The clock moved closer to midnight. I sat and watched the countdown roll on my television screen. The New Year approached, promising to many, a new beginning. I pondered what could be done in my life to bring something new to the table. I had been stuck in the same job for five years, and hated every minute of it. It was a repetitive office job, with low chances of promotion. I had done my schooling but had not found a job even though I had a degree. My life seemed stagnant at this point. I suppose I could try to adopt a new hobby, but that would require money and a lot of time that I couldn't seem to find.
I was all alone this New Year's Eve. For the first time in years I wasn't even able to find someone to hang out with me. Everyone seemed to be out of town. So as I sat on my couch and watched the numbers change before my eyes my mind began to spin. I needed to get out of the house for a while before I went stir crazy. It was just half after eight and most people had already arrived at their parties, leaving the roads almost empty.
I arrived at the Biggerson's just a few minutes away from my house. It was empty except for a few other lonely souls like myself. Like me they probably figured, what better way to celebrate being alone than eating some fatty food that is undoubtedly terrible for you. Plus Biggerson's slogan is 'The Happy Place' so in theory it should lighten everyone's spirits. I sat down and opened up the menu trying to appear busy. I hadn't actually absorbed any of the information when a young, skinny, waiter came up to me. I gave him my drink order and told him I needed another minute before I ordered my food. There were too many decisions on the menu so I scanned the restaurant to see what others had ordered. In the booth in front of where I was sitting I saw two men, one with a salad, and the other with a huge burger and a slice of pie.
The waiter returned prepared to take my order. Still unsure of what I wanted I made a snap decision and asked for whatever the shorter of the two men was having. The waiter raised one eyebrow, probably questioning if I could eat such a large portion of food. Even though I shouldn't have any trouble eating everything clearly this guy has never heard of a to-go bag. Once the waiter left to go place my order I leaned back in my booth, closed my eyes, and let out a small sigh of frustration.
"Hey, cheer up. It's New Years!" A voice called out to me. I opened my eyes and sat up. The two men sitting in the booth in front of mine were now both looking at me.
"What's it to you how I feel on New Year's Eve? I don't believe that's any of your business." I snapped. I didn't have the patience to deal with people tonight, regardless of how nice they were to look at. The one that originally had his back turned to me had sandy, light-brown hair, and lovely green eyes. The man across from him had long locks that wouldn't suit most guys but it definitely worked for him.
"Whoa I'm sorry." The one with the green eyes lifted his hands up in surrender. "Didn't mean to offend you. Just thought I'd try and make you smile." Then he turned back to face the other man, who seemed annoyed by the whole interaction. He seemed to grumble something to the shorter man.
I was slightly shocked by the whole interaction. Most the time when someone called out to a woman in public it was some douche who was trying to impress his buddies. However, this time it did not seem like that was the case. I felt a little guilty for being so harsh towards them, but there was nothing left for me to do. Any attempt of more interaction would just make the situation more awkward. After a few minutes of internet surfing on my phone I saw the waiter coming towards me with my food. He plopped down the plates and walked away without asking me if I needed anything else. I looked over to my drink which was already half gone. I guess I'm going to have to make it last. As I ate I could feel the men glancing over at me, but I made sure not to make eye contact.
As I began eating my pie I saw the waiter come out of the kitchen with a broom and he began sloppily sweeping the floor. He seemed to be doing it without any actual purpose, he was just trying to look busy. Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the men raise his arm and flag the waiter over to their table. I looked down at my food and tried to appear busy. I could not hear what they were saying, it was just muffled background noise at this point.
Shortly after the two men spoke to the waiter they paid and got up to leave. I was slightly disappointed to see them get up. They probably didn't deserve me being so rude to them. Hopefully they will have a better night than I will. As the men put on their jackets, the waiter shambled over to my table.
"How much do I owe you?" I questioned, ready to leave and head back to my house where I could enter the New Year alone.
"Your meal was paid for by those two dudes over there." The waiter nodded his heads towards the two men I had interacted with earlier. They were almost out the door. The shorter one stopped with his hand on the door handle and looked over at us. He winked and then he walked out into the night. "They also told me to give you this." The waiter plopped what appeared to be a business card down on the table. Then the waiter walked away and disappeared back into the kitchen.
I picked up the card and began to read. 'Agent D. Hudson, FBI.' FBI? After that it listed a telephone number. I flipped the card to the back and in black pen it read, 'Hope your New Year's goes better.' I stood up fast. I had to catch them and at least say thank you. I had been so rude earlier. I bolted out the door and watched as a dark, vintage, Chevy Impala, drove away. There was no point in trying to chase them down now.
I got into my car and sat there in the darkness for a moment. I felt bad for being so rude earlier, but I didn't expect to have any positive social interaction today. I held the card in my hand and twisted it around. The phone number now facing me. They were FBI agents. I wonder what they are doing here. I had heard of a few disappearances around the area but I doubted that would be a reason for the FBI to come snooping around. I sighed and stuck my key into the ignition. The engine revved but didn't start. I tried again, and the same thing happened. It roared but the car did not turn on.
"Great." I mumbled, opening up my glovebox to grab my flashlight. I popped open the hood of my car and went to inspect it. As far as I could tell there was nothing wrong. I was about to head back inside Biggerson's when a car pulled into the parking lot. It parked in the spot right next to mine. A man and woman emerged from the vehicle.
"Car trouble?" The man asked.
"Yeah it won't start for some reason. I was about to go inside while I call for a tow truck." I replied.
"Oh well I can gladly take a look at it. I'm pretty good with cars, isn't that right honey?" He looked over to the woman standing not too far behind him.
"Be my guest I suppose." I motioned for him to come look. I held the flashlight as he inspected the inside of my car. The woman slowly walked over and stood at my side.
"Are you headed off to a party?" she asked, looking me up and down. It was like she was inspecting my outfit to see if I was dressed up for something.
"No, I'm by myself this year." I shrugged.
"Nothing wrong with that." The woman replied patting me on the back.
"Here's your problem right here." The man said, still leaned over the car. I took a step closer to get a look at what he found. The next thing I knew a slamming pain hit my head. My vision began to swirl.
"What is going on?" I tried to yell, but it probably escaped as a quiet moan. Then I felt a burning on my neck and I blacked out.
I woke up tied to a chair in a dark room. My head throbbed and my neck burned. I blinked a couple of times trying to get my eyes to adjust to the terrible lighting. A few feet away I could see another figure tied to a chair.
"Hey," I tried to call out to them. They remained motionless. "Hey!" I tried, louder this time. The figure groaned, and appeared like they tried to lift their head but it simply slumped back down.
"That one's almost done for. I would leave it alone. I want it to last for one more feeding." A voice hissed from the shadows.
"Show yourself!" I called out into the darkness. The man from the parking lot, slithered from the shadows. "I'm guessing you and your little girlfriend are responsible for the disappearances in town." I growled at the figure standing before me.
"Wow a smart one aren't you? Not smart enough to escape us, however" In the darkness I could see the glimmer of pointy fangs smiling in the moonlight.
"Why are you doing this?" I questioned, trying to stall the murderer before me. There had to be some way to escape.
"Well monsters have to feed too. They call us Vetala. Some refer to us as Serpent People. I suppose we are something like that." He laughed at his last sentence. What did he mean monsters and Serpent People? Either this guy had a serious mental illness or I had stumbled on a world I did not want to know about. The man slid closer to me so that he was standing right over me. He leaned down so that his face was only inches away from mine. I could feel sweat begin to drip down my forehead. "Your blood should do quite nicely," he hissed in my ear. I let out a small whimper. He pushed my head back, exposing my neck. Then I felt the same piercing pain from earlier. I let out a scream that echoed throughout the empty building. At first I squirmed but I gave in when I realized it was no use. Tears began to fall down my face. I could feel the blood being sucked out of my body. I felt myself slowly slipping back into unconscious.
"Hey ugly!" I heard a man's voice call out. "Let them go right now, or else!" I felt the fangs leave my neck. The wound was pulsing and I could feel blood oozing out, trying to seal up the wound. I opened my eyes as much as I could and saw three figures in the doorway. A tall man holding what appeared to be the woman from earlier at knife point, and a slightly shorter man next to him who was also wielding a knife. Their silhouettes appeared familiar but my vision was blurred and I couldn't quite make them out.
I tried to watch as the rest of the events played out. It was hard to make out everything because I was just trying to stay conscious at this point. First the two men in the doorway demanded that I and the other victim be released or they would gank his lady friend. The serpent man appeared like he was going to comply as he walked over to the other captive. Just as it looked like he was going to untie the figures hands the serpent man sunk his teeth into the other hostage. The hostage gurgled, but could not scream. I heard the female Vetala scream as she was stabbed in the heart by the taller man. Her body shriveled and changed into a scale-like substance as she lay on the floor. The other man sprinted forward towards the serpent man ready to fight him. Once he reached the Vetala man he was met by a punch right in the gut. This caught the man off guard and sent him sliding across the floor from the force.
The taller man was not far behind him and a hand-to-hand combat battle began between the serpent man and the taller man. The taller man pulled out a crowbar or metal pipe from his belt loop and hit the serpent man across the head. This sent him to the floor. Then the taller man took his knife and stabbed the Vetala right in the heart, then twisted the knife. The serpent man's body began to shrivel up just as his female partners had.
I let out a sigh of relief that the two monsters had been taken care of. The taller man was checking on the other victim while the shorter man limped over to where I sat. He cut the rope that held me to the chair then picked me up. I didn't have much strength and my limbs slumped towards the floor. I closed my eyes now, the adrenaline was wearing off and this man's arms felt safe.
I woke up on a bed in some motel room. I tried to sit up quickly but I got light headed and had to lay back down.
"Sammy she's awake!" I heard a voice call. Then a figure was standing over me. I opened my eyes to reveal the FBI agent. He held a glass of water in his hand. "Drink up. You're probably dehydrated." He placed his hand behind my head, lifted me, and then placed another pillow behind me so I could sit up. I shakily took the glass and chugged the water as fast as I could. The man took the glass and set it by the sink. Then he walked over and sat at the foot of my bed.
"My name is Dean. That's my brother Sam." He gestured toward the tall man sitting at the table across the room. "What's your name?" He asked.
"(Y/N)" I whispered. My voice was horse and it was hard to speak.
"Well this probably wasn't your idea of a Happy New Year." He smirked. He paused for a moment as fireworks began to flash and bang outside the window. I looked over at the bedside clock. It flashed red numbers, telling me the New Year had begun.
"What about the other one?" I coughed.
"The other victim?" Sam asked. I nodded my head. "He didn't make it." My heart clenched. How did I become so lucky to survive?
"Get some rest. We can talk more in the morning. We will answer all your questions and make sure you're all doctored up" Dean walked over and took the second pillow so that I could lay back down.
As he pulled the blanket over me and was close enough to hear my almost non-existent voice, I murmured, "Thank You, for everything."
Dean smiled and turned off the lamp next to my bed. "No problem (Y/N)"
Even though fireworks continued outside and the ground was shaking from their power, I fell into a deep sleep. I don't remember dreaming or anything. I just remember feeling more content than I had in a long time. This may not have been the change I had wanted, but it was still different from my normal routine.