Predator l 8

The cashier at the petrol station shot her a very crooked smile when he handed her the cup of coffee. She noticed a hint of yellow on his teeth and a weird and very huge dimple right under his mouth on his chin.

The feeling of discomfort crawled it's way beneath her skin, her body responding with a shudder that she wasn't able to suppress any longer.

It took her all she got to gain all her strength and quirk the corners of her lips up into a decent smile.

Since the moment she walked in, she caught him ogling her every now and then, when the cashier thought she was busy with flipping through the pages of the magazines she'd picked up to buy.

From the corners of her eyes, though, April saw him raking his eyes up and down her frame shamelessly.

She was very well aware of his intense gaze that was focused on her.

She figured that he did the same thing with every female that walked in, when she noticed him doing the same thing with another woman.

Oddly enough, the blonde woman seemed to be used to be ogled by him rather than being bothered by it.

She'd figured that maybe it was the cashier's usual thing to do - ogling woman like there's no end.

But unlike the woman from before, April couldn't shrug off the uncomfortable feeling she got around him.

She quickly grabbed the cup of coffee from his hand and picked up the magazines and the book she bought. In a matter of seconds she was already out of the patrol station and far away from the cashier's gaze.

The hot cup of coffee burned the skin of April's hands. She silently cursed under hear breath as she hurried to her car, escaping the chilling wind that bit in her skin once so often.

April jumped into her car and a sigh of relief fell from her lips the moment the fresh scent and warm air of her car wrapped itself tightly around her body.

She carefully took a small sip from her coffee, afraid she'd burn her tongue.

Instead of the burning sensation on her tongue, though, she scrunched her nose in utter disgust and tried her hardest not to spit the drink out.

Coffee from the petrol station tastes like shit.

But at least she found a pretty interesting book somewhere between the magazine and the chocolate shelf.

She was quite surprised they offered a book that's in the current bestseller list, seeing as the magazines are one or two years ago.

She placed the cup aside and threw the magazines on the passenger seat. In her bag April searched for something to get rid of the horrid taste on the tip of her tongue.

A pack of unopened mint gum was caught between her frozen fingers and she was quick to rip it open and throw one into her mouth.

Today was just not her day.

The only thing she was being thankful for, was having a car when it was heavily raining outside.

The raindrops were violently crashing down against the windshield of her car instead falling straight on her head and soaking her from head to toe.

Though, it didn't change the fact that the town was slowly beginning to bore her. Eric was working at days and she had no one she could spend her time with.

She already knew that this stay would be briefly, but she also knew that her brother had very high hopes of her staying for good.

But she wouldn't stay. The book and he magazine's she randomly picked up and bought at the petrol station would be barely enough to keep her occupied for the next seven or eight days.

April wasn't really keen about returning back to her home, or her parents. She just wanted to return to her old life she was used to.

Returning to the people she'd grown fond of and her daily routines she was already missing.

She was prepared for telling it to her brother and prepared for her brother trying to convince her with all he has to stay.

But she clearly wasn't prepared to disappoint her brother and she was sure she would never be prepared for that.

Eric was already disappointed enough that she needed time to consider living here or not.

April didn't want to leave her brother - her only family she every would've wanted in her life - but she had to. She couldn't stay here forever.

Even the though about his possible reaction was making her nervous to tell him.

It was just similar to the feeling she'd at a young age whenever she caused problems or got herself in trouble and had to confess her doings to her parents.

But she had no choice after all. All she could do was to tell him that as soon as possible and begin to pack her things for the long drive.

When the green of the small-town's forest reached her shield of vision, she slowed her car down and rolled the window down.

April quickly grabbed the cup that was filled with the disgusting drink between her hand and threw it out of her window, only to try and reach out for the cup when it already was being thrown through the air.

With a loud gasp falling from her lips, she watched the cup flying through the air until it fell on the muddy and wet ground, the lid falling from the cup during the process.

Her car quickly came to an abrupt halt when she noticed that she in fact threw her cold drink just in front of a person.

Her horror was only getting worse the moment she recognized the man.

It was the man she met a few days ago at the police station her brother had worked at. The silent man who kept standing stock-stiff next to Viktor.

April's body froze in utter shame for very long moments before she regained control of her body again and drove back to him.

She halted her car next to him, not bothering about parking her car in the oncoming traffic.

If there was one thing she'd learned during her brief stay in this town, then it would be that the roads where as dead as a corpse laying below the ground's of the living.

She never drove on roads that were empty as the roads in this small-town. She was almost sure that the people couldn't afford a car, since almost everything in this town was either run-down or quite old.

She even doubted that traffic actually existed in this town.

Quickly, her thoughts were pulled back to the man standing next to her car. April narrowed her eyes into small slits - why the hell was he standing in the rain?

Her narrowed eyes though widened as quickly as she narrowed them when she noticed the coffee stains on his shoes and she was sure there would be even stains on his trousers when they weren't already soaked from the heavy rain.

April had to suppress a laugh falling from her lips. She was quite glad that it were only his shoes that got to taste the horrid drink.

"I'm so sorry," April nearly apologized with her voice raised to avoid her voice going under by the loud sounds of the rain crashing down the ground.

His green eyes fell on his shoes and the cup of coffee that was empty laying in front of him.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked when she took in his wet clothes.

He was completely drenched by the rain and April figured that he stood out there more than just some minutes. It looked like he standing in the rain for hours.

There wasn't even a single spot on his clothes that could be described as more or less dry.

"It's raining outside," she stated smartly and inwardly rolled her eyes at herself for the genius statement. "Why don't you jump in? I can drive you," she offered. "It's the least I can do, since I almost soaked you with my drink."

Again, she had the urge to slap herself senseless.

The man kept silent and didn't bother answering any of her questions. Now it was his turn to narrow his eyes at her.

April leaned to the passenger door and opened it, seeing as he didn't made the effort to move even a limb. Long seconds passed until she watched his legs twitching forward.

He sat in the seat next to her and shut the door loudly close, making her flinch in her seat.

From the corner of her eyes she took a glimpse of him every now and then. He was soaking the seat beneath him and she noticed that his body was tense and far from relaxed.

He is freezing, April thought and turned on the vehicle heater.

The soft and warm wind of the heater caressed her skin and she smiled silently, hoping he wouldn't feel cold anymore.

"I never caught your name," she broke the silence.

He was even worse than Shawn. With him it was at least possible to lead a conversation, but this man was the very definition of silence.

"Nikolaj."

April nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard that unfamiliar voice next to her. She clearly didn't expect him to speak, since he was being silent for long moments and didn't answer any of her questions she asked minutes before.

The tone of his voice was unexpectedly smooth and only slightly rough at the edges.

Just like Viktor, she detected a Russian accent in his voice, just not as heavy sounding as Viktor's accent was.

"E-excuse me?" She asked in an odd sounding voice that was laced with confusion.

"My name," he replied abruptly.

His head was still looking forward on the road when he spoke. Besides his chest that was slowly rising and falling from every breath he took, he remained sitting motionless in the seat.

"I'm April, in fact that you didn't catch my name," she answered after seconds.

She caught him nodding briefly by watching him from the corners of her eyes. At least, hostility didn't seem to be reason for him remaining silent. Nikolaj seemed to be a silent man by nature.

After their small introduction, the heavy silence was wrapped around them once again.

The drive was too silent for April's taste and she though about turning music on, but was quick to decide otherwise.

She hated silence. When April's mood was even the slightest bit foul, she found herself hating almost everything.

Only after long minutes that passed by, she realized that she didn't know where she had to drop Nikolaj off.

She kept driving the road that led to Eric's apartment. For split seconds she actually forgot that he was sitting in her car, right next to her, since she didn't hear him giving one damn tone from him.

"Where do you want me to drop you off?"

Once again, Nikolaj remained silent. April felt her shoulders sag- it was a fúcking challenge to squeeze an answer out of him.

She didn't expect him to speak, so it took her by surprise when he actually answered her, even though long moments of silence had to pass by.

"Rutherford's pub," he answered roughly.

April's heart came abruptly to an halt. She quickly glance at him, before averting her gaze on the road in front of her.

"What do you want there?" She asked dryly.

She did admit that Nikolaj had a rather odd personality, but he didn't look like the kind of person who would waste his time in a simple pub. And that being Rutherford's pub, out of all places.

She detested that place still with all her heart.

"Friends," he answered shortly.

He truly seemed to answer her questions in very short sentences as possible. And the answers didn't give much away, only the necessary details.

"Are you often there?" She asked curiously.

Nikolaj nodded instead of using his voice to answer her. April was quite satisfied that she got an answer at all, wherever it was by using his voice or a simple gesture like a nod.

"Did- did you see me there when I've been there?" April asked almost hesitantly.

She didn't expect him to answer, but expected him to give her a shake of his head - or even a nod - in response.

But she got nothing.

He remained just as silent as before and now didn't even use a simple gesture to answer her. Though, it wasn't difficult to figure the answer herself. Her grip tightened slightly on the steering wheel.

Ever so slowly, she could see Rutherford's pub between the trees.

The pub looked exactly like she remembered it - chipped and dirty walls and an empty parking space. Well, almost empty.

Different then the night she discovered the pub, she noticed three other huge cars parked in front of the Rutherford's pub.

"Don't you think it's a litte bit too early for a drink?" She asked when she slowly pulled her car over the pub.

She watched him as he remained silent, not to her surprise.

April noticed the drops of water from the rain at the ends of the stands of his hair, falling down on his nose and gliding further down to his lips.

Quickly, she pulled her eyes away and watched the sky that was slowly beginning to darken, but in her opinion it was still to early for a drink.

Her car came to a stop and her attention fell on a group of quite bulky looking men standing in front of the entrance and chatting to each other.

Withing the group, she even noticed Shawn wearing the tight and black bartender uniform he wore the same night on her first visit here.

The sleeves of his black bartender outfit were neatly rolled up, just a litte bellow his elbows.

He was casually leaning against the chipped walls of the pub, listening to the group's conversation but with him remaining silent.

As if noticing April's gaze his face lifted and narrowed eyes met hers. A look of confusion settled all over his face and April knew he was wondering what the hell she was doing here again.

Shawn pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against and stalked forward towards the car April was sitting in.

His eyes never left hers, until he noticed the figure sitting next to her. His eyes narrowed dangerously and a dark expression crossed his features.

For a moment, she was clearly taken aback at the sudden hostility he was expressing when he watched Nikolaj from afar.

Nikolaj seemed to return the same feeling, April figured when she noticed him also narrowing his eyes into slits when he found Shawn stalking towards the car.

April rolled her window down and Shawn leaned his body by hands against the her car. He trusted his face into the car with a clear look of disapproval over his face.

"April," he began slowly. "What the hell are you doing here? And what are you doing here with him?" Shawn shot Nikolaj a disgusted look before his gaze softened once it returned to April.

"I offered to drive him," April explained and frowned, not knowing why it should matter.

Shawn's grip on her car tightened and his strong knuckled begun to pale visibly.

April writhed her head to the side and for the first time she watched very surprised that Nikolaj's face was almost being pulled up with a slight arrogant look instead of keeping his expression void of any emotions.

"Get out," Shawn gritted out. The venom darkly lacing in the done of his voice was not to be missed "You're needed inside," he went on.

Nikolaj looked rather bored than intimidated, but still did as he was told to and jumped off the car with a loud shut of the door.

By now, April noticed, the heavy gazes of the group of men were settled on her and Shawn. She quickly tried to shrug off the uncomfortable feeling.

"What are you doing here?" April finally asked. "Locking girls up again in the staff room?" Her lips pulled up into a slight smirk.

Shawn's lips also quirked up into a smirk, but didn't answer her.

The look of hostility was gone the moment Nikolaj left her car and hurried towards the entrance of Rutherford's pub, where the group of men were standing and chatting.

"Drive home," he ordered softly and left, returning to the group of men who where still watching her curiously.

April watched him entering the door and Nikolaj following closely behind.

Nikolaj writhed his head one last time, peeking a look at her over his shoulders before he entered the pub with the other men and closed the door behind him.

April leaned further back, sinking into the seat of her car as a tired sigh fell from her lips.

That so much on the thought of never returning to this damn place again, she thought bitterly and laughed silently to herself.

Returning to the pub wasn't as horrible as she thought it would be, even though she was only in her car in front of the pub instead of being inside the run-down building again.

She glanced at the passenger seat Nikolaj was sitting on just some moments ago.

On the ground she noticed remains of mud and grass he accidentally rubbed off of his soles and the fabric of it was dark on some part from the wetness due his soaked clothes.

Wonderful.

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Please vote, follow and comment! I wrote this all within one day, even though it's not really a long chapter, but I'm glad I managed to write another chapter in this week. I just needed some time to think about Nikolaj's name and I have yet to choose a name for the town. Expect the next chapter in a few days or so. Thanks for reading!