CHAPTER 45-The Strange Woman Is Following Us!

***Varick’s POV***

I stood there in the parking lot, completely frozen, as the eerie silence settled around us. It was as though the whole world had paused, leaving only the faint sound of crates being shifted inside the convenience store by the old man. My mind raced, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Lulu was still by my side, his eyes wide with disbelief, his body stiff with tension.

I took a slow step forward, my feet moving almost on autopilot, as if I were walking in a dream. I hoped, somewhere deep down, that I would turn around and see the car still there, parked exactly where I left it, but when I glanced over my shoulder, I was met with an empty parking spot.

The car was gone.

“What the hell is happening here?” I muttered, my voice barely more than a whisper, thick with frustration and confusion. The words seemed to echo in my ears as if they held no real weight in this twisted reality.

“I told you!” Lulu snapped, his voice rising with a mix of fear and urgency. “I told you this town is cursed! We need to get out of here! Now!”

I shook my head, trying to suppress the rising panic in my chest. “We can’t just leave without a car, can we?” I said, my voice colder than I intended, but I was too far gone to care.

Lulu’s eyes were wide with terror, his whole body shaking as he turned in a quick circle, scanning the dark, empty street. “What do we do now? Where did it go? It’s like—like it just disappeared into thin air!”

I didn’t have an answer for him. How could I? The impossibility of the situation made my head spin, and every passing second felt like a clock ticking down to something terrible.

“We should ask the old man. Surely, he can tell us what happened. Maybe there’s CCTV footage or something,” Lulu suggested, though I could hear the hesitation in his voice.

I nodded, agreeing reluctantly. Maybe the old man knew something we didn’t. Maybe there was an explanation.

We both walked back into the convenience store, the heavy silence of the night pressing down on us as the door creaked open. The old man was still behind the counter, quietly packing away boxes without even acknowledging our presence. He looked so... detached, like he was lost in his own little world.

I approached him, trying to keep my voice even, not wanting to come off as rude, but the anger bubbling inside me was hard to contain. “Our car’s gone. Who took it? Where can we find it?”

The old man didn’t look up at first, still absorbed in his work. My patience thinned. I tried again, this time louder. “You’re the only one here. This is your place, right? Our car just vanished from your premises! You need to give us some answers! We’re not leaving without some kind of explanation. Did you see anything? Can you check the CCTV footage? Call the police—anything!”

My frustration made my voice rise, and I could feel the heat of my anger spreading through my veins, but the old man remained as calm and unbothered as ever. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t speak.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally looked up from his work, his gaze almost lazily meeting mine. “The people who took it will return it in the early hours of the morning. I told you, there are car thieves around here. Nothing to worry about. Just keep calm. Go to the motel. It’s just an hour’s walk from here. You can come back in the morning and your car will be right where you left it.”

I stared at him, my mind struggling to process his words. “An hour walk? Are you kidding me? How the hell are we supposed to walk for an hour to a place we don’t even know? What are you not telling us?” I couldn’t keep my temper in check anymore, and I grabbed the old man by his collar, yanking him toward me. His legs dangled slightly in the air as I held him there, my grip tightening.

“I’m asking you one last time, where the hell is my car?” My voice was low, dangerously close to a growl.

The old man looked at me calmly, his expression unchanging. I was losing control, and the anger I felt was burning hot. But then, he said something that completely caught me off guard.

“All hail the crown prince of Drakonia.”

The words were soothing, almost comforting in tone, but they sent a shockwave through me. I loosened my grip on him instinctively, though my confusion only deepened. How did he know?

Before I could react, the old man struggled to push himself up, his knees hitting the ground in a sudden bow. He was bowing to me? Embarrassment flooded me in an instant, and I quickly stepped back, my mind racing. I couldn’t even fathom how he knew my identity, let alone why he would speak to me in such a way.

“I’m not a crown prince,” I said quickly, trying to brush it off. “I’m just a commoner. It’s just a tattoo.”

But the old man didn’t seem convinced. He met my eyes, unblinking, as if he were seeing right through me.

“The real recognizes the real,” he muttered softly. His voice was so calm, so matter-of-fact. “You need to leave now. When the clock strikes nine tonight, I won’t be responsible for what happens to you here.”

I felt a chill spread down my spine at the mention of nine o’clock. His warning hung in the air like a dark omen.

“Take this,” he said, pulling a small, weathered flashlight from his pocket and handing it to me. “It’s not as bright as it used to be, but it’ll help light your way. You’ll need it to find the motel. I have an old bike, but it doesn’t have a headlight, so you’ll need the light to get there. Once you return it, your car will be right where you left it.”

The old man handed me the keys to the bike, and I took them with no other choice but to comply. He said it would be there in the morning—our car—but something about the way he said it didn’t reassure me. Still, we didn’t have many options.

Lulu and I made our way outside, the tension in the air thickening as the night grew darker. The bike’s engine sputtered to life after several attempts, its noise low and raspy. Lulu clung to me from behind, his hand tight on my shirt as we sped off down the road. I could hear his heavy breathing, and though I didn’t say anything, I was grateful he was there. If I were alone, I don’t think I would’ve made it this far.

We reached the motel just as the last rays of daylight faded from the sky. I parked the bike outside and walked toward the reception, where a young woman sat, her nails painted bright red, her lipstick matching. She didn’t look up at first, focused entirely on her task. But when I approached, she finally looked up, her gaze shifting from me to Lulu, and then back to me again.

“Hello,” I said, trying to keep my tone friendly but firm. “We need a room for the night.”

She glanced over her shoulder, as though checking something. “Our deluxe rooms are booked,” she said, and I could hear the hint of a smirk in her voice. “You’re lucky. We have one standard room left.”

“We’ll take it,” I replied quickly, not wanting to waste any time. The thought of spending even a moment longer than necessary in this cursed town made my skin crawl.

As she handed me the key, she gave me a sly smile. “Is that your company for the night?” she asked, gesturing toward Lulu.

I tensed, annoyed by her implication. “No, he’s my brother. We’re just passing through.”

Her smile didn’t falter, but her tone dropped lower as she leaned in a little too close. “Well, I can be good company if you need me tonight. I can help you take the edge off after your long journey.”

Her hand brushed against my chest, and I stepped back instinctively, trying to stay calm. “No, thank you. I’m good,” I said firmly, though I could see the disappointment flash across her face.

“Okay, then,” she said with a shrug, leading the way up to the staircase.

As we walked toward the stairs, my eyes caught sight of something—or rather, someone—standing at the top of the staircase. It was her. The woman from the road.

Her eyes were glowing red now, and fear gripped me like a vice. I tried not to react, not wanting Lulu to notice. But in that moment, I knew it was going to be a long night. A very long night.