Shadows of the Hunt

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The air was cold, and a slight breeze crossed my face as I walked across the gravel. I had been on the road for over two days and the diner was the first sign of life I had seen in hours. Once I entered the run-down establishment, I walked to the booth snuggled into the far-left corner. There were few people there besides the waitress who approached me and the cooks talking in the back. A man sat at the countertop next to the register with a rushed look on his face and a woman with two children was on the opposite side of the diner at a table tucked behind the jukebox.

"Can I get you started with something to drink?" The woman asked as she handed me the worn menu with the sides of laminate rolling away from the paper.

I looked up and gave a small smile, "A coffee with a couple of creamers and some sugar would be great, thanks."

"I'll be right back with that," she walked away, and I picked up the menu and looked it over. While I was looking over the menu, I heard a low cough come from the rugged man at the counter. I looked up as he said, "Ma'am how much longer on my order?"

"Just a few more minutes son, shouldn't be too long now," the waitress stated as she walked around the counter to my table. The man turned as she walked, and we briefly caught eyes. His eyes caught my attention immediately, with the light hazel showing a little sparkle at my stare. I quickly turned to address the waitress and took my coffee from her hands with a brief, "Thank you."

"Can I get a cheeseburger and fries? Oh, and can I add jalapeno to that? If you have any." I ordered as she took my order down on her pad. She nodded and headed back behind the counter. She walked over to the window into the kitchen and pulled a plastic bag to hand to the handsome man at the counter. I looked back down and pulled my maps out of my bag, looking over them to distract myself from further staring.

"Traveling far from home?" A deep voice sounded from above. I looked up quickly to meet the same piercing hazel eyes from the counter, only this time they were much more entrancing.

"You could say that," I laughed slightly, folded the map over, and pushed it to the side. "Are you from around here?"

"No, just passing through for work with my brother," the man smiled, and wow have I never seen a better smile. I took a sip of my coffee and smiled back. I was a little perplexed at the small talk, as the man seemed in a hurry before coming to talk to me, but I was not complaining.

The conversation stalled a bit before I finally said, "Well, if you aren't in too much of a rush, you are welcome to sit." I noted the bizarre behavior on my part; asking a perfect stranger to sit without even a name. But something about him intrigued me; not to mention that he was probably the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes on.

"I don't see why not. My brother and I aren't really in too much of a hurry," he sat down as the waitress came with my meal. She placed it in front of me and I thanked her as she walked away.

"A woman after my own heart," the man laughed gesturing toward my meal and giggled.

"Hey, I am never one to pass down a good burger, or a bad one for that matter," I laughed, and the man chuckled along. "I'm Zoe by the way," I added and reached my hand across the table to shake.

The man reached back and grasped my hand, "I'm Dean," he said as we shook hands. His hands were rough and worn probably from years of hard work. Our hands lingered for a bit before I pulled away. I nodded a bit. Dean, what a coincidence.

Dean unpacked part of his to-go and we both dug in. I am ashamed to admit I was eating a bit aggressively as I hadn't eaten in over 12 hours. We were silent for a bit, just enjoying the company when the bell on the door rang as it opened. I looked up to see a tall man with medium-length, dark brown hair look both ways before his eyes settled on the back of Dean's head. Dean noticed my stare and turned to look as well.