Chapter 8
After another hour of complete annoyance and weird stares from everyone, he was finally done and ready to make it back to his new house. The GPS showed it wasn't that far, he didn't know if he was grateful for that since he wished it were a bit away from all the busy streets but at this point, it all was what it was. He was just relieved to be out of the old place finally after years of suffering there. He sometimes wondered if he could handle going back, breathing the same air, he knew he had to him made a promise he would. He couldn't leave him alone on the day he died. If he really believed in an afterlife, he didn't know, but he knew that souls don't die off, he's met them through witches. He knows that every year he would be waiting for him, by his own grave and he refused to let him be alone that day. So, it didn't matter how it hurt him, or put his life in danger to go back, he knew he would, he's already lost everything, it shouldn't be too hard to die either?
Parts him didn't want to disgrace the others sacrifices, who died trying to protect him, who died just because they choose to be with him, he didn't want to throw it all out the window by allowing himself to die. He felt slightly bitter he couldn't even decide his own death but the guilt and grief of losing everyone else always took over. It was a petty thing to complain about anyway, he always told him.
He finally reached the small cottage style house, it was smaller than the houses in the area, but it was the only place he could afford, not that he had that many options. He quickly started to unload all the items into the house. Everyone seemed to stare at him even worse than before, which was happening a lot more now he didn't know if he should just pack up and run again. If he had the money right, he would, he didn't like it here already.
Contemplating approaching the neighbors who have been openly staring at him for hours now, he unloaded the final box and decided to make his way towards them. He stopped mid-way when he saw the children turn to look at him confused before being told to go inside by the parents. Why does everyone seem confused or scared of him? he's human for fuck's sake, maybe if they knew the number of weres he's already killed maybe then they'd have something to fear, but a whole town against one human isn't really in his odds at all.
After how awkward this exchange got, he decided to just turn around and leave to his house. Just as he turned, he heard the women call out to him.
"hey sorry about that our kids aren't used to newcomers; I didn't want them to be frightened, so I sent them inside" her statement was plausible, but he knew there was more to it than she was letting on. He returned the smile with one of his own, as much weirdness the people had he didn't really need to get on more people's bad sides.
"it's no problem, I figured there hasn't been a lot of new people" he replied, "just wanted to come over and say hi to my neighbors, I don't know if people do that anymore" he laughed trying to lighten the mood and get rid of the tension in the air. He felt slightly relieved when he watched the couple laugh along with him, "yeah we still do, where are you from by the way?"
'it wouldn't be awkward if I just turned around and pretended, I never talked to them and they never asked that" he thought to him.
'just a bit far far away from here, I don't think its place anyone would recognize" he tried to deviate the topic and was relieved when they took the hint.
"probably, we haven't left this town for generations, don't know about the outside world that much" the husband said jokingly, he didn't know if they thought of his statement as offense cause in another tone this whole conversation sounds like a passive-aggressive exchange.
"sorry I have to head back inside, need to unpack everything, hope to see you guys around," he said stepping back, feeling incredibly uncomfortable by the whole exchange.
"no problem, we can come help if you'd like, the kids have to get to their short nap anyway we have a bit of time" the woman replied, he spent years psychoanalyzing people and he noticed the second intent of helping him. he didn't know what else they wanted to get from helping him out, but he wasn't about to let it happen either way.
"no, it's fine, there's not much to unpack, thank you though" he waved them one last time, before turning around and trying not to speed walk out of the place into his new house. He shut the door behind and didn't expect to feel so relieved in a place he just moved to. How the hell he was going to manage to get a job and keep it with how everyone is he didn't even want to think about yet.
He opened the blue box and removed the deflated mattress from its covering. And set it up before locking all the windows and doors in his house. Even with all that's happened, this should be nothing in front of it all but if it helped his paranoia then it doesn't matter. Now why this paranoia was a deep well of complications, that maybe one day, someday he would open and solve, for now, it could sit in the dark place it was made.
He went to sleep and prayed for the 58th time in the day that things will be easier tomorrow. He'd get used to in any way. Given the time it would just become the new normal, he was just starting to get sick of these types of new normals. He knew his 'normal' was nobody else's actual normal.