I never understood why I didn't fit in with anyone while I was in school...

"They just don't understand you..."

"You're different..."

"They're jealous..."

My parents would tell me, but growing up being... different... did have its advantages. People didn't mess with me and nobody expected anything from me... and nobody pretended to be anything more than background to my life.

This is my story...

My name is Richard Morris. White, male, 6'-0". Tall, dark, and handsome enough with some alcohol... and a Darkstalker. What's a Darkstalker? If you have to ask then you don't need to know...

-0-

My story begins like most stories do: with a woman...

"Why am I traveling to the North-Eastern side of Colorado again?" I asked as I sat in my office. It was a cozy thing: four dark walls with functional furnishing. My desk had a couple of papers that I had scattered to make my office seem official.

The ceiling fan creaked once a while as it spun slowly. A coffee machine behind me hissed as a fresh pot of tar, that counted as coffee, filled the air.

"Because you're taking my money and because you're my last hope... Murphy sent me to you, if that helps. " She replied while placing a picture of a 10-year-old boy, about three shades darker than her, on my desk.

7 rings decorated her fingers and an elegant and feminine watch on her same hand. Her fingernails were perfically manicured and coated in red polish.

"Murphy, eh..." I mumbled and examined the picture. The boy knelt in the grass with his back to whoever took the picture but had turned back in time for the picture to be taken. He looked like every pre-teen boy that came from money: skinny, spoiled, bored. I evaluated the boy, in the picture, and the woman in front of me and I adjusted my rates according. "Five grand to find him in a week, and an extra grand for each day after that plus expenses. At least half upfront."

Her eye brows rose slightly, followed by a sigh as she pulled out her check book.

"I'll give you the full five grand now and another five if you start today." She countered. "Plus five more when you bring him back to me by this Friday."

She placed the check on the table and slid it half way between us. Her handwriting was charter school perfect. The three zero's gave me the beginning of a hard-on.

"Why Friday?" I asked as I folded the check and placed it in my shirt pocket.

She sighed and placed her pen in her purse while uncrossing and crossing her legs. "Fundraiser…"

"She's hiding something..." a voice came from my left. A mid height 20 something girl said as she sat on a recliner on the side of the office.

She stood up and walked over without making a single sound. Her transparent being examined the woman.

"She is playing with you; you could see that, can't you?"

"What's the catch?" I sighed and pulled out a pen and a note pad to write down information. I ripped out the page of a cartoon dragon and readied myself.

"My sources tell me that his sister took her to an odd town in Colorado. One where odd people live and work. An odd town where people look and act differently. A town where something called Darkstalkers live." She replied and put a stick of gum in her mouth.

I raised my eye brows. "How do you know about Darkstalkers?"

If my direct question bothered her, it didn't show in her face. Usually the general public doesn't know about Darkstalkers.

"I don't... I got my source from my maid who quit after I insisted for more facts, even after I threated to call immigration on her ass. After 10 minutes of convincing she told me what she knew, in shitty English but I understood enough."

"I don't like her, boss." The young woman said as she sat on the desk and examined the woman. "She feels cold...disturbing... are we sure she's even a human?"

"If there was to be a town like that, Mrs. Fillips..." I said. "That would be classified under the 'weird' section and I know that section very well. I have seen everything you could think of. Anything your mind can believe I have seen it."

"You talk a lot. Will you take the job or not? I'm a busy woman..."

"She has a man's ass, boss. Not much of a woman with a man's ass..." The young lady said while framing out, what she thought was, the outline of a man's rear with her hands.

I held back a smile.

"I will go there, investigate and look for your son. Although my car is in the shop so I couldn't start until Thursday." I replied.

"I will have a rental brought to you tonight." She dug into her purse and tossed a MasterCard onto my desk in front of me. "For expenses. I don't care what it takes, Mr. Morris, find my son. Who knows what those freaks are doing to him. Good evening."

She turned and walked away. I couldn't help but notice that she did have a somewhat masculine lower body.

"What do you think?" I asked then looked around but saw I was alone.

The young woman side-stepped into reality then sat on the chair. "Bitch can't walk in heels either... are you sure she's a woman, boss? I have seen more curves on an old metal pipe."

"Can you not try to make me laugh when I'm working the role?"

"What?" She asked as her ghostly pale skin returned to its normal color and her hair shaded from white to dark blue. "She did have a man's ass. Kinda like yours except more manlier."

"Hey..." I protested.

"Hey, an apple bottom is cute on some guy's boss..."

"What's the Ghostbusters number again?"

"I'm not a ghost, boss, I'm existential... where are we going again?" She asked while adjusting her hair and standing up and walking over to get some cofee.

"Some off the map town called Erorala. Ever heard of it?"

"No... but I see a MasterCard there and I do need a new outfit. One fit for finding a lost 10 year old boy for man ass."

I tossed her the MasterCard. "Bring back lunch."

"Whatever." She said a simply vanished.