Neon Rain PuddlesBy Pandora North Star On a street corner in the city is a small diner. The neon lights beckoning the 24 hours-a-day customers reflect in the pools of freshly fallen rain water on the grubby sidewalks. Inside a few sit in high backed tattered booths chatting and eating and watching the world go by. At the counter a well pierced waitress is leaning on the polished plastic counter and reading off an order to the cook while picking up some menus and place settings. In one of the booths sit a few 20 something women. They are all vaguely alike dressed in dark colors with shades of brown hair. They talk leisurely but restrained, each one's eyes wandering over the scene inside the small restaurant. A blond man in a long coat enters and walks to the counter. He sits down on one of the taped up stools and waves at the waitress. She finishes what she is doing and walks over. He orders a coffee and it is instantly slapped on the table in front of him. He takes a sip and makes a face. In the booth of young woman one nudges another and gestures to the lonely man at the counter. The one who was nudged takes a furtive glance and smiles to her friends. Her teeth gleaming an eery white. She stands up and walks across the small space between them and takes a seat next to the blond man. She looks back to her friends for a moment and then to him. "Nice rainy night huh?" she says in a silky, singsong voice. He turns to her solemnly and looks her over with his pale blue eyes that seem to suck in the light that reaches them. "Night's nice without rain." He says at long last picking up his coffee and taking a long sip. "Never seen you here before." She tries again, a little bristled. "Never been here before. I'm just passing through." "A loner?" She smiles. "Good coffee. Did you want one?" He says ignoring her question. The waitress, without waiting for the order puts another coffee on the counter. She sips it like him, black as tar. "Yes. Good coffee. Keeps you coming here." He reaches into his coat and draws out a pack of cigarettes. She points to a sign and grins. "Outside?" She gets up before he has time to respond and he follows her out. They stand on the edge of the alley shadows right around the corner. He hands her a cigarette and then lights on for them both. They both inhale the toxins and breath out deeply the breaths sounding very peculiar to one who notices that sort of thing. After a moment of heavy huffing she snubs it. He follows suit and they look at each other. "I love the smell of night after it rains." She says splashing in a puddle and looking away. When she looks bad her face has changed, stretched and her eyes flash a bright yellow. She is on him momentarily, her teeth melting into the flesh of his neck and sucking hard. For a moment it seems she will drink all of his life away when he knocks her back, changed also. He pins her against the brick wall and now it's his turn to put his teeth into her neck. She laughs as blood trickles down her shirt, ruining it. He pulls back and looks at her with sharp eyes. Then they both start laughing madly, like hyenas. She touches her shirt and with the blood that is now on her finger proceeds to write her name on his arm then flees back inside the cafe. Once inside she composes herself and walks back over to the booth where her friends sit. They rise together and toss money onto the table. They follow her back outside into the city night.
