Youth

#69 - That Night

    "I have no idea where we are," Sally finally confessed to the pair walking behind her, who'd put all their trust and faith into Sally to lead them to the train station. An exhausted groan left Damien.

    "Well how the hell are we supposed to get to the airport if we can't even get to the train station?!" Tara huffed. Sally rolled her eyes, continuing in the direction that she'd assumed the train station to be in. They'd gone to Bankso, a town near the Pirin Mountain Range, per Tara's request. They hadn't actually gone to the mountains themselves; only viewed them from a distance. Now, however, it was time to go back.

    "Fine! There's no use in this," Sally huffed. "I'm gonna ask around." Tara and Damien both shrugged, deciding they weren't going to get involved as they didn't know a word of Bulgarian. Looking around, Sally tried to find someone who looked approachable enough to talk to.

    First she approached a brunette male with matching chocolate eyes and a slightly aged suit.

    "Zdraveĭte, mozhete li da mi pomognete?" Sally questioned. The man waved his hand, possibly not understanding her pronunciation, and walked away. She was about to follow after him but instead approached a small-ish redhead woman, asking the same question. She simply put her head down and continued what she was doing, ignoring Sally.

    "English?" a man asked from behind her. Sally spun around to face a tall, black haired, pale skinned man in a tatty midnight jumper and grey-ish blue jeans. He held a leather briefcase by his side and looked busy, so she was surprised he'd taken the time of day to approach her.

    "Yes! I am. Sorry... my friends and I are a little lost," Sally confessed nervously. He raised a brow as he noted the two suspicious looking individuals behind her, before beckoning for her to continue. "We're trying time find the train station but my sense of direction is lacking," she confessed, a small laugh escaping her. The man smiled, though it did seem slightly forced, and beckoned for her - and the two behind her - to follow him.

    "It's just this way," he hummed, watching as Sally's two friends slowly got closer. "This town is easy to get lost in," he hummed, "some of the locals claim that there's a curse placed on it. Those who wander in without their wits leave without their souls, or something like that." Sally furrowed her brow.

    "Demons?" she asked. He shook his head.

    "No, they claim that vampires live in the mountain range." He let out a laugh. "Ridiculous, isn't it? But some people can't be told," he shrugged. He led them in the opposite direction to where they had been going before. Initially they had headed approximately north east, but now they were headed south west.

    "Hey," Damien finally spoke, still clearly very wary. The man stopped and turned around to answer whatever the boy had to say. "Do you really think the vampire thing is just superstition?" he asked. The man shrugged.

    "It doesn't really matter to me. If they're real then they're real. If they're not then who cares?" he shrugged, continuing to walk again. "Say, what are your names?" The three looked at one another for a moment, silently deciding that Sally would be the one to introduce them.

    "I'm Sally," she began, "that's Tara, and that's Damien," she finished, pointing at Tara and Damien in turn. Sally saw the man's brow furrow, almost as though he'd just realised something strange, though the expression vanished soon after it appeared. He dipped his head to them. They waited for a name from him, however he didn't share one. There was definitely something strange and enigmatic about the man - Sally trusted him immediately, but Tara and Damien weren't too sure.