A Project Human Story: A Dead One
In It, The Red Burns Deeper
A week passed. A week full of nightmares, this time with a glimpse of the face of the man I’ve been running from. Red eyes gleamed at me through the rain for every night that passed this week, a week since that man came through the door and changed everything. He was back now with that sneer and smirk, and Mark didn’t bother with an interview…he was hired on the spot.
His place behind the register looked awkward when customer’s started showing up and his confidence faltered. I was unpacking new orders of books that had come in yesterday morning, watching him from where I stood in the doorway of the stock room just a few feet away.
When a girl about my age had left the store with her arm full of fictional vampire books-because we do indeed get a lot of them-he turned around to give me a cocky smirk, “Still staring?”
“Your eyes are freaking me out,” I blushed, admitting halfway that his eyes themselves have been the cause of my distress this week. He must get that a lot because it hardly fazed him, not an eyebrow twitch or anything. Just that flipping smirk.
“How do you deal with all of the stupid people that come through here.” He asked after a moment or two.
I glared up at him and set four books on the counter and reached down for more, “I pretend I hardly even notice.”
“The urge to slap some of them never come about?” I was appalled he asked this even with his nasty attitude he’s carried since he’s been here.
“No, because the majority of the stupid people congregate around the mall or Walmart.” I took the large stack of books from the counter, about eight or so, and went towards the four way in the middle of the room. He mumbled something under his breath, but I was out of hearing to make out the words. I didn’t really care anyway, but I did care about his eyes that stared slyly. There’s no room for me to complain when, even with curiosity, I was staring at him.
```
From the corner of my eye I watched her watch me with that painful curiosity in those freakishly light gray eyes. I’ve watched her before with this same ache in my chest that told me she’s vulnerable. In my world, there’s consequences to being that vulnerable. That power she was holding wasn’t like the other’s I’ve come across before her. It was less restrained, less careful. It exhaled vulnerability and brought on the hunger to show her just how much of that she is.
But like the other’s before her, this game has to be played without suspicion from the outside.
“Um, sir?” A weak voice asked from behind the counter. Giving one glance at Jade I saw her smile down to whatever that was that spoke.
Peaking from above the counter there I saw what stood a small child with blue doe eyes, a thin face, and short dark hair.
“What do you want?” I asked curtly and heard Jade scoff from somewhere in the room, a smirk of satisfaction on my lips.
“To buy a few books sir.” I was surprised that not only did he pull some ninja moves-I didn’t see him come in here- and also he could reach over the counter to place two books, both with the spines pealing and the color of the hardbacks fading, in front of me. I wrinkled my nose in disgust from the smell of decaying ink on the pages.
"Okay.” It was easy peasy to ring them up and tell him his total of 18.25 and was a little disappointed when he handed me 19 in just ones. At least it wasn’t coins.
“Good Bye, Miss Jade.” He waved to her with one hand and his books in the other as he opened the door with his back and disappeared.
She came around the corner of the counter with a smile still on the corners of her lips. I glared at her, more so that look, waiting for her to notice. When she lifted her head and finally did that smile faded into a frown.
“What?”
“That kid was annoying polite.” I looked away from her disappointed glare and smirked to myself.
“Too bad, he’s a usual. Comes in every once and a while to buy the donated books from us.” At least she wasn’t giving me a sad back story, because the kid just looked like a cliché orphan child.
I still loved fucking with her though and it brought me that smirk, the closest to a smile I ever will share, just to see her face heat up with frustration.
His place behind the register looked awkward when customer’s started showing up and his confidence faltered. I was unpacking new orders of books that had come in yesterday morning, watching him from where I stood in the doorway of the stock room just a few feet away.
When a girl about my age had left the store with her arm full of fictional vampire books-because we do indeed get a lot of them-he turned around to give me a cocky smirk, “Still staring?”
“Your eyes are freaking me out,” I blushed, admitting halfway that his eyes themselves have been the cause of my distress this week. He must get that a lot because it hardly fazed him, not an eyebrow twitch or anything. Just that flipping smirk.
“How do you deal with all of the stupid people that come through here.” He asked after a moment or two.
I glared up at him and set four books on the counter and reached down for more, “I pretend I hardly even notice.”
“The urge to slap some of them never come about?” I was appalled he asked this even with his nasty attitude he’s carried since he’s been here.
“No, because the majority of the stupid people congregate around the mall or Walmart.” I took the large stack of books from the counter, about eight or so, and went towards the four way in the middle of the room. He mumbled something under his breath, but I was out of hearing to make out the words. I didn’t really care anyway, but I did care about his eyes that stared slyly. There’s no room for me to complain when, even with curiosity, I was staring at him.
```
From the corner of my eye I watched her watch me with that painful curiosity in those freakishly light gray eyes. I’ve watched her before with this same ache in my chest that told me she’s vulnerable. In my world, there’s consequences to being that vulnerable. That power she was holding wasn’t like the other’s I’ve come across before her. It was less restrained, less careful. It exhaled vulnerability and brought on the hunger to show her just how much of that she is.
But like the other’s before her, this game has to be played without suspicion from the outside.
“Um, sir?” A weak voice asked from behind the counter. Giving one glance at Jade I saw her smile down to whatever that was that spoke.
Peaking from above the counter there I saw what stood a small child with blue doe eyes, a thin face, and short dark hair.
“What do you want?” I asked curtly and heard Jade scoff from somewhere in the room, a smirk of satisfaction on my lips.
“To buy a few books sir.” I was surprised that not only did he pull some ninja moves-I didn’t see him come in here- and also he could reach over the counter to place two books, both with the spines pealing and the color of the hardbacks fading, in front of me. I wrinkled my nose in disgust from the smell of decaying ink on the pages.
"Okay.” It was easy peasy to ring them up and tell him his total of 18.25 and was a little disappointed when he handed me 19 in just ones. At least it wasn’t coins.
“Good Bye, Miss Jade.” He waved to her with one hand and his books in the other as he opened the door with his back and disappeared.
She came around the corner of the counter with a smile still on the corners of her lips. I glared at her, more so that look, waiting for her to notice. When she lifted her head and finally did that smile faded into a frown.
“What?”
“That kid was annoying polite.” I looked away from her disappointed glare and smirked to myself.
“Too bad, he’s a usual. Comes in every once and a while to buy the donated books from us.” At least she wasn’t giving me a sad back story, because the kid just looked like a cliché orphan child.
I still loved fucking with her though and it brought me that smirk, the closest to a smile I ever will share, just to see her face heat up with frustration.