Evil is Born

LEINDRA’S POV.

When people go home, it is expected that there should be a feeling of nostalgia, a feeling of childhood wonder at being back where you grew up. For me, it was the direct opposite. My skin crawled as I took in the familiar streets and I wanted nothing more than to run as far as I could but I had nowhere to go.

A few years ago I ran. I packed my bags and I ran to the city. I wanted nothing to do with the life of Lunarius. It was your typical small town where everyone knew everyone and you were expected to be mated to your best friend and have children who grow up and never leave. I wanted more from life and more to life but my plans brought me right back.

I needed gas so I stopped directly in front of a diner I used to visit as a child. They used to have the best burgers in the entire town and they were always available.

A part of me hoped it wasn’t there anymore. That way, I could have felt like the town had changed a little but it stood there in all its faded and broken window glory. The town was exactly as I left it: small, dirty roads, quiet people, unchanged and so tiny that I felt like I was being suffocated.

I left when I was eighteen. I was eager to see the world, but now, at twenty-three, I could say that the world was filled with nothing but disappointment. When I left, I was an optimistic child hoping that I would make some money and live in a lavish mansion. I ended up working as a waitress being paid meager peanuts and I lived in an apartment that resembled a shoe box but was pricier than a designer bag.

My landlady kicked me out and I knew I had nowhere else to go. I hadn’t paid rent in five months and I could barely feed myself. I had lost my job and I knew that as stubborn as I was, I would rather live in Lunarius than starve out in the city. I shoved my pride down and used the last money I had to buy gas and drive myself back.

I looked around the town hoping to see something or someone different but everyone was the same. Suddenly, I noticed a group of men inside the diner. They were sitting by a booth against the wall and if it wasn’t for the broken window then I wouldn’t have been able to see them.

They were clad in all black with bandanas as if it was a uniform and they were whispering to each other in hushed breaths. I could tell that they weren’t from Lunarius because no one here would have dressed that boldly. People were staring at them but they didn’t seem to care. It was like they were oblivious to the stares they were receiving from people.

I wondered who they were but then I felt the hair at the back of my neck stand. I knew I was being watched so I discreetly looked around to find the source of the stare and I saw him. He was standing at the front door of the diner and he was watching me through dark shades.