The Devils Angel

Chapter Two

Chapter Two.

I woke up to the bright sun high up in the sky coming through the sheer blinds. Looking at the alarm clock beside the bed it was 10:00am. I got dressed in denim shorts and a tank top, it was going to be a hot day. I tied my hair up in a messy bun and shoved all my belongings back in the duffel bag, hitching it over my shoulder as I made my way back to the bar. The door was locked but there was a key deposit box next to it. I chuckled to myself as I dropped the key in it, they’ll have fun figuring out which room to clean.

The main road into town was quiet, so I couldn’t hitch a ride. But from seeing the lights of the town from last night I knew it would be a quicker walk than it was back to the bus port. Hopefully not longer than 10 minutes in this heat, and I also hoped if I couldn’t find a place to stay there would at least be a motel, I did not want to walk back and forth like this back to the bar every day. Or maybe I could just work at the bar and stay there permanently. I scrunched my nose up at the thought.

***

12 minutes later and I was in town, the Main Street was now lined with nice houses and roads that lead to more houses, not far off in the distance I could see more like the city centre of the town if you could even call it that. It looked quaint though, and I liked that. Nothing like where I came from. The further I walked the saltier and fresher the air seemed, I knew I wasn’t far from the beach. I kept walking along until I got more towards the city centre. For a small town they actually had quite a lot, a nice restaurant with a little bar, on the other side of the road from that was a grocery store and a post office. A few antique and clothing boutiques, an office building and a cafe. And a real estate agent. That’s what I needed. I crossed the road to get to it and looked at the windows. There were a lot of houses for sale but not many for rent. But enough to hope one might’ve been cheap enough.

I decided to walk inside and speak to someone instead of just window shopping.

I walked into the store and there was a young lady sitting at the reception desk, she looked up at me with wide eyes.

I looked at her with my brows furrowed, wondering why she looked at me like that. I had a few tattoos but it wasn’t like they were on my face or with piercings sticking out or even crazy coloured hair.

She shook her expression off her face, “sorry, we don’t really get that many visitors. What can I help you with?”

“I’m looking for somewhere to rent,” I said, walking up to the desk, “somewhere cheap, no lease and preferably cash, do you have anything like that?”

I’d be surprised if she did, it definitely wasn’t a usual thing. Usually there’s background checks, contracts, deposits, bank account checks, all those things.

She looked me up and down for a while, confusion across her face. I watched her emotions change constantly as she thought about it, I could read her like a book.

After a minute she finally spoke, “leave me your name and number and I’ll call someone. I’ll let you know what they think, don’t run off too far.”

She slid a piece of paper and a pen across the desk to me and I scribbled down my name and number.

“I’ll be down at the beach,” I told her.

“Perfect,” was all she said and went back to typing on the computer in front of her.

I left the office and continued my exploration of the town towards the beach.

***

The beach was deserted, it obviously wasn’t an attraction to the locals. The distance from the shrubs, to the sand, to the beach was short and there wasn’t any waves, it was a particularly calm beach. I sat on the dry sand and just watched the horizon, thinking. About things I probably shouldn’t, about the past.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed before I was brought out of my thoughts by my phone ringing. It had to be the girl at the real estates, no one else had my new number.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Bailey? It’s Valerie from Cooper Real Estate,” I assumed it was the girl from behind the desk.

“Yes, this is she,” I said, expecting her to say more.

“I have a house you may like, it’s cash in hand. The owner said he’d meet you there in half an hour.”

“Great,” I actually smiled, it was all working out, “where is it?”

“It’s 1 Pecker Drive, are you at the beach?” She asked.

“Yes, I am.”

“Okay, if you look towards Main Street from the beach it’s your first right, there is a street sign. It’s the house at the end of the street, it’s pretty secluded. The other houses stop half way down the street but just keep going and you’ll see it.”

“Okay thanks, how far a walk from Main Street?”

She thought for a moment, “bit longer than 5, but not as much as 10 minutes.”

“Okay got it, I’ll head there soon. Thanks again.”

“You’re welcome, if you get lost just call me back on this number.”

“Thanks, bye.”