Evolution Of Vampires

Chapter Three- Kyler

Shelby was getting ready in the bathroom for her and Kyler's one year anniversary. He was taking her out somewhere special which happened to be where their first date was at a little diner that had some of the best burgers. They hadn't gotten to go on a date in a long time because Shelby works 2 jobs and Kyler works full time at a grocery store. It was hard to find time to spend together, but nonetheless, every moment together is worth every hardship. 

Shelby met Kyler at the same pizza parlor as Dave when she was 19 and Kyler was 23. It took the first moment seeing him to know that she had a similar strong connection to him as Dave but it was something more. She couldn't help but want to be friends with him. She could feel that he had good vibes about him, and his aura was green mixed with a little pink which meant that he was kind, compassionate, loving and openhearted which drew her in more. Those types of auras often build walls and a lot of boundaries with people which Kyler did have. It took Kyler a couple of months to warm up to her, she offered him several rides home which he refused because he had other rides arranged, but one night, he decided to go with her. Instead of taking him straight home, they decided to go on a drive together. They got to know each other pretty well in one night; learning about the others likes and dislikes, their pasts and moments that changed their lives. On their drive, they even had a strange ghost truck encounter, similar to that episode of of Supernatural where that ghost truck would just show up and drive people off the roads and kill them... except that never happened, it was just a ghost truck that followed them and then just as it appeared out of nowhere, it disappeared. When they went home, they found out they lived in the same trailer park. just a street away from each other. Shelby and Kyler both had creepy things happen after going home that night which ended with Shelby sprinting to his house. She stayed with him until her roommate got home because she didn't want to be alone. He was completely fine with it since it meant spending more time with her, so they just sat and watched anime together. They never knew that one drive and a spooky night would bring them so close in a little amount of time. It only took them 3 and a half months to start dating and only took them 3 months before it was serious. They knew how they felt about each other, it was as clear as the sky is blue. 

"You ready, baby?" Kyler asked, peeking his head in the bathroom. She just finished putting her eyeliner on and smiled at him with the same loving eyes that he gave to her every morning. 

"Yep!" She said as she nodded to him. This was the first time in awhile that she actually finished getting ready to go somewhere on time.

They both walked outside, finding it was already dark at 6pm which gave Shelby slight shivers. That's Alaska in the winters for you, though. It made Shelby's eczema go crazy half the time, but hopefully not tonight. 

They drove to the diner which was only about 10 minutes away and listened to their lofi music while talking about the food because lets be honest here, who isn't going to talk about the food on the way there? Food is delicious.

After they were seated, Kyler reached over and grabbed her hand gently, smiling at her. She smiled back at him.

"Did you decide on what to order?" Shelby asked him.

"Hmm.. I'll probably just get the usual. Plain burger and fries." Kyler replied.

"I think I want the bacon burger.." Shelby said, staring at the menu.

"Don't feel rushed. I can wait twenty minutes for you to decide." He said, giving her a little sarcastic smirk. She just gave him a look to shut his mouth, He just chuckled at her and played with her hair.

"Now that you said that, maybe I will." She said, jokingly as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Betttt!" He said, making her laugh and roll her eyes.

As the waitress walked over, Shelby's eyes locked onto a figure standing outside one of the windows by the entrance, but once the waitress walked passed and blocked the view of the window for a second, the figure was gone. She stared at the window for a moment, unsure of what she saw, but was tapped on her shoulder bringing her attention back to the waitress who was staring at her.

"I'm sorry, I just got lost in thought for a moment." Shelby said with a slightly shaky voice. Kyler gave her a concerned look.

"What did you wanna order?" Kyler asked her.

"Oh, um.. just a bacon burger with fries, please," Shelby told the waitress who nodded and walked off. She was confused for a moment and looked to Kyler. "Did she even take your order?"

"Yeah.. She took mine first while you were staring outside that window over there." Kyler said, nodding his head in the direction.

"Oh, I hadn't realized I was staring for that long. I'm sorry." Shelby said, sighing. She didn't know what was going on with her recently. She kept seeing this figure everywhere she went but it would just disappear, almost like that ghost truck they saw that one night except that this was a person, but even that didn't feel right. Who or what was is it watching her and why?

"Baby, I think you've been overworking yourself again. Maybe you should ask for a couple of days off?" Kyler asked her but she shook her head.

"No, I'm fine, I promise." Shelby assured him, but even she wasn't believing it.

While trying to enjoy a quiet evening with Kyler, Shelby had felt on edge almost the whole time. It was hard for Kyler not to notice it and feel worried about her which she knew he was trying to do by pretending to be okay. She could feel his energy changing a lot throughout their dinner but she didn't know what to do to help that.

"Here's your check. Just take it up to the front register when you're ready." The waitress smiled and walked away. Shelby went to slip her card into the check holder but Kyler got to it before her.

"It's my turn to pay." He said, planting a soft kiss on her cheek making her forget about her worries for a few moments which did help her calm down.

"I love you." She told him, staring deeply into his brown eyes.

"I love you, too, Shelby." He replied, a warm smile spreading across his face. That smile is one of the things that gets her through everyday, that smile is what warms her heart after working 10 hour days and having to deal with petty and rude customers that make her heart want to turn cold, that smile is what she fell in love with the first moment she saw him.

"Lets go pay." She told him, taking his hand and grabbing her purse with the other. They walked up to the register holding hands and paid for their meal; Kyler left the waitress a generous tip before they walked out and started heading toward the car.

"I wanna take you somewhere." Kyler told her, eagerly, suddenly becoming almost like a child as he skipped in front of her and took both of her hands. 

"What? Where?" Shelby asked, giggling at his antics.

"Somewhere special." He replied, mysteriously.

"Kyler, you know I hate surprises." She told him.

"I know, I know. Just this once, I promise." He said, giving her his smile she can't refuse. 

"Fine." She said, rolling her eyes playfully and planting a smile on her face.

They got into the car but Kyler drove this time. He drove them a ways out the road until they got to a pullout spot and she knew what he was doing at this point. This is where they watched the stars together one night until it started to rain. He shut off the car lights so you could see the stars shining brightly down at them, the moon was out of view at the moment but what really caught her attention was the colorful green and pink lights dancing across the sky. Those are known as the Northern Lights, or also as the Aurora Borealis.

Shelby's eyes filled with excitement. It had been so long since the last time she saw them when she was 12 years old and now she's 22, making it 10 whole years since she saw them. Kyler smiled at her lovingly as she watched the sky long enough for him to reach into his jacket pocket to pull out a little black box.

"This is so amaz-" Before she could finish, there was sudden banging on the car that felt like it was coming from every direction which made both of them start screaming.

"What the hell is that?!" Kyler yelled.

Without thinking, Shelby reached over and turned on the headlights and almost as suddenly as the banging started, it stopped. She looked around the surrounding area and saw nothing, it was completely empty. Kyler was panting, his heart racing as he slipped the little black box back into pocket and started to drive away. Shelby was terrified, mostly for Kyler, but whatever that is out there has been tormenting her. What did it want?

"D-did you see anything?" Shelby asked him, shakily.

"No, I didn't." Kyler replied, his voice cracking.

"What do you think it was?" She asked him.

"It had to have been a bear." Kyler told her.

"Why would a-" Shelby was cut off by Kyler.  

"Because what the hell else would do that?!" Kyler shouted and Shelby looked down at her lap with a small shrug. 

The rest of the drive was quiet, neither of them saying a word to each other. They went back home like it didn't happen and Kyler made sure all the doors were locked and Shelby even saw him check all the rooms and closets before coming to bed and holding onto her tightly. She knew that even he didn't fully believe it was a bear.