《Nightshade Bar (Drinks In Apocalypse)》


 1. The Sun Was The Least Of Her Problems

    And then the sun went out and never came back.


    If that hadn¡¯t sent a chill running down your spine, Hannah didn¡¯t know what would¡­ but then again, there were far larger problems that maybe just the sun disappearing wasn¡¯t that big enough of a deal?


    Just as an example, totally not her own, but maybe when your uber perfect life that you¡¯ve spent so many years managing and perfecting¡ªbecause society was so hard to work with¡ªwas decidedly thrown into a puddle of gasoline and lit up in flames?


    Yeah, the sun was the least of her issues.


    It probably should have been, but let the more competent people take care of it.


    ¡°At least I don¡¯t have to worry about student loans.¡± Hannah muttered as she hid behind some dumpsters, crouched down low enough and proceeded to zip her mouth shut. She gripped her baseball bat and glanced up to see if it was hidden.


    Nope.


    It was poking out of the dumpster¡¯s lid and was a beacon to anyone that, ¡®Hey! This fool is hiding here! Sniper her out!¡¯ Hannah lowered it down a little and was now faced with the rather gruesome appearance of her beloved bat now decorated and enforced with nails, bloody bits and other disgusting materials as she felt her heart pound.


    Geez.


    Inhuman growls and grunts lurched in the Main Street as Hannah wished that her heart would stop beating too loudly because heck, she didn¡¯t want to die young. She held her breath¡ªwhich wasn¡¯t hard with the stinky bat¡ªbut it was only a matter of time before she was discovered and became mincemeat.


    Maybe she could use a little positivity?


    Well, hopefully, the pack of undead would just continue on and head elsewhere to find a place with much more humans than Hannah here all by her lonesome?


    Honestly, it wouldn¡¯t be that fun just sharing one meal so perhaps they¡¯d find a grander feast for them to conquer.


    Gotta look out for her zombie bros, you know?


    So yeah, why would Hannah look up into the sky and worry about the sun? There were by far a lot of things that needed to be addressed which had happened over the course of a year or two since the sun went out. So many things happened one after another which led to the disaster of mankind and everything else that came after it.


    Hannah sighed and felt her back itch. Terrible human thing. She attempted to scratch it with her bat, but stopped herself before she had done it and grumbled a little. A backscratcher would have been a better weapon, wouldn¡¯t it?


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    Well no¡­ but where was she?


    Oh right.


    If you wanted the events to be summarized in one beautiful word that sent echoes of existential dread and horror into your brain?


    Then it was simply this:


    Apocalypse.


    End of the world.


    Ragnarok.


    Okay, Hannah needed to stop thinking to herself and acting like she was narrating all of this but she hadn¡¯t seen anyone else alive lately.


    So yeah, either she was going to start talking to herself or go mad. Overall, the term apocalypse worked well enough because once the sun disappeared¡­ or rather was hidden from sight, all of them started coming out.


    Not the zombies.


    Undead?


    Er, semantics, but it wasn¡¯t them that Hannah was more worried about. Zombies were small fry, lacked the brain to make any coherent decisions and thankfully couldn¡¯t sense her that well as she had once feared.


    Those were mostly humans as far as Hannah was concerned¡ªlet their souls rest in peace.


    The real problem was the creatures that started popping when the sun went out.


    So-called creatures of the night.


    Not that Hannah actually saw one up close. One encounter with them was enough to kill you based on the stories she heard back when she was still with Martha and Joey. And the tales from the rest of the survivors when the government was still functioning?


    Her expression grew somber.


    For the people who survived these creatures or managed to see them far enough of a distance to tell the tale? Their lives were forever changed after that.


    Hannah felt her throat dry and she tried to erase the thought from her head because this was the last thing that she wanted to think about when she was all by herself and without anyone to rely on.


    However, it was already in her mind.


    Them.


    Creatures of the night.


    Not the glow-in-the-dark, sparkle in the sunlight and make million of dollars fantasy Vampires and sexy Alpha Werewolfs. Goodness, those poor fangirls had been the first victims according to the horror story of a poor guy named Matt.


    Perhaps they did look appealing? Hannah never really got the story straight, or managed to ask while she had been scarfing down her canned sardines, except for one thing about these creatures of the night.


    You needed to run in the opposite direction and hope that you could actually escape.


    So yeah, too dangerous.


    For Hannah, it brought far more questions as she pondered. Had they been hidden in humanity, submerged and only waiting for their time to shine at last? Er¡­ not shine, glow? Well, for them to finally step into the spotlight¡ªargh, regardless, the last thing that Hannah wanted to do was meet any of them.


    Of course, that might bite her in the back if those shows she had been watching were any indicator, but she didn¡¯t plan to stick around too long if she ever chanced an encounter. Hannah¡¯s stupid stomach decided to grumble and she reluctantly tried to wonder if it was worth it to pull that expired protein bar she had been saving.


    And then out of nowhere, something clanged loudly in one of the metal trash cans.


    ¡°Oh mother of holy nuggets.¡±


    Hannah¡¯s eyes went wide and she immediately crouched lower and prepared her bat. She threw one look behind her and hoped that the zombie party was already way up ahead as she prepared herself for her chance encounter.


    What was she going to face?


    Radioactive rodents? Mutant mice? Hannah hated dealing with those but she needed to kill it and make sure it didn¡¯t attract anything far bigger and dangerous than it. She bit her lip and watched the trash can continue to thrash around, before she eventually tipped it over with her bat.


    The clang was loud and Hannah sucked in a breath, but then she saw it.


    A black bundle of fur.


    No, no¡ªit was a cat.


    A cute little black kitty¡­ but then it started meowing and that was a death sentence.

 2. Are Black Cats Really Bad Luck?

    Why was it a death sentence, you ask?


    How could a precious black cat mewling be the worst thing that Hannah encountered in a while? Shouldn¡¯t you have an animal sidekick while you were experiencing an apocalypse? A beautiful bond formed between man and animal that would stand the test of time?


    She had to admit that this creature was adorable and a sight for sore eyes!


    Hannah offhandedly hoped she wasn¡¯t getting sore eyes¡ªyou kinda needed medication for that. But back to the little devil in front of her. This kitten¡¯s beautiful green eyes reminded her of that adorable puss who wore boots.


    That wasn¡¯t the problem.


    This one was actually less flashy than that cinematic cat legend and instead was more like a magnet for impending doom. The feline was no fast and furious killer. It did not have a death ray in its eyes or spat out acid¡­ but its ungodly wail?


    ¡°Oh, shut up, please.¡± Hannah hissed at it with little avail. She would have tossed it a can of sardines if it would have understood the bargain, but there was no way that she was opening up a can of perfectly good food and sharing it with someone else.


    Her tone only made it meow even louder as a look of betrayal flashed across its face.


    Or Hannah was just personifying it too much. Either way, the little kitty¡¯s piercing cry was so loud that Hannah knew she was literally toast. It was like the small kitten¡¯s lungs were ten times bigger than its supposed size and could have beaten an elephant with how immensely quiet the entire avenue was.


    Hannah¡¯s gaze darted behind her and she did not immediately hear the horrendous sounds of a zombie horde coming back, but her gaze then flickered up wildly across the building¡¯s rooftops for any signs of approaching visitors.


    Predators.


    She bit her lip so hard that it nearly bled and glared at the little kitten that kept crying and seemed to have been still begging her for food. Hannah would have whacked a rat to death, but this little cat could cry all it wanted as long as Hannah was fifty miles away from it.


    ¡°Shoo! Scram!¡± Hannah felt tempted to kick it away to shut up the feline, but that was definitely a no-no. People who kicked the dog, or a cat in this scenario, would have probably ended up getting their faces chewed out by a monster.


    Not that she believed in tropes or anything, but that was basically karma at this point.


    A shudder instinctively went down Hannah¡¯s spine.


    Whether it was her imagination or something else entirely, she thought she heard something large and heavy dart and skitter across the rooftops. Having no more time to waste, Hannah immediately scampered out of the alleyway and into the open street.


    The dumpster was in no place for any courageous meeting and standing down with feral monsters. She didn¡¯t want to face her death there at all. If she was going to die¡­


    Well, she wasn¡¯t really prepared, so she dropped that idea for now.


    Once she left, Hannah immediately met with the rancid smell in the air of a society left to rot without proper waste disposal, literal cars and other vehicles tossed over into the cracked pavement as if they were nothing more but toys and the general lack of semblance of any functioning system or order.


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    And if she squinted her eyes?


    She could see the likes of that zombie pack shambling down the road and groaning in the symphony of death¡¯s orchestra. There were stray and lone zombies lurking about, but Hannah could outrun them.


    All it mattered was that she had escaped from that beacon of demons.


    Or so she thought.


    The momentary lapse in judgement, or perhaps the kitten had every intention of scourging her for food, gave it the opportunity to rush out of the dumpster and happily follow her out here. This black cat seemed really intent on making her suffer.


    ¡°Oh god no, I don¡¯t want you.¡± Hannah threatened it with a bat and waved it around for the little bundle to see, but that only seemed to amuse it.


    Drats.


    She should have known by now that animals also experienced weird mutations and this one seemed to be a speedster, but she really wasn¡¯t feeling up to taking care of a¡ªthe thoughts washed away completely at the sight of the creature skulking behind the kitten.


    How did she not hear it land on the street?


    Hannah felt her skin fill out with goosebumps at its appearance. Large and could be quiet? It was a huge bulking figure that looked like it should have come out from a mad scientist¡¯s monster pod. Pure rippled muscle evident everywhere as it stood on its hind legs like a skinless rabid mutt and also had the extra horror of being paler than her bones.


    There were two eyes somewhere at the top, and extra ones along its side, like a freaky experiment between a dog, an oversized gym person and maybe a spider for all those extra eyes.


    Hannah didn¡¯t know why though, but its eyes were solely on the black kitten and didn¡¯t seem to pay any heed to her, as if the cat was the much preferable snack.


    Survival instincts told her to get the hell out of here as fast as she could and abandon the special kitty to its own demise. She didn¡¯t know if the cat was dumb, but it was now only looking at her as it licked one of its paws and rubbed itself clean.


    It really looked unbothered by the monster that was moments away from devouring it whole.


    Hannah hadn¡¯t survived long enough on mere altruism.


    However, against her very good judgement and instincts, or perhaps it was actually the opposite because she came to a belief that the cat actually knew what it was doing, she dove her hand deep into her pocket and snatched out the protein bar.


    She immediately tossed it against the monster, watched it hit it against one of its eyes and then pathetically dropped into the street in a single fluid motion.


    Did the monster register it¡ªoh yes, it did. She felt the air ringing in her ears and only saw a flash come at her. Hannah immediately flung herself to the left and dropped flat on the concrete, experienced the ebb of pain, and kissed the surface before making it back to her feet.


    She immediately heard the distinctive sound of the tricked predator crashing against a solid building and the distinctive sound of building blocks toppling against one another, to her relief. Not that it would stop the creature.


    Perhaps it would delay and knock it down a little, but she needed to escape.


    And for ideas, she threw a look at the kitten.


    Or where it was supposed to be and yet she had found it gone.


    ¡°Hah! I knew it was special!¡± Hannah laughed, then choked on thin air because now wasn¡¯t really a good time and haphazardly glanced around until she saw that the kitty had returned to the dumpster.


    The feline perched languidly against the large metal tin can of filth and trash.


    Hannah¡¯s mouth hung open, but she found herself at a loss for words. Why was it going back there? Shouldn¡¯t it have led her somewhere else into a place of safety or attacked the predator?! That would not work out for the two of them! The cat could hide in the dumpster but Hannah would¡­ no, it was too late for that.


    She should have known that it was no miracle worker, and yet she had mistakenly hoped for something to happen. In a world where monsters she had never once dreamed of coming to life, creatures of the night co-existing and yet the cat she met was nothing more but just a helpful in delaying her death.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± she cursed for real.


    Hannah clutched the bat in her hand tighter and glanced around wildly for an apartment with a glass window to which she could probably break and then barricade herself in. The chances of it working were actually not that bad.


    The predator she encountered didn¡¯t seem to be top tier elite types yet so there was still a chance of surviving. Before she made her impromptu getaway, a flash of illumination suddenly burst out from the dark alleyway.


    Out of nowhere, a sliver of light seeped out from a dark and heavy metal door, one of those back doors that incidentally often opened up to dump alleys¡ªsomething Hannah was sure didn¡¯t exist there before, not that she was going to file a letter of complaint.


    ¡°Ah, so there you are, Casper. Sly bastard.¡± A voice marveled and chuckled in a deep tone. ¡°Evelynn had been looking everywhere for you. Come in now.¡±


    Not exactly what Hannah had been expecting, but she was taking her chances.

 3. Predators Are Treated Like Pi?atas

    It wasn¡¯t every day that Hannah stuck her foot out and nearly got it pulverized¡ªokay, maybe it happened once or twice in the past. You couldn¡¯t actually blame her on that part if you considered the circumstances.


    People were into slamming doors in the faces of their fellowmen trying to survive out there. This action also happened several times over to keep zombies and other monsters out, but Hannah hadn¡¯t been counting on it to happen again, much less for it to happen to her.


    But as fate may have wanted it to be, it still happened. When the dark kitten mewled in greeting to the mystery stranger inside and slunked in, it was the exact moment that the man started to close it on her.


    So Hannah did what every overworked and underpaid worker did when the elevator door or train was about to close and they were carrying twelve cups of coffee in their arms and a bag of donuts in their hands¡ªthey placed their best foot forward.


    Ahem. Stopped the closing with their foot, but she digressed.


    There really wasn¡¯t even enough time to think about it. Especially with that beautiful hunk of predator just a couple of meters away and slowly recovering from their headbutt with the building opposite of theirs, so Hannah needed to get in this door fast or die trying.


    ¡°Excuse me, this cat savior is coming through.¡± Hannah gave her best smile and leaned back a little to confront the person and was welcomed with a rather¡­ unusual appearance that left her smile faltering slightly.


    She may have batted an eye at the door suddenly popping out of nowhere similar to that wandering castle or teleporting door tale she once loved reading as a child, but Hannah clearly had her limits when it came to meeting another face.


    Which, by the way, Hannah just needed to mention, was plainly inhuman.


    Or perhaps it was as human as it could get except for the key and distinctive features that sent miniature alarm bells ringing in Hannah¡¯s brain. The name was at the tip of her tongue. But for the life of her, she just couldn¡¯t find it within her to speak it out.


    A bead of sweat slid down the corner of Hannah¡¯s temples as she encountered her very first creature of the night.


    The man¡¯s dark red eyes took one look at her and his rich voice suddenly hinted at a velvet and dulcet tone as he gave her a mildly sycophantic smile.


    ¡°Actually, pardon me instead, human. If you¡¯d prefer to keep your foot attached to your body and your bodily functions in optimum state¡­  May I suggest that you remove it from obstructing the doorway?¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    There was something about his tone, that sudden glint in his eyes which would have made dozing off apparently easy. It had that suggestive quality that unfortunately no therapist of Hannah ever mustered before.


    Hannah blinked, and she struggled at once.


    ¡°Oh¡­ okay¡ªbut, sorry to bother you, I¡¯m going to die out here!¡±


    Hannah would have gotten dazed by this guy¡¯s dashingly good looks and that hypnotic gaze he was doing at perhaps at any other time. She would have probably jumped out of a cliff in a heartbeat, but with her life already at risk and completely in her literal hands because of the pressuring weight of a monster behind?


    She managed to snap out of it.


    Instead, Hannah jabbed her bat behind her and gestured with the enthusiasm of a fan who got their hands on some limited color glow-in-the dark sticks at their favorite J-pop Idol¡¯s concert and was serving their heart out in a silver platter to their beloved bias.


    ¡°You can¡¯t leave me with this thing crawling about!¡± Hannah wildly glanced back behind her.


    The man, if he could have really been called a man, sighed heavily and fixed his gaze over Hannah¡¯s shoulder and finally found the monster in question. There was a mild look of what appeared to be annoyance written over his face at being disturbed and delayed.


    Hannah was clearly stopping him from doing some important business because compared to her haphazard, silly patched clothes where she looked and smelled like she could use about ten hot baths, the man on the other hand was inexplicably dressed in a clean white collared shirt paired with a slick dark vest on him as far as she could see.


    She could also faintly hear music and distinctive colorful lights behind him. Unfortunately, the little black cat was already nowhere to be found. Hannah felt a bit betrayed because she thought she had a connection with it, but apparently they did not.


    At this point in time, the Predator already had gotten over the concussion of slamming its head on a building and being toppled with the weight of it and now saw that Hannah was just up ahead. It suddenly raged as if it recalled the memory of being tossed an unopened protein bar.


    Before it could barrel its way, attack Hannah and wipe her off the face of the earth, however, the man inside of the doorway sighed and twisted his fingers idly.


    In a case of morbid fascination and being paralyzed in place, she ended up seeing the effects of that one tiny but powerful gesture. The monster convulsed once as if its insides were suddenly churned and then it exploded like a soda can, spewing out all the pent up air pressure and fizz from within it.


    Or it burst out like a popped balloon.


    Well¡­ it was more of something like a pi?ata, now that she had to think about it.


    Predator or not, the creature ended up spattering its innards in a miniature explosion which covered the entire street with its entrails, guts and other ingested contents and heavily splashed against the unsuspecting zombies nearby.


    Once it was all over, Hannah¡¯s jaw dropped and she involuntarily took a step back away from the man¡ªno, this literal sentient monster that also finished off the other sentient, but less talkative monster.


    ¡°Problem solved.¡± His voice chorused.


    Hannah glanced back just in time to see him smile thinly at her and then closed the door on her face. The moment that he did, the presence and sight of the metal door immediately vanished from the brick wall and Hannah was once again alone with the dumpster.


    Except this time, she was left with the evidence of a predator lying dead in the open to serve as a souvenir that it actually did happen. Hannah was not fantasizing, and neither had she accidentally unlocked powers or anything.


    Hannah sank down back on the street for a moment to gather her bearings.

 4. Avoiding The Memory Lane

    After a couple of seconds, because that was all you could afford in an apocalypse to gather your breath, Hannah prepared to stand up and brush everything off. One way or another, you ended up needing to learn how to prioritize and to look at the bright side.


    ¡°I¡¯m good, I¡¯m alive and I¡¯m a-okay!¡± she said and slung her bat across her right shoulder.


    Hannah took one step forward, saw the still disgusting puddle of monster juice littering the street, and halted momentarily in her tracks. It was now infested with flies and now one of those rats which was clearly from the dumpster right next to her had finally come out and greedily slurped up the juices.


    ¡°Ew.¡±


    She scrunched up her nose and idly wondered if she could just tiptoe around that corpse¡¯s fluids and then leave. Or maybe she needed to wait? She didn¡¯t want any gunk in her already worn down sneakers. What if her shoes suddenly got holes from the stomach¡¯s acid?! Even if the rat was happily chugging the juice down¡­ it was hard to take any chances.


    This was a big no-no.


    You needed to have proper footwear in the apocalypse and she didn¡¯t survive by taking enormous risks¡ªsave for this recent one, but normally you didn¡¯t end up encountering a magical monster who saved you because they wanted you to leave.


    ¡°Argh¡­ you can do this.¡±


    Hannah knew she was actually delaying herself from leaving the alleyway where the door opened up, but she had to leave sooner or later. There was nothing good that could come out from interacting with other people.


    ¡°I dodged a bullet back there.¡± Hannah told herself.


    She was determined to convince herself of that fact. Yes. She was supposed to be grateful that she didn¡¯t end up dying. Pretend for a moment that her luck, terrible luck, finally gave her a win this day and survive that encounter with not only a Predator but that Vampire.


    It had to be a Vampire, right?


    It didn¡¯t particularly matter.


    She shook her head and finally tiptoed around the remains of the Predator, glanced over to the left and saw a couple more zombies just mindlessly standing in their corners¨CHannah was fine as long as they didn¡¯t sense her presence, aka, trigger their aggression, and soon she was walking down the opposite direction.


    Hannah ended up staying close to the buildings, trailing her left hand idly across the bricks and feeling the dust accumulate through her fingertips. However, as long as she kept one side of herself protected from any sudden attacks, then it was fine.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Where was she exactly going?


    She didn¡¯t exactly know.


    The last place where Hannah ended up wasn¡¯t¡­ there anymore, so it was up to her to survive on her own or find another of those evacuation shelters or ''sanctuaries''. Although, if she was being honest, Hannah just wanted to survive all by herself because being with a lot of other people wasn¡¯t as always wonderful as it cut out to be.


    A soft guttural sound of death was nearby and when she looked up ahead, she ended up seeing one of those zombies just a couple feet away from her and it was still in a state of mindlessness. Hannah slowed down and took in the grotesque appearance of this person.


    No.


    It was the husk of a former person.


    If there was anything there, Hannah didn¡¯t see it at all. It was nothing more than a shell and a danger if she accidentally aroused the zombie to attack her if she dared come closer to its perceived determined territory or radius.


    Hannah held her breath and bit back down the urge to gulp.


    She could see that it was formerly a man, or seemed like a man based on its outfits. He was garbed in business attire, and there was even a briefcase with the zombie¡¯s attached rotten hand still clinging to it underneath the windowsill of long-dead flowers.


    Hannah even noticed the gleam of an old wrist watch attached to the zombie¡¯s hand.


    Most of the time, zombies gathered in packs and traveled across the wasteland cities, hunting and searching for prey. Hannah didn¡¯t know if they had something like a hive mind, an ability to find prey, detect the living, or something else.


    This one, however, was only standing close to one of the residential buildings and didn¡¯t leave at all. Curiosity got the better of her and she ended up looking at the windowsill and wished that she didn¡¯t.


    It was nothing more but an old photo frame.


    They were really old-school if they still kept those instead of posting them on the internet, but Hannah¡¯s heart stopped a little at the sight of a father, child and dog in the picture. She didn¡¯t know if it was the same zombie in front of her now, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel a tiny sting of pain.


    Single father.


    Lone child.


    If Hannah wanted to take a guess, when the sun went out and their lives were all overtaken by the start of the apocalypse, the man might have wanted to stay close to home and keep his child safe?


    No.


    Hannah involuntarily stepped back, choking back on something that lurched in her throat. She didn¡¯t want this kind of imagination¡ªshe didn¡¯t want to sympathize, feel bad or anything at all. There was no time for any of this nonsense daydreaming.


    She wanted to stop thinking, stop feeling, she wanted¡ªthe zombie who had only been a couple feet away, mindlessly staying in place, suddenly leapt at her.


    Hannah¡¯s eyes widened, and she immediately swung with her bat.


    It collided with the zombie¡¯s face.


    Or would have collided with it, if not for a door suddenly slamming open, hitting the zombie first and sending it flying across the street and undoubtedly destroying it on impact. Hannah ended up smacking something else, or rather, someone else entirely.


    Mister Get-Your-Foot-Out-Of-My-Door caught the weaponized bat in his hand and threw an unimpressed look at Hannah, then back into the doorway. She heard footsteps coming around and then the familiar sight of a black cat prowling out to meet her.


    However, Hannah¡¯s gaze still went back to the man in question. She blinked up at her unexpected savior yet again, but before she could let out a word, the man beat her to it. He spoke again, this time displeasure evident in his tone.


    Although he didn¡¯t necessarily speak towards her.


    ¡°And yet again, my instincts are proven correctly. I told you it was a terrible idea.¡±

 5. The Friend Of My Enemy... Is A Friendly?

    ¡°On the contrary, it¡¯s not every day that Casper meets a lovely human.¡± A woman¡¯s voice rang out from the door, signaling the arrival of someone else. ¡°Do lighten up a little or else you¡¯ll scare them off.¡±


    Hannah blinked and glanced away to see a woman cautiously poke her head out of the door¡­ as if still trying to check the atmosphere and safety of the world. She had beautiful long brown hair cascading down like silky waves, and gorgeous green eyes.


    This newcomer looked at the end of the bat in the Vampire¡¯s grip and followed the line of the wooden weapon up to Hannah¡¯s hand and blinked once. Startled, probably. However, this woman still stepped out of the door with a pleasant smile on her face. She then touched the grouchy man¡¯s shoulder as if the creature of the night wouldn¡¯t just snap her hand off.


    ¡°Well, you know what they say, a little violence doesn¡¯t hurt much, right, Louis?¡±


    The creature of the night, who now had a name, sighed heavily and tossed the woman an unappreciative look. It clearly said it wasn¡¯t the time for any jokes. Now that he wasn¡¯t off to make Hannah leave with his hypnotic voice and gaze, it was clear to her that he was rather uninterested in the particular plight of her.


    Or anyone except of his own, really.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how you phrase it, I¡¯d rather not welcome this individual into the establishment.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± The woman frowned at him.


    ¡°There is nothing nonsensical about exercising precaution,¡± Louis said crisply. ¡°While we might have to interact with them on occasion, letting one of them visit is a bad idea. I do not understand why you wish to let¡­ this particular one inside.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure that she has a name.¡± The woman glanced at Hannah then whispered into the man¡¯s ear. ¡°Uh, you don¡¯t happen to know her name, do you?¡±


    ¡°Did you think that I would ask?¡± Louis raised a brow. ¡°It does not concern me.¡±


    If there was any lingering gratitude Hannah had towards him for saving her life again, well, she was glad that she didn¡¯t get a chance to say it. The smile on her lips was frozen, and one of her eyes twitched. This guy was lucky that he was currently holding onto the bat, or she would have smacked him for real this time.


    He was acting as if she wasn¡¯t right here!


    Hannah could hear everything he was saying¡­ and perhaps he was intentionally saying it aloud to spite her. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she was currently in the face of beings who could probably kill her in a heartbeat? She would have harangued him for his blatant racism.


    Compared to how this man treated Hannah as if she was nothing more but an insect he¡¯d rather not deal with¡­ he talked with the other woman politely and respectfully, though.


    Double standards, Hannah could see it as clear as day.


    Luckily for her, however, this woman seemed to be taking her side because of the black cat that Hannah totally did save.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°You¡¯re being quite judgemental,¡± the woman sighed at her friend.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t there to see it, but from the moment I opened the door, she quickly set out to attack me,¡± he said. ¡°If that doesn¡¯t set out as a good example as to why we shouldn¡¯t let her in, then you¡¯ve grossly underestimated their capacity for trouble.¡±


    The woman shook her head and patted the man¡¯s shoulder idly. ¡°I¡¯m sure that the two of you have gotten on the wrong foot¡­ so let me rectify that situation immediately. I give my greetings to you, human.¡±


    Hannah, who seconds ago, was a spectator in the interaction of these two gorgeous people squabbling, now had the woman¡¯s complete and undivided attention to her. Great. Just what she wanted.


    It was forever since she actually had to be placed in a social setting and she was more used to being ignored even back then. She bit back down a gulp and nodded in greeting.


    The woman¡¯s eyes lit up at her reaction before she smiled warmly. ¡°Ah, now there¡¯s that wariness I¡¯ve been expecting. Perchance I could get your name?¡±


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Also, do let me clarify that I did not mean getting your name for myself, if that is what you¡¯re worried about.¡±


    Hannah¡¯s eyes bulged. What did she just say?


    ¡°Are you just a bit tongue-tied?¡± The woman tilted her head and covered the man¡¯s face with her hand. ¡°Or perhaps this man is frightening you with his gaze. If so, do ignore the man behind me. He means no harm.¡±


    He lowered the woman¡¯s hand and gruffly spoke.


    ¡°Do not speak for me.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t scare her off, Louis.¡±


    Hannah thought she was talkative, but this woman was on another level. If Louis already gave her vibes of someone dangerous, this woman was also enough to make her uneasy. Not to mention that she was pretty in ways that made Hannah all more aware of how unkempt she probably looked.


    Still, Hannah had her pride, so she needed to say something! This woman said something about letting Hannah in their establishment, right? This was her chance to get inside of the building¡ªwhich actually did seem like a good thing¡ªbecause it had lights!


    It meant electricity, and probably an actual functioning toilet?!


    Hannah shouldn¡¯t mess up her future!


    And yet the look on Louis¡¯ face as his gaze narrowed imperceptibly on her made her tongue go limp. As if Hannah ended up consuming an entire tub of toffee chocolate ice cream on a whim just to see how much she could talk while eating them and only found herself with a sore throat.


    Dang it, now she suddenly missed ice cream.


    Hannah shook her head, directed her gaze to the woman, and she went for a smile. Or tried her best to go, for one. She wasn¡¯t particularly happy and so she was sure that it wasn¡¯t the best of smiles.


    Not to mention that she was more bothered than anything.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, er, well, you can call me Hannah¡­?¡±


    Yes, Hannah was the master conversationalist as usual. Give her ten points to her Charm stat because she had it in spades. She was tempted to lie, actually, but then what if these folks could tell between lies and truth?


    She¡¯d rather not risk it.


    ¡°Charmed.¡± The woman smiled and curtsied. ¡°My name is Agatha. I do apologize for my friend here. I¡¯m afraid that he¡¯s a lot more hissy compared to Casper, as you may know. Then again, it¡¯s not too often that my familiar takes a liking to somebody else¡­¡±


    Hannah knew that she was supposed to say something to that, but she couldn¡¯t help but pick out a few details about Agatha that called out to her. Compared to the man who saved Hannah, this beautiful woman was dressed differently.


    The Vampire appeared like someone who worked at a nightclub and had modern fashion taste, whereas this woman was dressed differently. It seemed like she was born at a different period of time. Well, she might have appeared closer to a nun, but the way her dark robes were fashioned loosely across her body and the way she spoke made Hannah think of something else entirely.


    ¡°A¡­ Witch?¡±


    Hannah muttered underneath her breath that she was shocked when Agatha clapped her hands all of a sudden. She nearly dropped her bat in fear as the woman came up to her. There was a gleam in her brilliant green eyes that now touched a shade of jade underneath the low lightning.


    ¡°Precisely!¡± Agatha said and beamed at Hannah as if she discovered the secret to life.


    ¡°If the two of you are truly going to converse.¡± Louis said at last, with far more reluctance in his voice. ¡°I think it would be far better to do it inside instead of out here at the door, Witch Agatha.¡±

 6. Of Deceptive Smoke and Fake Mirrors

    ¡°She¡¯s gaping like a fish, Agatha.¡±


    ¡°I think humans need to do that when they breathe.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s give her a moment then.¡± Louis eyed the human balefully.


    ¡°Sorry about that¡­ It¡¯s just been awhile since I¡¯ve walked into a place like this.¡± Hannah smiled sheepishly and cleared her throat. She forced her eyes away from the lights that hang overhead of them, sparkling like disco clubs, and finally met the eyes of the two. ¡°You know, with the end of the world and everything?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Witch Agatha pursed her lips into a smile as they walked down the hallway. ¡°Then please make yourself at home and enjoy our hospitality. This is a wonderful place, if I may say so myself.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Hannah bowed her head. She would have done anything for running water and a place that had electricity. Actually, as long as the place had a proper toilet and waste disposal management, she would have called this place heaven.


    ¡°Witch Agatha, may I remind you that this ¡®place¡¯ you speak of is not for you to share with?¡± Louis reminded her in a matter-of-fact tone. ¡°This is not a shelter for abandoned and orphaned humans, either.¡±


    ¡°I left them,¡± Hannah said. ¡°If anybody did the abandoning, it¡¯s probably me.¡±


    Louis stared at the fleeting haunted look on the young woman¡¯s face and inwardly sighed. ¡°I still voice my air of concern that this is not a good idea. However, I will concede to the fact that you may linger here for a short while. At least until your conversation ends.¡±


    The trio soon ended up in another doorway and while the preoccupied Louis still seemed concerned with conversation, Witch Agatha quickly threw the door open before he could do it himself. This time, Hannah heard the music louder than before and on top of that, she was finally given an image of an actual bar.


    No.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly a bar or a pub where you could make a ruckus and drink heartily and laugh out loud with your friends. It was more like a lounge bar where tired co-workers visited this place in order to relax after a tired day of work.


    It was where men in fancy suits arrived with a suitcase, eyed the beautiful lady dancing on stage and ordered alcoholic drinks that were shaken, not stirred. A place where a young man could be taken by his father and uncles, or older peers, in order to initiate him into the world of adulthood.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    This lounge had the air of sophistication, allure, and a certain inviting charm that drew you in. Hannah immediately realized that this place was fit more for Louis the Vampire than Witch Agatha, so it was clear who the real proprietor was of this fine establishment.


    Hannah stepped inside.


    She didn¡¯t even realize it at first, but her feet already drew her in. Worn sneakers made contact with beautiful tiled floors that probably cost more than Hannah would ever make in her life. They were so clean that Hannah could have probably eaten off the floor and it would be more sanitary than any other container she had eaten in for the past months.


    Hannah saw her reflection and immediately glanced up to pay attention to the luxurious upholstered dark sofas. They were truly lounge seats that allowed privacy for the people who visited the bar to relax and simply pay attention to their respective companions.


    The young woman didn¡¯t belong in this place with her appearance.


    Hannah¡¯s presence alone seemed like a far cry from this environment that didn¡¯t seem to even notice the growing trouble that lurked past its walls. This place was a perfect representation of unconcerned indifference to the world outside of them.


    All of its clientele were preoccupied with their own business.


    Were all of them Vampires? Could they smell and tell the difference between Hannah and them? As Hannah¡¯s gaze surveyed the place, she ended up making eye contact with a particular dancer on stage and felt her lips part open once more. One might assume it was because this was the first time Hannah saw a strip bar dancer.


    However, that wasn¡¯t the case.


    Initially, Hannah thought she heard the familiar tunes that were a mainstay for bars. Party music. However, she realized that this place was different, or they had changed the music. On the contrary, they were now playing a combination between ancient and modern, and it was distinctively not from her country either.


    But it fit the dancer.


    Hannah was so preoccupied with her surroundings that it was the first time that she had encountered such a beautiful being. As far as Hannah could she, the dancer was a woman.


    She had long and vibrant green hair that clearly hinted at the supernatural, along with her body¡¯s movements that were too fluid to be that of a human¡¯s. Hannah might have thought that a snake was a more apt term.


    This being was gorgeous and wore a white top fitted bra and loose harem pants accentuated with golden chains. It was an outfit that showed off a lot more skin than Hannah and Agatha, but instead of it being too much, it only revealed far more things about them than Hannah expected.


    Perhaps Hannah was making it all up, but as the dancer twisted and swayed to the beat of the music, there was no denying that this being embodied something to her. The dancer¡¯s gaze was beckoning, and her lips were in a relaxed, even impish grin.


    Freedom.


    Revel.


    Mischief.


    She was both dancing for the audience and herself. This being reveled in the gazes of the people that were on her, but the music didn¡¯t control her or forced her to dance¡ªon the contrary, she was the one who dictated and the music followed.


    Iridescent smoke was present on the stage, or that was what Hannah assumed at first until she realized it was not stage effects but was instead part of the woman herself. It was less smoke and more of a mist that covered the stage.


    A live djinn was now performing in front of them.

 7. Humans Are Supposedly Degenerates

    As Hannah watched, mesmerized and pulled by the performance, the Witch and the Vampire exchanged silent looks. Each one of them dared to convey a multitude of unspoken words with only their eyes until it ended.


    It didn¡¯t take too long for Witch Agatha who now wore a rueful smile to speak wearily.


    ¡°The end of the world¡­ I forget that¡¯s how humans see it.¡±


    It was audible enough for their intended recipient to receive it. Despite the music in the background, Hannah heard Agatha¡¯s words, so she glanced back over her shoulders and tried not to frown. Why did this Witch suddenly say that?


    How was even Hannah supposed to react to that?


    As the adrenaline she experienced finally waned and she caught her breath here, Hannah¡¯s brain seemed to at long last catch up to her sudden predicament. She wasn¡¯t sure why she initially thought it was a wonderful decision to come into an establishment belonging to dangerous people.


    ¡­Well, it was the sight of functioning electricity that drew her in, but was this really a good call? It wasn¡¯t like Hannah was bored enough to risk her life, or didn¡¯t have the leisurely activity of managing her own life while out in the apocalypse, but this?


    This was actually new enough for her.


    Was her own brain simply charged with dopamine for wanting to come in here? All of her actions so far had been led by the fact that it was different. The black cat with green eyes was different. It wasn¡¯t every day, or night, that you met creatures of the night and survived an encounter with them because they were different from what others claimed or told her.


    Hannah may have had terrible luck, but this was her best chance so far.


    Choosing between arriving at a ¡®sanctuary¡¯ filled with awful leaders that forced its helpless residents into unsavory roles and also decided who deserved to live and die, aka the worst of humanity, over what seemed to be the best representation of night creatures so far?


    She could have made less than better choices.


    ¡°Human.¡± Louis snapped his fingers.


    ¡°A-ah, brain fart,¡± Hannah said.


    He wrinkled his nose but then motioned to a more closed-off area with its own fancy shimmery red curtains separating it from the rest. It was something Hannah didn¡¯t catch at once in her first survey of the area. The translucent curtains pulled back slightly with an invisible wind and revealed a set of empty lounge sofas, far from its regular crowd of guests.


    ¡°If you have any intention of speaking with Witch Agatha about Casper, possibly receive a boon, then you can do that over there and not disturb anyone else,¡± he added. There was a clear warning in his tone.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Casper?¡± Hannah raised a brow and tried to keep her voice in a normal and, hopefully, non-irritating tone. She didn¡¯t want to get on Mr. I-Can-Blow-Your-Guts-Inside-Out¡¯s bad side¡­ even though it was obvious that he already didn¡¯t like her.


    Anyhow, his mention of her getting a boon didn¡¯t seem so bad either, did it? At least the guy told Hannah what she could expect out of a conversation from the Witch. No hexes, curses or anything unless she got on the Witch¡¯s bad side, maybe?


    But who was Casper again?


    ¡°Casper is my cat familiar, remember?¡± Agatha said helpfully as if she read Hannah''s lost expression. She gestured to that beautiful cat that suddenly slinked out from underneath her robes. It prowled around her leg happily and flicked its tail. ¡°The one you lovingly saved from that grotesque creature, if I heard it correctly?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Hannah nearly forgot about the cat. How could she have forgotten about the cat¡¯s name? ¡°I, uh, yes... I sort of risked my life to save it.¡±


    Louis rolled his eyes and then glanced back at his friend. ¡°I will leave the two of you for now, Witch Agatha. Please do not get yourself in far more trouble.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re simply going to talk.¡± Witch Agatha¡¯s eyes sparkled.


    ¡°Precisely. No oaths.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ah, then it simply means I can¡¯t make any promises to you.¡± Witch Agatha stuck her tongue and started to move. She glanced kindly and smiled at Hannah. ¡°Just follow me for now, dear. Louis here will be preparing us some snacks and refreshments.¡±


    ¡°I am not your servant here, Agatha,¡± Louis flatly said.


    ¡°But I am a guest, so you still have to take my orders.¡± Witch Agatha grinned and carried on without missing a beat. Despite not having any particular strengths obvious to Hannah, somehow, she had an upper hand when it came to certain things.


    Hannah immediately tagged after the much more friendly and hospitable Witch.


    Although, it was fair to say that the other person, Louis, seemed a lot more straightforward than this Agatha¡ªso it meant she needed to be on her toes. But then she immediately sank into one of the comfortable lounge sofas and nearly forgot why she was here in the first place.


    ¡°This is amazing.¡± Hannah didn¡¯t quite remove her backpack or let go of her bat, but she still felt the luxuriating comfort and feel of the sofa. Her lips broke into a smile and thought that if she was going to end up poisoned by Louis¡¯ food¡ªwell, at least she was going to die in an awesome chair.


    She was almost moved to tears.


    Not that Hannah could cry or show any weakness whatsoever. She couldn¡¯t be too emotional or let her guard down, so she immediately cleared her throat and paid attention to Casper prowling by his mistress¡¯ feet, and then fished out a compliment.


    ¡°Casper has really beautiful black fur,¡± Hannah said. Yes, that was something intelligible and even smart¡ªcompliment the cat. That seemed like a good direction for her to go in, right? She raised her head a little and met Witch Agatha¡¯s gaze.


    She actually looked unimpressed, and it was almost like she instantly dropped the Good Witch facade, and actually revealed that she had been a Wicked Witch all along? No? Yes? Witch Agatha¡¯s next words were telling of how she actually felt.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to figure out what Casper exactly saw in you because I¡¯ve already had my fair share of individuals who try to get in my good graces via praising my cat,¡± Witch Agatha said.


    Hannah winced, but didn¡¯t immediately get evicted. Instead, she watched Witch Agatha gently rest her foot on top of the feline. ¡°But I suppose it¡¯s better than trying to compliment me, as some degenerates once did.¡±


    ¡°Degenerates?¡± Hannah looked at her in confusion.


    The sound of soft bells suddenly clinked inside of the room and Witch Agatha threw her a wry grin. ¡°How long has it been since you¡¯ve seen one of your kind, Hannah?¡±