The day started out like any other, the radio blared the same boring music and Kalie’s blue eyes were focused on the road. Today was a nice day with the sun beating its warming rays down on the earth below it, and everything seemed calm and still.

They always play the same song every time I pass this cafe.  

Kalie thought as suddenly her wheels screeched like a demon crawling out of hell and the car started to slow rapidly. Luckily, by the grace of something holy, the car skidded to a stop just outside a gas station. The burning smell of the wheels reached through the windows as if they were not there at all and forced their way up Kalie’s nose. The smell was putrid as if someone had just taken a whole campfire and shoved it up her nose. Kalie began to cough and she swatted at the air as if she could swat the smell away.

What in the world just happened!

Kalie thought surprised as she slowly snapped out of the daze that was plaguing her mind. Kalie looked around and spotted that same cafe down the street but her gaze was more focused on the gas station.

There has to be someone who can help me here. I just know it.

Kalie thought hopefully as she opened her car door to be greeted by smoke which tickled her eyes causing them to cry out and the smoke worked its way up her nose. This time though Kalie managed to swat away the smoke which was like a swarm of flies but she still had a coughing fit. Kalie shut her car door and looked at the old gas station which had holes in its walls.

This place took a beating it seems.

Kalie thought as she slowly walked towards the glass door labeled pull. Kalie pulled open the door and walked inside the small station; it smelled like grease and sweat, which to Kalie smelled worse than the smoke from her wheels. Kalie walked over to the only guy in the store who was a short and chubby man with grease all over his blue button-up jumpsuit. He had a toothy grin aimed at Kalie as he spoke.

“A beautiful day today, miss. How can I help you?”

The man asked Kalie in a deep almost Santa like jolly voice. Kalie used her hands to say what she needed, and the man blinked his eyes in thought before shaking his head.

“I am sorry miss. I can’t understand sign language”

Kalie sighed but smiled softly as she motioned the short man to follow her she pointed to her car and the man understood.

“Ah, I can get ‘er fixed up in no time! Come back ‘ere about, oh, an hour or so.”

He replied, and his clear southern accent showed. Kalie nodded thankfully as she walked back outside. Kalie looked at the cafe nearby and felt her stomach growl and claw at her trying to get her legs to walk over there. Kalie started to walk towards the cafe with its small dim sign labeled Moe’s Cafe. Kalie opened the rusty metal doors to the place, and a horrific sight blinded her blue eyes. The white tiled floors were barely white anymore because dust and grim lined the floor. It looked like someone had sent pigs covered in mud rolling over the white tiles. Hanging on the walls of the cafe was a variety of animal heads ranging from a black bear to a collection of three small duck heads.

This place is utterly disgusting, but I need to eat.

Kalie thought feeling disgusted by the atmosphere of the diner not to mention the horribly sad country music coming from a dim-lighted jukebox... Her eyes looked at the dark green booths in the hole-in-the-wall cafe and Kalie noticed how worn the seats were. Kalie sighed as she walked over to the green booth and sat down. The booth seats felt like sitting on cold cement but despite this Kalie listened to her stomach which was having a fit about its lack of food. Kalie noticed a torn piece of paper sitting on the wooden table in front of her. The wood on the table looked cleaner than the floors but appeared faded and the paper looked faded as well with many brown coffee stains plaguing it. Kalie started to read the paper labeled Menu; Deer Soup, Fish Tacos and Deep Fried Ice Cream were the only things listed under the heading. Kalie almost barfed at the terrifying menu in front of her.

Deer Soup? Fish Tacos? What even is this place.

Kalie thought to herself feeling even worse now as she sat staring at the menu.

Maybe Deep Fried Ice Cream doesn’t sound so bad, and I’ll order a water.

Kalie made her decision just as her waitress walked over; she was a short and slim woman with the classic, almost anime-like, waitress outfit. The waitress named Blanche reminded Kalie of someone she read in her various comics named Lena Oxton. Blanche had the same shortness as Lena and even a similar hairstyle with it being a short dark brown hair color and spiked to one side. Although Blanche lacked the same eye color she looked surprisingly close to the bubbly superhero, Lena. Blanche smiled warmly at Kalie.

“Welcome to Moe’s Cafe! What do you want from the menu love?”

Kalie looked at Blanche and tried to tell her what she wanted through sign language but Blanche looked confused.

“Sorry love, I don’t speak sign language.”

Kalie sighed once again but she smiled faintly and pointed to the ice cream listed on the menu.

“Alrighty! What would you like to drink love?”

Kalie pointed to a cup of water at the booth next to her where a young couple was dining. Blanche nodded at Kalie.

“I can’t give you a wait time, so you’ll have to wait, love, alright?”

Kalie watched Blanche walk off, and Kalie felt her mind go numb for a moment; this was common for Kalie. The dirty cafe started to blur as fur started to slowly grow on the ground under her and a bear rug had appeared. Kalie felt the tiny fibers of fur nibble at her now bare feet and she jumped up knocking over a bowl of something which had appeared on the wooden table in front of her. Inside the bowl was a vile smelling substance which appeared to be like black tar and it bubbled. Kalie bit her cheek causing it to bleed and the vile tasting blood trickled down her throat.

Crud...

Kalie thought in a panic as she tried to step over it to leave the horrible cafe but the black tar grabbed her legs and wrapped its hands around her ankles and Kalie squirmed. Kalie tried to get herself free but failed as the tar started to slowly climb up her legs trying to consume every part of her body. The tar had a hunger that it needed to fill and Kalie was the perfect target. The familiar voice of Blanche reached Kalie’s ears and then her legs tingled as Blanche had hit her legs with a baseball bat.

“Love! Are you alright?”

Blanche asked after the black tar was sent flying into the booth nearby where the young couple was sitting and having a conversation about children and what their future holds. Kalie just shook her head and her vision got much blurrier. The couple had suddenly stopped talking and then a high pitched scream blasted the cafe with waves of pain and even the cafe seemed to cower from it. Blanche stared blankly at Kalie as if trying to confirm what she was seeing as the same hunger the tar had shown shined in her coffee, colored eyes. Kalie watched in horror as the couple had been consumed by the tar leaving only a husk of the two slumped over at their booth. Their bodies were pale as if a vampire had sucked the life out of them and their eyes were only a dark pit with no life showing in them. Part of their skin had started to fall off showing their bones in certain places and dark colored blood leaked from their eyes.

Kalie looked back to Blanche for comfort but Blanche offered no comfort since she too looked like the young couple but the black tar had wrapped around her waist its black arms reaching for Kalie. Kalie tried to cry out but no one heard her as the couple suddenly was filled with an unholy life. The couple got up like zombies and they limped over to Kalie their skin still falling off like rain from a cloud. Blanche laughed and it echoed through the cafe and Kalie reached for the knife that was sitting on her table. Kalie took the knife and turned around to face the couple who had gotten closer now, and Kalie pointed the knife at them. She tried to speak to do anything to tell them to stop, but the couple still limped forwards. Kalie took the knife and her whole mind went numb as she started to flail the knife at the couple in a blind fury but then Blanche’s familiar voice screamed in Kalie’s ears. Kalie’s ears started to bleed from the voice and she struggled but Blanche had a tight grip on Kalie.

“Come on love! Let's go meet Moe, you're gonna love, Moe!”

Her voice sounded demonic like and even though Kalie heard her voice as shouting Blanche was really whispering. The diner started to spin, and Kalie felt dizzy and tried to cry but no one could hear her or understand. Kalie was dragged into the kitchen where the sounds of knives cutting into bone could be heard since the sound almost called to Kalie in a sick way as if it was whispering her fate. Blanche laughed again and threw Kalie on a table where more black tar tried to pin her down and consume Kalie’s whole body again. Kalie fought the tar and won sending the tar to the ground around her and Kalie rolled off the table. Luckily just in time as Blanche stabbed the knife, she grabbed into the table instead of in Kalie. Blanche snarled like a dog and she tried to grab Kalie a primal almost animal-like hunger lingering in her eyes.

Kalie tried to cry again as she managed to slip away from Blanche’s grasp but once again no one could hear her. Kalie grabbed a nearby knife and stabbed Blanche’s hand before pulling the knife out and roughly stabbing her again and again until the fury ended. Kalie got up feeling the tar now swimming all over her clothes and Kalie just held still staring at the ground where Blanche lifeless husk was slumped over. Kalie’s breathing was heavy and panic showed clearly in her eyes and Kalie once again tried to whimper, anything but she could not, it felt as if a zipper was sealing her mouth. A deep voice reached Kalie’s bloodstained ears and Kalie turned to towards the sound her blue eyes having something awakened deep inside of them. The voice had come from an older man who looked normal, at least when compared to Blanche and the young couple. His hair was white as snow and he had bright green eyes and a soft smile across his face. By the man’s side was a small Husky puppy who had deep blue eyes and a silver coat; across his neck was a red collar with a tag labeled “Barney.”

“Woah now!”

The man spoke in a calm voice but Kalie just walked forwards towards him the knife still in her hand as hunger grew in her eyes and fear swirled in her pupils. Before the man could say anything Kalie had started to stab him once again a fury overcoming her weak mind and body. The fury did not end until Kalie’s vision could only see two colors, blue and red and the only smell that tickled Kalie’s nose was vile and dead smelling... Kalie just kept stabbing and the tar on her clothes had stopped bubbling it became more like a stain and became a deep red color. Kalie felt cold metal to the back of her head and the whimpering and barking from Barney, but she continued to stab the man as the tar on the ground started to form two words. Moe’s Cafe... Suddenly Kalie’s vision blacked and her body shuddered with relief as Kalie slumped over. Yet even through the darkness Kalie saw the flashing lights of red and blue and she welcomed them and the cuffs they restrained her with and the bags of solid gold they took from her. Yet Kalie welcomed the coldness that followed and she welcomed the demons that appeared bearing the faces of those she had loved. She let the demons claw her alive and drag her down, down, down… Into the burning pit where Kalie would smile in the face what had happened and what was to come.