Ultraviolet

Chapter Sixty-Three: Zombie in a Penguin Suit

The hairs on my arm were standing up straight. Working in the bar always made me feel observed, but this was different. My brain kept trying to convince me that danger was near. I brushed it off, and continued working.

If anything, I was less observed now. Hadeon had told the other guards that we were together. Now they were all a little afraid to make eye contact.

"Hey!" A voice called. I turned to a red faced customer. "I asked for a Coke, like, twenty minutes ago!" He shouted.

"Oh, so sorry." I grabbed the drink for him and placed it on the bar. "Thats $3."

"$3?!" He shouted. "Thats double what it should be!"

I took a breath in through my nose and tried not to get worked up at this incredibly rude customer.

"Sorry, that's how much we sell it for."

"Well then, maybe I'll just go somewhere with more reasonable prices!" He threatened. I almost laughed. This bar makes money through watered down vodka and over-priced cocktails. I doubt one man deciding not to order a Coke is going to send us into crippling debt.

"You are more than welcome to do that, sir." I shot back.

The man paid with some change from his pocket and I counted the amount. It came to $4, assuming that a ball of lint has no value, but I when I went to hand back the change he had left. Instead, I dropped it into my tip jar.

Hadeon walked up to the bar and smiled at me. I was too tired to smile back.

"You okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine." I sighed. "I just want to be done this shift. I'm getting tired."

"Want me to take over for you?"

"I think I can handle it." I said.

It turns out that I couldn't handle it. I was two seconds from snapping at a customer when Jess suggested I take out the trash and cool off.

Taking out the trash was usually fairly easy, but the dance floor was more crowded than normal and I had to go out to each trash bin and pull out the bins then bring them through the back door.

I dropped the black trash bags on the floor at the bins out back and mustered all my strength to raise the black lid off the bin. When I turned to pick up a bag, two feet appears behind me.

"Jesus!" I screeched as my heart jolted. "What are you do-"

"Hey." The man said. I stared, my mouth dry as my heart beat away in my ear. I couldn't breathe.

He looked worse. His strawberry blond moustache had grown into a scraggly beard that covered his chin. Red scabs poked through the beard hairs and were scattered over the apples of his cheeks and his nose. He was in worse condition than when I'd last seen him.

"I've missed you."

I stumbled back into the bin, the stench if trash more appealing than being closer to him. Tears burned in my eyes before I realised I was about to cry.

"Wh-Why-" I couldn't get the words out without gagging.

"It took a long time to track you down, Esme."

I thought to lie, pretend I had no idea who he was or who Esme was. But I knew it wouldn't work.

"I d-didn't-" I swallowed, trying desperately to steady my breath. "I didn't want you to find me."

"You made a promise, Esme."

"You made a promise." I said, my confidence growing slightly. "I ran away from it."

"I know you're scared. You lied to the police and now my parents are in prison!"

"Where they should be!"

"Esme. We are going to go, to the police. You are going to come clean, and we are going to get married." His eyes stared into me, clawing into my body.

"No." I whimpered. I had never defied him. I always agreed, went along with his delusion, thinking it was safer. But I wasn't in Sunshine anymore. I had people to protect me here. I had family. I had Hadeon.

He snatched my arm quickly, his dirty nails digging through my shirt into my skin. "Esme, now!"

I tried to pull out of his grip, but it only tightened.

"Why are you doing this to me, Esme?" He begged, tears welling in his crazed eyes. "Why are you trying to hurt me?"

"I'm hurting you?!" I cried. "I never did anything to you."

"All I ever did was love you."

"I was fifteen. I was a child! You were an adult! You didn't love me, you loved the idea of a girl who was too stupid and naive to defend herself."

Quinton stared. He's gripped didn't cease, but his eyes seemed to gleam with sadness. I had once pitied him, for having the life he did with the parents he had, but I wouldn't fall in that trap again.

"Violet!" Hadeon called as he turned the corner. His eyes landed on my arm in Quinton's hand and he rush to us. Hadeon pushed him off me and turned, checking over my body for cuts and bruises. "What happened?"

"Its him." Was all I could say. Hadeon knew what I was saying. He quickly pressed a button three times on a walkie-talkie in his hand before turning back to Quinton.

"Who the fuck are you?" Quinton demanded. His sadness had quickly spiralled into anger as he stood back up. "What's your problem?"

"My problem is you." He growled.

Quinton turned to me, his face beetroot red. "He's why you don't want to be with me! You fucking slut! You stupid whore!" His eyes seemed to dance around, not focusing on anything, and his voice was stretched thin like it took all his energy to scream at me. Something was seriously wrong. He was genuinely unstable.

Hadeon rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward, reading his fist to pound into Quinton's face.

"Wait." I interrupted. Hadeon turned, awaiting my command. I stepped up to Quinton who was staring at me.

"I knew it." He said. "You do want to be with me."

I pulled back my fist and used all my strength to punch him in the cheek. I heard the loud thwack as pain seared through my knuckles all the way up to my elbow. Quinton crumbled onto the ground, groaning as he cradled his cheek.

Quincy rounded the corner, accompanied by two police officers.

One ran up and checked Quinton's vitals while the other stared at Quincy for an explanation. He quickly explained the emergency signal Hadeon had shared- the three clicks of a button on the walkie- and that Hadeon and I are employees.

"You're that girl, aren't you?" The officer realised. "From the Wilkes case." He turned to Quinton on the ground. "Is this their son?"

I nodded, Hadeon reaching for my hand and squeezing.

"Are you willing to give a testimony? If so we can finally charge this piece of shit."

I nodded.

"I have no reason to hide anymore."