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masonmaymuses-blog · 7 years ago

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It Begins

Chapter 1

If he saw one more betta bowl pass across the counter in front of him, he was going to scream.

Lewis Harwood was a young man just looking to get ahead in life, like everyone else, and was failing miserably—like everyone else. He lived in apartment with two other roommates, who were decent guys, but he dreamed of having his own space. With the income he earned from his job at this pet store, he wasn't going to be moving out on his own anytime soon.

When he wasn't busy fretting about being an adult, he retreated to the warmth and safety of YouTube, video games, and books. They offered him an escape from a life he felt to be otherwise bland. He tried to remind himself that bigger and better things were on the horizon, and that one day he'd be where he wanted to be—even if he wasn't entirely sure where he wanted to be right now.

“Hey, Lewis, are you all right?”

Lewis jolted, hastily brushing a hand back through his short hair out of habit. “Yeah, I'm fine, Danielle.”

Danielle was a work friend of his, although they hadn't had the chance to associate much outside of the pet store. She was taller than he was and much more stylish. She had that “social justice warrior” vibe that Lewis both admired and was terrified of.

“You've been really out of it lately,” Danielle said with a frown. “Is everything all right?”

“Oh, yeah. You know, it's just the usual millennial stuff,” Lewis dismissed with a smile, his cheeks flushed. He hated drawing attention to himself, especially when he was moody. He liked to think himself to be an overall optimistic person.

“A few of us are getting together tonight for drinks, do you wanna join?” Danielle asked as she leaned against the counter.

“Yeah, sure, why not?” Lewis agreed with a shrug of his shoulders as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. While he wasn't one to actively seek out bars, he didn't mind going to them now and again. This was also his chance to hang out with Danielle outside of work and meet other people as well.

“Oh, awesome!” Danielle lit up, seemingly pleased with the response. Perhaps she'd been expecting him to say no. “Anyway, I better get back to cleaning cages.” She patted the counter, then headed off and disappeared down the nearest aisle.

Lewis smiled more to himself as he straightened up. Although there were nerves tingling away throughout his body, he was looking forward to mixing things up a little. Maybe a night out was what he needed to get out of his funk.

Then a customer approached the counter and set a glass bowl before him.

Chapter 2

Lewis was thankful that his roommates weren't around that night since he didn't need to fight for the bathroom. He wasn't sure where they were gone, but he wasn't too concerned about it. Everyone pretty much stuck to themselves. He'd only moved in with them a couple of months ago and hadn't yet clicked with them. It made things awkward at times, and it only made him crave having his own space even more. Short of winning the lottery, he doubt this would ever be possible.

He stood before the mirror, preening himself the best he could. He didn't think he was the most handsome man, but he didn't think himself to be butt-ugly either. He figured he was somewhere in the middle, and that was okay by him. He wasn't too keen on getting a partner at this point in his life, anyway, since he wanted to get himself further ahead to be a more worthy prospect.

He slapped a bit of cologne on his neck, fixed the collar of his flowery shirt, flashed his pearly whites for the mirror one more time, then headed out.

* * *

As he arrived at Bruno's, Lewis blew out a breath to steady himself. He hugged his peacoat a little closer as a means of driving away the chill from that early spring night and also to comfort himself. He didn't have a car, nor did he live far away, so he'd walked.

He'd been to this bar a handful of times before. Although his part of the city was relatively quiet since he was just outside the core, this bar was known in the area as being the gay bar without it having to explicitly advertise itself as such.

Along with not being a big drinker, bars didn't appeal so much to him because of the raw sexual energy many of them had. It was no secret that most people went to bars to ultimately go home with someone. That was lost on Lewis, though, since he was never really interested in getting it on.

“You're just here to hang out with coworkers and make some friends,” he murmured into his scarf.

Even as he spoke to himself, a chill went down his spine—and it wasn't from the cold night.

He whipped around, his shoulders tense as he scanned the surrounding darkness. There was no one in the parking lot, but he could've sworn that something was watching him. It unsettled him, making him feel like prey.

He licked his lips and tried to shake the uneasiness off. He hated turning his back as he hurried for the lit doorway of Bruno's. He practically burst through the entrance in his hurry to get to safety, his heart pounding. Only once he was inside with the door fully closed did he peer through the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever it was that troubled him.

It was then that he spotted a tabby cat trotting across the parking lot.

Lewis let out an abrupt laugh. “Are you kidding me?” Relief washed over him, although he felt foolish for having been spooked by such a silly thing. That's what he got for having such an active imagination.

He turned his attention to the task at hand, moving into the bar and scouting for Danielle. He spotted her quickly by the counter. As soon as she spotted him, she beckoned him over.

“You made it!”

“I said I was coming,” Lewis insisted as he joined her.

“Yeah, but a part of me thought you might chicken out.”

“What, why?”

“Never mind that,” Danielle dismissed, though Lewis eyed her with suspicion. “Anyway, let me introduce you to my other friends, Anita, Riley, and Seb. Guys, this is Lewis.”

Greetings were exchanged with three people on nearby stools. They seemed friendly enough. Lewis figured that once he had a drink in him, he'd relax more. Being around new people always created a bit of anxiety, but he was eager to make a good impression and enjoy himself.

Lewis grabbed himself a fruity cocktail and settled in. He mostly listened to everyone else chattering, Danielle being the star of the show, but gradually started to join in as well. His voice wasn't as strong as everyone else's, his mannerisms unsure, but he was pushing through. Everyone mostly complained about their jobs, which Lewis got on board with, although it wasn't until Riley brought up MMORPGs that Lewis flourished.

He loved MMORPGs. It was so easy to get lost in the fantastical worlds they created. He was a lot more outgoing online than he was in person, although he was proud of himself for doing as well as he was doing so far.

“Wouldn't it be cool to live in a world where all those fantasy people existed?” Riley mused.

“We can't even treat our fellow humans with decency,” Danielle snorted. “How would we react to elves and orcs and cat people?”

“True, but there's no harm in daydreaming,” Lewis pointed out. By then, he had two or three drinks and was feeling the buzz. Not enough to majorly affect him, but just take his nervous edge off. His confidence only grew now that he uncovered more nerds in the group.

“As fun as all of this is, I better get going. I have work in the morning,” Anita said as she rose while grabbing her jacket. It didn't take long before everyone else shrugged their jackets on as well in agreement.

For once, Lewis wasn't ready to go home early, but he didn't protest as he followed the crowd. While the others went in an opposite direction, Danielle joined Lewis as he began walking home.

“Hey, thanks for coming out tonight. It was really cool getting to know you a bit outside of work,” Danielle said.

“Thanks for inviting me out! It was good to see you and your friends, too,” Lewis chimed. “Feel free to ask me out again anytime soon.”

“Will do.”

“Do you live near here? Would you like me to walk you home?” Lewis offered. It was late. While he was sure that Danielle could handle herself better than he could in a bad situation, he still wanted to make the offer.

“Thanks, but my girlfriend doesn't live far from here, so I'm just going to crash with her tonight,” Danielle said.

“Okay, cool. See you,” Lewis bade before they went their separate ways.

His apartment building was only a few blocks away. He walked everywhere, so walking at night didn't usually faze him, but tonight was different.

There it was again! That tingling sensation of being watched. Was it that cat again?

He glanced over his shoulder as he picked up the pace, his hairs standing on end as his heart pounded. His eyes strained in the dim light of the streetlights, darting to every parked car or tree to catch a glimpse of whatever was stalking him. Every shadow was a potential threat.

The sound of his own footsteps was thunderous in his ears, his breathing quick as the adrenalin pumped through his veins. His building was visible in the distance, a beacon of safety if he could just get there.

He was now trotting, about ready to break into a run, although he fought with himself. You're being ridiculous! There's nothing to be afraid of, he tried telling himself, although he moved quicker still.

As he turned onto his street, being the only soul around except for what was chasing him, he bolted.

There was no mistaking that something was giving chase now. Something pounded the pavement behind him at alarming speed and was closing in on him.

Lewis opened his mouth to cry for help, but barely did more than squawk when he was suddenly grabbed and hauled sharply off the sidewalk. He'd only heard whatever was chasing him from behind and was completely blindsided by this new presence.

He tumbled into the bushes as he was practically flung by unknown hands. As he bounced back to his feet, he was grabbed by the shoulder and shoved back down.

“Shh!” came the hiss.

Lewis was bewildered to see a beautiful person crouching with him in the bushes. They had long, curly hair and piercing eyes that were visible somehow even in the dark. However, now was not the time to commit all the details to memory.

“What's going on?” Lewis demanded, but was shushed again.

“If you don't stay quiet, it's going to find you,” the stranger said, their voice whimsical yet authoritative. It was the kind of voice that Lewis naturally responded to since he had more of a passive nature.

“What is it?” Lewis asked, trying to keep his low. Apparently that wasn't enough, though, since the stranger slapped a hand over his mouth. He had to fight every instinct not to grab the stranger's wrist and pull away.

Lewis was sure that the pounding of his heart would give away their position as he remained braced in the bushes. His whole body tensed, energy coiled in his muscles that was ready to send him into fight or flight as needed.

He held his breath. Something was shuffling nearby. Its footsteps were heavy, its breathing coming out in huffs. A low growl nearly broke Lewis, but when the hand over his mouth moved to grip his arm instead, he held fast.

“I want you to run,” the stranger said, their voice a whisper. “Don't look back.”

“What about you?” Lewis didn't know this person, but he didn't want to leave them at the mercy of whatever was just beyond the bushes.

“I'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about.”

“Wait, do you—” Before Lewis could finish his sentence, he was forcibly shoved through the back of the bushes. He landed on his hands and knees, the cool earth stinging, but was up and running for his life. He didn't dare look back as a bellow of the likes he's never heard before shattered the quiet night.

When he had a bit of distance, he stopped and fumbled for his phone to call for help. As soon as he slapped the phone to his ear, he looked back to where he'd come from, only to see that nothing was there.

The stranger and the beast were gone.

~~~~~~

Thank you for reading the first two chapters on my newest urban fantasy LGBTQIA+ fiction. I hope you enjoyed them, and if you want more, please become a patron today to help fund my work! <3

https://www.patreon.com/masonmay

#lgbt books #lgbt #patreon #if anyone know of any other tags i should use pls let me know

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