Across the Veil: Open Eyes (Book 1)

Chapter 9: Open your eyes!

 That morning the police had confirmed two more arrests with one final suspect still at large. Willow had been on the fence about going back to The Blue Shoes, but after discussing it with her housemates, everyone was fairly confident that it would be fine as long as Bruno and Savio went along with her. It was just one person that the police were after, and the other arrests all occurred far from the downtown area. Hopefully they had little to worry about, but it was still best to err on the side of caution.

The trio slowly made their way on foot to The Blue Shoes. The streets were busy as usual, but no one seemed to be acting out of sort. Just the usual business and political types going to their jobs or stopping by the cafes. They had even run into a couple classmates going out to pick up some decorations for their apartments on campus.

As they approached the bar's entrance they noticed a figure sitting on a bench at the bus stop just across the road. It wasn't unusual to have people waiting at a bus stop, but something just wasn't sitting right in Willow's gut. Judging by the way Bruno and Savio moved closer to her as they walked, they probably felt it too.

They had just stepped inside the bar when Rayne appeared and practically hauled them from the bar and into the dimly lit burlesque.

Rayne lowered her voice to a whispered hiss as she peeked between the blinds of one of the windows, "They've been there all morning."

"Do you think that's...?" Bruno trailed off, his body tense as he peeked through the blinds as well.

"Fairly sure. I called the cops a minute ago." she replied. She bared her teeth, a chittering hiss escaping her mouth. Whatever it meant, it put Savio on edge.

Willow tried to get a good angle to see what Rayne was looking at through the gaps in the blinds. She froze when she saw the man from the bus stop making his way across the street.

Rayne grabbed Willow's arm, her voice urgent, "I need you to trust me. Go into the bar and see if he will leave. If he gets aggressive I will step in, I promise you... He cannot see us right now."

"What? Why?" Willow asked.

"Just please trust me." Rayne pleaded. As she turned to Bruno, she switched into another language and instructed him to grab some throwing knives from the back room.

Willow hesitantly peeked into the bar as the door swung open and the man from the bus stop waltzed inside. She offered a strained, pleasant smile, "Hey there! Sorry, but this place is closed for renovations." She gestured at the door frame on the ground and the newly finished floor.

"I just wanted to see the burlesque, that's all." the man shrugged simply, looking around the bar.

"It's closed too. You should come back later." she retorted, her tone firm.

The man ignored her and continued to walk around the bar, taking in the sights and decor. "Fancy place. I would compliment the owner if they were here."

"They are busy upstairs." Willow lied, narrowing her eyes at the man, "Listen, I have work to do. You need to leave."

The man gave her a slow, almost manic grin. "Ever notice anything... Different around here?"

Her heart was hammering in her chest. She squared her shoulders, keeping her body angled towards the hall between the buildings as she watched the man carefully.

"It's a bar. There's several in this city. I don't think it's any different from the others." she said with a flat tone, moving so she was always facing the man and keeping a large gap between them.

The man let out a cold, mocking laugh, as he took a few steps closer. "I think there's something magical about this place." He pulled open part of his coat to reveal a rather large metal emblem of an eye with fire surrounding it, "Let's call it a hunch."