which was fun, until it wasn’t. Amy is one of the sweetest people I know.
“I’ll be ok. He’s harmless. I have pepper spray in case he follows me to my car or bathroom. I always have it with me on late shifts. Amy, I promise. It’s ok.” She lets go of me and wraps me in a big hug, “Thank you.” She whispers while nodding against my shoulder.
Letting go, I step back and look at her, “I’m going to finish topping up my guys at the bar, then cash out. It’s going to be ok. If he wanted something from me, he wouldn’t have wasted his money and time here all night. He would have gotten what he came for and left.” Reassuring her.
Walking back out of the backroom, I look for him. Except the booth is empty. My head tilts, confused. A few bills are under his empty glass.
He left. Just like that.
This doesn’t make sense.
Not that any of it has, but this definitely doesn’t.
