30 Day Image Prompt Competition - August

Day 4 Prompt 2 - The Wolf

Placing the drinks on the battered table, Kelly gritted her teeth against the angry words that threatened to burst forth when she felt the hand linger for too long against her rear. For not the first time that evening, she wondered what she was doing serving drinks in a crowded student bar. Various events had been held throughout the campus in the week leading up to Halloween, culminating in tonight’s fancy dress disco. Ghouls and goblins mixed freely with vampires and skeletons drinking wicked looking cocktails that looked as though they had been created in a witches’ cauldron.

Returning to the bar she waited whilst Perry, dressed as an ancient zombie, filled her latest bar order. The bar was teeming with students keen to show off their costumes and have a good time on this final evening. She caught sight of her reflection in the blood spattered mirror and sighed. Not even the staff working tonight had been immune to the costume rule. Her friend Joanne had spent hours creating marvellous effects with her make-up chest including her own authentic looking skull.

“Everything going alright out there?” Perry asked placing the last of the smoking cocktails on her tray.

“Yeah, everyone seems to be having a good time. Table 5 are getting a bit rowdy, though. Someone seems to have brought Thing with him, tonight.”

Perry frowned for a moment before nodding in understanding. “I’ll tell Max to keep an eye on them. Did they come by car?”

Kelly nodded. “A red pick-up truck, I think.”

Scooping up the laden tray, Kelly looked into the mirror and froze for a second as her eyes met the ice blue eyes of the stranger seated in the corner. A strange heat stirred deep within her as their eyes locked and held. She didn’t know who he was but there was something about him that called to her. She wondered if he was alone or with someone. He wasn’t seated in her area so she couldn’t check. Nor could she wander over to him since Donna, the waitress covering that part of the bar, was very protective of her work area and hated other waitresses encroaching to serve customers.

Someone bumped her hip and the link was broken. When she looked up again he was studying the menu with no sign of the connection they had just shared. She shook her head to clear it of its wanton thoughts and pushed her way into the heaving crowd. Maybe the alcoholic fumes of the bar had started to affect her mind, she thought to herself as she was once more immersed by the revellers.

“Hey, gorgeous. How about me and you slip out for a few minutes?”

She forced herself to ignore the words slurred in her ear as a hand wandered up her denim covered leg, lingering once more on her rear. For the past two hours it had been the same routine whenever she had delivered their drinks order. His companions had sniggered and made rude comments every time he had voiced the question to her. Her refusal to answer him had triggered further sordid suggestions that had made colour flood her cheeks beneath the thick white make-up she wore. She wasn’t bothered too much by his companions, they were drunk and noisy but harmless. He did worry her, though, for each time she had ignored him he had become more insistent in his questioning, his groping more apparent. Max, the vampire bouncer stood nearby, ready to step in if needed.

Careful, so as to make it look like an accident, she let the jug of ice water tilt over his crotch allowing some of the chilled water and crushed ice spill over him.

“Stupid, bitch! Why don’t you watch what you’re doing?” He leapt backwards away from the table and grabbed a napkin to dab at the silk trousers he wore.

Kelly pasted an apologetic smile on her face and picked up the empty tray. “I’m so sorry, sir, my hand slipped. Let me get you a towel.” Before the man could react she had turned away, swallowed up by the crowd who had paused in their celebrations to watch the incident. Her eyes met the stranger’s pale eyes and she thought she saw a brief flash of admiration there before the crowd blocked her view.

“You okay?” Perry asked.

“Fine, but they have definitely had too much to drink.” She placed her tray on the bar and took a deep breath to steady herself. She hadn’t liked what she had seen on the drunk’s face and didn’t relish having to return to their table.

“I’ll get Max and Steve to escort them out. Why don’t you take a break?”

With a grateful nod of thanks she slipped through the crowd to the back room. The heavy music faded to a dull thud as she sank into one of the chairs scattered around the room. She would be glad when tonight was over and she could go home and soak in the tub. After she had gotten her make-up off, she added to herself as she saw her reflection in the mirror opposite. She crossed to study her reflection. Large, black eye sockets with red eyes at their centre stared back at her. Joanne had covered her face in a white face paint before expertly blending grey into it to create the ridges and bumps of a skull. Black make-up had been applied to the tip of her nose to create the impression of a hole and her lips had been completely covered by a realistic looking set of teeth fixed in a skull’s deathly grin. Even her hands had been coloured and drawn upon to give the impression of skeletal fingers. She wouldn’t like to meet herself on a dark night like tonight, she decided with a toothy grin.

Before long the Halloween Disco was over. The guests had gone, leaving a mess of monstrous proportions in their wake. Empty beer and cocktail glasses littered the tables and floor, some spilling their contents. It would take a mammoth cleaning session to put the bar back to rights and Kelly felt even more exhausted just looking at it.

“Why don’t you get off home, Kelly? We can handle the worst of the cleaning and come back tomorrow to finish it off.” Perry came to stand by her as he looked out over the bar.

“Are you sure?” She felt guilty at feeling grateful for not having to clean up. It had been a long day with a full session of classes followed by working that night.

“Yeah, you did us a good turn here. You’ve earned the rest.”

Outside, the car park was deserted as she headed over to where her small car was parked. She frowned as she saw it lurching to one side and her heart sank when she saw that she had two flat tyres. One flat she could deal with but not two. She debated going back to the bar but the main lights were already out and the shutters down. She pulled her phone out, ready to call the all night garage out. The phone beeped as she powered it up and then died as the battery gave out. Damn smartphone.

There was an all-night bus she could catch on Carmody Street, but that meant a walk down past the park. Normally, it wouldn’t bother her in the daytime but at night the park seemed to take on a more creepy atmosphere. Perhaps it was because of the lack of lighting down that stretch of road but she always avoided it after dark.

With no alternative, she raised her chin and set off with a determined stride in the direction of Carmody Street. There would be no one around at this time, she was certain of that. Everyone would be tucked up in bed, fast asleep, she told herself walking along the empty highway. Yet despite her confident thoughts, she could feel someone watching her, following her every step.

Passing the park, she restrained herself against launching into a near jog. She wasn’t alone, she was certain of that. Someone, or something, was following her, out of sight but not out of mind. She could feel her nerves tightening with every step, anticipating the moment when her pursuer caught her. Against her heightened sensitivities, the cool wind felt like an icy caress against her skin. The looming trees took on eerie shapes, their branches seeming to be reaching towards her. She shook her head to clear her thoughts but couldn’t help noticing that every step she took echoed loudly along the road, the creak of the branches an ominous moan that caused the hair at the nape of her neck to stand on end.

Ahead of her she could see the lights of Carmody Street and prayed that a bus would soon arrive at the stop. She never thought to question that the driver would let her on with her face still wearing its skeletal mask. The thought of being stranded at the stop was just too frightening to consider.

“Well, what do we have here?” A man appeared out of the shadows of the trees, his companions close behind him. “It’s our little skeleton waitress who thought she was too good for us.”

Kelly stumbled to a halt as she recognised the drunk with the dirty mouth and wandering hands. Fear gripped at her, holding her tight in its vice as they staggered towards her.

“Leave me alone,” she said, a faint quiver in her voice. She didn’t want to show her fear but she knew her chances of getting away from them were slim, very slim.

“Now, why should I do that? You owe me for what you did tonight.” The man reached out and dragged her close to him, his fingers fisted in her long hair. “No woman does what you did and gets away with it,” he muttered against her ear before telling her in detail what he had planned for her.

Kelly felt sick as she heard his depraved words. She wouldn’t survive this evening, either physically or mentally. Her attacker was sick and was not afraid of showing his sickness to his victims. His companions were too drunk to truly realise the horror he was about to inflict upon his victim. There was no hope for her.

As he dragged her into the park, his hand groping at her, she heard branches snapping in the heavy undergrowth. Something was approaching, quickly from the sounds of it and she opened her mouth to call out. As she gathered her breath a terrible growl rent the silence and then she was falling roughly to the floor, her head catching the edge of a fallen log.

Through the haze clouding her mind she saw a large black wolf leaping on her would be attacker, powerful jaws snapping at the man’s hands as he tried to defend himself. Brilliant white teeth clamped on a forearm and the man screamed in agony before passing out. His companions, startled into sobriety, stared at the wolf with blood dripping from his fangs and turned and ran, their fallen friend forgotten.

Her head pounded a painful beat against her skull as waves of nausea washed over her. She saw the wolf study the fallen man before turning his pale eyes towards her. The icy blue gaze seemed familiar to her but her battered mind could not think where she had seen it before. She tried to move away but could not get her limbs to work. Like a doe frozen in headlights, she watched as he approached her.

A light flashed, searing her eyes with its intensity, blinding her for a moment. When the light faded the wolf was gone and was replaced by the man from the bar, his icy blue eyes meeting hers as he crouched down over her.

“You,” she whispered before everything went black.