Destroyer of Time: Pyrokinesis

Chapter Sixteen: Connecting the Dots

I turned to the parking lot of Hot Zone and couldn't help but frown. Something strange was happening that night. I didn't notice it at first when I left home, but eventually, I realized that I was the only one driving around. I felt like I just entered a ghost town. There was no one around, and even the houses already had all their lights off. The entire town seemed to be sleeping. Sleeping just after eight in the evening. 

The night was silent. It was bizarre how quiet it was. The sound of cars on the streets I passed through, the chatters of people walking on sidewalks, or even the night insects' buzzing were all gone. Just thinking about the silence made the world seem even darker. 

The entire place was deserted. There were only three cars parked, and I recognized one of them as Nick's, so I parked beside it. Stepping out into the night, I couldn't help but shiver. It was particularly cold that night. I blamed it on the Fall season's weather even though it was warm the day before. 

I had a strange feeling churning inside me as I looked around. It made me uneasy not to see anyone anywhere. Our town wasn't big, but that didn't mean that it didn't have life. Usually, there would still be people lurking around, looking for something to ease their boredom. Not the case that night. The town felt like it completely shut down. 

I started walking to the store's entrance, grateful that I always kept an extra sweater in my car. I zipped up the apparel and noticed Nick through the place's window. From the angle I was coming from, he appeared to be alone—no other soul in sight. I quickly walked across the parking lot, wanting to get to Nick faster so I could ask him if he also noticed how dead it was that night. 

The familiar ringing of the bell chimed as I opened the door. The only occupants of the room looked at my direction when it did. Nick's face cracked into a smile, and waved at me. I was happy to see my best friend and all, but I found my attention veering heavier towards the person sitting in front of him. Apparently, during my walk across the parking lot into the diner, somebody else had manifested inside because I was sure that I didn't see anyone inside earlier beside Nick. 

As I walked towards their table, I pictured the view I saw from the parking lot, and I had one hundred percent certainty that the person wasn't in sight. I didn't let the curiosity show in my face because Nick was smiling at me the entire time. The other person didn't turn, though, until I was almost behind him. 

A sudden familiarity hit me like I knew who the stranger was, but I couldn't figure out from where. His straight nose framed the heavy thick-rimmed glasses that he was sporting, and for a second, he reminded me of a certain disguise of a popular superhero. He even had the same hairstyle, down to the little curled hair hanging on his forehead. 

He must have seen my scrutinization because a frown marred his face as he adjusted what appeared to be an all too massive brown jacket over his thin frame. I wondered if his father handed the coat down to him, and he was forced to wear it for sentimental values. I found that some kids had that kind of history.

I gave him a small smile, trying to look friendly but not too fake, so I didn't end up coming across as an asshole. I'd learned early that most people were sensitive to everything, and even just the smallest things, they would take it personally. So I always made sure that I showed respect and appeared friendly, fake or not, to make sure that I didn't offend anyone. 

     "Hunter, finally! We've been waiting for you forever." Nick wiped his hand on a napkin and scooted over to make some space beside him. 

I gave him the finger and took the seat beside him. "A bit dramatic tonight, aren't you? It's just," I looked at my watch. "Eight-twenty. You called me just after eight. Besides, it's not like you've been alone." My gaze went to the stranger that I was still trying to identify. 

Nick gave a soft punch on my arm and chuckled. "Right. Hunter, this is Jaiden. Jaiden," he looked at the guy. "This is Hunter."

     "Hey. Nice to meet you." I was a bit surprised when a very deep voice came out of the guy. His voice was almost as deep as Uncle Road's. 

I nodded at him and winced. "Hey. You too." I hesitated before I continued. "Although this might sound rude, I got the feeling we've met before. I just can't remember where. I'm usually very good at remembering things, but it's just escaping me tonight. I'm blaming the fever I had earlier for that bit." I smiled at him apologetically. 

A beginning of a smile appeared on the corners of his mouth before he shook his head. Nick laughed loudly beside me, and I gave him an annoyed look. I hated not being in the know, and at that moment, I felt like they were laughing at me. That was confirmed a second later. "Dude, you are such a d**k!" Nick chortled. He pointed at the guy. "That's Jaiden from our class, dumbass."

I looked at the guy and frowned again. I still couldn't place him. Is he really one of my classmates?

"I'm sorry, but I just can't seem to remember seeing you there."

The guy finally laughed and waved a hand in front of him dismissively. "Figures. I tend to sit at the very back of all of our classes, and you guys sat in the front most of the time. You were also always in a rush after every lecture, so we've never really interacted before."

I felt my face flushed when I heard another of Nick's boisterous laughs. "That's Mr. Perfect for you." He grabbed my shoulders and squeezed them. "His assignments, papers, projects—you name it, are never ever late. I'm slowly leaning towards calling him Robot boy instead of Hunter. Don't you think it's perfect?"

I glared at him and hit his stomach softly. "Try, and I'll beat you." 

He laughed at my face, unfazed by the threat. "Bring it on anytime. I'm gonna wipe you on the floor."

I threw him the middle finger, and he returned it. "I apologize for him. He was supposed to be born a snail, but the higher-ups changed their minds at the last second, but he still got the snail brain even after." I said to Jaiden, putting a remorseful look in my face. 

He burst out laughing. Nick rolled his eyes and wrapped one of his muscular arms around my neck. I resisted the tightness of it, but he was unrelenting. "I'm sorry for his behavior. He got lost in a corn maze when he was a kid, and aliens swapped him right out."

Nick gasped dramatically and pushed me away from him. "Dude! That's supposed to be a secret!" He lunged forward and started tickling me. I tried to deflect his attacks but mostly failed because Nick was annoyingly fast. We spent two minutes wrestling on that booth's small space, always aware of the food on top of the table not to hit it. 

Once we were both tired, we turned to see Jaiden laughing hard on the other side. "You guys are a riot." He mumbled in between chuckles. 

We straightened up and fixed our clothes, still smiling, before I plucked a still warm fry off the tray in front of Nick. He tried to swat off my hand, but he was too late. I popped it in my mouth and grinned. "So, you're one of our classmates, huh? Well, as I said earlier, it's very nice to meet you. I feel sorry you have to meet this fool, though." I pointed at Nick, and he tried to grab my finger, but I retracted it fast enough. "How'd you two meet anyway? Just from our classes?"

     "Mostly, yeah. I was actually surprised to see him here." He shifted in his seat. "I was just grabbing some dinner when I saw him sitting here, and he was nice enough to invite me to sit with him."

I gave Nick a sly smile and nodded. "Yeah. That's Nick for you, alright. Just the nicest."

Nick smiled, but he kicked me under the table, and I retaliated. "I am nice." 

     "Right. So yeah, long story short, just a coincidence that we saw each other."

My best friend grabbed a ketchup-soaked fry from his tray and chucked it inside his mouth. "This is our favorite spot. Hunter and I have been going here since we were kids. We're pretty much family with the staff here." 

I nodded at him in agreement. "Yeah. Speaking of staff, where's everyone?" I looked around inside the place and found no one else besides us. 

Nick shrugged, looking like he just noticed how empty it was. "Hmm. Not sure. George was here when I got here. He even made me food, but to be honest, I actually haven't seen him." 

Even Jaiden looked perplexed once he surveyed the area. He had a frown on his face, but he didn't say anything. "You guys want to hear something weird?" They both nodded. "On my way here, I noticed that there's no one around."

     "What do you mean no one is around?" Nick asked with a scowl.

     "I mean, there's no one around. I seriously didn't see a single person, driving or otherwise, anywhere. It's like everyone just decided to go home and sleep early or something." 

     "That's not creepy at all." Jaiden gazed outside of the window, searching for anything.

I drummed my fingers on the table. "Wanna hear what's even creepier?" They both nodded again. "The silence outside. Maybe it's just me, and I'm used to the noise everywhere, but I swear, if you step outside, you'll get creeped out how quiet it is." 

They both had their heads turned outside, watching the streets for any sign of people. "How about you guys? Did you see anybody else on the way here?"

Nick frowned while Jaiden looked thoughtful. "I don't remember, to be honest," Jaiden said.

       "Me neither. I'm not sure if I saw anyone or not. As I said, I saw George when I came in, but no one else." Nick explained.

I glanced at the door leading to the back of the place. "Did he say anything to you?" 

       "Not really. I greeted him. He did the same. Then he asked me what I wanted. Five minutes later, he brought my food out and then walked to the back. Haven't seen him since." 

       "I peaked in earlier through those small door windows when I went to the washroom cause I wanted to order food, but I didn't see anyone. I couldn't see well through it, though." Jaiden added, following my gaze to the door. 

Curiosity got the best of me, then. I stood up, and Nick followed me with his gaze. "What are you doing?"

       "I'm going to check to see if George's alright. He hasn't shown himself for a while, and that's pretty concerning."

Nick stood up. "I think he's alright, but can't hurt to check on him. I'm gonna go outside, and I'm gonna see what you're talking about earlier." 

Jaiden stood too and turned to Nick. "I'll come with you. I'm curious to experience it myself."

Nick gave him a brief nod. He looked at me next. "Just shout if you find anything." 

     "You too."

They both went towards the exit of the store while I approached the front. I hopped over the counter and made my way to the back area. I slowly pushed the door open and poked my head inside first, left to right. At first glance, I didn't see anyone, so I entered to search further. 

The area seemed deserted, and it looked like the people just left in the middle of doing things. Chopped vegetables were lying on the table, half cut. The fryers were still on, but fortunately, nothing was cooking. There was also a radio playing a familiar old song in low. 

I walked around, checking the only two rooms there and found them also empty. I even went to the walk-in freezer but found nothing there as well. If George was there earlier, he certainly wasn't anymore. I didn't see him anywhere, and I even went around twice to be sure. I also checked the back area using the back door, but he wasn't there. 

Nick and Jaiden just came in when I walked out of the back. They both turned to me, but I shook my head. "No sign of him. He left everything on, though."

Nick's scowl became deeper. "Hmm. Not sure where he went and why he would leave in the first place. Maybe he got an emergency, and he's gonna come back?" 

Jaiden looked unconvinced, and so did I. "Something weird's going on, guys. First, no one is around, and now, this?" I hopped over the counter and went to them. 

They both looked serious. "I think I'm gonna go home. I'm not sure what's going on, but I would feel a lot safer at home." Jaiden stated. 

Both Nick and I agreed. "Yeah. That's actually a good idea."

     "What're we gonna do about this place?" I asked, looking around the empty store. 

Nick glanced around and then shrugged. "Not much we can do, dude. It's not like we owned the place. Maybe George will come back to close later or something." 

He didn't sound like he believed what he said, but I agreed with him. There was nothing we can do about it. We didn't work at the place, so we had no right to act as if we did. Jaiden agreed. 

We walked out of the store, and I was once again met by the eerie silence enveloping our town. 

     "Alright. I'm gonna go, guys. Nice meeting you, Hunter." Jaiden started walking to his car. "See you guys later."

     "Later, man," Nick and I said in unison. 

We watched Jaiden get into his car and drive off the parking lot. Once he was gone, Nick turned to me with a frown. "Hey."

     "Hey. What's up?"

     "I was wondering. Did you happen to see the girl I was talking about yesterday anywhere?" 

I looked at him in surprise. "Dude, did you call me down here to ask me that? Is that why?" 

     "No. No. No. I really wanted to hang out with you," he quickly explained. "I just wanted to know if you did."

     "This girl must owe you a lot, huh?" I started laughing but stopped when he remained serious. Nick wasn't the type to be serious ever. So it was disconcerting to see him act like that. He usually was the loud one between the two of us, so his silence was a bit creepy. I cleared my throat. "Nope. Bedridden all day yesterday after we saw each other last and today. So never even had the chance to see anyone." 

He looked deep in thought. "I see." It was apparent when he forced a smile on his face. It was more of a wince, and it was a bit scary. "Well, I'm gonna go home. Sorry for making you go all the way here for nothing."

     "Don't worry about it, Nick. Not your fault that everyone in town is acting weird." 

We walked together to our cars. "I'll call you later when I get home."

       "Alright. Sounds good."

He opened his door and got in, but before he drove away, he rolled down his window and called out.      "Hunter! If you see that girl I was talking about, let me know."

Holy s**t! Enough with the girl! 

I smiled at him and put my thumbs up. He grinned at me, and for a second, he seemed like his old self. I was a bit relieved. He pulled off the parking lot and left with a wave. 

I watched his car disappear from sight before I turned to my car. As I was about to open the door, a familiar voice called out. 

       "Well, fancy seeing you here, Mr. Pendigram."

Startled, I swiveled quickly, losing balance and slamming my back on the side of my car. There was definitely a pain, but the quick beating of my heart overshadowed that. Nick kept talking about "the girl" that she seemed to materialize in thin air because standing beside a huge tree, not fifteen feet from me, was Rizza. 

I didn't expect to see her. Not outside of Hot Zone out of all the places. But I didn't expect to see the look in her eyes more. Anger. 

       Oh, s**t, Pendigram. What have you done now?