It was late, about one a.m. in the morning. She was tired, traveling since noon, needed gas and a cup of coffee. She pulled into the little diner slash gas station and stepped out into the cold night air. The scent of gasoline, oil and the pines of the forest surrounding the rural diner drifted to her on the night breeze. The only sounds at this hour were that of the engine ticking as it cooled and the hum emanating from the cold neon lights illuminating the fuel pumps.
Filling the tank she noticed that it was extremely bright out. The light from the blue moon, illuminated the night, creating spooky shadows in the woods across the road. After filling the tank, she pulled the car into the diner's empty parking area and went inside for that much needed cup of coffee.
Once inside, she smelled the familiar scent of steak, eggs and coffee that seemed to haunt every diner in the country. It always seemed to linger as if part of the quaint décor. She took a seat at a booth, looked around and noticed a man sitting at the far end of the counter.
She immediately felt a shiver of fear resulting from years of training by her parents, school, and media that had told her to beware of strangers.
Looking him over, she was not displeased at his appearance. Old worn and faded brown leather jacket, like the kind fighter pilots of old once wore. A white tee shirt, faded and slightly worn jeans, she noticed the frayed cuffs and a tear here and there. Black boots, like something someone in the military might have worn, now old and scuffed. His face was tanned and leathered as if from years of exposure to the elements. His features hard and haunting but not unpleasing to look at. His hair dark, streaked with gray was pulled back into a small ponytail.
She looked away quickly as he glanced her direction, but his eyes, blue gray with a hard tinge to them, seemed to have looked right through her, taking in her past, present and future. Flipping through her secrets as if skimming through a book with that simple glance.
Suddenly, a plump, little round women wearing a white apron and a faded light blue pinstriped dress appeared at the booth. The woman smiled a tired smile and asked if she would like to order something.
She smiled at the woman and said "Just a cup of coffee if that's ok?"
The woman tisked at her and said, "Ya need to eat somethin' honey, you don't want to be travelin' on an empty stomach."
She was about to turn the offer of food down when she glanced at the stranger again and realized it would give her an excuse to stay a little longer. She ordered an omelet and toast then watched as the little woman retreated to the kitchen.
She sat there and gazed at the window and noticed that hers was the only car in the lot. Shyly she glanced back at the stranger and looked at the floor around him and noticed an old pack lying on the faded, tiled floor next to him.
The little woman returned to pour her a cup of coffee and asked where she was headed and made small talk.
As she answered the woman's innocent questions, she caught herself continuing to glance in the stranger's direction.
The woman noticed this and winked at her and whispered "He strolled in about an hour before she did. He's not bad is he? Doesn't say much, makes ya kinda nervous but in a good way." and she winked at her. The woman sighed and said laughing as she headed back to the kitchen "If I was only about twenty years younger."
She did a quick estimation and figured twenty years would still put her in her fifties and smiled.
As she sat there drinking her coffee, she started to wonder what it would be like to pick up a total stranger and... No, why was she thinking like that? She was not the kind who picked up strangers, especially in the middle of the night. But looking at him, she still felt a twinge of excitement at the thought of a mad passionate fling with a total stranger. Ahhhh fantasy, the stuff of dreams. Smiling to herself she sipped her coffee.
Looking back out the window, taking in the vista of the deep forest, the uncharacteristic blue moon riding high over the tops of the trees, dark mountains off in the distance creating a jagged break in the dark velvety night sky. She smiled again, thinking what a naughty girl she was for even thinking such thoughts.
She was startled when she heard a low voice, just above a whisper, not to deep and not to high ask if she would like to share a cup of coffee. Looking up in surprise, she saw the stranger standing next to the booth. He was leaning casually against the post, looking down on her with a slight smile. She was frightened and shocked that a total stranger would approach her, but she was even more surprised when she heard herself answer with a quiet, "Yes."
He slipped into the booth with a supple grace, reminding her of an athlete or maybe a large predatory animal. He was not old, but by no means a young man. His eyes showed a slight sadness but also a hint of mischief, a remnant of younger days perhaps. His face is darkly tanned and the lines on his face showed the years confirming for her that this is a person who spent much of their time outdoors.
She noticed his eyes roaming over her and his nostrils flared slightly as if he was trying to catch her scent. She blushed at the thought. Thinking that's crazy.
He asked her, her name and what she was doing out this late at night.
Normally she didn't even talk to strangers, let alone answer their questions, but even though she still felt that little bit of fear crawling up the back of her neck she answered his questions readily.
He asked her where she was headed.
As she answered, she seemed drawn into his eyes, eyes that were looking deeply into hers.
He smiled slightly revealing sharp and what appeared to be slightly longer canine teeth than were normal. She smiled to herself thinking about the old Wolfman movie she saw on television the other night.
He looked at her with a smile and a slight hint of mischief in his eyes and said He was embarrassed to ask but seeing as how she was going the same way he is could he possibly catch a ride?
She felt a momentary urge to flee, but found herself saying "Sure."
He looked at her, speaking softly with the slightest hint of an accent. "If you want to miss the traffic at the next metropolis you should probably get on the road soon."
Without giving it a second thought, she dropped the money for gas and the undelivered breakfast and slid out of the booth.
