Misery:

  It has always been seen as a natural response to fear the dark. Even before dark is explained, your hair stands to attention on skin, hearts race and you know. Humans in general though have found ways to ease their fear, fire, electricity, cozy little homes to lock out everything that bumps outside, labeling themselves as safe.

  Something though is always waiting in the dark as a reminder of why it should be worried. To awaken that bone deep instinct of terror.

  Though some are born with their fears falling significantly different. The dark never scares them, that bump is something to be prepared for but also intriguing.

  After all it could be anything. Couldn’t it?

  In the middle of a mini mart swirling over to the counter in an office chair she’d lugged out from the break room. A woman who truly coined the latter personality waited counting down the seconds.

  The clock strikes twelve and it begins again, the call of the alarm mandated by the government for every business to have that wants to stay open past the witching hour. It sounded, the warning that night was truly here and those who weren’t regulars balked in horror as her latest playlist sounded perfectly picked from horror and sometimes children’s genre.

  Those who were used to her antics by this point sucked in a breath and sighed before finishing their shopping dictating themselves as safe.

  Because what was the chance, they’d, actually, run into a newly introduced vampire or shifter. Why would they be at a mini mart on a random Wednesday night?

  Those though who hadn’t found adaption and comfort bolted out of the store looking her over like they weren’t quite sure. After all she always fit that horror movie image.

  Misery new she benefited off of public fear and the fact that she lacked it. While people were settling down in ‘safe’ she was stumbling her way into situations that gave her a different mindset.

  She also knew that there weren’t many who understood her apathy toward the fear of the bumps in the night. And she knew that people always searched for the reason in her. Whispered explanations and excuses.

  Her boss Darron Dunrine insisted that truly she was harmless she simply was influenced by the name Misery. It was always stated as a joke and she was sure he thought her parents had been lifelong goths who produced a similar copy.

  When in fact she’d been born Reita Coakley, the only and beloved child of Harriet and Maxwell Coakley who were bright and optimistic individuals who followed their hearts and work their passions as a Spiritual Guide and a Doll reformer. They brought a little girl into the world to be as bright and passionate as them.

  Nicknamed Ree and often referred too as Little Missy Ree, her parents dressed her like a doll in frills and lace, they took her out and taught her about plants and stones and built faerie homes with her. It never even passed their minds that their daughter wasn’t bright and full of fluttery little dreams. It went unnoticed that instead of being perceived as a cute little baby doll, she really looked more like a porcelain creation, with sharp intensely green eyes that people felt looked through their soul and dark inky curls that shadowed her face.

  And it didn’t help that she often had the blood vessels pop in her face and eyes from something as silly as sneezing too hard and a tendency for chronic childhood nose bleeds.

  And any chance of her truly being that fluttery dreamer was crushed by and over all need to explain things and logic that was quote ‘unnatural for a child’

  Everyone realized that she freaked everyone out including Misery but her parents were oblivious just so wrapped up in how much they loved Misery and how could someone tell a person who so brightly loved their creepy little baby that they scared the other children.

  And Misery wasn’t about to pop her parents glittering rosy bubble. She loved her parents and was willing to play along with all of their ideas.

  Even as someone took her love filled nickname and heard Misery.

  It got so bad by the time she was eight that teacher’s even tripped up more often then not.

  She was willing to play along for her parents.

  Then they died.

  It turned out one of her mother’s spells that were so ‘sweet’ and ‘meant to protect’ and were ‘really harmless to humor’ wasn’t.

  Misery wasn’t so melodramatic to say Reita died that day just that Misery was insighted when she started a new school and found once again she was just a bit too disconcerting and having no one to care to pretend for she decided simply to encompass the title of Misery.

  She leaned into horror themes and chose not to bend. She taped her cracked polished nails against the keys on the register as she checked the vacating individuals out.

  Misery mused that she wouldn’t describe herself as harmless, but she wasn’t truly as terrifying as some pinned her as. Misery never wished pain on anyone unless they truly insighted unforgivable scars onto someone.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  She wasn’t going to encompass the life of the character who leaves a trail of bodies in her wake, but she did walk up to the house that was rumored to have victims buried in the basement. The house in question did not have the structural capability to have a basement, so knocking on the door was a perfect way to loudly prove the other kids wrong.

  The man in question though that open the door did not help her out at all instead hissing out.

  “Hundreds, now get lost.” Of course Misery couldn’t then get lost and became a thorn in Xavius Grove’s side. And eventually he became the connection that gave her the ability to be secure and prepared for the world. Including but not only through piles and piles of books on creatures that bumped in the night.

  Grove though died two years before Vampire’s revealed themselves so she never got to know what he would have thought about it. Though he did often tell her that there were things in this world that didn’t want to be found.

  At first she only read the books because Grove told her not to, and then she liked how they reminded her of her mother but made more sense then her mother’s view of magic. At least in those pages she could understand how someone could believe but she truly didn’t start drowning herself in the books until Grove died and she needed something to throw herself into.

  And she didn’t truly start looking through the world for the information until she noticed that things that Vampires were revealing very much matched up with the information in the books and when she started to recognize things that weren’t revealed.

  But if Misery was honest, she really didn’t care that vampire’s and shifter’s existed. It was interesting to learn about them and spot things but the most interesting thing to Misery was how stupid people were.

  Like and Alarm at midnight, when night starts a decent bit before then and the fact not at all hidden by vampires, that they aren’t trapped between sun set and sun rise. But because there was a book in the 1800’s that said differently.

  Or when her mini mart was almost fully empty two stumbling oaf’s come in proclaiming loudly how they’re going to string up some vampire ass. Not even batting twice at the person walking in behind them.

  He didn’t fit the stereo type he wasn’t devoid of pigment, tall, thin and looming he didn’t wear cloaks or dark clothing. At first glance he looked like any other guy who puts an extra thought into his hiking trails running in for an after run. He wasn’t flaunting his vampireyness but he also wasn’t hiding it. Walking over and pulling out the new lines of Red in a Bottle and Bloody Bites.

  Though she couldn’t blame anyone for not knowing what the marks that poked through clothing meant. She probably wouldn’t have recognized them if she hadn’t seen them every morning on a mug. He was a powerful enforcer, mid ranking though she couldn’t tell what hive structure he might belong to or what his specialties.

  What was truly foolish not to recognize was the way his gaze flickered over to them looking them over coolly. A silent but recognizable danger.

  When the men approached her with a six pack that they really didn’t need they looked her up and down and sneered. She tugged the six pack over and began checking it out.

  “You aren’t a vampire bitch are you?” The sneering one asked and the other blinked and looked at her as if trying to crack a lock with a tikes hammer. Yup. Idiots, she decided as the actual vampire got into line behind them. Misery looked at the two at her register and knew that they were the type to destroy anything just because they thought. The idea of needless pain infuriated her but she gave her best bored employee who doesn’t give a fuck what they do as long as they go.

  “Dude, I’m just a cashier.” Misery was good at shifting her tone. They defused but smirked at her.

  “Why you working this late if you’re not a blood sucker?” The confused one asked. Misery handed them their beer. They didn’t take it.

  “You going to answer him.” The other pushed. Building themselves back up. Misery flicked on her bitch.

  “I work here because it suits me and it pays more then I could work anywhere during the day. Now you’re going to take your things and leave I have another customer, a short patience and the Sherriff on speed dial.” Misery informed.

  They called her a bitch made a bit of a verbal scene and knocked things over but they left and Misery scuffed and jotted down their license plate number twice. Tear one off. Misery glanced at the vampire as she checked him out and decided how to play this.

  “Those guys are fucking idiots they’re just out for blood.” Misery growled. Then she slid the number over. “I don’t know if you care much but I think it’s a good idea if more then one of us has this to keep an eye out.” Misery offered. The vampire took it looked at her disinterested and stuffed it in his pocket before handing her the money for his things and leaving.

  Misery watched him leave and had a gut feeling that those idiots would find someone who fit the horror movie image and she hoped the vampire enforcer found them whether they were right or not.

  Misery leaned back in her chair and began sketching the vampire from memory filling in the symbols how she assumed they went. She’d look up the ones she didn’t recognize when she got home. She had the sketch book set aside and the place was dead when the door jingled. She looked up at a tall blonde man who looked around the area before his eyes set on her.

  His eyes were a sharp and unmistakable violet-pink that looked at her like they could make her buckle. Misery felt her breath stall for a second. She didn’t need to think instinctively she knew he was a vampire even if she recognize none of the marks on his skin.

  “May I help you?” She hissed out not letting herself be floored. He continued to silently look her over. She glanced at the time to see how much flittered by. Then a thick accented voice flittered out.

  “Did this man come through here?” He asked flashing a clear license type photo of the vampire from earlier. Misery leaned forward and took a long moment to look it over as she decided how to act. Misery hummed and shrugged waving a hand.

  “You know them hiking types they’re always in and out around here with the Mountain Grove hiking path. He may have come through earlier but I was honestly more distracted by these ass holes talking about how they were going to fuck up some vampires and assuming I was one of them. Geniuses really.” Misery offered rolling her eyes. She opened her mouth to continue talking and watched him lose interest in her. He left as silently as the first vampire.

  Misery pulled out the sketch book again and once again jotted down the face and the markings.

  When Misery finished, she looked at the face and shook out her hands.

  The two guys were idiots, and she knew how to handle idiots. The first vampire was obviously dangerous, but he had no interest in her. But the second vampire she had no doubt if he thought it, she’d be a memory and it did send a shiver down her spine.

  Still, she wondered what he was up to.