Night Shift

     “Well ain’t that just rude!” Artie scoffed, his round face scrunched up and his brows narrowed together as he looked down at the small pile of bills wrapped in his sausage fingers. His belt buckle desperately clung together while it squeezed his large doughy belly around his waist, his shirt buttons seeming ready to pop. 

     “Damn cheapskate left a bad tip!” He grumbled, “Bastard can ‘ford two i-tablets for his rotten kids but ain’t got the decency to leave a couple more bills,” he shook his head as he made a tsk-ing click with his tongue. “I’m tellin’ ya–– some people,” Artie huffed, wagging his index finger. He continued to sort through the bills again, waiting for more to magically appear. 

     “‘Some people’,” Lucille repeated while she rolled her eyes. She stood behind the counter as she wiped it down. The waitress half-listened to her boss rant about money and how he wanted more of it. Her vacant brown eyes blinked slowly, watching Artie stand next to a table and manhandle the tip left by the previous customers. It was a family of four whose toddlers did not stop kicking and screaming when their ‘i-tablets’ were taken away once their food arrived. Their poor mother had to wrangle the rug-rats while their father hid behind a map and pretended to be navigating their next destination. 

     “The hell you doin’ over there” Artie snapped, looking up at the young woman. He pointed at the mess piled beside him, “Get this table cleaned— ain’t payin’ ya to lollygag.” 

     “Ain’t payin’ me enough too,” Lucille muttered under her breath before tossing the damp cloth aside. She moved around the counter and toward where Artie stood. She frowned at the sight of his hairy caterpillar brows narrowing as he eyed her down. Artie placed both his hands on his hips while he towered over her. His attempt at looking intimidating almost made Lucille laugh, especially at the sight of his tomato face sucking in his gut to keep his belt from tearing.

     “You wanna get the plates?” Lucille asked bluntly. 

     “Nah,” Artie groaned, finally releasing his belly. “Imma go sort through today's tips–– split it the usual 50/50 ‘n all,” he nodded, shoving the bills into his back pocket. Artie tried covering it up by loudly clearing his throat and adjusting his belt, “I’ll go ‘head ‘n leave ya to it. Don’t ferget ‘em silverwares need polishin.’” 

     “Uh-huh,” Lucille hummed through a clenched jaw. Her eyes locked onto Artie’s pocket as he turned away. She watched his meaty fingers claw at the tip jar while he grabbed it off the counter and cradled it in his arms as if it were his firstborn child. 

Lucille knew the tips were never split evenly, but the loss of twenty bucks was better than sitting through Artie’s mindless lectures about how honorable he was and would never cheat her out of a good day's hard work. Or whatever bullshit the jackass used as an excuse. She had spent too many hours after work listening to the man lying through his teeth to endure that conversation again. 

     Lucille shook her head then she turned her gaze forward and glanced over at the window. The night sky swallowed the small town and made it dark enough for Lucille to see her hazy reflection on the glass. She paused the moment she met the tired eyes of the girl staring back at her. She saw the dark bags underneath her sullen eyes, her curly mane was beginning to fight itself out of its ponytail. Suddenly she began to feel the heavyweight of her shoulders and the deep throbbing of her feet. That’s when Lucille realized she spent the entire day running around the diner for customers who didn’t bother giving her a ‘thank you.’ 

     Lucille sighed heavily then forced her eyes down at the scattered dirty dishes and crumpled napkins. She began stacking all the empty cups together before moving on to the plates but noticed the weight of the last plate she pulled toward herself. It was heavier than the rest and had a children’s menu filled with multi-colored scribbles placed over it. She pulled the menu off and saw a half-eaten cheeseburger. It was less than eaten. It only had a bite taken out of it. It must’ve been one of the kids because who the hell would fill their belly off one puny bite. 

     Who would waste such a perfectly good burger anyway? Lucille thought to herself. Especially one with a warm juicy meat patty, loaded toppings, and soft but sturdy buns glazed with a glossy thin spread. Lucille’s mouth started to water at the idea of the satisfying crunch of biting down and having the savory taste of meat against her tongue. Goosebumps ran up Lucille’s arms as she started imagining washing it all down with an ice-cold refreshing glass of Coca-Cola. 

     GrrrRRrRrrR 

     Lucille jumped at the loud growl, her eyes widened with fear as she glanced around the room. When it happened a second time she realized it was coming from her. A day with no breaks was a day with no meals. Lucille stared at the leftovers a moment longer, anxiously chewing her bottom lip. 

     Who would waste a perfectly good burger… 

     Lucille watched her hand slowly inch toward the plate. She bit her bottom lip so hard it felt like it was about to bruise. 

It’s going in the trash anyway. Maybe just one bite? No one would know. The tips of her fingers began to tremble as she got closer to the burger. She could feel the dying heat radiating off the food, the taste of the savory meat was already inside her mouth. Before she picked up the burger, she pulled away. The bitter taste of shame immediately crawled into Lucille’s tongue once she realized what she was becoming; a dog eating scraps.

     She swallowed her shame to feed her growling belly then quickly gathered all the dirty dishes and picked them off the table. She was just about to make her way to the kitchen when she saw a man pressing his face against the glass door. Lucille froze as she watched him peer inside, almost searching for something. Lucille figured he was homeless at the sight of his grease-stained shirt and sunburnt cheeks, even though he was wearing a baseball hat. He was a mutt looking for scraps too. 

     When he turned his head and spotted Lucille, his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. The man began loudly knocking at the glass and called out, “Hey! Ya mind?” He gestured toward the handle and nudged the door. He stood with a wide dopey smile plastered across his face as he waited for her to unlock it. “Can ya hurry it up too? Been out here a while!” 

     “We’re closed!” Lucille called back, but the man’s face only wrinkled in confusion. Lucille groaned and the plates clattered when she placed them back down on the table. She wiped her hands against her apron and quickly went to the door then unlocked it. She cracked open the door. “We’re closed for the night.” 

     “Ya sure? Cause the sign says ‘open’,” He glanced up at the sign pinned on the door, dangling above Lucille’s head. “And you’re still here.” 

     “To clean. Case you haven’t noticed,” Lucille furrowed her brow and glanced over her shoulder at the pile of dishes. “There’s a Denny’s down the street. I’m sure they’d love to see you,” She added, placing her hand on her hip as she eyed the man. He was about two heads taller than her, had broad shoulders, and a prominent beer belly. He also had a dark graying mustache that stretched down his chin making him look like he had a constant frown over his face. Lucille sniffled a bit and rubbed the knuckle of her index finger against her nose once she caught a whiff of his AXE body spray.

     “I think I’d rather eat here,” he nodded. “Especially with a sign as temptin’ as that–– I just couldn’t resist,” The man snickered and aimed his bony finger toward the bright red LED lights on the roof. The bold letters were supposed to say OASIS DINER but Artie stopped investing money on the LED sign maintenance so now it was flickering lights that read ASS DINER. “Speakin’ of temptations…,” He hummed, leaning against the door frame. He licked his thin chapped lips as his eyes slowly trailed up the small curves of Lucille’s body before meeting her dark eyes. “Name’s Daryl darlin’, but most ladies call me Big D,” His crooked teeth stretched to a smug yellow grin and winked. “And you are?” 

     “Closed,” Lucille tried shoving the door shut but Daryl snuck his foot between the crack. Her brows knitted together when she glanced down at the boot between the door. She tried nudging it out of the way with her foot but Daryl refused to budge. Lucille’s lips curled into a frown. Her nose scrunched with annoyance. She looked back up at the greasy stranger. 

     “C’mon now, doll. It’s been a long day,” Daryl pleaded, curling his fingers over the side of the door as he attempted to slowly pry it open. “Been drivin’ ol’ Betsy over here since 5 o'clock this mornin’,” He nodded his head to the side, gesturing to the large semi-truck parked at the front of the diner. It took up nearly all the parking spots they barely had. “Came all the way from Utah, ya see. Haven’t eaten a damn thing for hours and the next stop ain’t for miles in this desert. All I want is one jen-u-wine ‘Merican burger–– Hell, maybe even a coffee. I won’t be long. ‘Sides, I promise ya I’m good company. I’ll make it worth your while…” 

     Lucille’s face grew hot at the sight of Daryl's lips curling into a smirk. She watched the mischief flicker in his eyes as he slouched down to her height. Her knuckles cracked while she clenched onto the door handle, mustering all her strength to keep herself from crushing his scrawny fingers against the door frame. “For the last time” she grumbled through gritted teeth. “We. are. closed. We have been closed for an hour. I ain’t lettin’ you in and I sure as hell don’t got the time for a sleazy lil––” 

     “––Payin’ customer!!” Artie interrupted in a hearty voice. “Ya must be starved, son!” He came up from behind Lucille and pulled the door wide open causing her to lose a bit of balance. She looked up at her boss and saw the wide smile prying Artie’s lips open while his wrinkles stretched out of his squinted eyes. 

     “As a matter of fact I am, boss-man,” Daryl chimed, standing tall again. His hands propped themselves onto his hips while his face twisted itself to the same wrinkly expression plastered across Artie’s. “But uh… ‘fraid, Miss ma’am said y'all were closed for the night.” 

     Artie swatted his chubby hand in the air, “Oh don’t mind our sweet ol’ Lucille, here–– ya know how lil ladies get when they don’t ‘em beauty sleep.” He patted his jiggling belly while he let out a loud chuckle and gestured for Daryl to come in, “Get on in here! I’ll whip somethin’ up for ya on the grill while Lucille gets ya settled.” 

     Daryl’s smug grin seemed to grow wider across his face as he looked up at Artie before taking a step inside the diner. He turned his attention over to Lucille and bit the inside of his cheek while he held back a chuckle. He bowed his head slightly then he brought his hand up and flicked the tip of his hat. “Lead the way… Lucille,” Daryl’s deep voice purred, letting her name roll off his wet tongue. 

     Lucille wanted nothing more than to punch that crooked grin off that grimy face, but instead, she took Daryl to the furthest table at the back of the diner. 

     It didn’t take long for Artie and Daryl to become the best of friends. Lucille listened to the two babble on about god-knows-what for two hours and choke on their egos as they belted out into fits of laughter. She managed to get a moment of peace as she cleaned the grease off the grill after Artie made Daryl that ‘jen-u-wine ‘Merican burger.’ Which must have meant two plain buns and a greasy meat patty because that’s what Artie pulled outta his ass. After she washed all the dirty plates by hand (Artie refused to pay to fix the dishwasher), Lucille finally began polishing the silverware. She caught glimpses of the tired girl in the upside-down reflections of the spoons she polished. Her ponytail laid limp behind her neck while her wild curls stuck out in all directions over her face. Her eyebags seemed to have darkened and the whites of her eyes started to strain and turn red. Her shoulders began to weigh a hundred pounds heavier than before. 

     Hang in there Lucille, she told herself. Just gotta hold on. ‘One day at a time’, remember? Then once I have enough I’m gettin’ the hell out of this place. Till then. Just gotta survive tonight. The asshole’s gonna leave any second now. 

     Unfortunately, Daryl saw her standing behind the counter when he went to relieve himself in the restroom. When he came back out he grabbed his plate, and out of all the empty seats he could have picked from, Daryl chose the seat closest to Lucille. She didn’t have Artie to distract the trucker anymore since he was in the back digging through the freezer, looking for their ‘Famous Ritz Pie Ice Cream.’ (It was just vanilla ice cream with crushed dollar-tree graham crackers.) Nonetheless, Lucille ignored Daryl when he tried to start a conversation with her but couldn’t ignore the smell of that grilled meat. She tried swallowing her sticky saliva to distract her stomach, but it kept digging at her. Begging for a hot meal. 

     Lucille sucked against her bottom lip when she glanced up at Daryl, watching him chomp down against the greasy burger. It wasn’t as pretty as she pictured it would be, but food was food at this point. Pretending to be the one eating seemed to relieve some of Lucille's stomach pain. But that wasn’t enough for her hunger. It clawed at the walls of her empty belly and made a low rumble. Her eyes widened at the loud growl and she stood still like a deer in headlights staring up at the man seated across from her. 

     “Shit,” Daryl mumbled through a mouthful. “You alright, Luci?” 

     “Just a lil hungry,” She huffed. 

     “‘Lil’?!!” Daryl scoffed, gulping down his bite. “Sounded like a damn croc in there!!” 

     Lucille tossed the spoon she finished polishing to make a loud clatter to mask Daryl’s heckling. Her nostrils flared while she grabbed the next clean spoon and started aggressively rubbing polish on it. 

     “Hey now,” Daryl cooed and leaned over the counter to get her attention. “Lighten up, will ya Luci?” 

     “Don’t call me that. Only my friends call me that.” 

     “I can be your frien–.” 

     “No thanks.” 

     “Alright then,” Daryl defeatedly dropped his half-eaten burger on his plate and stared at Lucille. Lucille thought she finally got through to his thick skull but when she saw the twinkle in his beady eyes, she knew it was going to be a long night. 

     “Why don’t ya have some of my plate?” He spoke up again. 

     “No. Thanks.”

     “C’mon now, I got plenty of fries to spare,” Daryl picked up a limp french fry from his plate and reached forward. “Here Luci–– why don’t we feed that hungry croc?” The man hummed while he dangled the french fry in front of her face. His mouth gaped open as he waited for Lucille to take a bite like a mother trying to feed her baby green peas for the first time. 

     “I said no!!” Lucille smacked Daryl’s wrist causing the fry to soar backwards across the room. She felt a rush of heat wash over her face while she gritted her teeth into a frown. A loud thud echoed through the room when she slammed the spoon against the counter. Her eyes narrowed when she leaned forward and inched toward Daryl’s face, grimacing at the scent of onions in his hot breath. “I don’t want–– Your fuckin’. Scraps,” Lucille snarled, watching his eyes go wide with shock. She watched his pupils dart between both her eyes, almost as if he saw something inside them. Something he wasn’t supposed to see. 

     Lucille was almost taken aback by her actions but allowed her anger to boil. It cracked the walls of her patience and began to drip out of her, but before she could let her fire roar, she heard Artie walk in. 

     “What the hell is goin’ on?!” Artie’s voice boomed and he looked between the two. “Lucille. C’mere,” He demanded while pointing his chubby finger down at the space in front of him. 

     Lucille didn’t move. She tightened her fist around the spoon she held, listening to her knuckles crack. 

     “NOW,” Artie shouted like a master commanding his dog. 

     Lucille finally snapped her head toward the man. He stood a couple feet away, cradling the cup of ice cream in his doughy hand. His fiery eyes locked onto Lucille while a deep frown cracked through his cheeks. She tossed the spoon onto the ground. It’s handle was crumpled as if it were nothing but a piece of paper. 

     Reluctantly, Lucille went to Artie with her fists clenched to her sides. Her chest rose and fell as she breathed heavily through her nose. “I can't do this shit no more Artie,” She grumbled in a strained voice, “I wanna go home.” 

     “You ain’t goin’ nowhere,” Artie snapped in a loud whisper, “Not till that man has his last bite.” 

     “You let that asshole in, why can’t you take care of it? Bad enough you got me goin’ overtime! It ain't fair!” Lucille shook her head, blinking away the hot tears that started to cloud her eyes. She reached around her waist then began untying her apron. “I can't. I’m leav’––”

     “Walk out that door, ya won’t have a job to come back to.” 

     Lucille’s eyes widened and she looked up at the man. Her lips parted but she struggled to find the words, “Artie… You know I need the––” She swallowed the heavy lump forming in her throat before she whispered in a hushed tone, “I ain’t got nothin’ else, Artie. You know that.” 

     “Which is why you’re stayin’,” Artie’s eyes were dark and filled with no remorse, “And you're goin’ to do what you're told.” He grabbed Lucille’s wrist and shoved the cup of ice cream into her palm then leaned in close. He whispered into her ear, “Now go n’ apologize ‘fore I change my mind.” 

     Lucille’s knuckles turned white while she squeezed the cup tightly in her grip. She kept her eyes down as she turned back to the man seated at the counter. The cracks in her patience seemed to cut deeper into her chest, feeling her heart pound. Her nostrils flared as she huffed out a cloud of air. She watched her legs carry her to Daryl’s side before her hand harshly slammed the cup against the counter.

     “That for me?” Daryl hummed. Lucille didn’t need to look up to see the smile plastered across his face. “Got somethin’ to say? Cause I’m all ears” 

     Lucille’s blood boiled when she peered up at Daryl. She saw the yellow crooked grin stretching across his grimy mug. Even after she barked at him, that man’s smug grin never left his face. The same smugness that taunted her and started this mess. Her anger tore through the crack inside Lucille and burned through her skin. Her fists began to tremble. 

     “How bout a smile,” Daryl added to the fire. “Girls are worth more when they smile.” He brought his hand up and reached his index toward Lucille’s chin. Before he touched her skin, Lucille barred her teeth open and clamped her jaw around his finger. 

     She listened to his startled yell as he tried pulling away, but she lunged forward and took more of his index into her mouth. Daryl whipped his arm to the side in an effort to escape but Lucille locked her jaw closed and ripped his finger off his body. 

     “WHAT THE FUCK!!” Daryl screamed, clutching his wrist as he stumbled out of his seat then ran behind Artie.

     She cracked the bones and caused warm metallic crimson to pour down her chin while her teeth crunched the meat to bits. Lucille’s lids fluttered while her eyes rolled to the back of her head as the salty taste of blood slid down her throat and warmed her belly. She savored the satisfying sensation of finally eating a meal. But that was only a snack. 

     Lucille cranked her neck to the side and aimed her nose to the sky. The sweet smell of fear filled her nose when she sniffed. She twisted her body around as she followed the scent. She found the two men huddled together and flinched when she took a step forward. Their eyes grew wide and their shoulders trembled. Both of their mouths agape, almost as if they wanted to scream but only weak whimpers came out. And they were drenched in that delicious sweet smell.

     “GET BACK!!” Daryl’s voice cracked when he shouted. He clutched onto Artie’s shoulders and held him in place. His eyes darted side to side and when he realized there was no escape, he knew he needed bait. Daryl shoved the doughy-man forward. 

     Lucille hadn’t realized how fast she ran until her teeth were already sinking into Artie’s fat neck. Her ears were muffled with the sound of her heart pounding and faint gurgled screams to hear Artie’s final words. Artie tried prying her jaw open to release himself from her grip, but Lucille pierced her nails through his eyes and clawed his face till the skull beneath his skin was visible. She pinned him to the ground as she continued to tear at his flesh and shoved his juicy meat into her mouth. Her rage washed away with every satisfying bite she swallowed. She was finally getting back at Artie for all those years of stealing tips, never giving a shit about her, and most importantly, for treating her like a mutt. But that still wasn’t enough for her hunger… 

     “G-goddamn,” Daryl gagged. 

     Lucille snarled while her head whipped away from her food. She saw Daryl with his back pressed against the window and his hand pulling his shirt collar over his nose. His face was pale with fear as he watched Lucille on the ground surrounded in what remained of her boss. “Stay back –– Y-you… She-devil!!” 

     She-devil? Lucille was taken aback by the name. She picked herself up from the puddle of blood. She looked past Daryl and saw her reflection on the glass. Instead of seeing the tired girl she once knew, she met the glowing yellow slits of a creature. Its once light blue uniform was now splattered with the crimson that leaked from its mouth. The scratch marks left by Artie’s struggles tore across Lucille’s face. Her once smooth flesh was now torn as if it were a thin piece of fabric and rather than seeing the bloody mask of her skull it was the creature’s scaly face. Its dark scales reflected the dim fluorescent lights of the diner as it shimmered despite being splattered with crimson blood. Instead of feeling fear, Lucille smiled. The creature unhinged its jaw and sliced through the skin of its cheek as it mimicked her expression, revealing its sharp jagged teeth that were stained with the deep hue of Artie. 

     The low rumbles inside of Lucille’s stomach crawled up her throat and shook the walls as she allowed her hunger to speak. Her once smooth voice now became a deep distorted graveley growl, “What’s the matter…. ‘Big D’... ” Her slick tongue glided over her dagger-like fangs while she dragged her body toward her dessert. “Thought you wanted to… ‘Feed that hungry croc’...” 

     Lucille couldn’t describe the kind of ecstasy she felt when she tore into that man. The way his body painted the tile floor as it spilled crimson out of his core. It was brief but it was like a symphony of savory notes. Lucille played the sweet tune of his body while she cracked the chords of his bones. She hummed his melody when his throat screamed when she swallowed his meaty tongue. As mouth watering as the sweet concert was, Lucille’s favorite part was that his crooked grin was nowhere to be seen as he choked on his bloody screams. Daryl really did make it worth her while. 

     When Lucille’s belly was fat and made her waistband tight, her hunger faded away and turned her back to the woman she was before. She picked herself off the bloody ground of the diner and dragged herself out the door. As she left, She didn’t look back at her leftovers splattered across the floors and walls of the building. Lucille blinked and squinted through the hazy darkness of the night. Her only guide was the flickering LED letters of ASS DINER. She was drenched in crimson and left a trail of blood against the concrete as she moved. Lucille’s knees wobbled with every step she took but she managed to shuffle her way around the corner into an alley. She leaned her back against the brick wall and took a moment to catch her breath.

     Despite her arms feeling like noodles, Lucille managed to move her hand into the pocket of her apron before pulling out a fistful of dollar bills. She figured she’d take a souvenir to remind herself of her ex-boss. Her bloody fingers stained the green paper while she tried flipping through the cash. However she kept losing count every time she reached the third bill. Lucille was finding it difficult to stay focused. 

     Her mind was fogged with satisfaction and pleasure from the large meal she had just devoured. She placed a hand over her round belly when an uncomfortable gurgle escaped her. Suddenly a low burp left Lucille’s throat and the woozy feeling of nauseousness washed over her. She clapped her hand over her mouth and clenched her fingers around her middle. When she burped again, she hunched forward and watched the bloody undigested chunks of Artie and Daryl pour out her mouth. Lucille hacked out stringy saliva before she wiped her lips against the back of her hand. 

     Must’ve been the bad meat.