Why Cam insisted they come to this dingy restaurant she’d never know. He claimed that all Spooky Burger restaurants were safe havens for people like them, and that they were always aware of the supernatural goings on in whatever city they happened to be in, but Sharla had yet to see any evidence of that.
Despite her protests, Cam had nevertheless dragged her to one the very first day they had arrived in this city, and she remembered him being pleasantly surprised to find an old friend running the night shift. Apparently they used to work together a long time ago, with him running the day shift and Cam running the night. But when she asked for more details he had told her, in no uncertain terms, that this was not a conversation he intended to have with her for a while.
And so every time Cam came to Spooky Burger, which was often, Sharla sat in silence, ordered the most expensive items on the menu, made Cam pay for them, and then refused to eat them. She was nothing if not vindictive.
Tonight would be no different, as Sharla placed an order of Terrifying Terriyaki Chicken Wings along with many other such delights she had no intention of touching, all the while very aware of the fact that the now nightly rain had soaked her clothes to the point that they clung to her so tightly she may as well have not been wearing any. This was not lost on the boy behind the counter, whose gaze proved he loved every second of her misery.
She moved closer to Cam, taking solace in the fact that at the very least he was as wet and miserable as she seemed to be.
“I’m not paying for that,” he grumbled as the boy that had previously been giving her his full attention now focused on ringing in her order.
“But Cam,” she said sweetly, dragging the words out just a touch. “I’m really hungry, and I’m cold and wet and those chicken wings are so warm and yummy, and you aren’t going to warm me up so...”
“Dammit Sharla, I have met zombies whose company I enjoy more. Honest to God zombies.”
She laughed, enjoying his irritation as always. “I said I could stay at the apartment, but you were all ‘no it’s better you come with me tonight and order a whole bunch of that crappy food that no one eats but me and make sure that my time here is as crappy as yours.’”
He gave her a look that would send chills down the spine of a normal person, but Sharla met his glare with ease, until Cam finally backed down with a sigh.
“Seriously,” he muttered, “Zombies.”
Before Sharla could continue the banter they enjoyed with each other, a voice from behind the counter spoke up.
“Cam, and Sharla, my two best customers. It’s good to see you guys.”
Cam turned and regarded the man with a nod. “Wesley, glad you’re still doing well.”
While Wesley was the only thing about the dingy restaurant Sharla could stand, she nevertheless couldn’t help but be amused by his appearance. He was the night shift supervisor, but Cam had told her that he was also a rather accomplished hunter, and yet his appearance certainly did not suggest so. He was a short, and skinny, his unkempt red hair making him look more like a boy than a full grown and renowned hunter. Still, Sharla could see how it could work for him; after all had Cam not told her of him, she never would have taken him seriously. She imagined many other things in the night had made that mistake.
“Hey Wesley,” she said with a smile. “We were wondering if you could help us out.”
“Guys,” Wesley said, holding up his hands, his voice suddenly anxious, and Sharla noticed him give a quick glance toward the front doors. “I know you need info, and I’d like to help, but it’s not a great time right now. It would be better if you guys took off. Can you come back tomorrow night?”
Cam frowned and Sharla gave him a look. They had come to Wesley many times before and the man had always been accommodating. Tonight something was definitely wrong.
“It’s nothing personal,” he said quickly, noticing the look in Cam’s eye. “It’s just that she’s gonna be back any second, she just got into town and when she stopped in I asked her if she would mind taking care of a job for me, and I know you guys have a bit of a history and...”
A scream cut him off. Not a real one, but the terrible synthesized scream that played every time someone entered the restaurant.
“Aw hell,” Wesley muttered.
By the time Sharla had sensed the attack coming Cam had already deflected the blow, countering with a shove that pushed the attacker back.
It had been a long time since Sharla had failed to sense an attack. She regarded the attacker and was surprised at what she saw. It had been a long time since she had been surprised as well.
The woman was dressed in a tight tube top which did little to hide her chest, and a pair of very dirty overalls, covered in what Sharla could only assume was motor oil. Her long hair was pulled back under a bandanna, and a tire iron graced her right hand; her weapon of choice it seemed.
“Glad you’re still in shape,” the woman grinned, but Sharla saw no humor there. This woman was cold as ice, it showed in her eyes, in the way she regarded Cam. “I wonder if your little girl is as good as you.”
Sharla bristled at that and readied herself for an attack, but Cam stepped in front of her, his voice equally as cold as he spoke.
“Good to see you too April. It's been a long time.”
“Yes it has,” she said. “Years at least. You've changed from the Cam I remember though. I wonder if you've toughened up any, fighting our fight all on your own.”
“If it’s a fight you want we’ll do it outside. Spooky Burger is not the place.”
April laughed, “Still the boss huh? Guess not much has changed after all.” With that her tire iron disappeared into her overalls, and her demeanor seemed to warm. “How about we take a reign check on that whole fight thing for now?”
Cam didn't relax however. He regarded her with an icy stare. “Why are you here April?”
“The job,” she said simply. “Helping out our old friend Wesley with a problem, which I took care of. But don’t worry, I’m only passing through. I’m leaving again later tonight. In my new car by the way, to replace the one you destroyed.”
He sighed. “I’ve apologized about that a thousand times.”
“I know, don't worry I forgive you, after all that crash cost you your eye, so it sort of evened out in the end.”
He growled, and Sharla tentatively put her hand on his arm, hoping he would relax.
He did, and April raised an eyebrow.
“What’s this Cam? Letting your little stray get all close and snugly? That’s so unlike you.”
Sharla grit her teeth. This woman had already rubbed her the wrong way, but that did it. She shot forward, her hand drawing her gun but just as fast Cam stopped her and gave her a stern look. It was a look she had seen only once before, and he had given it to her just as she was about to rush something very powerful. She had learned her lesson that day, and today it was heeded once again.
“Did you forget, April?” Cam said, turning back to her. “All of you were strays before I found you. The only reason you and the others are still alive tonight is because of the skills I taught you.”
“Oh really?” April growled, her eyes narrowing. “Try telling that to Lindsy. It didn’t take long for your skills to knock our group from five to four.”
If Cam was on edge before, he was well and truly mad now. That comment changed things. “Keep talking,” he said slowly, “And I’ll knock that number down to three.”
“Seems we’re gonna get that fight after all,” she said, her tire iron reappearing in her hand.
“You’ve gotta stop them,” Wesley said quietly, and Sharla only barely remembered he was there. “If those two go at it they could very well kill each other.”
Sharla moved to say something, but the synthesized scream again interrupted them. An air of malice filled them and a sudden chill shot through the restaurant. Cam and April were immediately at each other’s sides, their differences seemingly forgotten and they stood as true teammates who had battled side by side many times before.
The visitor was a girl younger than Sharla, dressed all in black, but her harmless appearance radiated evil the likes of which she had never felt before. The others felt it too, and as Sharla stood with Cam at her side, she could see the visitor wasn't simply wearing black, but rather was composed of it. The thick inky substance dripped from the girl, pooling at her feet and spreading towards them.
“What the hell is that?” April muttered, “We’ve been killing monsters a long long time but I’ve never seen something like that before.”
The girl gave a lopsided grin, “I was on a diet,” she said, her voice melodic, almost pure, and Sharla felt herself absorbed by her words, unable to put her attention anywhere else. “But I saw this place and everything inside looked so tempting, I couldn’t help myself I knew I just had to eat it all.”
A deafening crash of thunder shook them all out of their trance, the rain smashing into the windows, seemingly directly aimed at the girl.
Refocusing on the girl, April asked, “Vampire?”
Cam shook his head, “Maybe once, but not anymore.”
“That's her," Sharla said, more to herself than the others. “The Girl With the Dead Eyes. She's here.”
Cam nodded and April scowled.
“Spooky Burger is our territory,” she said. “It empowers us and weakens monsters like her. We have the advantage here. Between the three of us, we can do this.”
Sharla made a mental note to ask Cam about the advantage of Spooky Burger later, as if this place couldn’t be any more ridiculous as she steeled herself.
Slowly, the three spread out, moving to surround the girl. April had her tire iron in hand as she flanked the left, Sharla her various firearms as she moved right, and Cam had slipped his brass knuckles on his hands as he took the center, his shotgun hanging loosely from its holster beneath his coat.
The inky blackness moved ever closer, and the girl and her deranged grin held her arms out, as though she welcomed them.
As the attack began, it was Sharla who first noticed them. The eyes of the girl, they must have been beautiful once, a long time ago. Bright and colorful, full of life.
Now however they were just the opposite. Dull, empty.
Dead.
And looking into those eyes, it was Sharla who first realized the true depths of the abyss they now faced.
