The Monster Within

CHAPTER FOUR

BY some stroke of luck, Ethan slept through my shower, and I managed to slip back into bed. I didn’t sleep at all. There was too much going on in my head to even drift off for a minute or two. But when I felt Ethan stir next to me, I closed my eyes and pretended I was off in dreamland. He rolled over and kissed my forehead before heading to the shower.

I got dressed and prepared myself for day two of my new life. For Ethan’s sake, I pretended to be the happy girl, thankful to get a second chance at life. I ignored the nagging thoughts tugging at me as I took the box of crackers from the cabinet and placed it on the table. I tried not to think about what I’d done and how long this would go on, because if I had to keep killing people to stay alive…

“Hey, babe. Did I wake you?” Ethan came into the kitchen wearing nothing but a towel. I nearly fell over at the sight of him. Maybe it was all the manual labor he’d done the day before or maybe it was just good genes, but Ethan looked incredible. His dark hair was wet and tousled in a sexy, messy way. His abs were as chiseled as I remembered, and I refused to let myself think about the rest of him.

“No, you didn’t wake me.” I looked down at the table, needing to take my eyes off him. “I couldn’t sleep anymore.”

He walked over and kissed my cheek. “You were out when I got up. I guess you slept well.”

At least until three-thirty. I nodded and managed a weak smile. “Crackers?” I motioned to the box on the table.

“Actually, I want to go to the diner down the street. I saw a sign in the window yesterday when we drove by. They’re hiring.”

We did need jobs, and I really needed a strong cup of coffee. “Sounds good.”

Ethan got dressed, and we headed out to the car. As soon as I saw it, I shivered, remembering the events of the night. I wondered if everyone at the diner would be talking about the accident. I was sure someone had found the car by now.

I buckled up, and Ethan’s face twisted in a weird expression.

“What?” I asked.

“My seat is really far up. I feel like I’m driving a clown car or something.”

The seat! I’d forgotten to move the seat back after I used the car last night. I couldn’t help thinking that maybe part of me wanted to be caught. Caught and stopped, no matter what that meant for me.

“Uh, you must’ve moved it when you were unpacking the car.” I hated myself for coming up with an excuse, for not confessing.

“It’s weird, but I don’t remember moving the seat. I don’t see why I would’ve needed to.”

“Well, yesterday was kind of a long day. You were probably so tired you moved on autopilot.” I shrugged, trying to act casual.

“I guess you’re right.” He adjusted his seat, started the car, and backed out of the driveway.

I stared out my window, looking for tire marks from the almost accident or from when I’d peeled out in the guy’s car. I only noticed a small skid, nothing big. As we approached the hill, my chest squeezed tight. I closed my eyes, unable to look at the damage I’d caused.

“Whoa,” Ethan said.

I winced. How bad was it?

“Check that out. That car is wrapped around that tree. The guy must’ve been drunk or something.”

I forced my eyes open. Nothing more than tiny slits. The black car was on the side of the road, and like Ethan had said, the front end was crumpled around a huge tree trunk.

“No way did he survive that. Don’t you think?”

I swallowed the acidic taste in my mouth, and my bottom lip quivered.

Ethan squeezed my hand. “Oh, man. Sam, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be saying things like that. Not so soon after…”

Great. He thought I was upset because he was talking about death. In a way I was, but not at all how he thought.

“I’m okay. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Yes, I did. I shouldn’t have been so insensitive.”

“Really, I’m fine. Can we please drop it?”

He didn’t say another word. He dropped it just like that.

We pulled into the diner. One of those old-time red and silver ones you see in movies. I liked it. It was small, but it seemed welcoming, and for some reason, my mood lifted a little as we walked inside and sat in a booth by the door.

“Good morning,” an older woman with bleached-blonde hair and lipstick redder than a fire truck welcomed us.

“Morning,” Ethan said.

I forced a smile.

“I’m Gloria.” She placed two menus on the table. “Now what can I get you two to drink while you look these over?”

“Coffee,” we both said.

“Coming right up.” Gloria turned and headed to a coffee station behind the counter.

“So, what do you think?” Ethan asked.

I picked up a menu and opened it. “I’m torn between a Belgian waffle and scrambled eggs.”

“No, I mean about working here.” He nodded toward the Help Wanted sign in the window.

“Oh. Um, sure. This seems as good a place as any.”

“What will it be?” Gloria set our coffee down.

“I’ll have a Belgian waffle, please.” I handed her my menu.

“I’ll have the steak and eggs,” Ethan said. “And we’ll each take a job application, too.”

Gloria looked back and forth between us. “You two aren’t here on vacation?”

Ethan shook his head, but Gloria looked to me for confirmation.

“Our families moved here yesterday.” The little white lie slipped off my tongue. “We could really use the work.”

“Well, then. You’ve got yourselves some work.”

“Really?” Ethan almost fell out of his seat he was so happy. “Just like that? No application? No interview?”

“Honey, have you seen these legs?” Gloria took a step back and hiked up her pant leg. Big varicose veins ran down her shin. “They’ve been working too long and too hard. I need help. This is my place, and I’ll be damned if I go out of business because all the fancy resorts have their own restaurants. Nobody’s gonna come to my diner—no matter how good the coffee and pie are—if the service is poor.”

At the mention of coffee, I took a sip. It was delicious. “This is amazing. Secret recipe?”

Gloria winked. “One I’ll teach you right after breakfast. You can be my new waitress.”

“What about me?” Ethan asked.

“I’m thinking you’d fill the busboy position just fine. Sound good to you?”

“Sounds great.” Ethan’s smile lit up the diner. “Thank you.”

“I’ll be right back with your orders,” she said.

Ethan reached for my hand. “See, things are working out great already.”

Before I could answer, I saw spots. Black spots that filled my vision. Not again. “Um, I need to use the restroom.”

“It’s straight back there.” I could barely make out Ethan’s face as he motioned behind me.

“Be right back.” I used the booth to find my way out of the seat. Everything was black now. I ran my fingers across the other booths and tables as I made my way to the bathroom. I hoped I didn’t look too suspicious.

“Hey!” a girl yelled as my hand grazed her shoulder.

“Sorry.”

“You need help, honey?” I recognized Gloria’s voice.

“Yeah, I got something in my eye. I need to wash it out. I can’t see much of anything right now.”

She took my arm and led me into the bathroom, placing me in front of the sink.

“Thank you. I’ll be fine now.” I reached for the faucet, hoping Gloria would leave. I didn’t know how I was going to react when my vision came back. What would I see this time?

“Sure thing. I’ll be right outside if you need a hand.”

I pretended to fiddle with the water until I heard the door close. Then I gripped the sink to steady myself. A scene began to take shape. A house. A man walked through the front door. It was the guy from last night. He loosened his tie and kicked his shoes off, getting dirt on the carpet.

“I don’t smell dinner!” he yelled.

A woman came out of the kitchen carrying a tray of drinks and appetizers. “I thought we’d start with some bruschetta while the roast finishes cooking.”

Without warning, he knocked the tray from her hand, and the wine and bruschetta splattered all over the cream-colored carpet.

“I work all day, and you think some tomato on bread is enough to fill me? Why isn’t the roast ready? Did you go out with your friends again today? How many times do I have to tell you to make sure you’re home in plenty of time to get dinner on the table?”

The woman cowered as he pulled his hand back. I shook my head, trying to break free from this scene. I didn’t want to see any more. The woman’s scream rang in my ears as my vision went black. It was over.

I was breathing heavily, and I slumped forward onto the counter. The guy I’d killed had been awful, unbearable. He was sexist and vile. He hit his wife. A small part of me was glad he’d never get to hit her again. Glad that she’d be free.

“You okay?”

I looked up to see the reflection of a girl with jet-black hair. I jumped and turned around to face her.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

I stared at her, happy that my sight was my own again. Her eyes bored into me. They were almost cat-like. They looked really eerie, probably because she had bleached-blonde eyebrows. I doubted a single hair on this girl’s face or head was her natural color.

“I thought I was alone.”

“Yeah, you were pretty zoned out. I thought you were having a fit or something.”

“I’m fine. Thanks.” I turned back to the mirror and fussed with my hair. I had to look together so Ethan didn’t think something was wrong.

The girl eyed me for a minute before leaving. I sighed. I had to get a hold of myself. Whatever was happening to me, I had to find a way to deal with it. If Ethan knew what was going on, it would crush him—it was already destroying me. I took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves and walked back to the table.

The food was already there, and Ethan was shoveling it in. I smiled when I saw a triangular piece missing from my waffle.

“Sorry,” Ethan said, looking all innocent. “It looked really good. I gave you some eggs though. You said you couldn’t decide between a waffle or eggs, so now you have both.”

“Thanks.” I smiled at him. No. No way could I tell him any of this. I’d figure it out on my own.

The bell above the door jingled, and a police officer walked in. He went right to the counter, where Gloria met him with a cup of coffee. “Late night, huh?” she asked him.

“You said it.” He sat down on a stool, and he and Gloria talked for a few minutes. I couldn’t hear a word, but I didn’t need to. This was about the guy I’d killed. This was probably the officer who’d found the car and reported the “accident.” I sipped my coffee, not that the caffeine was going to ease the sinking feeling in my stomach. Even after the cop said goodbye to Gloria and walked out of the diner, I was still on edge.

Gloria approached with the coffee pot and tsked as she refilled our cups.

“Was that about the car we saw on the way here?” Ethan asked.

She nodded. “Bad one, too. Officer Crawford said the guy must have had a massive stroke while he was driving. They identified him by his license, but when they called his wife at the resort where they were staying, she said he looked years older. More wrinkles, balding, and what was left of his hair was completely gray. The paramedics said strokes can age a person quite a bit, but even this was beyond anything they’d ever seen.”

The few bites of waffle I’d manage to get down were on their way back up. I couldn’t listen to this. I was the only one who knew the truth. The ugly, horrible truth.

“Was he from around here?” Ethan asked.

“No. He was a tourist. I think his name was Herman Owlander,” Gloria said.

Ethan cringed. “Awful name.”

“Awful man, too, if you ask me.” Gloria put the coffee pot down on the table and leaned toward us. She looked around before whispering, “He and his wife came in here earlier in the week. He was ordering her around like she was a servant. I’m telling you, I was tempted to pour a pot of scalding hot coffee all over his unmentionable parts. Not that I’m saying I’m glad he’s dead, but there’s something to be said for getting what you deserve. If you treat people like that and show no regard for other living beings, well, sooner or later, karma is gonna come around to bite you in the ass.”

Ethan laughed, but I couldn’t. Gloria was right. Herman obviously didn’t care how he treated other people, even his own wife. The universe had given him what he deserved.

I wondered what the universe had in store for me.