Snowy Eyes
“It’s snowing again”
Two men looked out the windows to see large flecks start to descend on them.
One of the men in a leather jacket stood up “Well, that means it’s time to get out of here, who knew it could even snow at this time of year”
The other man leaned back in his seat and took another peak out the window. The large flecks were now flurrying with the wind and the surroundings were starting to disappear behind a white sheet of tundra. The coldness extended through the glass and made his bones shiver.
“Careful out there Pete” the man took a sip of his coffee. Pete shrugged his leather shoulders and stepped out into flurry of coldness. The door slammed shut and the they looked at his back as it faded.
“Do you think he will be okay?” Sarah said taking Pete’s seat in front of the man.
The man gave a frown “Nope, he’s dead” he said and downed the last of his coffee. He held it out and Sarah poured him another cup. The restaurant was small. Log cabin themed, it sat in forest near a small midwestern town in the north. It got most of the locals to come down and enjoy the small menu and endless coffee. A few travelers from here or there would show up during the summer, but it sat in the forest as a shelter for those looking for something to eat and drink. A shelter from the wilderness, the rampaging nature that could claw it’s way to you. Tear at you. Leave you for dead.
The man that sat drinking coffee that had just proclaimed his friends death was Vandal Hearth. He always wore jet black clothes. Whether that was shorts and shirt, sweater and pants, coat and scarf. All of it was jet back. From his boots to his occasional hat. He would stroll by and you would think he was a shadow being misplaced.
“That’s a terrible thing to say” Sarah said pouring herself a cup of coffee. There would be no more customers today.
The wind started to howl and what trees you could see were starting to whip around.
“I told him that he would die if he came out here today. I can feel it, I could feel the snow, I could feel” Vandal stopped and swallowed “I could feel IT. Out there, IT watches”
Sarah let out a breath “Vandal you know I don’t like you start talking like that. This monster that you have been hunting, this IT, what ever it is. You have been out in the woods for far to long. There is nothing out there”
“Sarah I respect you, but you don’t know what you are talking about. I didn’t choose to be out in these god forsaken woods, but this is the closest I have been to IT”
Vandal had been in town for three years. He bought a cabin on the edge of town. His shadow would roam around the forest at night and in town during the day. He never seemed to sleep. No matter what part of the day, he would be looking, searching, wandering, hunting. Eyes like yellow pacing the landscape and corners of the dark woods. He would show up at Sarah’s restaurant every other day and drink copious amounts of coffee and eat a single piece of toast. Eyes always fixed to the large windows. He was older. Long gray hair that he pulled into a pony tail with a few strands that poked out over his forehead. A long nose with deep set eyes. He was always calm, collected and cool. Nothing ever seemed to bother Vandal.
The wind whistled and and the noise died down. Vandal tapped his fingers against the table then produced something wrapped in a black cloth and set it on the table.
“What’s that?” Sarah asked. Vandal never seemed have anything on him other then a small wallet.
Vandal brushed the object then unwrapped it. Revealing it’s self like an unholy object from eons ago a blade that seemed to absorb light dimmed the table. The blade was large and covered with smaller curved blades that sprung out in all directions. The handle had a small guard around it and another point from the hilt. As it sat, it hummed an unholy tune inside her skull. As if all the music in the world were tuned to insanity and dialed in to the frequency of chaos.
“Wha-“ Sarah went to speak, but Vandal shot up form the seat taking the blade in his hand. As it moved through the air it caused a black mist to form. “Vandal, stop”
He stopped at the door. The storm began to rage again, this time in anticipation of the battle to come.
“You have been a lovely host Sarah, see you around” Vandal pushed open the door against the wind. It slammed shut and Sarah peered out the window. Vandal stopped in front of the winter torrent. The unholy blade seemingly absorbing any light the remained.
Vandal Hearth stepped into and through the winter wall.
-
Inspired by the snow that is falling today. It has been rather nice and we are in spring, but the snow came from no where. In an hour the outside looked more of winter then it did of spring. The knife is inspired by the knife in Over the Black Rainbow, The Devils Teardrop. An item out of place in our world.