(This is an entry for the
Halloween Story Contest 2022
. Please vote! Thank you!)
Lightning cracked, lighting up the windswept prairie as torrential rains fell in the late autumn weather. The exhausted driver switched gears in an attempt to make it go faster. It was in vain, his ancient car was already going at full speed. He was praying to the Heavens that the engine would give out. But, prayers did little good for him. Still he drove on, the driver knew he had no other option. If he wanted to survive.
He took a sharp right, off the main highway and headed past half-harvest fields of barley and rye towards the dim distant lights. The freezing night wind and his pursues were hot on his heels. Still, he had hope. There was always hope? That thought, not even a thought--- but more of a pointless wish still persisted in his black heart but beating heart.
After all the heinous deeds he had done through the many millennia he knew for sure had a black heart. The malevolent deeds were something he regretted though. He didn't deserve a heart of any kind. It brought him nothing but pain.
At long last, he arrived at the dim lights. It was a disheveled and out of the way motel. The car had barely stopped before he threw open the door. Soaking wet, he hurried in.
To his surprise, the driver found himself in the tavern of an old hotel. "Sleep Eazy" said the neon sign outside. Or at least it had said that once. Now it read "Slp Ez".The barmaid looked at him strangely. It was a hotel and tavern. The driver wondered why she wasn't expecting customers.
Surely, this hotel got some business. Tourists perhaps or people on a holiday. The hotel was old but it wasn't THAT bad. Still, what did he know, he wasn't a mortal. As she looked him up and down, the maiden spoke sternly.
"We have bad weather tonight. You looked soaked. Why don't you go sit by the radiator and dry yourself. That way I don't have to clean up a huge mess. I'm Aldea by the way." She went around the bar and continued drying glasses. She tossed small and nervous glances at him. The driver could sense she was afraid.
Mortals often could tell something was off about him. He knew she was frightened. She had the right to be. He was also terrified. She was in greater danger than she knew, yet it wasn't her fault. He had brought this peril upon her. He'd defend her, against his enemies, who would harm her for the simple reason that he'd spoken to her. They would think he had revealed dark secrets to her.
"I'm Kieran. If you have room, I'd like to stay for the night." Kieran stated to Aldea. Aldea looked down in frustration at the dishes. They were already clean but she continued scrubbing so she didn't have to make conversation with this peculiar stranger. She wanted customers at her hotel but she hated entertaining guests.
The hotel was only a way for Aldea to make a living. Right now, it wasn't much of a living. If things kept going this way, Aldea would have to leave her hotel. Where she would go and what she would do, she didn't know nor did she want to think about it. She just studied the peculiar stranger, something was different about him.
"I can get you something to eat or drink but I'm afraid that our boarding house is closed...at least for now. Perhaps, if you returned another night, you could stay. But, my hotel is shut for now. Is there anything I can get you to drink?" questioned Aldea.
She continued looking down at the sudsy dishes. Kieran could tell that she was purposely avoiding him. Mortals often did even though he longed to be friends with them. It was what he'd sacrificed so much for after all.
"Please Aldea let me stay, I really don't need much. Let me take my boots and coat off, this fall weather is terrible. and I could even sleep here in front of the radiator. I just need shelter from the storm...and maybe a garage to put my car in incase it starts to hail. There's a fierce gale outside. I can't go any further tonight. I'll hardly be a bother at all. Let me stay here in front of the radiator, please?" begged Kieran.
He hoped he wouldn't have to use his magic on the woman. He hated using his magic on mortals. It seemed unfair. He wanted to be equal to them, not superior. This luckless woman was already so despondent.
"I wouldn't mind so much Kieran but the thing is since my father died and the new highway with its posh hotels that have air conditioning and swimming pools appeared a couple miles up the road. We haven't been doing so well. Several of the rooms have broken windows. When I was a small child I had polio. It makes it hard to get around with my leg and everything. I've been too tired to change the sheets and the smell of mold has gotten in. My motel's really not fit for customers. It's my own fault. I've been lazy. Now that I'm older the doctors say that it's post-polio-syndrome. I just get these periods of weakness especially during bad weather like this. Anyway, I shouldn't complain or tell you about my troubles. It could have been alot worse. That's the story Kieran..I really don't want to say anything else." stated Aldea.
She was astonished as the words spilled out of her mouth. She didn't know why she'd told her troubles to this peculiar man. Aldea never told anyone her life story. She was very private that way but here she was telling a complete stranger her story. Still, it had been so very long since she'd had anyone to talk to.
Kirean watched as Aldea came from around the bar. Keiran saw that she had an emaciated leg and was supporting herself with a crutch. But, Aldea's disability did nothing to hide her beauty. Aldea noticed Keiran staring and blushed a deep red. She wasn't used to people looking at her like that. But, she liked it.
.
"To warm you up. You're soaked to the bone." Aldea stated as she passed him a shot of whiskey. Kieran sipped it slowly looking at the woman. It had been too long...eons perhaps since he'd seen a human woman. Kieran always lost track of mortal time. It wasn't important to him.
While Kieran was looking at her, Aldea looked right back at him. A stranger with wild hair and broad shoulders. He was strong. A wild man, a rogue....like a highway man of old.
"You look starving, you probably haven't eaten all day. I'll get started on dinner...it's really the least I can do for you, since I have no room for you." stated Aldea as she made her way back to her small kitchen, wincing as she leaned on her crutch. Stormy October weather always made her leg pain act up. The wind and rain didn't help either.
By now, between his magic and with the help of the radiator Kieran had dried off. He heard Aldea fumbling in the kitchen. Kieran went to help her. He knew she was in both emotional and physical pain. Aldea was struggling for tea cups on the top shelf.
"Let me get those for you. It's the least I can do for you." stated Kieran. He easily reached up and got the cups.
"I could have done that myself, I can do things. I'm not a baby." Aldea yelled at him. He watched her eyes flash with anger.
"I'm perfectly capable of doing things by myself. I run this hotel. Sure things have gotten away from me lately. But, it's still MINE! I run it. I manage it. NO one will take it away from me.Not YOU, not the BANK, not ANYONE! It's mine!" shouted Aldea lividly. Keiran almost dropped the cups in surprise from the rage in her voice. He wondered what was going on in her life that had prompted such an outburst from her.
Aldea came to her senses and realized that she was confronting a customer. She blushed a deep crimson. Kieran noticed it and thought it was tempting.
"I just thought it would be nice, for both you and me, if we could do something a bit fancy before I cast you out..uhmm back into that terrible autumn weather. So I was getting out the good china..." Aldea trailed off. As usual, she'd fucked things up again. Her customer, the first customer, the first person she'd spoken to in weeks, would leave now. And she wouldn't blame him.
Still, Aldea had her pride. Yes, she had a disability. But, she was an independent woman. She ran this hotel. Sure it had gotten away from her lately but it was still hers! She managed it. She kept it afloat as it were.
Keiran sensed Aldea's frustration and sorrow. He wanted to make friends with her. It was late. There was a raging storm. He couldn't get any further tonight with his pursuers on his coat tails.Besides, he liked Aldea. She was shrewd and full of determination.
"I know it's late. I'm getting hungry. You probably are too. How about you start on dinner and I go make tea?" he stated. He didn't give Aldea a chance to answer. Keiran just took the cups and headed towards the main room.
Aldea looked at him as he left. He's got such a nice ass and broad shoulders. I bet he's a great ride. She thought to herself. But, in her head, she quickly corrected herself. A handsome man like Keiran would never want an ugly woman like her. He deserved a beautiful princess...or at least some smart woman who wasn't ridden with debt. At the very least, he deserved a woman who didn't have an emaciated leg.
Aldea started cooking dinner. From the living room, Keiran heard bacon frying. It smelled wonderful. Soon the bacon and grilled cheese sandwiches were made. Aldea came out with a platter of sandwiches. Aldea sat them down in front of Keiran. It was mortal food but it smelled wonderful to Kerian.
"Tea?" question Aldea.
"Sure." stated Kieran. The couple both reached for the pot at the same time. Their hands met and neither wanted to break their embrace.
"I'll pour," said Aldea. No matter how attractive her customer might be. It would be wrong to take advantage of him. She poured Kieran a cup of the strong black tea. The couple had some tea together. The steaming hot tea was nice in the fall weather. It warmed their bones.
As Aldea looked across at him, she realized she didn't want him to leave...at least not yet. For now she wanted a friend. "Do you want to play a game or something? The hotel doesn't have internet and the TV reception is terrible since we're in the middle of nowhere...but I have checkers, Monopoly and cards. You pick." stated Aldea as she laid the games in front of Kieran.
Kieran sat and played Blackjack with this frail mortal. Although they weren't playing for anything, he grew angry when she won! He knew he could have easily used his powers to make himself win but when Aldea's eyes lit up with joy. He smiled too.
Kieran couldn't remember the last time he'd genuinely smiled. Most of his smiles were fake, to pacify colleagues or to assuage difficult family relations. His smile at Aldea's joy, was his first real smile in eons.. Aldea was warming his cold and black heart. She was bringing out emotions that he tried to keep suppressed. Ones that he thought he no longer posed.
