The bell signaling that someone was coming in echoed throughout the empty hardware store.

"Hello, welcome to Asheville Bolt and Screw." I glanced up from the counter I was cleaning but no one was there. I scanned the security monitors to my right to see if anyone had slipped past me but all the isles in the small shop were empty.

"Is the buzzer really messing up again?" I started to round the counter pulling my phone out to call my boss and let them know. I looked at the automated bell to see if there were any spider webs or dust that would make it go off, but considering how short I am I couldn't really see anything.

"Hey," A low gravelly voice whispered from behind me causing me to let out a small yelp and drop my phone on the concrete floor. I whipped around sending my long dark brown ponytail over my shoulder. I came eye level with a broad chest in a black fitted t-shirt. Immediately I took a large step back.

"I'm sorry Sir! I didn't see you walk in!" A wicked grin tugged at his beautifully full lips as a smile threatened to spread across his smooth chiseled face. He was very masculine, but with the contrast of his pale skin, black wavy hair that curled around his ears, and deep hazel eyes I would almost say that he was beautiful. Not a delicate beautiful, but a dangerous beautiful. As if i was playing with a fire. I felt like I was his prey as he analyzed me under his intense gaze. I wanted to shrink away and hide.

"I'd do it again if it meant I got to hear that adorable squeal. You jumped like a little bunny." I blinked a few times, wondering if he had really said that. He may be attractive but that's still weird to say to a stranger. I opened my mouth to question him when a woman's voice cut me off.

"I'm sorry about him. He doesn't get out munch." A slender woman with a head full of beautiful bouncy black curls stepped around the man and bent down to pick up my phone. While her tone was sweet, she was very intimidating in her black stressed skinny jeans, combat boots, and a plain black belly shirt showing off her flawless stomach. Asheville is west of North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains and is known for its art scene so we have quite a few of the "hipster" type people but rarely do I ever see them at the hardware store. The two beautiful people seemed so out of place in the tiny, dingy hardware store. I realized I was starring up at the beautiful woman and cleared my throat as I took my phone from her hands.

"I'm sorry it's broke." She said, but something in her tone didn't sound like she was being genuine. When her hand didn't leave mine I glanced down. At the exact same time, the lights in the shop flickered and my vision blurred. Our hands were covered in a warm, thick, dark red liquid that I could only think of as blood. I snatched my arm back, but soon after the lights stopped flickering my hand was completely dry, and so was my cracked phone. The woman's face still held a warm smile when I looked back at her, my vision becoming clear again.

"You okay hun?"

"Y-yeah," I cleared my throat once again, "Is there anything I can help you all find today?" I tried to focus on the situation at hand and ignore what just happened.

"No, I think we need to be going now." The man looked uninterested as he stood from the window he was leaning on and walked out the front door. I can't even remember when he moved from in front of me.

"We'll be seeing you, Asher." The woman followed the man out after she said my name in a sing-song voice. I stood there perplexed for a second, watching them climb into their black Chevy Tahoe. To make the situation even weirder neither of them got in the driver's seat. The windows were tinted, and with how dark it is outside due to the looming storm clouds I couldn't see inside the car.

"Well, that was fucking weird." I mumbled walking back behind the counter when I noticed my reflection in the mirror. I wasn't wearing my name tag. A cold chill ran down my spine as I tried to remember if I had ever met those people before.

At the age of fourteen, I woke up in a small hospital room and was told I was found by two hikers who were backpacking the nearby mountain range during a blizzard. I had no memory of who I was, or where I came from. So naturally, I went into foster care after they couldn't match me with any of the missing children in the system. One hiccup that kept me from being adopted was that I would tend to see things that others couldn't. It's hard for teenagers to get adopted let alone troubled teens. At first in the hospital, I would see people who weren't there, or I would get weird feelings around others. It was almost as if my feelings would change due to the feelings of the people around me, but I could tell that they didn't originate inside of me. That the emotions I was feeling were foreign. Then once I went into the foster system the feelings grew and it became harder to block them out. When I started embracing other's emotions and trying to help them with their problems the visions started. I would either get full-on dream-like hallucinations or just flashes that would alter the way I perceived reality. Just now when that woman touched my hand was one of those moments. It really felt like my hands were covered in thick warm blood. Weirdly I hadn't had an incident since I turned 18, and it had been a very peaceful two years since. Not to mention, they weren't all as gruesome as the one that I just had. Of course, some of them would be when I was near someone who was very ill, but never have I had such an overwhelming feeling of death wash over me.

Why is this happening again? I thought I had grown out of it, that dealing with other's problems was past me. I'm done with this. I just need to forget about it. I finished out the end of my shift and changed into my charcoal gray, tightly fitted t-shirt, and leggings for my next job.

"Have a nice day Ash! Be careful out there, it's really coming down!" The owner, Nina yelled from behind the counter. Just as she finished her sentence a thunderous crack resonated outside, making the lights flicker once again.

"You too Nina, is Scott coming in later to help you close up?" I asked swinging my backpack over my shoulder and taking a bottle of water from the cooler by the register.

"It's on the house hun, and Scott is on his way here now. You better be eating something and getting enough rest. I will show up at The Odditorium and kick Duke's ass if he doesn't give you a day off." I tossed two dollar bills on the counter before walking over to the glass door.

"It's not Duke's fault. I need the hours." It was raining so hard outside that I couldn't even see my car parked four rows back.

"You're young! You should be out enjoying life, not slaving away at two jobs." Nina scolded. She's a wonderful person who has always been like a mother to me. She and her husband Scott opened Ashville Bolt and Screw years ago, and I luckily wandered into their store when I was looking for another job. They took pity on me since I was 18, just kicked out of my foster parent's house, and had already lied about my age to be able to work at a bar called The Odditorium.

"I do enjoy life. I enjoy seeing you, and Scott, and sleeping at night." She rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh.

"Fine, I don't want to see you here until Monday. Go get that phone fixed tomorrow so I at least know you make it home okay, and enjoy your week off." I nodded as I slung my backpack over my head and ran out the door.

It didn't take long for me to get to my beaten-up black 2008 Toyota Camry. Slamming the door behind me I tried to wipe the fog off my windows. Scott helped me rebuild this piece of junk that I bought after it had been rear-ended pretty badly. Now it kind of runs smoothly, but at the very least it gets me from point A to B.

I glanced in the rear-view mirror only to be met with the same wicked grin from earlier. My heart sank as paused and tried to act unfazed. The man in the mirror was unmoving, his shoulders didn't even rise or fall. As if he wasn't breathing. I couldn't see his eyes, but I somehow knew that he was staring at me. Seeing past my face, and into something deeper. A part of me that I'm not even sure I know much about. A small twitch, like a muscle spasm, started to form in the pit of my stomach.

Slowly I moved my keys into the crevices between my fingers and took a deep breath to steady myself. Whipping around I thrust my keys expecting to catch the man in his thigh. To my surprise, all I hit was cushion. I was alone in my car, the man was nowhere to be found. I turned back slowly around, glancing in the rearview mirror again. Still empty. I tried to steady my shaking hands on my steering wheel.

It's okay. It wasn't real. Nothing was actually there. Breath in, the breath out. You're just tired. I plunged my key into the ignition and turned the car over. I didn't even give it a chance to warm up before I peeled out of my parking spot and sped to The Odditorium. The entire drive I barely looked at the road since I was too focused on checking my rearview mirror.

By the time I pulled into The Odditorium the normal fifteen-minute drive had turned into a ten-minute one. I didn't waste any time running from my car to the back entrance of the bar. The rain was coming down in waves, if I hadn't been spooked out of my mind I would have been terrified to drive in the current weather. Hopefully, it lightens up by 2 am when I get off. I slammed my locker closed and tied my black apron around my waist and immediately dashed behind the bar to start waiting on customers.

Most of the night went by uneventful, and I was almost able to forget about the weird couple that came into the hardware store. Around 1:30 am I called the last call at the bar and started doing my nightly tasks, and the bar was pretty secluded minus a bachelor party that had been going on for hours now.

"You know Darlin, you could leave with me tonight and no one would have to know." The soon-to-be husband slurred his words as his buddies hyped him up in the background.

"Yeah, dude get some!" One of them shouted as he stumbled from his stool at the bar, knocking over the line of half-empty beer glasses they had accumulated. I continued ignoring them as I wiped down the counter.

"Come on Hunny, give me a shot. I can show you a real good time." He forcefully grabbed my wrist, yanking me toward the counter. Luckily I had a glass of stale beer that knocked onto his hand, luckily making him release me.

"You did that on purpose didn't you?" He snarled. Good to know he's an angry drunk.

I feel sorry for his soon-to-be wife.

"Come on man, this whore isn't worth getting kicked out of for. Let's go." The soberest of the group stood, trying to pull his friend from the chair, but he still struggled considering their group of four had drunk enough for an entire football team to get a buzz. After they finally stumbled out of the bar, and I locked the door behind them, Duke finally showed his face.

"Hey, I'm sorry you were alone out here tonight. I'm working on getting more help hired, but since Lilly has been gone.." He trailed off, a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

"It's okay, I get it. Don't worry about me, I could run this place with my eyes closed." I tried to sound unfazed while I took inventory for the next shipment.

Today almost tapped us dry and it doesn't help that Duke sits in his office chugging down a fifth of whatever he could get his hands on. I couldn't help but be a little stressed.

"That's great, you're great. I'm so glad Lilly hired you." He hugged me awkwardly over the clipboard I had been trying to fill out. A stale stench of musty alcohol wafted up to my nose and I cringed. Duke was once a wonderful and responsible man, but when his wife and son died in a horrible car wreck two years ago he went off the deep end. Now he spends his days drowning his sorrows, and I try my best to keep The Odditorium afloat.

"Are you okay to drive?" I tried to wiggle out of his grasp since he was putting all of his weight on me.

"I just live five minutes away. I'll be good." Duke drug his feet toward the door.

"Don't forget, we're closed for the next week! I'll see you next Monday." I shouted at him as he lazily waved at me and he walked out the door. In three days from now, it'll be two years since the car crash and Duke has decided to take a week off every year for the anniversary. Last year was tough on him, but he is slowly bouncing back.

Once I finally finished closing and locking up the rain had stopped but it was still freezing outside.

Next week is also Halloween, and I plan on getting some much-needed rest. Luckily both Duke and Nina are giving me vacation pay, I really couldn't ask for better-

My thought process was cut off by a blow to the right side of my head. I hit the ground, hard. I tried to pry my eyes open as I heard a man's slurred voice.