Tega sat in the old diner at the counter with a few other strange people who seemed to be stuck in time. The same thing happening over and over. It was like a daze.

No, a residual haunting.

A busty girl with overlong ebony hair stood at the counter counting change as she filled customers’ orders. She was Lacy Lee, an old friend of Tega. A half-Korean and half-Chinese odd girl who she saved from the clutches of a group of horny vamps.

" Hey, Lacy. Are you still dating that jailbait?" Tega asked as she flipped through an old gun magazine.

“He wasn’t jailbait. He was totally 19!” Lacy replied.

"He was more like 17,” Tega remarked as she closed the magazine.

"He was not!" Lacy told her as she got aggravated.

"Anyways," Tega sighed, “I came for the artifact.”

"It’s in the back, but you have to wait until I get a break," Lacy grunted.

"Seriously, Lacy? I don’t have all day!" Tega snapped.

"Geez, Teeg. What’s the matter with you?” Lacy frowned as she turned to head into the kitchen.

Tega followed her to the back room where the lockers and boxes were. The room was kind of filthy to be a restaurant. It was filled with cobwebs, torn boxes, and food spilled on the floor.

"Do you have any idea of what it is?" Lacy asked as she handed her the artifact.

It was a small golden emblem with strange inscriptions etched into it. The language was an old one, as the design seemed like something from the middle east.

“Do you remember where you got it from?” Tega asked as she put the item in her backpack.

“I didn’t get it from anywhere. It was left on my doorstep a few weeks ago,” she replied as she walked back into the restaurant.

“I think I’m going to have to consult Vera for this one,” Tega told her as she followed close behind her.

"When are you going to give up all of this hunting nonsense?" Lacy asked as she poured herself a cup of Diet Coke.

"If I had you would be vamping it up right now instead of enjoying your wondrous life?” Tega joked.

"You know what I mean," Lacy responded as she hopped up on the counter," You need to have a normal life. Kids, family… a man."

Tega rolled her eyes as she sat down at the counter, “I have—”

“You have?” Lacy grinned, “You seriously have a boyfriend?!”

“You don’t have to say it like that!” Tega closed her eyes annoyed.

“What’s his name?” she asked.

“None of your business,” Tega replied as she turned away from her and stared out of the window.

"It sure is running slow today," Lacy sighed.

"Yeah, I wonder where everyone is?" Tega agreed.

“Hey. Look at him?" Lacy acknowledged the man who just entered the restaurant.

"Hm?” Tega turned around to see who she was talking about.

"He doesn’t look like he is from around here," Lacy said as she hopped off the counter.

"Stay close to me, Lace," Tega agreed.

"Still, he’s kinda hot," Lacy giggled.

“Seriously?” Tega sighed.

The man walked over to the counter with his coat in his hand. He had on a black leather bandana, dark denim jeans, a studded belt with chain, and long medium black hair.

"Can I take your order?" Lacy asked him as he came up to the counter.

"Can I get a cheeseburger with a coke" the man answered.

"Will that be all?" Lacy asked as she punched in his order.

"Why don’t you give me one of those ice cream cones that she seems to be enjoying," the man responded as he pointed to a young blonde who was licking an ice cream cone at the booth on the far side of the restaurant.

Tega rolled her eyes as the man stared at her licking his lips.

"Okay, that will be $7.50," Lacy told him.

He pulled out his wallet and handed her the money. Lacy returned his change to him.

"So, what brings you out here?" Tega asked.

"What do you mean?" the man responded.

"Well, you just look like you aren’t from around here," Lacy told him.

"You’re absolutely right," the man smiled at her," I came into town for a little business. I’m from Texas."

"Alright. Texas," Lacy smiled, "I’m from Kentucky."

"Sweet," he said to her.

"Do all Texans wear cowboy hats?" Lacy asked him.

"He laughed at her, “definitely not."

"She has some kind of infatuation with men in cowboy hats," Tega told him.

"Shush!" Lacy hit her in the shoulder.

"Here’s your order," Lacy handed it to him.

"Thanks a lot, missy," he thanked her as he left the restaurant.

"I’m gonna go talk to him," Lacy said as she hopped over the counter.

"Hold on," Tega told her.

"I’ll be back, and besides, you can see me through the window," Lacy assured her.

"She’s so dumb," Tega said as Lacy left the building.

"Hey wait up!" Lacy called out to the man.

"Miss me already, little missy?" he smiled as he opened his car door and put the food in the car.

"Maybe," she smiled at him as she leaned on his hood," sweet ride."

"Yeah, it’s my baby," he told her.

"It’s a 1977 Cobra 2," she told him.

"You know your cars," he acknowledged as he walked over to her.

She turned around and leaned on the car as he stood close in front of her. He leaned close to her as he put his hands on the car beside her. They stared at each other for a moment.

"Looking for something interesting?" she asked.

"Maybe," he smiled as he leaned beside her head.

"Wanna go to my room?" he whispered in her ear.

She pushed up against him," Maybe."

He back away from her as he started laughing," You need to check with your friend first?"

"Sure thang," she bounced back to the restaurant.

"You want to go with him, right?" Tega asked as she walked in.

"Please, Teeg? He so nice," Lacy told her.

"Go ahead," Tega agreed, “but keep your phone close in case something happens.”

"Of course," Lacy confirmed turning around and leaving the restaurant.

Tega sighed as she stared at her half-empty glass of Coke. She knew that it was probably wrong to let Lacy run off with some strange guy, but she was a grown woman after all.

“Shit,” she sighed as she slammed her glass down on the counter.

The man pulled up to the hotel where he was staying. It wasn’t a nice one, but at least a clean one. The kind of place where you just met up and stayed a night or two.

Cheap.

Raunchy.

“So, what’s on the agenda for tonight?” Lacy asked.

“I’m gonna eat this first, and then I was hoping that you could provide the dessert?” the man responded as he turned the car off and got out.

Lacy got out of the car to follow the man to a corner room with a rusty door tag that read 112. He unlocked the door and went inside. The room was small with just a twin bed, TV, dresser, and bathroom.

“Kinda cozy,” Lacy joked as she jumped up on the bed.

The man sat at the table as he began to eat. Lacy popped on the television as she browsed to channels. It only took him fifteen minutes to scarf down the food.

“That was delicious,” he wiped his mouth with his hand, “By the way. My name is Mike.”

“Finally,” Lacy smiled at him as she cut off the TV.

She lay back on the bed with her arms sprawled out, “Come on.”

He took his shirt off as he walked over to her. For such an old man, he had an awesome physique. Rugged and hard. He was a nice addition to her list. Climbing onto the bed beside her, he started unbuckling her shirt. She didn't stop him as he pulled open her shirt to reveal her bare breasts.

“Beautiful,” he smiled down at her as he leaned over onto her chest.

He sat up as he pulled her daisy dukes off her body. She giggled as she kicked off her red stilettos.

A few minutes later, the door flew open as three men rushed in.

“Hands up!” one man shouted dressed in black.

“Get down!” the man dressed in grey started shooting.

Lacy jumped behind the bed with the covers wrapped around her.

“Hey man! What’s going on?” Mike yelled at them as he covered himself with the blanket.

“Where’s the artifact?” the man in black yelled at him as he pointed his gun at him.

"What?" he answered as he slowly crept towards his gun that was on the dresser.

The man in gray fired a bullet towards the bathroom as Lacy stood up and ran inside.

“Kill him! She’s the one we need!” the man in black told the other as he started after her.

“Wait! You don’t have to kill me! I don’t know anything about some artifact!” Mike begged for his life.

“Shut up!” the man yelled as he fired a bullet in the forehead of Mike.

A loud thump sounded as Mike hit the floor in a pool of blood. The three men stood outside of the bathroom door as they tried to lure her out.

“Just give up the artifact, and we might spare your worthless life!” the man in black shouted as he knocked on the door of the bathroom.

Lacy started to cry as she dialed Tega’s number. The phone rang once as it suddenly shut off.

“Shit! Shit!” she cried as she noticed the dead battery symbol on the black screen.

“Get out her bitch!” the man yelled as he banged on the door.

Lacy looked around for something to defend herself with. The bathroom was small and enclosed. There were no windows. No cabinets. She was defenseless.

“Open up!” the man yelled once more as he banged on the door again.

“I- I don’t have it!” she yelled back as she climbed into the shower.

“Well, then there’s no use for you then!” the man replied as he kicked open the door.

“Please don’t!” Lacy cried.

“Where is it?!” the man demanded as he pointed his gun at her.

“My friend has it!” she shouted as she covered her head.

“What?!” he asked as he fired a shot into the wall next to her head.

“I- I don’t have it!” she yelled again.

“Dude just kill her and let’s get out of here!” the man in gray shouted as he looked back at the front door of the hotel room.

“Let’s just go!” the third man demanded as he lowered his gun.

“We need that thing!” the man in black shouted at his partners, “I’m not going back to Raven without it!”

“Please don’t shoot me!” Lacy begged.

The man in black cocked his gun as he pointed it at Lacy’s head. He hesitated to pull the trigger as he stared at her.

Pow!

A loud bang ranged through his head as he turned to see a woman pointing a Colt revolver at his head.

“Back the fuck off!” Tega shouted.

“Kill her!” the man in black yelled as he ducked down behind the bed.

Tega fired another shot as she punched the man standing by the door sending him tumbling backward. The man in gray fired several shots at her as she dodged them and dashed towards him. Turning around she grabbed the gun and pulled it apart. His eyes widen as she swung a knife towards his neck. Blood sprayed through the air as he fell to the ground. The man on the floor started trembling as his gun jammed. Tega flipped backward as she kicked him on top of the head causing his head to bounce off the floor. Another kick sent him into the wall. She flipped the knife in the air and then threw it across the room into the wall next to the man in black's head. Lifting his gun up, he fired several shots at her but to no avail. It was only a mere seconds before she was standing in front of him with her gun pointed at his forehead.

"You should've listened to your friends," she whispered as she fired.

Blood splattered against the already stained wall as he slumped against the bed.

“Get out here!” Tega called to Lacy.

The bathroom door slowly crept open as she peeked out. There was blood everywhere. Pieces of flesh and clothing were scattered about the room. It seemed more like a slaughter than a gunfight.

“Tega!” Lacy cried as she ran over to her and hugged her tightly.

“You’re so stupid,” she sighed.

                                                           *******

Tega stood by the large windows of the bedroom as she watched Lacy sleeping on the bed across the room. She really didn’t have a choice now but to protect her.

The girl was reckless.

Dumb.

“How long can you protect her?” Amaria asked as she slowly entered the room.

“I don’t know,” Tega sighed as she stared out of the window.

“She can stay with me, then,” Amaria smiled.

“Are you sure?” Tega asked as she walked over to her,” She is a lot of trouble.”

Amaria giggled, “No more trouble than you.”

Tega smiled as she walked past her and out of the room. Amaria closed the door behind them as they walked into the living room.

“Thanks,” Tega exhaled as she plopped down on the couch.

Sitting down next to her, Amaria grabbed her hand. Tega didn't say anything but looked at her confused. Amaria smiled as she raised Tega’s hand up to her face and kissed it.

“I’m gonna try to get some sleep,” Tega told her as she pulled her hand back and laid down on the couch.

Amaria didn’t respond as she stood up and walked to her bedroom.

Tega rolled over onto her back and looked up at the ceiling.

Maybe I should just try to have a normal life, she thought to herself.