Cafe

                                    

                                          
grian pov
I groaned as my alarm buzzed obnoxiously, the faint purple glow in my eyes dimming as I rubbed the sleep from them. I had hoped for at least a few hours of proper rest, but apparently, the universe had other plans. Opening shift at the café with Cub—what a joy. Not that I didn’t like Cub; he was great, but mornings like this weren’t exactly my idea of fun.
Dragging myself out of bed, I stumbled toward the closet and threw on my uniform. The mirror reflected a tired face with mussed-up hair, and I quickly smoothed it down, muttering something about caffeine being the only thing keeping me from snapping at someone today. If anyone dared test me, they’d better be ready for a fight.
By the time I arrived at the café, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee greeted me, somewhat reviving my spirits. Cub was already there, whistling as he prepped the machines and restocked the counter.
“Morning, Bird Brain,” he called over his shoulder, not even bothering to turn around.
“Morning,” I grumbled back, stifling a yawn. “Hope no one plans on pushing my buttons today, or they’re getting the full sass treatment.”
Cub chuckled, finally looking at me with a knowing grin. “Oh, this’ll be fun. Let me guess—you didn’t sleep again?”
“Not a wink,” I muttered, tying my apron. “If someone wants to test me, they’ll find out real quick that I’m not in the mood.”
Cub just laughed, shaking his head. “Well, at least warn me before you bite someone’s head off, okay? I don’t want to clean up the mess.”
I rolled my eyes and got to work, already bracing myself for whatever chaos the morning crowd might bring.
The first few customers were the usual crowd—early risers needing their caffeine fix before work or school. They were polite, straightforward, and easy to deal with, which suited my lack of patience just fine. Cub and I had a good rhythm going; he manned the register, and I handled drinks. It was smooth sailing.
Until they walked in.
A group of college kids, loud and full of energy that felt out of place at this hour, barged into the café. Most of them seemed harmless enough, except for one—a smug-looking guy who zeroed in on Cub as soon as they reached the counter.
"Hey there, handsome," the guy said, leaning on the counter with a grin that made me want to roll my eyes. "What's your name? Or do I just call you 'sweetheart'?"
Cub froze, his usual confident demeanor faltering. He glanced at me briefly, clearly unsure of how to handle the situation.
"We, uh... we don't give out names. It's policy," he said awkwardly, fumbling with the register.
The guy didn’t seem fazed. If anything, he doubled down. "Oh, come on. A guy like you shouldn’t have to follow rules like that. How about you just tell me yours and I’ll give you mine?"
I could see Cub getting more flustered by the second, and I wasn’t about to let this drag on. Dropping the milk pitcher I was holding onto the counter with a deliberate clang, I stepped forward.
"Hey, Romeo," I said, my tone sharp enough to cut through the air. "If you're done holding up the line, maybe you and your entourage could go find somewhere else to be obnoxious."
The guy turned to me, his cocky grin faltering slightly. "Who are you supposed to be? The sass police?"
I crossed my arms, glaring at him. "No, but I am the person who decides if you get coffee today or not. Keep it up, and you’ll be walking out of here empty-handed."
The group of college kids behind him started snickering, clearly amused by the turn of events. His confidence wavered, and he straightened up.
"Fine, whatever," he muttered, backing off. "Just trying to be friendly."
"Try being polite instead," I shot back, turning back to the counter.
Cub gave me a grateful smile once they’d moved to the side to wait for their drinks. "Thanks, grian, I didn’t know what to say."
"Anytime," I replied, resuming my work. "Next time, just call me sooner. I live for shutting down guys like that."
The rest of the morning went on without incident, though I noticed Cub stealing glances my way every now and then, his smile a little wider than usual.
The shift had gone surprisingly smoothly after that little fiasco earlier, and I was counting down the minutes until we could lock up. Just as Cub and I were cleaning up behind the counter, the door swung open with a loud bang.
A woman burst in, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. Her clothes were disheveled, her hair a wild mess, and her breathing was ragged, like she'd been running for her life.
"Help!" she gasped, clutching at the counter as if it were the only thing keeping her upright. "Please, I—I don’t know where I am, and... and something’s following me!"
Cub and I exchanged a glance, the calm routine of the café immediately shattered. I stepped forward, cautiously reaching out a hand.
"Hey, it’s okay," I said, trying to keep my voice calm and steady. "You’re safe here. Take a deep breath and tell us what’s going on."
She shook her head frantically, her eyes darting to the door. "No, you don’t understand. It’s not safe. It’s—it’s after me! It’s been chasing me for blocks, and I—I don’t even know how I got here!"
Cub moved closer, his expression serious now. "Who’s after you? Did you see anyone, or...?"
She cut him off, her voice rising in panic. "It’s not a who! It’s... it’s something else. Something wrong. I tried to get away, but it—it keeps finding me."
That made my feathers metaphorically bristle. I had a gut feeling this wasn’t just a random scared civilian. Something about her desperation felt... familiar.
I glanced at Cub again, his face mirroring the same concern I felt. "Lock the door," I told him quietly.
He nodded, moving to secure the café while I focused on the woman.
"Listen," I said, keeping my voice steady. "You’re going to be okay. We’ll figure this out. But I need you to tell me exactly what happened. Can you do that?"
She nodded shakily, tears streaming down her face as she tried to compose herself. "I was walking home from work," she began, her voice trembling. "And then... there was this noise, like... like a low growl, but it didn’t sound human. I turned around, and there was something in the shadows. I couldn’t see it clearly, but it—it had glowing eyes, and it was fast. Too fast."
I felt a chill run down my spine. Whatever she’d seen, it wasn’t ordinary. And if it was still out there, it might be heading our way.
"Okay," I said, glancing toward the back room. "Cub, stay with her. I’ll check it out."
"What?!" Cub hissed, his eyes wide. "You’re not going out there alone, are you?"
"I’ll be fine," I assured him, though I wasn’t entirely sure of that myself. "Just keep her safe."
With that, I headed toward the door, my mind already racing. Whatever this was, it wasn’t going to end with her. If something was lurking out there, I needed to find it before it found someone else.