"Excuse me miss! I asked for my eggs over easy and these are clearly sunny side up." The young woman hurried over to the table catching the end of what she had already had known was going to be a complaint.
"I'm sorry I'll take it back to the kitchen for you and get you a new plate." The waitress replied.
"Well if you got it right the first time then it wouldn't have to go back now would it?" The customer more stated than asked with a smug smile on their face. The waitress could feel the words rise in the back of her throat nearly choking her. They ran through her mind, the snide remarks she could reply with that would put the man that had been rude and down right obnoxious since he walked in. She could. She would. She opened her mouth feeling the syllables flowing down her tongue ready to propel themselves off and into the quietness that would fill the moment.
"Yes I understand and again really, very sorry." She said grabbing the plate and scurried off to the kitchen. "Can I get a new plate of the over easy please. Same table."
"What was wrong with the first plate?" The owner and cook of the diner asked sounding more than a little annoyed.
"He said that it was sunny side up." She said.
"Oh brother. Some people, I'm telling' ya'." He said before setting to work to crack another egg.
"Yeah no kidding. I wish my biggest complaint in life was that my eggs weren't done to my satisfaction." She said.
"You should have said something to that jerk." A voice said from her immediate right. She turned to see Maisy. Maisy was the owners wife and had been the waitress since they opened the diner twenty or so years before. It wasn't until recently had the couple decided another waitress would be needed to be able to keep up with all of the out of 'townies' as they liked to call them.
"Well I can't because I'm not sleeping with the boss like someone who will remain nameless." The younger waitress replied. Both Maisy and her husband burst out in laughter.
"See that's why I hired you Abby! Good sense of humor. Enough to deal with the dunder-heads." He replied. The younger waitress nodded and smiled a bit knowing well that if it in fact weren't for her ability to turn bad situations around with sarcasm she would have been in tears.
"After you're done with that I have to head off to the other place." She said with an eye roll and a sigh.
"You know that we would give you the extra hours and you could just work full time here sweetie." Maisy said. Abby nodded.
"I know it's just to be honest they do pay me about a quarter or so more so the two checks together are just enough to make my bills on time." She replied. Maisy nodded in understanding.
"Alright young lady. There you are." The owner said as the new plate of food was presented to her. She grasped it ready to bring it out. "Hey if they say anything to you let them know that the cook would be happy to hear their comments." Abby let out a small laugh along with a nod.
"Sure thing boss." She said.
"As soon as they are set sweetie you get on out of here. We don't want you late to your other job." Maisy tossed in. Abby nodded again as she made her way out to the dinning area.
"There you are sir. Again so sorry about before." She said placing the plate down in front of him. She stood by anxiously hearing her internal clock ticking away the seconds thinking that she had to leave as the customer inspected the plate.
"Well now that's better." She sighed a small breath of relief.
"Is there anything else you need?" She asked politely.
"No that's all. You can go away now." The man said. Abby gave a sarcastic grin before rushing back to the back room. She whipped off her apron and grabbed her hooded sweater jacket pulling it down over her head.
"Have a good day at work and I'll see you tomorrow." Maisy managed to get in before the young woman flew out the door.
It wasn't that Abby was unappreciative of the woman's seemingly unending affection for her it was just she really had to leave. The town that she had grown up in had recently been undergoing development and was slowly becoming a suburb. It bothered her to see people that she didn't know or the wooded areas that she had played in and explored only ten years earlier plowed down to build housing developments for the out of 'townies'. She smiled to herself as she thought.
'Maisy would probably consider me an out of 'townie'.' Abby had moved to the town with her family when she was five and had attended school in the town but her parents were from the city so in a sense that made her one too. There had always been a sense that the people whose ancestors had settled the town knew something. As if everyone was in on some inside joke that other people couldn't grasp, didn't understand or just didn't notice. It had slightly unsettled her when she was younger and she had asked her mother if she ever noticed anything of the likes but her mother had simply brushed it off as being her daughters imagination.
'Don't worry Abriana. The town isn't plotting against you.'
She shook her head at the memory and as she got older had simply brushed it off. The town wasn't plotting against her. As she neared the small hardware store where she worked she ran a quick hand through her hair a few times just to make sure the snarls from having it pulled back all day were worked out. The idea to just cut if off had occurred to her a few times but each time decided against it. She hadn't had so much as a trim in nearly seven years. The year before the accident she had cropped her hair short and dyed it a deep red. She recalled the day her mother had taken her to the salon for a day of just relaxing. It had been nice. It was one of the last days she had done anything with her one of her parents. The hard lump that usually formed in her throat threatened to make her eyes water at the now old memories. Quickly she swallowed it as she walked into work. The door chimed as she opened it and made her way to the backroom. It wasn't out of place that there wasn't anyone in the store. At most they would only have about five customers an hour if that so the fact that the aisles were empty didn't faze her at all. What did however was that the office door was shut. During the day the manager Tim always kept it open. She walked over to it and knocked a couple of times.
"Tim? You there?" She asked and waited for a reply. She thought she heard something. A scuffling? Shifting of some sort? Someone was moving in the office. Her breath came harder as her heart began to speed up in her chest. "Tim." She called out again knocking with more urgency worried that something had happened to him. Her hand went to grip the knob of the door to no avail. It was locked. Heavy breathing and soft grunting could be heard from inside the office now. "Tim! I'm going to call for help." She said making ready to turn to run for a phone when the door knob began to turn slowly. Her eyes widened as she watched it turn her pulse beating loudly in her temples as each second passed by. The door cracked open a bit and an acrid odor hit her nostrils causing her to back up a step or two and cover it with her hand.
A hand grabbed her wrist roughly causing her to yelp and spin around.
"Run." The man said. Abby shook her head a few times in disbelief and was about to ask why when she was cut off. "Run!" He shouted pulling her along with him as he ran. Her feet tried to catch purchase on the floor as he ran holding on tightly to her wrist.
"Let me go! You're hurting me! Help! Someone help!" She screamed knowing well that she was being kidnapped. The stranger was kidnapping her when her friend needed help. He had done something to him she knew it. He was more than likely a robber. Had he shot poor Tim? Stabbed him? Was the poor man laying in a pool of blood on his office floor near death? What was he going to do with her? Had she seen too much? Would he just tell her to keep her mouth shut and leave or something worse? The questions and possible outcomes flew through her head as she continued to scream for help. He led her downstairs to the basement where they kept the back stock for the store. He flung her into the storage room and shut the door. She backed herself against the wall and shuddered. She watched as he pulled out some sort of laser pen and pointed it at the lock before turning back around.
"Is there any door in here to the outside?" He asked. She stood wide eyed just staring at him in pure terror. The man ran over to her and took her by the shoulders.
"Look I am sorry. Very sorry but you're friend is dead. I couldn't save him now you have to tell me. Is there a door to the outside anywhere down here because they will come for us and they are very, very hungry." The man said in a thick British accent. In her panic she was nearly unable to understand what he was saying to her.
"They?" She asked distantly unsure of what exactly he was talking about. The man nodded.
"Yes for now that's all you need to know. Now, a door?" He asked again. Abby shook her head slowly in disbelief a the strangeness of her sudden situation. The man let her go and began searching himself. She watched him as he looked up at the ceiling and shook his head before running over to the walls and began knocking on them placing his ear against it to listen for any hollowness that would indicate and exit.
"Fine time for me to leave my stethoscope behind I have to say. Go much easier it I had it on me now." He stated more to himself than to her. When the walls proved to be nothing more than concrete all the way through he began stomping on the floor for a trap door somewhere.
"We're in the cellar. Underground. There aren't any doors." She said finally. He glanced at her.
"Doesn't mean anything. You never know. Besides if there isn't a door you can always…" He stopped stomping for a moment and dropped to the floor knocking on the floor with his ear to it as he did with the wall and a broad smile graced his lips. He took out his laser pointer just as a pounding came on the door causing Abby to jump and let out a small squeal.
"Who is that?" She asked as the door began to splinter and shadows could be seen on the other side.
"Come on! Come on!" The man shouted she looked to see him cutting a hole through the floor with his laser pointer. Her fright was left aside for a moment as she stared in disbelief. That was impossible. The sound of the door nearly being ripped off it's hinges brought her back to attention. Two red orbs peered at her as the door was nearly ripped free from it's frame. She felt her body flatten itself against the wall more as every muscle tensed.
"Make one!" The man shouted. Abby looked at him curiously.
"What?" She asked her voice coming out as a small squeak as all moisture drained from her throat.
"If there isn't a door make one. I was only finishing my sentence from before." He said as if the, whatever they were, were not there and they were having a casual conversation.
"What?" She asked again in complete disbelief as the top portion of the door came crashing down and a pale twisted hand clawed through the wood and waved around in the air as if trying to grasp onto something or someone. One of them. The man grabbed her by the wrist again and grinned.
"Shall we?" He asked as she only shook her head not grasping what was going on. "Alright then, off you go!" He said loudly tossing her towards the open hole in the floor.
"Wait…wait!" She screamed before she felt herself falling into the darkness. All too soon she had landed on a hard surface that kicked dirt up around her causing her to cough once she regained her wind.
"Tally-ho!" She heard from above barely rolling out of the way and heard the man land with a thud next to her. She brought herself to a kneeling position and rubbed at her nose that was filled with dirt only to be grasped by the wrist again.
"Come on. It may take them a while to figure out where we went too but they will figure it out." He said pulling her back up and beginning to run armed with the strange laser pointed to light the way in the darkness. From what she could gather they were in tunnel under the store. Why would there be a tunnel under the store? Who were they? Those eyes that had peered at her, if that was what they were, had been nothing short of frightening and the hand, if it could be called a hand, had been more claw like, twisted a gnarled into deformity. There were so many questions and no answers. In an instant her fear turned to anger. She felt it rise up and burn red hot in her soul. Who was this strange man? For all she knew whatever was going on was his fault. She ripped her wrist away from him and stopped dead in her tracks. The man ran a few more steps before realizing she wasn't there anymore and back tracked. He held the laser pointer up in front of his face so she could see him and he could see her.
"What's the matter?" He asked her in a hushed voice.
"What's the matter? The matter is you kidnapped me!" She yelled angrily clenching her fists so hard her fingernails dug into the soft flesh of her palms. The man quickly shushed her bringing a hand to her mouth covering it.
"Try to keep it down a bit." He said before she grasped his hand and ripped it away from her mouth.
"From who 'they'? A very vague description there kid!" She said a little softer than before but still held a sharp edge to it. The man looked at her in surprise and let out a soft chortle.
"Kid huh? Well I do suppose I appear a bit younger than before but no matter then, come on." He said motioning her to follow him. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and stood her ground. The man let out a sigh.
"'They' are known as Necrocizinci. They are beings that consume the flesh of the dead and if there isn't any readily available they will make sure that they have some. Brutal creatures really. Not too bright though lucky enough for us but have one catch you in it's mitt's and it's lights out." He said.
"Necrocizinci? Dumb creatures that eat people. A zombie?" Abby asked raising an eyebrow. The man's expression changed to one of contemplation as he brought up his other hand in a 'so-so' type of gesture.
"Sort of, I guess. Never really thought of it that way. Sure, fine. Well now that that's all straightened out it's time to run again."
"Not so fast there kid." She said grabbing him by the back of his collar as he turned from her.
"There that is again. 'Kid'. I'm older than you you know by leaps and bounds." He replied clearly amused.
"Who are you?" She asked. The man seemed to straighten himself up a bit.
"I'm the doctor." He stated proudly replacing the 'o' and 'r' with an 'a'.
"You mean doctor." She said emphasizing the 'r'.
"Yeah that's what I said, doctor." He said. She shook her head.
"Fine then. Doctor!" She replied saying it in his tone and dialect.
"Now then what's that? That's just not nice." He stated sound a bit offended.
"Well learn to talk right then kid!" She shouted at him.
A sudden sound caught their attention from down the tunnel. The way they had come. A scurrying and a faint growling noise. Abby and the Doctor looked at each other for a moment before breaking into a run down the tunnel.
"Do you know where this leads out to?" The Doctor asked her. Abby shook her head quickly making her dizzy at the speed she was going. She barely felt her feet leave and hit the dirt floor underneath her.
"No I didn't even know this was here." She replied.
"Brilliant!" The Doctor shouted. Abby was unable to tell if he was amused or annoyed at the fact that neither of them had any clue where the tunnel would take them. The faint blue light from the laser pointer led the way illuminating only a small but of the walls around them and barely breaking through the seemingly unending darkness that closed around them as soon as their feet left the dirt floor. To Abby it felt as if they had been running for forever. As if they had been in the tunnel for hours or even possibly days with the scuffling and growling seemingly always right at their heels.
"There see it!" The Doctor suddenly shouted. Abby shook her head about to say 'no' when she did see it dead in front of them. A door. The two ran up to it and the Doctor examined it quickly with the laser pointer. Abby scanned it quickly feeling her heart drop into her stomach.
"There's no door knob!" She shouted frantically.
"No worries. I'll have it open in a jiff!" The Doctor said confidently. She watched as he ran the laser pointer around the edge of the door slowly.
"That's not a jiff! A jiff is fast!" She shouted as the scuffling and the growling came closer. She felt her muscles tighten again as her breath came in short puffs of air but whether it was from running or panic she couldn't tell.
"Doctor." She said with urgency in her voice.
"I know, I know! Almost got it!" He replied the same urgency mirrored in his own voice. The acrid smell that knocked Abby back a few steps wafted to her nose again causing her to cover both her nose and mouth. They were getting closer. She could hear them with each shuffle close the gap between them. Vaguely she could make out not two red orbs but at least six as they ambled in the darkness to them. She imagined their claws grabbing at her ribbing at her hair and clothes. Sharp nails tearing flesh and stripping it off of her bones and there was the smell. More pungent then before.
"Doctor!" She screamed frantically grabbing at the mans arm for some form of reassurance.
"Got it!" He said rushing into the room and dragging Abby with him just as the growling nearly closed the gap and an odd clamminess just graced the back of her neck. The Doctor pointed his laser pointer at the door after it was closed she guessed to seal it shut.
"What exactly is that thing?" She asked pointing to the laser pointer. He held it up and turned it in his fingers before tossing it in the air and caught it.
"What, this? A sonic screwdriver." He said.
"A sonic screwdriver?" She asked illicitating a nod from the Doctor. "And what exactly does a sonic screwdriver do?"
"Oh well, unlocks doors and seals them and if I modify it a certain way I can open cans with it if I like." He stated.
"Then it would be a sonic can opener." Abby replied. The Doctor broke out into a grin.
"Touché my dear, touché." He conceded. "Now tell me, what is different from his room that was different from the tunnel back there?"
"Well for one there's electricity." She said.
"Why do you say that?" He asked.
"Because the lights are on." She stated. The Doctor made a motion with his hand for her to turn around. She did so and gasped in complete awe and once again disbelief. A monstrous metal orb stuck out of the earth. Tendrils akin to veins and arteries brought streaming red lights too the huge orb and back out to tunnels similar to one that they had run down. It suddenly made a loud sound almost as it were under some sort of strain. Abby took it all in and swallowed hard before turning back towards the Doctor.
"What is that?" She asked.
"No idea!" The Doctor said his face broken out into an enormous grin as he made his way past her.
"Okay then." She said walking briskly towards him. The Doctor walked towards a low hanging tendril and aimed the sonic screwdriver at it. He ran it along its length towards the tunnel then back again towards the orb. "Is it alive?" She asked after a moment had passed. The Doctor only shook his head.
"Not sure actually. Either way it is impressive but what are the streams of light for I wonder. Bringing power in and out but why and for whom." He wondered aloud. It was the first time since the Doctor had grabbed her by the wrist that she was able to take in his appearance. His hair was light brown and a bit shorter than shoulder length. Average features graced his face giving him no defining qualities but overall she decided he wasn't bad looking. His clothes were simple, just a white tee shirt with blue faded denim jeans and worn sneakers. He looked like a mechanic.
"Hey there uh, what's your name anyways?" He asked.
"Abby." She replied.
"Abby come over here and tell me what you think." He said pointing to the tendrils. She walked closer to stand next to him and examined the orb and the tendrils.
"I, I don't know." She said.
"Oh come on now. You're a clever girl that much I can tell. Just an idea thrown out doesn't hurt." He replied. Abby looked around her and shook her head.
I guess we could examine another one of the tunnels…" She suggested. The Doctor let out a noise that almost sounded like a whoop causing her to jump and stare at him.
"Excellent suggestion Abby-girl!" He shouted grabbing her by the wrist and running off towards the direction of another tunnel.
"Wait. Doctor what if there are more Necrocizinci?" She asked. The Doctor stopped for a moment and turned back to face her with a smile on his face as they stood in front of the open gaping maw of the dark tunnel.
"Only one way to find out." He replied. "Tally-ho!"