McKenzie Howard slammed the trunk of her car, pleased with how quickly her latest hunt had gone. It'd been a quick salt and burn really, but given the damage the spirit had done, she'd expected something harder.
She glanced at her watch. Only eight. Time for a drink.
The '66 Mustang roared with a flick of her key, giving McKenzie a smile. And to think Clay had thought it was a pile of junk. Her smile vanished at the thought of him, so she flipped on the CD player she'd installed and starting blasting some Spice Girls.
The Mustang glided into a spot at the tiny bar, as McKenzie reveled in how every town must have a 'build your own bar' kit so they almost all looked the same. She swung her denim bag over her shoulder and tapped the car door so it shut with care.
The bar stank of cigarettes, a haze of smoke hanging in the air. McKenzie gazed at the cigarette that one of the guys playing pool was smoking. It had been a while since she'd smoked, and suddenly she was desperate for a cig.
"Excuse me, could you spare a cigarette?" She smiled at the guy who was smoking who grinned back at her.
"Sure, sweetie. And maybe later you can repay me for that cigarette." He leered down at her.
McKenzie's stomach flopped anxiously, "Nevermind, I'm good."
"Hey, baby, where you goin?" He stepped in front of McKenzie's path, his stocky frame blocking her view.
"I said I'm good, thanks," McKenzie moved to step around him, but he followed, putting a hand on her elbow.
"Why you leaving so soon? We can go back to my place." He wagged his eyebrows at her suggestively.
"I said I'm good," she said firmly.
His grip tightened as he pulled her closer, the smell of the alcohol he'd been drinking overtaking her nose.
"Hey, leave her alone!"
The man turned towards a muscular guy of average height, but with the most brilliant green eyes McKenzie had ever seen.
"This ain't your business," the man growled at him.
"No, but it is my business," said McKenzie. She pulled back and kneed him in the groin, causing him to release his grip on her arm. Once her arm was free, she hauled back and punched him in the eye. "Cigarette or not, I owe you shit."
The man beside her was wide-eyed as the cigarette-smoker fell backwards against the pool table.
McKenzie gave him a quick smile, "Thanks!" She eyed the bartender who was glaring at the half-conscious man. "But I think I should probably find a drink elsewhere."
He smiled at her, "Good luck. Pretty sure it's the only bar in town."
She shrugged, "One town's as good as the next." With that she hurried from the bar as the cigarette-smoker started to regain his footing.
Instead McKenzie swung by the convenience store that was next to her motel and bought a bottle of red wine and a pack of cigarettes. It had become an almost nightly ritual to have something to drink, but the cigarettes were rare. Had she been able to bum a cigarette from that guy she would've been fine, but after the adrenaline from punching him had worn off, the flashbacks had started. Looked like it would be a night for chain smoking.
Some random sitcom was playing on the motel TV as she polished off her fifth glass of wine, her stomach growling from sudden hunger. She frowned down at her stomach and grabbed her wallet, pulling out a couple of ones.
The night air had gotten chilly as McKenzie pattered down the cement sidewalk barefoot towards the vending machines.
She was deciding between the spicy Doritos and the classic Lays when she felt a presence behind her.
McKenzie whipped around, her change scattering on the ground as the man from the bar appeared behind her.
"YOU!" He slammed her into the machine, the plexiglass screen bending and rattling under the force. Ironically she heard some chips fall behind her.
McKenzie was already feeling the wine, her reaction slower than normal. Served her right for picking the Cabernet. It always messed with her.
After some clumsy attempts to fight him off, he pushed his body fully into hers, sandwiching her between his bulk and the cold plexi.
The flashbacks thrust into her mind, but weakened as the weight of him vanished suddenly.
She flung herself away and cowered against the wall.
"Hey, it's okay…" The same green-eyed man from earlier leaned over her, one hand stretched out tentatively.