Modern Monsters

Jason the Crocman

Male Monster Reader x Female Main Character

It's usually dark as I head home. I've gotten used to the late shifts, it's quiet, and I don't get the weird stares I usually do. Being a seven-foot-tall croc monster, you'd think people wouldn't stare. But they do.

I take the train in the evenings when I get off work, it's easier than trying to find a ride because well...no one really wants to pick a guy like me up. Back when I had the morning shift, I used to try and avoid the more crowded areas. Being on the train in the morning made me feel extremely self-conscious about myself.

I had grown up in a small rural town where mostly everyone was like my family and me. It wasn't until my mom got a great job that we moved to the city when I was in high school. There were a lot less people like us in the community we moved in to. The suburban area where our house was made me feel like I was in some odd Twilight Zone kind of episode. So much blonde hair, so many bleached teeth.

Anyways, I've learned to cope with things as much as possible. But there is one thing that is bothering me. The girl in the corner of the train.

Over the past couple of weeks, she's appeared there every time I'm on the train. She wears the same pastel purple hoodie and always has a cup of coffee between her thighs. She looks at her phone screen, illuminating her soft, rough face.

Her eyes are dark brown and beautiful. Well, I mean, so someone so weird that is. I can't make heads or tails of her. Her hair is usually tied back, but I notice that it's dyed purple in some places. I don't know who she is, where she gets on the train or even if she gets off it. For all I know I'm seeing some new ghost who has appeared on the train. Some poor soul who died getting her Starbucks fix.

Tonight, the purple ghost and I are the only ones on the train. I'm watching her scroll through her phone from the corner of my eye. She has a strange look on her face, she looks sad and shocked. Her eyes are wide and brows pinched in concern. She gasps, placing her hand to her lips. She scrolls faster and then sighs with relief and sinks back into her seat.

Maybe she's reading a book or something, I think to myself. I turn away, looking out the window, only able to see the glow of street lamps zoom by.

"Oh no!" The purple phantom yelps out.

I look over, seeing her coffee cup is on the ground. Her leggings are soaked, and she's fanning herself.

"Excuse me?" Her voice squeaks in my direction. "Do you have any napkins?"

"Uh-" I flinch as I look at her. Her big brown eyes plead to me, and I feel drawn to help her. I reach into my backpack taking out the great big ziplock that contains my first aid kit and a bunch of other stuff. It was something my mom had made up for me and my siblings, and we always kept them in our backpacks.

I take out a wad of napkins and walk them over to her. "You ok?" I ask.

She nods, frowning as she mops up the coffee on the floor. "The brown paper sleeve thingy slipped off," she grumbles.

"Well, I meant-" I hesitate then point to her legs. "It spilled on you. Did it burn you?"

"It wasn't really hot," she then looks at her leggings. "But these were my favorite," she mopes.

"Soak em in warm water with some vinegar and dish detergent," I tell her. "Then when you rinse them out blot the stains with a sponge and some alcohol."

She stares up at me with awe. "Really? Will it work?"

I shrug. "It works when I do the laundry at the hotel," I reply. "My grandma taught me that old trick."