Marked

“Bud’s Auto Repair,” Rosario read quietly as she stood out front, looking over the building she was supposed to work at. It was old but in good repair like it had been well maintained over the years, cared for with love and dedication. There was a fresh coat of white paint on the outside of the building and a new vinyl sign hung above the entrance boasting the best service in town since 1982. The repair garage looked like it had recently been extended to house up to six vehicles and there was an adjoining section that served as a reception area. She smiled a bit to herself, deciding she liked the feel of the place.

As she walked into the garage to look for her new boss Rosario caught the familiar smell of car fluids, rubber, and metal. She inhaled deeply, loving the scent and all the hard work it promised. It made her want to get elbow deep in an engine already. Her fingers itched to get under the hood or beneath the body of an old clunker, coaxing it gently to life despite age and wear, proving it could still run. Her truck was a labor of love and she drove it with pride instead of the embarrassment that most teenagers would show.

Rosario walked around to the propped up hood of one of the four cars currently in the garage and looked inside, keeping her hands clasped behind her back so she didn’t reach in and start touching everything. She wasn’t aware of the soft smile on her lips or the way she leaned in with her body speaking of expectation. This environment just made her happy and at ease, like the way running emptied her mind, and she could get lost in it.

A throat cleared off to her right and Rosario nearly jumped out of her skin with the fright that still lurked deep in her mind. She whirled around to see who had startled her, green eyes wide and full lips making an ‘o’ shape. The man before her was younger than she’d expected, maybe in his mid-twenties. He was tall and sturdy looking, though she couldn’t see beyond that in his grease stained coveralls. His facial features were strong and striking with a square jaw and brooding light brown eyes, all resting below thick chestnut hair spiked in the front. He was wiping his hands off on a dirty rag as he stared at her intently, all seriousness.

“Uh,” Rosario began nervously to fill the silence, still embarrassed from being scared silly, “Hi, I’m Rosario.”

“Can I help you with something?” His deep voice was brisk and business-like, like she had interrupted him from his work and he didn’t have time for nonsense.

She paused for a moment, wondering if this was the right place. “Roy sent me. Roy Everidge,” she clarified.

The man gave her a once over with his eyes, thick brows raised, like he was doubtfully assessing her. He shook his head and stuck the rag in his back pocket before meeting her gaze again. “Alright. The Cavalier at the end needs an oil change,” he instructed, pointing towards the far side of the garage. Then he simply turned and started to walk away.

Rosario stood there for a moment before she snapped, “Wait!” He turned back around and gave her a questioning look that made her feel like a child who had just got caught doing something very bad. “You aren’t going to ask me if I know anything first?”

Both his eyebrows rose and she once again felt that he was looking at her like she was an annoying little kid. “Roy told me you know how to work on cars. That’s all I need,” he stated like it was just that simple to him.

“What should I call you at least?” She asked with exasperation.

“Gabriel,” was the only answer he gave before walking out of the garage. With a shrug Rosario happily turned to start working on the simple task he’d given her.

A while later Rosario slid out from under the Cavalier on a wheeled mechanic creeper and sat up with a groan. She stretched her arms up in the air and twisted from side to side to try relieving the ache in her back from lying beneath the car. Her arms and clothes were now spotted with oil and grime from the work, but she was satisfied and felt quite accomplished at what she had discovered to be wrong. On the other end of the garage her new boss was bent over the open hood of another car, seeming engrossed in the task at hand. Rosario walked over and stood observing his work for a moment, admiring the beauty of the engine assembly and all of its interconnecting parts. After a few moments he straightened and those intense light brown eyes rested on her questioningly.

Facing Gabriel full on and staring him dead in the eye, Rosario squared up defiantly and tried to make her slight self look as intimidating as possible. “You set me up,” she accused angrily.

She saw a hint of amusement on his face but all he said was, “Oh?”

“Yes,” was her very firm response, “You told me the Cavalier needed an oil change. What you didn’t say was that the oil pan gasket was rotted out and leaking all over. I could’ve fixed it no problem if you would’ve just told me, but instead I just changed the oil and when I started the car it started smoking. It’s fixed now but it would’ve been done an hour ago if you said something.” Truth be told it had scared Rosario half to death thinking she messed up her first repair job, until she realized what game he was playing.

Gabriel stared at her for a long moment before he said, “Good job. You passed.”

Rosario started spluttering in indignation, furious to be toyed with so obviously by her boss. After a few moments of failed attempts at speaking, she finally spat out, “Was that necessary?!”

“Entirely,” was his immediate response, and he took a step closer while craning his neck down to stare fiercely at her. “I have to know that I can rely on you to get things done around here because if you haven’t noticed, I’m a little short handed.” She took a timid step back, feeling threatened by his proximity and the harsh tone in his voice, all the fight draining out of her just like that. Gabriel must’ve seen it because he relaxed his posture into something nonaggressive and his eyes softened considerably. “You did pass,” he said, his voice warmer than it had been all day, “So you’re hired. The grey door over there goes to the back room, I call it the ‘cave’; it has a couch, some personal storage lockers, a washer, and a dryer. There’s a shower and bathroom too. Everything a working man – or woman – needs.”

Rosario’s eyebrows knit together and her gaze dropped to the floor, reading the implications in his words. He knew she didn’t have anywhere to go home to.

“Look,” Gabriel said, “All Roy told me is you’re a good girl in a tight spot. Just work hard and pull your weight and we won’t have any problems.” She offered a half hearted smile and a promise that she’d do her best.



The house was silent as the grave and even emptier besides. Gabriel sat hunched over on his living room couch, elbows propped on his knees and face buried in his palms. His hair was unkempt and sticking out from running a nervous hand through it. He tried not to think and usually buried himself in his work to avoid dwelling on the past, but things were coming back to haunt him now. Horrible, dark, terrifying things.

Gabriel couldn’t figure out what had suddenly changed to bring this whole situation about. He knew it would happen eventually, of course, but it seemed too soon for everything to be coming to a head. That’s why he never settled down with a nice girl or started a family – because sooner or later all of it would come to an end. Most likely that end would be violent and bloody. So he saved his potential mate and children from it, because he knew when the time came there would be nothing he could do to protect them.

His fingertips pressed against his eyes harshly, wishing he could forget all the things he had seen. Those eyes had witnessed such unspeakable horror that Gabriel sometimes thought he didn’t even deserve to keep his sight. It should be taken away and granted to someone innocent who would be blessed to get a fresh take on the world. The things he had seen all those years ago could change the soul of any person for the worse.

Now Gabriel could feel the looming darkness drawing closer each passing day, coming to swallow him up. He would put up one hell of a fight for his life but only luck had saved him before, and luck wasn’t reliable enough to pull him through this time. Why now, he wondered. What had changed?

Air was sucked in through his tightly clenched teeth in a hiss as brief burning pain shot through Gabriel’s left hip. Subconsciously his fingers traced over the ugly lines of his birthmark as the bite of fire subsided, but he knew what it meant. They were closer now than they had been in years. Gabriel stood up and clenched his hands into fists as anger and helplessness warred in his heart. The demons were coming, and he had to be ready.