“You’ve been staring into space for the past five minutes,” she said, a crease appearing between her brows. “It’s only eight, it’s still early yet.”
“Fuck, yeah. Sorry.”
“You okay?” she asked, shooting him a wary glance. “You’re not being normal.”
Sam shook himself from stupor, moving to clean the bar. “Define normal.”
“Well,” Payne began as she turned to face him, popping out her hip. “The sunlight that usually emits from your pores and makes me want to puke has changed.”
Sam repeated her words several times through his head, still not understanding. “What?”
“Ignore I said that.” Payne shook her head. “I sometimes forget who I’m talking to.”
“No, wait. Changed how?”
“Well, it’s still there. But you’re not projecting as much, as if your sunlight is concentrated inside, more like a shield to disguise your pain from others.”
“I… I don’t know what to say to that,” Sam said, never having heard Payne string so many words together at once. “I have sunlight coming from my pores?”
“It isn’t a bad thing, just nauseous.” Payne shrugged. “The change isn’t necessarily bad, it’s expected as you heal.”
“Payne, I don’t know –”
“Hey,” a feminine voice interrupted. “I’m sorry, but can I get a vodka tonic, please?”
Both Payne and Sam turned to the small woman as one, the pretty redhead who had blushed at him earlier.
“I’ve heard Angela makes the best one,” she continued, her voice nervous as her eyes darted to the side. Sam picked out a single male at the back of the room who watched them like a predator. His face barely changed when his eyes met Sam’s, his expression schooled into an almost violent stillness.
“Of course,” Sam said, gesturing to Payne who immediately understood. “Angela will be right with you.”
Lifting herself onto the bar, Payne reached for the bell in the centre, ringing it until the entire room turned. “The first five people who reach me get a drink on the house.”
The diversion worked, and as the customers rushed forward Sam gently escorted the redhead through the employee door and out the emergency exit. “Are you okay?” he asked as soon as they stepped into the alley out back. “Did you need me to call anyone?” She had used the codeword ‘Angela,’ meaning she felt unsafe, vulnerable, or threatened and needed help out of the situation immediately. It was a word used across the country for both men and women, and Blood Bar was one of the many establishments trained to be safe.
“No, I’ve already called a friend to come pick me up,” she whispered, clutching her phone to her chest. “Can you… can you wait with me? Please?”
“Of course,” Sam said as he walked her towards the street, finding a car already waiting for her. “Get home safely,” he said, shutting her inside.
“Thank you.”
Waiting until the car disappeared around the corner Sam turned, only to find the same man from the bar standing a few feet away, his face just as empty as before.
“I think it’s time for you to leave,” Sam growled. “You can fuck…”
The man slowly raised his arm until his hand covered his face. His fingers were spread, his eyes peeking through the gaps as an intense cold settled in Sam’s chest. Just as slowly, he dropped his hand, and Sam watched as his face transformed, his tanned skin brightening until he was pale as bone, the shadows beneath his eyes deepening until they looked like dark pits void of any light.
Claws prickled at Sam’s fingertips, and just before he took a step towards the man who wore the glamour of a skull, an intense heat burned against his side, an orange glow brightening the night. Screams echoed, but Sam was already running back to the bar as smoke assaulted his nose.
“Payne?!” he shouted through the crackling of flames. “Lewis?” The handle of the door was hot as he pushed it open, only to find the last of the customers running for the entrance. It took a second to realise some had passed out on the floor, amongst fallen tables and smashed drinks. Flames ate away at the furthest wall, seeming to keep themselves relatively contained as Sam continued to call out names.
Bottles had shattered on the bar, liquid dripping as Sam found Lewis collapsed behind, blood a heavy pool beneath him. Dropping to the floor, Sam crawled closer, Lewis’s knuckles split and red, but his eyes were empty, his throat slit open from ear to ear.
“Fuck!” Sam fell backwards, breathing heavily as he stared at his friend.
The glass office on the floor above creaked, cracking from the heat as flames crawled up the walls, eating away at the ceiling.
A moan, and Sam immediately found Payne in the corner, clutching her stomach. A dark mist coated her palms, moving up her arms as she tried to climb to her feet.
