T..W the Alien: Part One (special preview)

Living in such a small town, almost the most asinine things are newsworthy. Gossip flows freely as soon as something happens, and the whole town can’t stop talking about it. Working at the liquor store, you had heard more than your fair share about the latest bit that’s taken over.  All anyone could seem to chatter about was the Grayside Estates.

“It’s weird though, isn’t it?” Your coworker, Faye, asked. “That place has been empty since, what, the big bust?”

“I think so,” you grumbled as you stocked bottles back onto the shelf. The store was basically empty, so the two of you had been talking when Faye brought it back around to Grayside.

Faye gave you a look after hearing your tone. “You’ve lived here longer than I have. What’s the deal? Surely you were around when the busts happened.”

You stood with an empty crate in your hand. “Yeah, it was a circus here for like three months. But I was basically a baby when it happened, I don’t remember much aside from parents complaining about the news people.”

“That’s all?” Faye pouted.

You shrugged and raised your hands. “For most of my life Grayside is just some big empty house where the teens used to go to drink and smoke pot. Whoever bought that place probably has a lot of beer vans to deal with and joints hidden in all the nooks and crannies.”

The door chimed and you turned to see who was coming in. To your shock, it was someone you had never seen before. This wasn’t uncommon, but the person who walked in was both someone and something you’d never seen before.

Faye stared with a gawking expression as the alien came walking in, looking around with perfectly round golden eyes that didn’t seem to blink. He turned and Faye grabbed your arm.

“What is that?” She spoke low and urgently.

You watched the alien go around the low shelves, looking for something and taking his time doing it. The two things you could tell right away was that he was taller than anyone needed to be, and he was purple.

Faye yanked your arm again. “You’re seeing him too, right?”

You gave her a scolding look. “It’s just an alien. We have a few in town.”

“None like that.” Faye marveled. She shook her head slowly as she looked the alien up and down. “He’s creepy, but he’s…hot.”

You gave her an incredulous look. “Just go to the back and load up the dolly. I’m not getting in trouble because you can’t control yourself.”

Faye frowned. “Oh c’mon!”

“No. Back.” You pointed and Faye grumbled as she walked off. Sighing and shaking your head, you returned to the front counter as a customer approached. They too seemed occupied by the big, purple alien who had come into the shop. Once they left, it was only you and him there.

You watched him for a moment as those unblinking eyes perused the shelves. His face didn’t seem real, and while it didn’t seem like a mask either, it was completely unmoving. The round spot of flesh tone in the center of all that purple felt off. It seemed creepy but cute, and out of place as it was placed upon a big, buff body. But somehow, and you couldn’t quite place your finger on it, he looked familiar.

You decided to be a good employee and you leaned out over the counter. “Do you need help looking for something?”

He looked up at you and those eyes bore into your. You couldn’t tell if it was a threatening gaze or just a normal, everyday glance. He looked back down, tapping his finger onto his chin. He looked back up after a moment and waved his hand to beckon you over.

Okay, so he needed help, you could do that. You stepped down from behind the counter and approached him. He was bigger up close, it looked like his hoodie was a size too small. Maybe humans didn’t make his size. He was wearing nice jewelry though. His pointed ears had golden hoops through the lobes, and a couple of extra studs along the edges. Then, sparkling from under the hoodie, you could see a fine gold chain.

“How can I help you today?” You said, maintaining that fake, perky customer service bravado.

He handed you his phone, which had the recipe for a mixed drink on the screen. “Oh! Looking for supplies I see.” You picked up a basket from the end of the aisle. “I can help you there. Let’s see here…” You looked over the list and moved a step to the side, picking up the first thing he must have been trying to look for.