Nightborn

She listened to the raindrops tapping gently on the fabric of her umbrella. She hated the rain. The water always managed to get into her shoes somehow and soak her socks. She hated the feeling of being cold and wet, hated the way her hair dampened, clinging together in misshapen clumps.

But even more than the rain, Rachel hated silence. The absence of conversation or music playing in her ears, as she waited for the bus late at night. 

One other person was waiting there with her, standing some distance away and without an umbrella. All he had was a raincoat and a fedora. The raindrops on his drenched clothes reflected the yellow sodium lamplight, painting the man in a golden hue.

“Um, you wanna share?” she asked and offered him half the umbrella space. She felt a bit stupid not offering it sooner, as the man stood there for some time already, soaked.

“I like the rain,” the man said. 

Rachel shrugged. “Alright then.” Weirdo.

Pat, pat, pat, the raindrops fell, the only sound in the silence. In all her fifteen minutes of wait, only a single car passed by.

“So, you think the bus will be on time?” She didn’t like talking to strangers like that, especially so late at night, but it was better than listening to the rain.

“What is the most freaky thing you’ve ever done?” the man asked. Rachel blinked.

“Um… what?”

She was facing the empty street and noticed only with the corner of her eyes that the man looked at her.

“What's the weirdest thing about you? I hate small talk, so if we’re gonna kill time by talking, might as well be something intriguing.”

His voice was pleasant and deep, like that of public speakers. It had this velvet undertone to it.

“Well, um, that’s a kinda weird thing to ask a stranger, don’t you think?”

“Why?” he asked. “I think it’s a fine question.”

Rachel shifted the weight on her other foot. “Well then, why don’t you answer it first?”

The man didn’t immediately respond and at a glance, Rachel noticed he was smiling. 

“Alright,” he said. “I think it’s only fair.” He turned to face her. “The weirdest thing about me is that I am a Nightborn.”

“What, like, you were born at night?” she turned to face him as well.

“No. I was born by night. Under a starless sky, when the air is still and silence screams deep in your ears. I opened my eyes to a dark world, a realm where nightmares roam free and morning is a faraway hope.”

Rachel froze. Great. What did you expect, Rache, talking to weirdos in the middle of the night? The man’s eyes almost shone with the lamplight from under his black hat. They were starting to make her uncomfortable.

“I told you mine, now you tell me yours.”

“Um…” That bus was supposed to be here by now. “I cover my drinks with a napkin at the restaurants, so hair and dead skin can’t fall in from the waitress passing by. My friends think It’s weird.” Why did she share this with a stranger? She felt silly.

The man smiled. “That is weird. Your friends are right.”

Gee, thanks, mister. “Told you.”

“So we have at least one thing in common, then. We’re both weirdos.”

She smiled nervously and swore to herself that she would never again speak to anyone while waiting for the bus all alone, no matter how much she hated the silence.

“You seem distracted,” the man said. “Is something wrong?”

What do you think? “I’m fine. Just tired from work. Where’s that bus, anyway?”

“You’ve asked about the bus twice now. You must be in a hurry.”

I just told you I’m tired! “It’s late. I’d like to get home as soon as possible and go to bed.”

“Me too,” the man said. “The sooner the bus comes, the sooner we can get to bed.”

Rachel nodded, not knowing how to respond to that. She checked her phone and glanced down the road, pretending to look if the bus was coming. Come on, come on…

“Quite the scenery, isn’t it?”

Rachel sighed and turned back towards the man. “Hum?”

“The night,” he said, extending his arms around him. “The rain. The cold darkness, hiding so many unknown fears and mysteries. So many delights, hidden from prying eyes and safe from the light of purity.”

She did not like the ambiguity. And that soft, deep voice of his… Rachel felt her nervousness rise. She wanted to get away from this man.

“It makes us Nightborn alive, you know. It is the time we go out, hunting and reveling in the freedom before the sun rises and we must return to the shadows. How about you? When do you feel most alive?”

“When I have a good night’s sleep,” she blurted out, letting him know she wasn’t in the mood.

The man chuckled. “You are lying.”

Rachel’s heartbeat quickened. She gripped her umbrella tighter. “Excuse me?”

“For what? For lying? Now, now, we’re both grown-ups, I think we can afford to lie if we want to.”

She was confused, glancing at the man and on the street. What did he want with her? When will that damn bus come already?

“It’s okay,” the man said. “I lied to you too.”

Please let the bus come, please… “Is that so?”

The man nodded and turned to face the same way she did, towards the street. Rachel felt a bit of relief, not having his eyes stare at her.

“I wasn’t really born by the night,” he said. Of course, you weren’t, that’s stupid.

“It’s more like the night flung me out of its shadows and nightmares because it couldn’t take me anymore. I guess my ways are a bit rough.”

Rachel decided she would ignore him, pretending to be too tired to talk. If she didn’t encourage him, then perhaps he would stop.

A short silence fell between them. She was grateful for it, welcoming the drops of rain and hoping they would be all she would hear for the rest of the wait. But then, the man turned towards her again.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Rachel? You seem to grow quiet all of a sudden.”

“I told you, I’m just tir-” She froze. Did he just call her by her name?

“How do you know my name?”

“You told me,” the man said.

“No, I didn’t.” 

He laughed softly. “I’m pretty sure you did. Right after I told you mine was Mortensen.”

She frowned. Did he tell her his name? Was she paying attention? God, she was starting to freak out. Where was that goddamned bus?

“Rachel?”

“Can you stop calling my name?” She might have said that a bit harshly, but she didn’t care. She was tired, cold, and nerved out. 

The man seemed to back off a little. She checked her phone again. The bus should have come ten minutes ago. Was it running late? Or would it skip the last ride for some reason? Sometimes that happened. On those nights Rachel had to walk home or call the cab. It was an hour’s worth of walking to her apartment.

Alright, pull it together girl. Wait for another five minutes and if the bus doesn’t come, you walk. Get away from that freak.

“You know, you could be a Nightborn too if you wanted.”

She slowly looked at him. “Please sir, I’m really tired. Can we just wait for the bus in silence? No offense.”

He returned the look. Those eyes. They tore through her nerves like a bird tearing through a spider web. 

“The bus isn’t coming, Rachel.”

Her heart sank, dropped from her chest down to her stomach like a dead weight. “I’m sure if we wait-”

The man shook his head. “It won’t come.”

“Well, how do you know?” She felt like crying. Why did this stranger have to torment her like this?

“I know because I’m the driver,” he said. “I drive the B29 line. Have for years now. Every single night, except for Wednesdays and the weekends.”

He took a step closer, standing right under the street light. “I’ve been driving you home for five years now, Rachel. Don’t you recognize me?”

Rachel felt unable to move. She gazed into the man’s face and indeed, now that he mentioned it, he looked familiar. No, not just familiar, it was him. He was the bus driver. How did she not pick on that before, when he spoke? 

“Why aren’t you working?” she blurted out, confusion and anxiety mounting in her. Go Rache, the bus isn’t coming. Why are you still here, go!

The man smiled. “All those years and we never spoke a word. You came on board, tapped your card, and took a seat. The seventh row, left side, by the window. The same seat nearly every time.”

Rachel’s skin crawled. Why did he memorize that? Did he observe her while driving? The thought made her sick.

“I wanted to meet you, Rachel,” he said. “To get to know you. Know your story. All I had was your name from the bus card and the fact that you commuted every night, taking the last bus to the suburbs. I was fascinated by you, and since you never as much as said hello to me, I came up with my own story for you. I imagined your life, came up with reasons why you drove home so late, what you did all day, why you were so tired not to even say hello to your nightly bus driver. And now, here you are, talking to me! What a night!”

“Please…” All she wanted was to get home. To bury herself deep into the bed covers and not come out until the sun was high and bright.

“My place is not far from here,” he said, causing a new wave of dread wash over her. “I can show you what being a Nightborn is all about, who we are and what we do. You will like it, Rachel, I know you will.”

A tear fell from the corner of her eye, her emotions caught up in a ball of confusion.

“Rachel,” the man said with the softest voice, causing more tears to come. “It’s okay. I would never hurt you. You do not need to fear me, Rachel. I watched over you for five years, remember? I am your night watcher, an angel of the dark that brought you home safely every night. And I will do so tonight as well.”

She could just run. She could run away and not look back. Or she could scream, hope she overpowers the rain and wakes up people in their homes. There were a few houses near the bus station. She could run up and bang at the door until-

“Rachel.”

She sniffed. “What?” Her voice was on the verge of breakdown.

“I’m messing with you.”

“What?” She blinked through her tears.

The man was looking at her, his face embarrassed. “I didn’t realize I went that far. I’m so sorry…” 

Okay, now I’m really confused!

“It was supposed to be a joke,” the man said. “You know, being April fools and all…” He looked her straight in the eye, saw her fear and hurt, then looked away. “Ah, shit. I’m such an idiot! What the hell was I thinking?”

He seemed angry with himself.

“You better start explaining what’s going on here, or I’ll freak out!” She meant it. She couldn’t take it anymore.

The man ran a hand down his face. “I am sorry. It’s just that… all this time we never spoke and I got offended by that a little, so I guess I wanted to give you a little payback…”

“Payback?” she nearly shouted. He scared the hell out of her.

“I know, it was childish of me, I’m sorry.” He sighed. “I guess I shouldn’t take it too personally, I mean I understand people are exhausted after a whole day of work and I always get to drive the last route… But it’s no excuse.” He looked her in the eyes again. “I am sorry.”

Rachel felt relief, but she was still scared and confused, so she didn’t drop her guard. “And the bus?”

“It broke down,” the man said. “And there's no replacement. So I figured I’d drop by and give you a lift in my car since it’s raining and I know how you depend on the bus to take you home every night…”

Was he telling the truth? Did he really mean to take her home even after the bus broke down?

“I drove by before we started talking. That was me, the pickup that passed. I wanted to stop and offer to pick you up, but when I saw you were all alone an idea struck me… I’m such an asshole, and I’m really, really, sorry.”

Looking at him, Rachel could tell that he truly was feeling bad about what he did. And he should! He gave her the scare of a lifetime!

The rain kept falling at a steady pace. Rachel felt her feet completely soaked through and cold to the bone.

“I know you’ll probably refuse because I’m being such a dick, but… If you’d like… the car is parked just two houses down the street.”

Rachel hesitated. She did not trust him, not after what he just did. But then again, his face looked sincere and it was raining and it was late…

“Okay,” she said. “But if you try anything funny, anything at all, I’ll have my finger on the dial to call the police.”

The man bowed his head and raised his hands. “Absolutely, I wouldn't have it any other way. Again, I’m sorry.” He didn’t dare look her in the eyes. 

Rachel sighed. She was exhausted from the long day and now this… She couldn’t wait to slam into her bed and forget about the world.

“Well, follow me then. The last thing I’d want is to get you a cold.”

You already gave me a scare of a lifetime, what more could you do? She nodded.

They walked in silence and in two minutes Rachel was out of the rain, sitting in the bus driver’s pickup. Her body was shivering and she clenched her phone with near numb fingers. The man glanced at the phone as he sat in the car and put on a bitter smile.

“You weren’t kidding about the police, huh?”

“No.” She dialed 911 and hovered above the green icon with her thumb.

“Fair enough.” The man started the car and they drove off. She figured he knew where to drop her off, at the bus station near her home, so she didn’t give any directions. The car heating felt godly against her frozen feet. The warmth made her feel drowsy, but she kept herself awake, not daring to as much as blink. She did not trust this man and would probably never again take the same bus. How will I get home from work? She can worry about that tomorrow. All that mattered now was that she got home.

She watched the houses and street lamps pass by through the window. Then, the car turned off the main road, the usual route. 

Rachel’s heart immediately thumped in her chest.

“This isn’t the right way.”

“Shortcut,” the man said plainly. “There’s construction on the main road, and that asphalt is a minefield. I know a faster route.”

She did not like it one bit. But there really was construction and the road was very bumpy…

Her finger itched over the phone. Did he really care if I called the police? He’d never let me explain to them what’s going on in time. The realization frightened her, but she didn’t say anything. The man wasn’t driving that fast, she could jump out of the car…

Then the car turned off the side road and onto a gravel path. They drove away from houses and entered a forest.

“This is not a shortcut,” Rachel said, her voice panicking. “Turn around, take me home!”

“It’s okay, Rachel,” the man said, calmly. “Everything is going to be fine.”

“No, stop the car now! Let me out, it’s not far, I will walk home!”

She heard the soft click of the doors locking.

“Afraid I can’t let you do that, Rachel. I promised the others I’d bring you to them.”

She felt a new wave of hot tears flow down her cheeks. “You what?! What others?!”

“The other Nightborn,” he explained. “You know, people of the night; bus drivers, taxi drivers, security guards… They’re waiting for us. It’s been a while since we accepted a new member.” He turned his head to her and smiled, piercing her with those terrible eyes. “But don’t worry. I think you’ll do just fine.”

Rachel tapped her phone, calling 911. The man noticed it and with lightning speed smacked the phone from her hands. It fell somewhere between the seat edge and the door, out of Rachel’s sight.

“Please, just let me out! I won’t tell anybody, I just want to go home!” She fell like she could fall apart at any moment. All the stories of kidnap, rape, and murder raced through her mind. She never paid them more attention than a sad emoji in the comments, and now she’ll become part of the statistics. Another victim lost in the night. Nobody would know she was gone for at least until morning, but by that time, what would happen with her? 

She began sobbing in spasms. 

“Rachel, please-”

“Stop calling my name you psychotic fuck!” She screamed so violently that she spat, tears rolling down her face and nose leaking. 

The man smiled. 

“Oh Rachel, but this is just the beginning.”

With horror, Rachel noticed the man’s eyes becoming yellow and a set of fangs peeked from his grin.