by Maxi MacNair
“Wait! Um… What’s your name?” Zoey called out, her face flushing to an even darker shade of red. She realized how desperate her voice sounded. He stopped and turned toward her, a serious look on his face. He remained quiet, his dark eyes sweeping over her as if looking for something. Zoey could swear he was sniffing the air again.
After a few agonizing seconds, he finally spoke up, “Chris.” The awkwardness in the room continued to build up as the silence between them intensified. Zoey shifted her eyes down, refusing to look up at him, her embarrassment all over her face. She had no idea why but he was making her feel like done something seriously wrong by trying to make small talk with him. “You know you shouldn’t talk to strangers like me.”
Zoey’s head shot up at the remark. Their eyes met. Amazingly, Zoey managed to hold his cold gaze for a moment.
“W…what… why? You’re a customer right?” She stammered out, fidgeting with a pack of gum on the counter. He took a step forward, approaching her again.
“You never know what you might find out here at night okay.” Zoey’s face scrunched up in confusion. What did he mean? Was he going to do something to her?
“I don’t understand.”
“You don’t need to. And you probably never will. Just remember what I said. Stay away from me and anyone else that comes in here at night. If you don’t hassle anyone they won’t hassle you. You got it?” He said this harshly, his voice borderline threatening. Zoey bit her lip and nodded, regretting the fact that she even opened up her mouth.
With her nod, he stepped back outside. Zoey watched him as he made his way back to his bike. He pumped gas into his bike with a lurch and the familiar sound of his engine rattled inside of the empty store. Zoey wondered why he had turned cold so quickly, and why she felt even more turned on now as the engine rattled the display rack of adult magazines behind the counter.
Zoey tried to think of a logical reason why he would treat her so rudely. She knew she wasn’t going to get his dark, almost menacing, stare out of her mind as she watched him drive into the night, his helmet straps flying in the wind.
Soon he was out of sight and sound and Zoey was left all alone in the mini-mart. She shivered slightly, suddenly feeling more lonely and vulnerable than before. She yearned for him to come back and stay with her a little longer, despite his behavior. She didn’t know what it was, but there was something about him. Zoey recognized that she was feeling particularly horny right then, but there was something else about him to. She knew it the first night she was working and he pulled in. When he was close, her heart would race in her chest, but it wasn’t like the fear and anxiousness that she felt way too often working through the night by herself. Those types of fears disappeared when he showed up. Even though something was telling her that this guy was dangerous she felt somehow safer when he was around. She had never felt this way before and she wondered what it was about him that seemed to drive her wild. Maybe it was just his bad boy appearance. After all, what girl doesn’t like a sexy bad boy? Zoey couldn’t wait to get home and relieve some of the sexual tension she had just discovered she had built up to a breaking point.
Chapter 3
Zoey hadn’t seen Chris in three days now. She was starting to get worried. Had something happened to him or was he just avoiding her because she crossed some line for him in asking for his name? It was a Friday night now and payday was only a few days away. There were no new jobs popping up and Zoey was starting to realize that she was going to need to talk to her mom and get her to tell Ted that she was going to be home when they got back. Zoey knew she was on the way, but with just this one low paying job she would need some more time to save up enough money to get herself set back up with life in the city. She looked out at the empty pumps. Hopefully, no one else would show up tonight. Zoey’s anxious imagination starting acting up again.
Zoey was trying to busy herself by reorganizing behind the counter when the sound of someone pulling up outside echoed in the night. It wasn’t the sound of Chris’ engine and when she stood up to look she saw that it was an old banged-up sports car with tinted windows. The engine died down as a group of five young men streamed out of the car. They all wore hoodies and seemed to be ready for a wild night out, punching each other and jumping around, as they approached the store.
Zoey could feel her heartbeat quicken as she watched the group enter the mini-mart. To her relief, they stayed away from the counter. They made their way to the back, looking through the aisles. Zoey could hear them laughing and making lewd jokes as they headed toward the snack section.
“Look what we got here. A well stocked supply of snacks to hold us over. I might have more of an appetite than I thought.” Zoey watched the tallest one say those words loudly like he meant for Zoey to hear it as well. The rest of the guys laughed at the comment. All of a sudden, the sound of something smashing on the ground emerged from the back of the store, and more cackles of laughter erupted.
Zoey’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the counter as hard as she could, trying to calm herself down. This was exactly what she was afraid of, and had played a similar scene in her mind almost a hundred times since starting the job. Maybe they wouldn’t do anything. Maybe they would just buy something and make their way out of the store without bothering her. She was doing her best to convince herself of this as they approached the counter with a six-pack of beer and a couple of bags of chips.
“Hey, doll face.” One of the men said with a sly grin as he pulled back his hood, revealing a handsome, but mean looking face with a crooked smile. Zoey jumped when the largest of the group, the one who had made the comment, slammed the beer onto the counter. She trembled slightly but tried to hide it as she reached out to grab the beer to ring it up. As she did, one of the men grabbed her hand. She tried pulling her hand away, but they continued to tease her.
“Hey! If you guys don’t stop I’ll be forced to call the police!” She finally yelled out. She was surprised by the confidence in her voice, sticking out her chest, trying to look sure of herself while standing her ground, but she knew it was not going to have the effect that she wanted it to.
The men paused for a moment as if contemplating their options. Suddenly they erupted in laughter. Zoey watched in horror as the supposed leader of the group effortlessly jumped over the counter and cornered her against the back wall. Zoey began to tremble again, harder this time as his rough hand touched her chin, grabbing it harshly, forcing her to look up at him.
“Did you just threaten me?” He said, almost growling down at her. Zoey couldn’t find the voice to yell. In fact, she was completely paralyzed as the rest of the men joined their leader behind the counter, each one getting more and more physical with her.
One of the men tried to pull up her shirt and she snapped.
“Stop!” she yelled switching into survival mode. She tried to struggle, doing everything she could to push them away, but with five against one, it was hopeless. She was quickly overpowered and all four of her limbs were held in the vice like grip of a hand. “Help! Someone please!” She called out starting to sob, hoping someone would hear her.
The leader covered her mouth harshly with his hand, muffling her pleas. In desperation, she bit into it as hard as she could. He grimaced and pulled away, growling again, his eyes growing darker as he glowered at her. “Oh, you’ll pay for that sweet cheeks.” His voice was snide as he reached into his back pocket, pulling out a knife.
Zoey’s eyes grew in fear as she shook her head, trying to apologize quickly, but her words fell on deaf ears. Strangely, the leader tossed the knife aside and brought his finger up to the top of her shirt and started to slice down, nearly getting it off her with his finger that somehow seemed to have a sharp claw on it that Zoey didn’t notice before. Suddenly, the doorbell chimed.
Everyone froze in place. The sound of heavy boots hitting the floor echoed throughout the store. Zoey peeked out between the limbs of the men surrounding her to see Chris standing there, h
is jaw clenched, as if angry.
“Let her go.” The leader turned around to face the person who had just walked in. The other guys still held her firmly. He then jumped back over the counter, squaring up to Chris.
“Or else what? It’s five of us against a joke like you biker boy. How about you just leave us to our fun and go ride around on your little bike for the rest of the night like always. He said with a grin on his face, looking confident as he stood there. “You know you don’t want to start anything with us Arth…” Chris was looking but the leader was within arms reach and before he finished saying the last work, and in one quick motion, he was thrown into the closest shelf. Food was scattered everywhere as he groaned, but he quickly got up, as the rest of the group surrounded Chris.
Zoey’s savior looked calm as his eyes scanned the men around him, calculating his next move. One of the men charged forward, sporting the knife the leader had pulled out of his pocket. Chris’ hand shot out, grabbing his wrist, pushing it back until an audible snap was heard. Zoey flinched at the sound, now hiding behind the counter, trying to go unnoticed.
Chris quickly made his way through the men, throwing them left and right with ease. Eventually, he was left with the leader, who now looked a little less confident. Chris’ thin lips curled into an almost sinister smile as he charged forward, grabbing the man. The leader, however, knew better and was prepared this time. He countered, grabbing Chris’ arm, twisting it behind his body. Chris yielded for a moment, before sweeping his foot out, knocking the leader to the ground.
As he was about to punch him in the face, the leader rolled away with an inhuman agility and quickness, and ran out of the store with his crew. Chris watched them go as he straightened himself out, rubbing his hand that had made a full impact with the ground. The men got into their car and drove away, leaving skid marks and a puff of exhaust fumes in their wake.
Everything went quiet. Deadly quiet. Zoey felt herself holding her breath. She stayed in her spot too shocked to get up. In her daze, she didn’t even hear the sound of Chris’ steps approach her.
“You alright?” Zoey jumped out of her skin, looking up at the man before nodding. He reached out a hand and she grabbed it hesitantly, getting up from under the counter.
“T…Thank you.”
The store was now ruined. Products littered the ground and shelves laid bent and useless.
“Sorry about the mess,” Chris said looking around.
“Don’t… don’t worry about it. Thanks for stepping in to help… I can’t believe you were able to take on all five of those guys… If you hadn’t shown up, I don’t know what would have happened.” Zoey’s eyes started to fill up with tears as her emotions seeped through. Chris sighed and wrapped an arm around her, trying to comfort her, even though he seemed quite awkward about doing it.
“It’s alright,” he said, plainly. “Do you have someone you can call? I mean, to get you home. Take my advice; go home, take a bath, and just sleep in the basement. They’re likely done with you for now, but there is always a chance.”
Zoey looked up in surprise. “I… I take the bus… will I be okay.” She said, trying not to let the whole thing wear her down, but truth be told she was a total mess. She felt like she was going to break down at any moment.
“No! I’ll take you home then. You can close up early tonight. I’ll talk to Roger. He’ll understand.” There was no room for negotiation in his voice as he looked at her with intense eyes. Zoey bit her lip, staying quiet for a moment, thinking it over. This man had possibly just saved her life, but at the same time, she knew next to nothing about him. A whole bunch of questions poured into her head through the shock of what just went on. This guy knew the owner? Shouldn’t we be calling the police?
Before she could reply, however, he had already grabbed her hand and was leading her outside. He waited by the door as she fumbled with the key to lock up the mini-mart. With shaky hands, she dropped them causing Chris to sigh as he leaned down, picking them up for her.
“Which ones are they?” He asked.
“The red ones.” Chris nodded slightly, picking out the red keys from the key ring and promptly locking up the shop with a steady hand. Satisfied, he handed them back to her and made his way toward his Harley. Getting on, he looked at her, waiting for her to climb on.
Zoey noticed the small seat they would have to share. Slowly she placed her foot on the rest and swung her leg over the seat until she was sitting down behind Chris. Their bodies pressed together and she had to wrap her arms around him to hold on.
Chris, feeling her behind him, turned around and placed his helmet on her head. It was a little big, but it would have to do. Delicately, he snapped the straps under her chin, keeping it snug against her head, making sure not to pinch her skin. Zoey looked up at him with bright blue eyes. Slowly, he pinned a lock of her hair behind her ear before turning around.
“I know you probably want to call the police, but trust me. That’s not what you want to do.”
“What!? Why not?” Zoey was now settling into what had just happened and rage was starting to take over her. She wanted to see justice done for what had just happened to her. Chris kept speaking though.
“Look, there’s a lot you don’t know about those guys. The police won’t find them for one. They also won’t even try to look for them. Those guys are dangerous and the ones in charge know it.”
“Why did you step in then if they are so dangerous?”
He revved the engine, bringing it to life with a loud hum. The whole bike trembled, making Zoey blush as she felt the vibration go through her whole body.
“It’s about time that pack remembered they aren’t the only ones who can be dangerous around here. Hold on,” Chris said with a smirk, before kicking up the bike stand and shooting off. Zoey’s eyes grew large as she held onto Chris for dear life. She pressed herself tightly against his back as she felt the wind whip around her, pulling her hair back until it fluttered in the wind.
Zoey’s heart was thudding quickly in her chest as she pressed herself even closer to him, her eyes still closed in fear. Subconsciously, her hands started to clutch his shirt, scrunching it up in her fists.
“You alright?” Chris called out, pulling Zoey out of her fear-induced trance. She finally opened her eyes and took a look around. She saw the trees flying past her in a blur of greens and blacks. The air stung against her pale face as she straightened herself out, looking over his shoulder.
“Y…yeah… I’ve just never been on a motorcycle before.” She admitted, loosening up her grip on him for a moment. As she did, however, they took a sharp turn and she almost fell off the bike. Chris’ hand quickly reached back, holding her, keeping her safe. She held on tighter, her legs squeezing against him.
“I told you to hold on and I meant it,” he growled before moving his hand back onto the handlebar. Zoey frowned a little as she did not liking being talk to like that, but then also felt like she missed the feeling of his rough hand on her.
“Note taken,” she whispered more to herself rather than him. After taking a few more curves she began to loosen up. As they made their way to a windy back road, she actually started to enjoy herself. In her excitement, Zoey didn’t notice that they weren’t driving to her home. In fact, he never even asked her where she lived, which is something she never processed until that moment. She spoke loudly over the rush of the wind and the roar of the engine.
“This isn’t the way to my house you know.”
“It’s how we are getting into town tonight. I need to lose them.”
“Why not jus- Lose Them!?”
“They’ll be waiting for us on the usual route, and they have your scent now. Most likely they’re not exactly willing to let you go just yet. At least from what I’ve seen from that pack in the past.”
“What? So they’re chasing me now?”
“Chasing us now. I told you there were things you just don’t know about. They probably wouldn’t try anything else if
there were one or two of you together, but since it’s just us they might just try their luck again and finish what they started tonight. Don’t worry though. I don’t think they’ll worry about tracking you down after tonight. They’ll find something else to chase after tomorrow night.”
“Tonight though?”
“Tonight we just need to get somewhere safe and hope this pack doesn’t find us and moves on. I thought it would be home for you, but now I’m starting to think they’ll track you there tonight if you’re by yourself.
“Track me?”
“Your scent. It’s practically all I can smell right now. There’s no doubt they’ll be able to find you inside your home tonight. I get you safely through to the morning. After that, I suggest you just forget about all of this, and let me worry about what’s going to happen next.”
It sounded like a howl. It echoed through the woods, and Zoey could hear it over the noise around her. Zoey froze up her grip on Chris tightening. “What was that?” She asked, looking around for the source of the noise.
“Unwanted company. Hold on.” With that Chris revved the engine, forcing the bike to run even faster until he was going nearly twice the speed limit. Zoey held on tight as she kept looking around.
All of a sudden she looked behind, her eyes falling on wolves. Wolves?
Chapter 4
Zoey stared at them in confusion. Why would wolves be chasing them and how were they running so fast? How were they gaining ground on a speeding motorcycle. Zoey racked her brain, trying to remember anything that would explain this.
With all her veterinary knowledge, she still came up blank. Nothing she had ever learned in school could explain this. Zoey was baffled.
“These aren’t actual wolves… are they?” Zoey questioned, in a daze, suddenly seeing something strange in the reflection of their eyes in the distance. They were human-like eyes. The wolf in the lead somehow reminded her of the man that had sliced her shirt although his eyes didn’t look like the others. She cringed and re-gathered the tatters of her shirt when she thought about that moment.
