Wayfarer [Bill Cipher x Reader] [REVISED]

Chapter Nineteen: In the Woods Somewhere

From that point on, it was all you could do to stop yourself from speeding away as fast as possible. Your foot pressed down on the gas, eyes darting over the copses on the side of the road. A town, a town, a town... God, please, just let you find some people—anyone! Any town! Just—whatever it took not to be left alone with the memory of that.

That plea rang in your mind as the light dimmed even further, a dull, foggy evening shuddering and settling into a dark, stormy night. Little materialized in the beam of your headlights as you searched the landscape, squinting at the signs as rain began to tumble forth, drenching everything in a thick curtain of water.

Finally, just when you were about to cry, a sign shone bright and green to your side. DONNER - 10 MILES.

A town! A town! A town, filled with warm, breathing human beings who didn't disappear without a trace. You could've cried. Instead, you restrained yourself to smiling like a manic and pressing on the gas a little more. A town. Finally!

Before you knew it, the soft, hazy glow of a few neon signs materialized out of the rain, dripping welcome to your tired eyes. "Oh, fucking finally," you groaned in relief. Slowing the car down, you pulled into the parking lot of a nearby building, the warm orange glow of its sign spelling out the words THE WALKER CAFE.

Bill peered out at the landscape as you parked. "Is this the place you wanted to get to so bad?" he asked. "Or did you change your mind?"

"I changed my mind. It's been a long night. I just wanna be somewhere with people right now, okay? After what happened back there... "

"Alright, alright," Bill said. He unbuckled himself. "Can't say that I'm complaining. But man," he glanced at you, "did that take the wind out of ya!"

You simply nodded in response. Shrugging your seat belt off, you shuffled on over to the diner as fast as you could. Its long windows threw out pale yellow light as you hurried in through the door, setting a bell ringing. As you wiped your shoes on the carpet, you looked around at the black and white tiles, the red vinyl booths, and the shining chrome doors. Man, did this place look like it came out of a fifties magazine.

The doors swung open and out swept a tall, thin woman, her shiny black high heels clicking on the tiles as she strode over. "Welcome to the Walker Cafe. What may I do for you today?" she asked.

"Um, hi, we'd like a table for two, please," you replied.

The woman gave you a stiff nod. "Of course. Come with me." She motioned the two of you over to the corner booth and set down two menus. "Sit."

The two of you settled down on opposite sides of the booth and opened up the menus. Then, the woman spoke. "So. The two of you must be from out of town."

You looked up from the menu and into her dark amber eyes. Something strange flitted through them, and they gave you pause as you stared into her taut, pinched-looking face. "... yeah. We're... we're in Colorado right now, right?"

The woman nodded.

"Oh, whew!" you replied. "I mean, I wasn't one hundred percent sure... "

"People like you never are," the woman remarked. Before you could ask about it, she quickly added, "Now, what would the two of you like to order?"

"I mean... uh... " Your eyes fell on the menu. "Could you give me a minute?"

"Certainly," the woman said. She stepped back, pressing her hands flat against her skirt. "Take your time."

You returned your gaze to the menu. The laminated plastic wobbled as you looked at the menu items: burgers, sandwiches, milkshakes, steamed vegetables, and the like. A typical diner experience, all in all... except for the steely stare piercing you from the side, sending shivers up your spine. "Uh, I'll have an (entree) with (side), (side), and (dessert), please," you told her, not quite meeting her gaze.