BLOOD MOON 10

BLOODY ROADS

 The night was frigid as the moon sat high in the sky, the world covered with a white shine. Neon signs fill the city streets, color filling every opening it can. Mike left the bar through the back door like he did every night, removing his name tag and apron, letting out a deep sigh, and watching his breath rise. He took his long pink hair out of its bun, then fixed his mask to cover his mouth and nose. Mike looked at the sky above for a moment before walking to the bustling city streets filled with the browns, blues, and yellows of neon lights. He was still trying to get used to the people around him compared to the ship he was stationed on.

In the past, Mike was left alone to do his job as an engineer on the space explorer, the only one who bothered him was his brother Jessie or his work buddy opal. Because it was quiet most of the time, to fill the void of noise, Mike listened to old cassette tapes he was gifted by his sister even though he was not a fan of the style of music. Jazz helped fill the silence of the empty ship. This was not his dream job. The people he worked with weren't the nicest. To Mike, the crew was better than half the people on earth. The day Eric came on board, She was bubbly compared to everyone else. She started conversations about the most random things, eventually becoming friends. They bonded over the weirdest things, such as Mike's pink suit color, erics hate of the color green, and both of their love for the stars outside.

They both chatted daily as they worked till Eric saw something she was never meant to. Opal, the other engineer, had come to the communal dining area covered in blood, her hands shaking as she stammered something hard to understand. Soon enough, she uttered, "Eric killed Phenix."

Those few words shattered everyone. They had to find out if it was true and how to deal with Eric if she had. After an investigation, no evidence was found for or against her. What else could they do but believe the only witness? They put Eric into the airlock and pressed the button, sending her into the black abyss of space. Only the stars and planets kept her company as she would run slowly out of air and die.

Mike quickly zoned back in after someone bumped into him on the street, apologizing quickly. Mike walked away quickly, turned up his music louder, and watched the ground. When thinking about it again, Mike knew Eric was not guilty but never had a way to prove it before eventually giving up hope. After searching for an answer for so long, what else could he do but give up? So he retired, deciding to stay on earth for good. The only job Mike could work was as a bartender. An old friend of his named redd gave him a job and time to come to terms with the fact Eric was gone for good and never coming back, No matter how much he wanted her to. Mike's phone started to buzz, and looking at the caller id, and he saw it was Jesse, so he answered with a sarcastic tone, "what do you need, Jessie? Cant I be 5 minutes late to get home?"

Jessie let out a small laugh "you know how nova is! She's been super worried these past few days, especially with you working in the city at night!"

He knew exactly why she was so worried but had been pushing off the idea that he would ever be a target. They had only been going after older men, "Jessie, I'll be fine. Besides, I'm almost to the bus stop, so ill text nova when I get on the bus, ok?"

Letting out a sigh of defeat and acceptance, "yeah, I guess that's fine but be safe. If your not, nova will kick my ass."

Mike stops at the bus bench, giving a snarky "ok" before hanging up.

Nova had been really on edge when a vampire showed up in town and attacked people who were alone at night. Mike figures he will be safe because he only traveled on the bussing streets and took the bus into the suburbs close to his house. Just as Mike was texting Nova that he was ok, Mike noticed the bus started to pull away from the stop. He had missed the last bus of the night again. Quickly getting up from the bench, he texts Nova that he will be home a bit late and to not wait for him as he starts to walk home.