Not Horror – Page 3 – The Odd Cat Lady

The Adventures of Garl and Odra Manyboots- A Rough Introduction

It seemed the Eswa Adventurer’s Guild was the place to be tonight. The music was playing, the beer was flowing… And at the bar, Sterling Van Broom, a broomstick of a man with a curled handlebar mustache and a haughty expression was discussing some more sinister work with the guild master.

“So, do you have anyone for the job?”

The guild master sighed, rubbing his right temple and cursing the god that brought this man into his guild. He glanced over the adventurers in the room, the happy go lucky halflings singing about their latest heroics, the cheery gnomes playing cards, the delighted elves and humans mingling together after the successful defeat of a red dragon… and then his gaze stopped at the table in the far corner, tucked away just out of sight from anyone casually entering the guild.

“For something like that, you’re gonna want Manyboots and her friend,” the guild master said, pointing towards that table.

Third Shift

Vampires were a noble breed. A cut above the rest. Elegant, classy, and perfect in every way.

“Would you like fries with that?”

It was hard to be any of those things when you had to wear a stupid cap with golden arches on it. But frankly, Isaac needed to pay rent somehow, and third shift at McDonald’s was all he was qualified for.

Isaac groaned and pressed his fingers against his eyeballs once the latest customer left with their order. “How much longer until I can clock out?” He groaned to no one in particular.

“You still have two more hours, Isaac.”

Ah, there was his boss. Ed slid in beside Isaac, his eyes bloodshot and smelling like he’d just had a fresh encounter with a skunk. “You good?” He asked.

“Mmm…” Isaac took a deep breath (regretting it quickly, he’d never cared for the smell of marijuana and he didn’t believe he’d ever been around Ed without the man being stoned) before he nodded. “I got it. You can head into the back.”

Deep breath. Just another two hours. He was over a century in age. He could last another two hours.

He heard someone approaching and went into his spiel. “Welcome to McDonald’s, what would you-”

“Hey Isaac.”

No. No way. Isaac froze for a moment before he slowly looked up. The woman across from the counter wouldn’t appear as anyone special, just another person with the late night munchies. But last time Isaac saw her, he had come very close to getting a stake through the head.

The Babysitter

Isaac was hungry.

This wasn’t a hunger that could be solved by going to the fridge or ordering at a drive through. Unfortunately, this hunger could only be solved by one thing-

Blood.

The sun had just gone down, the cool autumn air nipped at noses but Isaac wasn’t bothered by the cold anymore. This quiet suburban neighborhood was as sleepy as it got, making it a perfect place for Isaac to strike. Sure in the cities, it was easier to find prey outside their homes, but they tended to be more guarded. They expected danger.

No one would expect something like Isaac out and about.