Free Bounty Hunter 2: Redemption by Joseph Anderson

would sit at the diner’s counter for hours and talk to her
when she wasn’t serving someone. He never ordered food, only water. Always
water. He always had a drink. Sometimes, when business was slow, she would lean
over the counter and kiss him. He would hold her hands and his skin would be so
warm to her touch. The heat would linger in her fingers when she moved away,
tingling her skin as if she had been inflicted with a pleasurable burn.
    He
would walk her home after her shift. It would usually be late in the station’s
day but she would walk slower than usual to have more time with him. The star
she had grown up so far away from looked, to her, impossibly close above them,
bombarding light against the station’s windows that dimmed further throughout
its night cycle. It was their equivalent of a sun set and they would watch it
together.
    Lindsey
invited the man into her apartment each night that he escorted her. Most times
he would accept. They would fuck, fall asleep, and he would be gone before she
woke up. She never bothered him by asking about his disappearances, too
blissfully pleased with their nights together. It was like he was in tune with
the responses of her body, always knowing exactly what she wanted while they
were in bed. She had only known him for a few weeks and already she had
forgotten about her dream of living on a star ship. He was her life now.
    The
night that she was invited to his apartment was exciting for her. She had never
seen it. She hadn’t even known where he lived until he took her there. She was
giddy as he linked arms with her and led her inside. For her, it was like their
relationship was growing. For him, it was something different.
    The
apartment was warm. It was the first thing she noticed. As excited as she was,
she still thought it was odd. The man’s skin was always so warm that she
expected his home to be cooler than most. The air was different too: humid,
heavy with moisture like the never ending glasses of water he drank. He left
the living room for a moment and she felt uncomfortable. Something wasn’t right
and she felt vulnerable and exposed.
    When
he returned he left the bedroom door open behind him. He smiled and she felt
all her doubts melt away into silly little nervous thoughts. He walked over to
her and she saw something in the bedroom behind him. Something that wasn’t
right but he was kissing her before she could recognize it. She was always lost
in his kisses. His mouth always felt perfect: his lips were never dry and his
stubble never pricked her skin.
    He
pulled back from her and she opened her eyes. She wasn’t looking at him. Her
eyes were resting on the doorway. The air was distorted with the heat in the
room. It was why the apartment was so hot, she realized. The walls looked
strange, like they were covered in a foreign substance. There was no furniture
either, only odd layers of shapes. She felt her chest tighten as she looked at
them. They looked like egg sacs.
    She
felt something drip onto her shoulder and she snapped her eyes back to the man.
His lower jaw was gone, dribbling down his chest and onto her as if it had
melted away. She screamed and recoiled from him but his arms were strong around
her, still cradling her from when they kissed. His eyes were all white and
leaking, pouring water down his face like it was coming out of his mouth. His
skin, his perfect warm skin, was pale and bloated like a corpse.
    She
screamed louder as his teeth began to change. They extended and swelled up,
hissing when the water touched them and was boiled away. The fangs grew as he
leaned down into her neck. There was a jolt of pain as they penetrated her
throat. It was the last thing she ever felt.