nodded and fished a ten-dollar bill from his pocket. The man in the suit put out his hand, and the man in the yellow vest laid the bill in his palm. “No change,” the man in the suit said sharply. He pulled his hand back inside the truck and slammed the window shut.
“Great customer service,” Mallory said.
“Ha ha!” the construction worker laughed nervously again. Sweat popped up along his brow as his eyes darted over to his buddies at the other end of the lot. They whooped and hollered encouragingly. The man wiped his sweaty palms on his yellow vest.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like pâté either?”
The man blanched. “Oh God…you think they’re serving pâté today?” He looked like he might throw up, but he didn’t get the chance. At that instant, the back doors of the food truck banged open, and a huge set of slimy, purple tentacles burst out of the truck. They waved menacingly in the air, as if sniffing out their prey, then they turned and shot out at the construction worker, fast as lightning. He screamed as one tentacle wrapped around his waist and another secured itself to his wrist. The creature began dragging him back toward the rear of the truck. The man screamed and begged for help, but his friends just looked on, shocked and dumbfounded, and a little sad. The man in the yellow vest looked at Mallory and pleaded for her to do something— anything . But a third tentacle shot out, clamped itself over his mouth, and lifted him into the air by his chin. The creature pulled the man into the back of the truck. The whole vehicle rocked violently from side to side, the tires lifting off the ground. The man’s muffled screams were drowned out by a grotesque slurping and chomping and crunching of bones. Then the truck stopped moving, the unseen creature belched, and everything fell silent.
The man in the black suit slid the window of the food truck open. He poked his head out and looked at Mallory. “One?”
“Uhh…no, thanks. I’ve…changed my mind.” Mallory turned on her heels and hurried back to Lewis and the RV. “What the fuck was that?” she hissed.
Lewis sighed and sucked at the corner of his bottom lip. “Some days, you eat the special, and some days, you are the special.” Then he added, “It’s still better than the pâté.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Mallory snapped.
“I did say something! I said, ‘Don’t do it, Mallory, don’t get the special!’”
“You didn’t tell me I might be the special!”
“Every time I tell you not to do something, you do the opposite!” Lewis huffed. “So what’s even the point?”
“The point is making sure your friends don’t get eaten by a giant octopus! That’s one of the basic building blocks of life .”
Lewis brightened around the eyes. “You think of me as a friend?” he asked, clearly pleased.
Mallory exhaled. She suddenly felt exhausted. “Look. Let’s just get lunch, then you can take me back to the Roach Motel, where the tentacles are at least a more manageable size.”
Lewis’ smile fell. There was no disguising the hurt in his eyes. “Okay,” he said. “If that’s what you want.” He rubbed his chin for a moment, as if he were on the verge of a very important decision. “I have just one more stop to make on the way. It’s quick, and completely harmless, I swear. Then I’ll bring you back to the hotel, and you won’t ever have to see me again.”
Mallory sighed. She grabbed Lewis’ hand and gave it a good squeeze. “Look, Lewis, I just want to check back into the motel, go to my room, lock my seven locks, put up my barrier against demons, and wait it out until my car’s ready and I can get the hell out of here. Okay? It’s not you…mostly. It’s this town. Really.”
Lewis raised an eyebrow. “You mean it?”
Mallory shrugged. “Sure.”
Lewis nodded. “Thank you for saying that. As far as lunch goes, I’d recommend the Rice Bowls with Various Canned Vegetables.
“Great customer service,” Mallory said.
“Ha ha!” the construction worker laughed nervously again. Sweat popped up along his brow as his eyes darted over to his buddies at the other end of the lot. They whooped and hollered encouragingly. The man wiped his sweaty palms on his yellow vest.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like pâté either?”
The man blanched. “Oh God…you think they’re serving pâté today?” He looked like he might throw up, but he didn’t get the chance. At that instant, the back doors of the food truck banged open, and a huge set of slimy, purple tentacles burst out of the truck. They waved menacingly in the air, as if sniffing out their prey, then they turned and shot out at the construction worker, fast as lightning. He screamed as one tentacle wrapped around his waist and another secured itself to his wrist. The creature began dragging him back toward the rear of the truck. The man screamed and begged for help, but his friends just looked on, shocked and dumbfounded, and a little sad. The man in the yellow vest looked at Mallory and pleaded for her to do something— anything . But a third tentacle shot out, clamped itself over his mouth, and lifted him into the air by his chin. The creature pulled the man into the back of the truck. The whole vehicle rocked violently from side to side, the tires lifting off the ground. The man’s muffled screams were drowned out by a grotesque slurping and chomping and crunching of bones. Then the truck stopped moving, the unseen creature belched, and everything fell silent.
The man in the black suit slid the window of the food truck open. He poked his head out and looked at Mallory. “One?”
“Uhh…no, thanks. I’ve…changed my mind.” Mallory turned on her heels and hurried back to Lewis and the RV. “What the fuck was that?” she hissed.
Lewis sighed and sucked at the corner of his bottom lip. “Some days, you eat the special, and some days, you are the special.” Then he added, “It’s still better than the pâté.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Mallory snapped.
“I did say something! I said, ‘Don’t do it, Mallory, don’t get the special!’”
“You didn’t tell me I might be the special!”
“Every time I tell you not to do something, you do the opposite!” Lewis huffed. “So what’s even the point?”
“The point is making sure your friends don’t get eaten by a giant octopus! That’s one of the basic building blocks of life .”
Lewis brightened around the eyes. “You think of me as a friend?” he asked, clearly pleased.
Mallory exhaled. She suddenly felt exhausted. “Look. Let’s just get lunch, then you can take me back to the Roach Motel, where the tentacles are at least a more manageable size.”
Lewis’ smile fell. There was no disguising the hurt in his eyes. “Okay,” he said. “If that’s what you want.” He rubbed his chin for a moment, as if he were on the verge of a very important decision. “I have just one more stop to make on the way. It’s quick, and completely harmless, I swear. Then I’ll bring you back to the hotel, and you won’t ever have to see me again.”
Mallory sighed. She grabbed Lewis’ hand and gave it a good squeeze. “Look, Lewis, I just want to check back into the motel, go to my room, lock my seven locks, put up my barrier against demons, and wait it out until my car’s ready and I can get the hell out of here. Okay? It’s not you…mostly. It’s this town. Really.”
Lewis raised an eyebrow. “You mean it?”
Mallory shrugged. “Sure.”
Lewis nodded. “Thank you for saying that. As far as lunch goes, I’d recommend the Rice Bowls with Various Canned Vegetables.
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