He snorted. “Well, they’d definitely go down if you cut off their heads, I’d bet anything on that assumption.”
“You’re talking zombies,” I said. “You’re supposed to cut off their heads and that stops them.”
“Zombies, vampires, hell, I’m sure it would work with either.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation.”
He grabbed the ice cream out of the freezer and proceeded to refill his bowl. “No shit.”
“We should probably figure out how to kill them, just in case.”
He nodded solemnly. “Yeah. Come home as soon as you can. I’ll make sure mom doesn’t slip out to Caleb’s house again after she’s done with work.”
“Okay.”
“Call me if you need anything!” he hollered as I left the cabin.
Rosie was ecstatic when she saw me walk through the front door of the diner. “Thank God,” she said. “I need a cigarette and we’ve been swamped all day.”
“How’s your wrist?” asked Darlene, who was one of the older waitresses.
I moved it around. “A little tender but… I think I’ll be okay.”
Darlene nodded. “Good, because it seems like we’ve had many more people stopping in today, now that Susan’s gone. I think folks are curious about what happened to her and think they might find the answers here.”
I nodded. “I guess I don’t blame them. God, I’m going to miss her,” I said, my eyes misting over. “She was such a sweetheart.”
“Same here, honey. Coming, Hank!” she hollered towards an older customer who was holding a cup in the air.
We were busy the entire evening and by the time nine o’clock arrived, both my feet, as well as my wrist were sore.
“Go home and put ice on that wrist of yours,” said Rosie, studying my wrist at the end of my shift.
“I will,” I said.
She patted me on the back. “Thanks for coming in tonight, Nikki. I really appreciate it.”
I nodded. “Looks like you’re going to need to hire someone soon.”
“I know. This is getting ridiculous; first Amy and now Susan? I’m going to have to hire bouncers to walk you girls to your car. In fact, I’ll have Herb do it right now if you’d like?”
Herb was her husband and the fry cook. He was also a former Marine and built like a linebacker. One who’d retired twenty years ago but still kept himself in pretty decent shape.
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “My car is right under the light over there,” I pointed.
“Just be careful,” she said.
“Did you want me to come in tomorrow?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I’m closing the diner after lunch. Susan’s family is having a special memorial service for her around four o’clock. You should go, it’s at Saint Odelia’s,” she said.
“Yeah, I’ll be there,” I said, pulling on my jacket.
She patted my arm. “Okay, kid. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I walked to my car and noticed that it was beginning to snow. Shivering, I started the engine and grimaced when it hesitated.
Crap, I’d forgotten to have Nathan look at it.
Saying a silent prayer, I took off down the road and started driving back towards the cabin, watching in awe as the snowflakes grew larger. Since I’d lived all of my life in San Diego, I wasn’t used to snow and couldn’t wait to have my first white Christmas.
Beautiful, I thought, staring at the intricate patterns of the flakes as they dissolved onto my windshield. My mother had told me once that no two were alike, and as I watched the crystal-like flakes flutter down, I smiled at their beauty.
It normally took me a good twenty minutes to drive home from work and I turned on my stereo to listen to some music. It was then that something farther up the road caught my eye. As I drew closer to the dark shadow, I noticed it was a rusty old Buick pulled over to the side of the road. I thought the car seemed vaguely familiar, and an image of a girl in my grade with long, brown hair and glasses suddenly popped into my head.
Taryn Cooper?
The lights were on and the driver’s side door was wide open, but I didn’t see anyone in the vehicle. I pulled around it and stared into my rearview mirror, wondering what I should do.
I grabbed my purse and started searching for my phone to try and call Nathan; he’d know what to do. When my phone appeared to be missing, I swore at my stupidity. I’d set it on the charger at home, and had forgotten to bring it along.
Crap.
I got out of my car and walked over towards Taryn’s vehicle. When I noticed her purse abandoned on the front seat, more alarm bells went off in my head.
Who’d leave their purse?
I stepped back from the car and stared towards the woods, wondering if she’d ventured into them. I wasn’t sure why she would, but I hadn’t seen her on the road walking towards town, either, and I doubted she’d walk the opposite direction.
The silence of the night was broken by a shrill cry. “Help!”
Heart pounding, my head whipped around to the trees on the other side of the road. The voice seemed to have come from that direction.