Monsters on the Corner (BXB)

Ch.3

I was just walking and who knew I'd find someone in need of help. I wasn't the one to ignore people especially since my job was to deal with people, or just mostly their problems and their attempts to forget, but this wasn't some joker's rant it was a serious thing.

Some kid called out,"Can somebody help me?"

"Ain't no one here to help," he pushed the kid down as if he were nothing,"what are you goin' do? Huh, bitch."

"That's enough," I stepped out my hiding place, "Leave the kid alone."

He turned and looked as if I was just a joke," And what are you going to do, waiter? Go wipe down a table or something."

"I'm actually a bartender, jackass," I clasped my hands together and threatened," Now, are we going keep talking or you finally going to pick on someone your own size?"

"Whatever kid wasn't worth i-" my fist interrupted our conversation, too bad it was a pretty good one, but he was wrong he was worth it, everyone is worth something you just gotta ask for the right price.

"You, ok kid?" I reached my hand out and pulled him up.I noticed his knee was scraped but otherwise fine.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. Sorry, but I've got to get to class. Thanks, mister." He began to run out of the dark alley but I knew something was off about him. Not like I cared though my job was finished and I wanted to get back to my slice of heaven.

I invested every penny I had on that bar nearly five years ago and it's been great since. No problems, only patrons, and rare guests. The reason, we're all "monsters" people nobody knows about, folklore and fairy tales. I'm a werewolf and nobody wants to bother Ol' Wolfy. I go by Max Lupin though not a lot of people nowadays know about us. Think we are a dying breed, Nah just a moral and lonely one. People only want to make movies about us now, thinking we won't do anything or at least something like that. Sad kids with no hope want to be us but the life of us isn't as great as it seems; not aging, paying taxes, et cetera, normal lives the only thing that separates us is hobbies, tastes, and blood type. Nothing more, nothing less.

I just wanted nothing more than to find something to keep me here and I found it.

"Oh my God, are you ok?" said some college prick after he tripped a kid and just laughed at the kid afterward. Poor kid, he looked so happy not like I can't change that though.

My tongue gets the best of me sometimes, and you can never take back the words you say, but I didn't regret a word that day. "Asshole," I grabbed the dangling hand left from the rejected offer of sincerity," you ok?"

His eyes just sparkled as he had trouble seeing me," Yeah, thanks," he still had my hand and decided to shake it," my name is Mason Heartsgrove."

I just smiled and replied," Max, Max Lupin good to meet ya'," my head rushed to say anything else something interesting, something normal, but normally they just walk off no kindness but he seemed different," I run the local bar." He let my hand go and I felt somewhat flushed and disappointed as I moved that hand behind my head. I had nowhere else to be so it seemed fine to walk with this guy. He was nice after all.

"What's the name?" he was interested and I know I've never seen him before, even that other kid had some smells of Salem on him. Who is this kid? Doesn't he know my place you don't go willingly unless you're one of us, and by us, I mean what others would call punkish?

"You really interested or is this just small-talk?" His brow looked like it was about to jump off his face from asking this question.

"Wow, you are really guarded aren't you," he started walking and we kept talking,"No it isn't small talk. I'm new to the area and I'd like a good place to get a burger or something."

"Oh," I say while I let out a sigh," well it's called the Shadow's Den. Most people just call it Max's or The Den." I felt odd asking him to come to my place especially since I haven't even asked him out for a drink but why not at the same place, "If you wanna go I can take you."

" Got any good food?" Is he really insulting my place and he's never even been there?" I'm joking I'm sure I can stomach anything you cook."

"For your information, you're not only talking to the owner you're also talking to head chef and bartender so if you order it I'll cook it," we kept walking I don't think he was thrilled about the idea of being in a bar especially since he looked under-aged," on the house."

"What!" his mood suddenly changed as if he was a completely different kid. He started tugging on my hand," Come on, let's go!"

"Just a few minutes ago you didn't even know what I did, much less where it was, now you expect you can take me there?"

"Google Maps, old man."

"Oh you think you're so handy with that phone, and I'm so old. Go! I'll beat you there."

"Oh your on. Just want to let you know I run half marathons." He started bolting down the sidewalk he was so cute the way he thought he could beat me.

I grabbed a small bubbly blue potion from my pocket and walked to a nearby building and whispered into the brew "Shadow's Den bar" and let the vapors fill my lungs and dance around my body. I closed my eyes and when I opened them I see the inside of my office. Ok so I cheated but I wasn't letting a little punk kid beat me. The familiar scents of booze and vomit, ah, this is what I call home. I walk to the kitchen and put a piece of meat on the grill, grab some buns and toast them, after that, I put some potato wedges in the fryer and he's all set for my great food. The meat is fresh, unfortunately, last week was the full moon. I killed a cow and broke a mailbox, I had to hide the cow, or stock some supplies, and fix the mailbox all before anyone would notice. I don't think the cow went unnoticed since there is "Lost Cow" posters around the farmer's markets.

I set the alarm to tell me when the food would be up and go to the bar and grab a rag and a glass. Waiting for the kid to show up.

Mason slammed the door open and the few people in the bar looked at him with wonder and weirdness," And how old did you think I am?"

Gasping for breath," I don't know thirty?"