Kerrin sat on barstool spinning her empty glass, lost in thought. A television blared some news about the current Mutant "problem," behind her back. It had been a little over a month since she had escaped what she referred to as the Hell hole. It had taken her some time to finally stop running and settle down somewhere. Though to say she was settled wasn't entirely true. She didn't think she could ever really settle anywhere after what happened to her.
"Hey, Gi, didn't your shift end a half hour ago?" Kerrin stopped spinning her glass; she looked up at the man across the counter. Mike was his name, he stood at 6'3" and 40 years of age was very well built. He owned the bar and restaurant. He could have had someone else bartend for him, but he enjoyed his work and every body in the small Minnesota town knew him.
"Yes, Sir, just wanted to rest a bit before I walk home," Kerrin said. Truth be told, she was terrified of walking home. She wondered if the shadows would ever stop being frightening or if she would ever stop cringing when someone lifted their hand to do something. Everything still made her jump too and when she lay awake at night, she couldn't sleep with the light off and she would often check and re-check her locks to make sure they were secure.
"Gi, are you okay?" Mike asked a concerned look on his face. It took Kerrin a moment to realize that he had asked her something before that. She still hadn't gotten used to her name. She had told them her name was Georgie and so they all called her Gi for short.
"Oh, fine, sorry. Just tired is all," she said, sending him a reassuring smile.
Mike didn't look too convinced, "If you have too many hours, I can always arrange for you to have less."
Kerrin nearly panicked, "No, no," she said almost too forcefully, "It's not the work, just a lot on my mind. I'm sorry." She usually would leave right after her shift was over, she didn't want anyone to get to know her very well, but she had such a hard time walking back alone and then having to be in her apartment alone for hours.
She had thought things would get better faster and that the memories would fade, but she still had trouble sleeping. In fact, she was afraid of falling to sleep, because the nightmares would come or she would wake up in cold sweats.
Most of the day she spent dreading the coming night and whenever someone called in sick or asked to leave work early, she volunteered to stay. Waitressing was her living, but it also kept her sane and being in a public place she felt safer.
She did everything she could not to draw attention to herself, she didn't want to look pretty either. While other people spent time primping, Kerrin spent time making herself look less pretty. She made sure she always looked presentable and that she didn't look ugly, so much as average. She wore clothes that hid her figure, she pulled her dark hair into a tight, messy bun that made her face look too severe and to top things off she wore contacts that changed her eyes to an ordinary brown color. She was very careful that everything she wore was nondescript.
"Well, Gi, you better get yourself home and into bed early tonight," Mike said, breaking into her thoughts.
Kerrin looked at the clock, it read 1AM, it was early for a weekend, but costumers had been scarce that night and they were able to clean things up from the restaurant pretty quickly.
"Alright," she said, scooting off the barstool, "I think I'll do that."
Mike waved as Kerrin made her way out. It was a pretty cold night and the wind stung her face as she opened the door and walked outside.
For February it was a pretty average temperature of 10 below for Northern Minnesota, but Kerrin often wondered how anyone lived like this and why anyone would live here willingly, unless they were in her situation.
She walked ahead faster; her head down so as not to freeze her face off. In some ways the cold weather was a Godsend, because Kerrin wasn't left alone to her thoughts and fears, but it sure made her miserable and grumpy. But, she reasoned that is was better than being on edge the whole walk home.
As she walked by a blue clapboard house, Kerrin was suddenly struck with the memory of Greg lying on the ground, his lips all blue, his arms and everything blue. She shuddered and tried to think about something else. Why did that house remind her of Greg? Damn, she hated these memories. They always came up at the most unexpected moments.
She quickened her steps, making her way along a series of wooden fences. The night sky was one of the clearest she had ever seen and she couldn't help standing in awe of it most nights, but tonight she felt trapped in her last memories of that horrid place.
She had played it out in her head many times before, but she still couldn't make sense of it. She had bit Greg, sure, but that wouldn't have caused more than a little mark on his arm. Sure teeth hurt, that was the point, but to turn him blue? That's where she was lost. She remembered every detail, but it didn't add up. When she had bit him, blue spread from where her teeth connected with his skin and made its way up his body; rapidly. Somehow she had caused him to turn blue, that she knew, but how she did that was another story.
The last part of the ordeal confused her the most. What had Art seen that made him break down and sob? Also, what had Harry getting all suicidal? Kerrin wondered if she would ever understand.
She had just rounded the last corner to her apartment when she noticed a guy standing outside the building, he had his back to her and he was obviously not too comfortable in this weather, as he wore a heavy wool coat and seemed to be bracing himself against the elements.
There was something familiar about him, but Kerrin couldn't put her finger on it. His presence didn't issue forth any bad feelings. He was definitely not Greg, Art or Harry and he did not look like any of those men who had visited her during her stay with them. He looked so familiar, why couldn't she remember him? Without realizing it, she was slowly making her way towards him to get a better look.
When she was within fifteen feet of him, she realized her mistake, but at that moment he turned toward her. She gasped, nearly tripping over the crack in the sidewalk, "Scott?" She sputtered.