Dark Blood

Chapter six: Eyes in the dark

The night hung in silence, a cold, spine thrilling, pain-stricking one, laced with deep inner darkness, eyes in the dark that hides in the shadows.
Most night, Rachel thought, have been like this, like a tunnel of secrets that seemed so difficult to reach.

So far, with the quest of finding answers to her brewing and unknown questions, Rachel felt like she's just at the end of the loop, missing out on a lot of things and not getting anywhere. Everything has been so quiet and calm, nothing out of the ordinary has happened and nothing could be made out of anything. Even her grandmother and brother seemed to have bounced back to their original self, since that dinner. The name she had spoken that night, still lingered on top of their heads. Everyone is still very aware of the weight that name held, despite how indifferent and oblivious they act towards it. But no one is willing to approach the topic. Whatever flair had ignited in her that night, seemed to have died, replaced with something else that she couldn't describe. Fear? maybe.

She could remember the look on all their faces, when that name "Laura" was mentioned. Rose and Bryan, during dinner and the man in the bar, whose name she still doesn't know. They all knew that name well, the look on their faces were enough proof of that. But they were looks that she isn't sure about how she feels about them. It was that of surprise and fright, and she doesn't know what she should make of it, if she should make anything out of it.
But there's still one thing. She still want to know who that man in the bar was. She needs to see him one more time, maybe to feel that connection she had with him the first time she saw him, she wanted to see if she had just imagined it for herself, and nothing like that happened.
But since that evening, she hadn't set her eyes on him. He just went out of existence after that day, leaving a large puzzle for her. Sometimes, when the bell dings in the bar, her heart race and her eyes lit up with the possibilities of seeing him again, seeing those blue orbs again. Only to be disappointed when she sees someone else walk in.
It was all confusing to her, just before she was willing to forget any of that happened and toss it in a trash, but as time passed, she felt the need to see him again, just one more time.

Friday night rolled by and she was quick to drive her red Ford S Sedan to sharks tunnel, for her night shift. Tonight, she felt a little bit more eager than usual to run off to the bar. Even though, she had to come a little bit earlier for it than her normal Friday shifts. But when she got a call from Teresa, her boss in sharks tunnel, asking her to come earlier, for the night will be a little bit busier than usual and they might need a little more help, she was quick to bolt out of the house. Away from the heavy silence that had filled the house and away from the pained and guilty looks her brother and grandmother were sending her way.

On her way to the bar, she had the eerie sense of being watched. Like someone was following her every move, every step, every breathe. She had stepped on the accelerators harder, and drove a little bit over the speed limit. Even when she got to bar and started her bartending shift, it didn't stop, instead it became worse. Someone was watching her and whoever it was, was out there, hiding in the shadows. Her movements has been slowed, sometimes a little bit quickly, afraid that whoever it was, was monitoring her movements. Awkward glances has been thrown her way, mostly by her co workers, Gemma being one of them. And when she was asked if anything was wrong, she was quick to shake her head and assure them everything was fine. But it didn't stop her from looking round in search of anyone's burning gaze turned towards her, she smiled wildly and was more eccentric that it was almost suspicious. She knew she was being watched, like a second person was glued to her, she knew something was wrong somewhere, unable to place where. But nothing prepared her of what came after.

True to Teresa words, the bar was much more busy than the usual Friday nights. But it was for a good cause, tonight the bar will be having gig, for the first time in some months. They were a group of middle aged men who were probably married, playing jazz music most of the time. It wasn't much, but in a small town like OaksHaven, this is what they get and it was obviously better than nothing.