Predator l 1

Cover at the side by @Cyrania

The bar in front of her was old.

No, old would be too much of an understatement. It was a run-down and dirty place with chipped walls and a few missing tiles on the roof.

Alone the look of the bar creeped the hell out of April and on any other day she would have thought twice about entering a place like this, let alone at this late hour, but her current situation didn't leave her with any other options to choose.

The shabby looking bar was the only sign of life after driving for hours on an empty road with nothing more than bare trees on each side of the road.

So, April was more than thrilled that she finally found this place. She desperately needed a short rest and the bar came just at the right time.

April slammed the door of her car shut and instantly regretted it as the loud noise boomed through her ears. It didn't do anything good to her already aching head.

Today was just not her day- but then again, that's what she had told herself yesterday, the day before and everyday other day for the last couple of weeks. She was sure reached the point where my life was filled with too much trouble to handle.

A violent shudder passed through April when the freezing wind harshly grazed her skin. The cold was forcing her to rub her hands insanely together, even using her own breath to get rid of the unbearable weather.

She hid her hands from the wind, pushing them deep into the pockets of her jacket and tiredly lumbered towards the old bar. As ridiculous as it sounds, April was pretty excited to find a place filled with humans, even when it was nothing more than an old and simple and run-down bar.

A beam of light was piercing through the windows, lighting up the dark parking space. The bar was surrounded by a few bare trees, which was giving the whole place an even creepier touch.

It was odd, she thought. It was odd how empty the parking space actually was. There were no other cars parked in front of the bar. Only hers. Not even a bicycle was leaning against the chipped walls of the bar.

If not due the lights that were flashing through the large windows, or the people sitting at the tables, April would have believed that this place truly was a run-down and abandoned place.

She had to admit to herself, that it was strange at some point, but these thoughts quickly vanished as fast as they entered her mind. These people surely lived near the bar and simply came over by walking.

Simple.

April tiredly lumbered towards the entrance, before her lips would freeze and fall from her face. God, she hated the winter. Standing in front of the door, she gazed up to read the sign above her head.

"Rutherford's bar"

How original, April thought sarcastically. It sounded just as boring as it looked. Unlike most signs she knew from her hometown, this one was without neon bulbs. It was made of wood and the letters weren't flashing in different variations of colors. Instead, they were plainly written in a dark and simple red tone.

The owner clearly had no interest to at least make the sign more inviting or attractive. April could even bet that they used the wood of one of these trees to save some money.

An outstanding bar looked different. But then again, this bar looked outstanding, but not in a positive way, that is.

If her Mom only knew that she was hanging out at a place like this, she surely would get a heart-attack. But then again, her mother always made a scene whenever she did something she did not approve of. A typical and normal mother.

The handle of the door felt cold against April's skin when she pushed the door slowly open. Almost instantly, the warm air of alcohol and sweat burned her nose. But, there was another metallic smell she couldn't recognize and it reeked horrible. She scrunched her face in pure disgust.

April didn't know what surprised her more- that the bar smelled so horrible, or that it actually surprised her that she was surprised.

The tables and chairs, she noticed, were made of cheap wood and April didn't even doubt for a second that it was exact the same wood as the sign outside above the entrance.

Someone tried to save money here.

Despite the heavy and disgusting smell lingering in the air, April felt her body instantly relaxing by the warm air around her. Surprisingly, there wasn't any music playing in the background of the bar.

As she stepped further into the bar, she became aware of the fact that the crowd consisted only of men. It seemed to be a man's night.

And even though no one bothered to glance her way, as if they didn't even became aware of her presence, there was an uncomfortable twinge in her stomach. She quickly dismissed the odd feeling and took a seat on one of the high stools at the counter.

"What does the lady wish to drink?" A redhead bartender asked. April didn't even notice him before and figured that he probably just came from the staffroom. The bartender was possibly in his late twenties or early thirties, she assumed.

A coffee, to keep me awake, April thought to herself but decided to order a non-alcoholic beer. Barely a minute later, the red-haired bartender placed the beer in front of her with a slight grin over his lips. April thanked him quickly and took a sip of the bitter drink.

This was truly a weird place. Unlike any other bar she'd known, there were absolute no conversations amongst the groups of men. When she didn't feel odd being here, then she sure as hell did now.

As her eyes flickered around the people sitting at the wooden tables, April noticed a few of them returning her gaze. They were eying her with looks of curiosity and outright suspicion.

April wondered why. It should be her who should be suspicious, not them! They could be delinquents or some sort of dangerous bikers, for all she knew. No, the latter just couldn't be possible, since there wasn't even one bike parked outside the bar.

But they still could be part of a gang. There was just something about them that she couldn't help but feel slightly wary and cautious of them.

It was almost as if they were seeing a human being for the very first time. It was ridiculous. Maybe they were just not used to see a woman in this bar? Who knows. Seeing as she was the only female here, it was possible.

"You look tired." April turned around, slightly startled at the voice that ripped her from her thoughts. It was the bartender.

A sigh fell from her lips. She didn't realize that it was that obvious to tell. "Yeah, I had a rough week," she admitted him with a weak smile.

The redhead tugged the towel off of his shoulders and threw it somewhere on the counter and leaned his elbows on the counter in front of her, staring at her with curiosity. "What's bothering you? Boyfriend problems?"

She almost choked on her beer when she heard his question. April clearly wasn't prepared to be asked such a personal question. "How do you know that?" She asked surprised and tried to ignore the fact that his question stung a little bit. The wounds were still very fresh.

"That's just one of the many common problems people usually have- Boyfriend, girlfriend, family, the job, a perverted asshole as a boss, et cetera, et cetera." He shot her a reassuring grin, no doubt in an attempt to ease her mind.

"Wow, you must have had your fair share of people sitting here and crying their hearts out."

"You're right. I'm a bartender, after all. It's part of my job to listen to my customers and their stories and problems."

"Well, feel relieved that I won't force you to hear me whining about my problems. Not today, anyways. Thanks, though. I appreciate your concern."

He chuckled at that. "It's the first time I'm seeing you here."

"That's because this is the first time that I'm here," April answered with a slight grin. "This is just a brief stop for me, before I continue my little journey."

"Journey?" He asked with a lift of his reddish eyebrows. He had vibrant grey eyes that weren't really matching with the red of this ear length hair. It was an unusual contrast. "What brings you here to Rosewood?"

She arched her eyebrows in surprise. "Just visiting a relative of mine," was her quick answer. April was more interested in the fact that he told her that they are in Rosewood. "You said we are in Rosewood?" April thought that she still had to drive at least an hour to get there. In all honesty, she didn't even know where she was.

"Technically, we are. This part still does belong to Rosewood, but if you are visiting someone you still have quite a drive ahead of you," he explained with a small grin flickering on his face.

"I see." April took a small sip of my beer. "How long does it take to get there?" April hoped less than an hour. She already had a six hour drive behind her and the last two hours she had spent driving on a road with no signs of life, except this old bar, now.

"Twenty minutes, if you keep to the speed limit." He smirked.

April didn't exactly get what he meant, but nodded nonetheless. "Just out of curiosity," she began and pointed her thumb over her shoulder to the crowd of men behind me. "Do women usually avoid this place or is Rosewoods low female population to blame?"

He chuckled amused. "We do have women here, trust me. But they don't come here very often. In fact, you're right, they avoid it," he explained. "You could say that we marked this place as our male territory."

"Sounds like something an animal would do," April snorted.

His eyes twinkled with amusement. If there was something funny with what April said, then she clearly didn't get it.

"I'm Shawn, by the way." He stuck his large hand out and shook hers with a strong but not too crushing handshake.

"April," she introduced herself just as politely and released her hand from his manly grip. "Any interesting places you could suggest for a small sight-seeing trip?"

"Not really," another voice called from behind her. A blond man took the seat next to her. April noticed a small dimple on his right cheek. "There's nothing outstanding about Rosewood," he told her with a grin. "I'm Evan," he introduced himself.

"April," she said.

"So, April," he began as he played with the an empty glass between his hands. "How long do you plan to stay here?" He asked her with curiosity laying heavy in the tone of his voice.

April let out a small and quiet laugh. "I'm not quite sure, yet. Maybe a few days. Maybe a few weeks."

"I see," he answered. "Well, I hope you will have a splendid time here. I'm sure we will cross paths again, this being a small-town and all."

"Maybe," April said with a small smile and turned back to the bartender. "Can you tell me where the bathroom is?"

Shawn pointed his finger to the corner of the bar. April thanked him and excused herself before she quickly went off to the direction he pointed to. After pushing the heavy door open, she was greeted with old fashioned tiles and a dusty mirror hanging on the wall.

Well, at least they had paper towels. Maybe it was because there were absolutely no women here and if they were, she doubted they would even think about using the restroom.

Her eyes fell on the reflection of herself on the mirror. Suddenly it wasn't so surprising anymore that Shawn knew she was tired and stressed. Only, that tired was a too polite term to tell her that she looked like a sleep deprived woman who suddenly looked ten years older than she actually was.

Guess people are right when they say that you are just as old as how you feel, she thought to herself.

With a tired sounding grumble, April excited the horrible reeking restroom and trudged back to her seat at the counter. Her ears immediately perked up when she heard hushed murmurs. Once returning to the bar, however, the crowd fell into an uncomfortable and strained silence.

A heavy lump formed in her throat. April wasn't oblivious to the fact that it was her presence that forced them to fall back into their silence. What was even their problem? Were they always that suspicious of strangers?

April tried to ignore the glances they were throwing at her. It was hard to keep cool, but she wasn't going to let them intimidate her, even though they were without any doubt almost succeeding.

Shawn the bartender was casually leaning with his back against the sink and drying some glasses with a towel long enough to fall over his wide shoulders down to the mid-section of his strong chest, where he was holding the glass.

His eyes fell on her and he smiled and winked her way. April returned his smile with a strained one and she was a hundred-percent sure that it looked more like a ridiculous grimace than a smile.

She rummaged through her bag for her purse, barely aware of the hushed, but aggressive murmurs in the background. "How much do I owe you for the beer?"

"Don't worry about that, sweetheart. It's on the house." April arched my eyebrows. "Just think about it as a welcome gift from me to a beautiful woman."

"Well, aren't you just a born charmer," she replied with a grin and threw my purse back into my bag. "Thank you for the beer. It was just what I need to survive the rest of the night."

He chuckled. "Welcome to Rosewood."

Just when she was about to reply, a loud shattering of glasses cut me off. She flinched slightly and spun around to see what caused the shattering noise.

The source of the noise came from the corner of the bar, where a few men were sitting with clenched teeth and a rather aggressive and dangerous shadow looming over their hard features. However, it were two particular men who caught her attention immediately.

The voices from before returned, only that this time it wasn't a soft murmur, but a threatening voice echoing through the bar.

"Dare to say that again?"

The question wasn't directed to her, but April still found herself shuddering at the dangerous voice of the man. Whatever happened between the two- it wasn't just a small disagreement.

"You heard right," was the dry, yet harsh reply of the man. "Or are you deaf?" His asked, smirking that the other man was losing his cool.

The man, however, didn't seem to be in the mood to talk, nor did he find his question amusing and threw the table between them against the wall with such a force that April would be deaf for sure had she not been covering her ears with shaking hands.

Okay.

Obviously, this wasn't her first time at a bar. Over the years, April had seen a fair amount of fights between men - sometimes women - caused by a lot of unknown reasons and more.

This wouldn't be all too unfamiliar, if only they weren't throwing punches at each other with the goal that only one of them would be leaving this bar alive.

And the people around them didn't even bother to interfere and stop them. Some of them seemed to find the whole situation rather amusing. That didn't sit well with her.

"Hey," April called the red-haired bartender and snapped with her fingers to gain his attention. He looked too amused and relaxed for her liking as he casually leaned against the counter. His eyes snapped away to meet hers. Eyes slightly widening, he looked as if he completely forgot about her presence and suddenly remembered that she was still there. "Don't you want to stop it? Or better, call the police?" There was a hint of panic in the tone of her voice April failed to hide.

Shawn's face fell into a frown as he pushed himself off the counter he was leaning on. April began to regret her decision of asking him for help. He approached her with slow but long steps.

Almost automatically, April hastily backed up as far as the space allowed her to. It wasn't far enough. He was invading her personal space. The bartender was quick to catch her arms into a strong grip, restraining her from moving.

"What are you-" she begun but the words stuck into her throat when he forcefully dragged her towards staffroom.

Oh god.

"No, p-please let me go." Her voice was so small that she doubted he even heard her. April kicked and even punched him in his face, which he only responded with an annoyed grunt, but it didn't help her to free herself from his grip.

April fell hard on the ground when he pushed her forcefully inside the staffroom. Shawn was towering over her, a dark shadow darkening his frame. Suddenly, he didn't look charming and carefree anymore. His mood had shifted - no doubt because of the fight - to the worse.

"I apologize for manhandling you, sweetheart," he apologized with a voice void of any emotions. "But you shouldn't have come here. You really shouldn't have."

His words were confusing. So her guess was right and this place was indeed a hangout for delinquent gangs. Out of all places, she just had to stumble upon a place for a bunch of criminals!

"W-wait, you can't just leave me here," she shouted in panic when he spun around to leave her alone in the staffroom.

Hastily, April crawled up to her feet and tried to catch his arm. Her fingers barely caught the hem of his shirt, before it slipped out of her grip when he swung the door open and excited the room, closing the door harshly behind him.

The click of the lock was too loud for her to miss it. Her hand instantly shot up to the door handle only to proof to herself what she worried the most right now- the door was locked. Shawn locked her inside the staffroom.

"HEY! YOU CAN'T JUST LOCK ME UP IN HERE." April started to pound against the door with her fist. Fear and panic was evident in her voice."OPEN THE DOOR! PLEASE!"

April knew it was useless. He wouldn't have made the effort to drag her and lock her into a room if he was quick to change his mind. That only meant one thing.

She was fucked.

April blinked back her tears. Maybe, she should have listened to her Mom and stayed home. She said, after all, that it was foolish of her to visit someone like my brother who had abandoned his family. April quickly erased these thoughts from her mind. He didn't abandon them.

She spun around, looking for something to defend herself in the worst possible case. But there was nothing. Nothing besides some empty, useless cartons, a table and a black old couch.

Every attempt to calm herself down was useless. April was in deep shit and she knew it. The uncertainty of not knowing what Shawn planned to do with her made her stomach stir with anxiety.

When her eyes found a small window, a small amount of relieve washed through her. It was small and too high and April doubted that she would fit through it, but it was worth a try. She most certainly didn't want to wait until Shawn returned to do god only knows what to her.

She hurried to the couch and managed to push it effortlessly under the window. Once she was standing on the couch, she jumped and pushed the window open by slamming the palm of her hand against the glass.

Her hand stung and she hissed in pain. Gently, April rubbed the palm of her hand before she jumped again and gripped the edge of the window. Gathering all her strength that was left, she pushed herself up until she was sitting on the rim of the window.

It wasn't too high, six feet maybe, but this six feet suddenly felt like thirty feet when she closed her eyes and jumped, before she would change her mind.

April landed with a loud thud. Her head spun and swirled around and for long moments and she found it hard to jump back on my feet.

With her hear beating almost painfully against her chest, she ran towards her car with the cold and icy wind slapping against her cheeks. April's eyes were watering from the cold wind, but in this moment she couldn't care less. She had to run and she had to run fast.

Nervously and with tremor in her hands, April searched her pockets for the keys and opened the door. Never did she feel so relieved to sit in her own car. Without a pause, she started the car and drove away, but not before getting a glimpse of Shawn on the rear-mirror.

He must have had noticed her quick escape and ran out of the entrance, but stopped when his eyes fell on her driving car. April's cautious gaze didn't leave his reflection on the mirror. She didn't know why, maybe she just waited for something to happen.

Although Shawn's face was darkened by the shadows of the night, April could see that his face didn't look happy. Childish as she was, she stuck him her middle finger out, before she payed attention to the road.

Her heartbeat became calmer and even her hands weren't shaking anymore. Just when she was about to calm completely down, something huge caught her attention. She had to blink her eyes several times until she recognized that the object was in fact a wolf; a very very huge one.

The heavy beast stood in the middle of the road, with an almost bored gaze gaze fixed on her car, not giving a damn that she was driving towards it. The wolf didn't even bother to leave the road. It was simply standing on all fours on the streets almost proudly.

April would smash the wolf to death. No- the wolf would smash her to death with it's impossible size. As quickly as her mind stared to work again, April tightened jer grip around the steering wheel and dodged the wolf.

The tires screeched through the area, her ears almost bursting due the loud noise that erupted from her car. April lost all control over her car when the steering wheel freed itself from her grip.

Her car whirled around so violently that she thought she would be thrown out of her car any second. It was the moment when she felt the pain that she realized that her head crashed against the steering wheel.

The car came to a halt somewhere on the road and April hesitantly opened her eyes. She didn't even remember when she closed them.

The air got stuck in her throat when the wolf eyed her with vibrant green eyes. Breathing became almost impossible, like a snake around her neck it was chocking her painfully to death and her lungs that were desperately begging for air.

Was he seeing her as his next prey? April never knew that an animals gaze could be so .. intense.

A violent shiver run down her spine. She was momentarily too shocked to move one single limb of her body. It was long moments later, when April finally regained her sense back. The wolf didn't make an attempt to hurt her yet and she wasn't going to stay here any longer for something to happen.

Without a hint of hesitation, April started her car and drove as fast as she could. Now, she didn't even care about the stupid speed limit. She just wanted to leave this place as fast as she could.

And during the whole drive, the bartenders harmless words repeated in her mind:

Welcome to Rosewood.