The Ocean’s City

This can’t be right. A clammy hand snaked itself into mine, and I looked into Danny’s uncertain eyes as she communicated in an unspoken language. We are fucked.

My eyes continuously glanced outside the window, hoping it was an elusion, but the beach was still there. Seconds passed, and we finally pulled up to a diner equally misplaced. It was a ’60s diner through and through. The car rumbled to a stop.

“Do you want to get anything to eat before we head home?” Dalton asked, turning to look at me in the back seat. Hutson was already leaving the car, calling for Dannie to come along. She didn’t bother to get out. Her hand clutched mine tightly.

There was no time to process who ”we” were supposed to be. There was too much going on in my head. The passenger side door swung open, and Hutson leaned in and picked Danny out of the car. We both screamed. When her hand slipped out of mine, I fumbled for the handle, wanting to get out of the car faster than what was humanly possible and rush to my friend.

Dalton was next to me the moment I stood up. He gave me an innocent smile as he snaked an arm around my shoulder. “What’s the matter?”

I tried to push him away from him, but it was like he was a brick wall. Dannie and Hutson murmured to each other, my ears straining to listen to what he was saying, but the ring of the diner door opening distracted me.

A voice spoke, becoming my very beacon of light. “Everything alright out here?”

“NOOO!” Danny and I both spoke at the same time.

“They have kidnapped us,” Danny cried. Hutson grunted in agitation, but he didn’t move to harm her. I, however, felt the genuine warning to be silent by the grip Dalton had on my arm and the frown on his face.

“You girls, come inside. It’s cold.” The lady said and waved them inside. To my surprise, Dalton stepped back, allowing me to move toward the diner. He kept pace with me and nonchalantly dropped an arm over my shoulder.

Danny urgently ran to the woman and hugged her. Hutson stayed only a mere inch away while the middle-aged woman walked Danny into the diner.

“May we use your phone?” Danny asked with nerves filling her voice. My heart dropped as my hand went to my pants’ back pocket, noting that my phone wasn’t there anymore, cursing my drunk decision to toss it. I glanced at Dalton, who flashed me a quick wink.

The lady stared at Danny, confused. “Please, we need to call the cops. We are here against our will.” I pipped in as I pushed Dalton off me and hurried to Danny.

The lady looked at both our faces with an unreadable expression. Then, almost like a robot, her eyes landed on Dalton, and her face broke into a huge smile. “Dalton, honey! How have you been?”

He nodded at her as if nothing was out of the ordinary. “Not bad, Mrs. Hughe.” then he fixed his jacket and peered at me in a chipper voice. “Alright, last chance. Would you like to eat something before we go?”

I shook my head.

“Alright, say goodbye to Danniella, and we will be on our way.”

My arms tightened around her at the mention of her name. “We stay together.”

“Sweetie, Danniella has her bed she wants to sleep in,” Dalton spoke with a honey-sweet tone.

“No. I- UH, I want to sleep with Silvie,” Dannie declared, clinging to me tighter.

Hutson’s laughter crackled through the air and caused us both to jump. “Man! Dalton, they spend the whole day together and are still inseparable.”

“Hmmm, they may need some time apart. They are practically connected by the hip.” The threat was not lost on me as I viciously stared back at him.

I turned back to Danny and hugged her.

“We have to run,” Danny whispered in a shocked voice. “We split. One of us will escape to go find help.”

I nodded, my adrenaline pumping. “I love you.”

“You too.” With no sign, we broke our embrace and burst into a run. There were two exits, one on the diner’s side that clearly led outside. Danny took that exit, and without hesitation, I knew there was always a back door through the kitchen.

My feet flew as Hutson grunted and Dannie yelled out for me to keep running, but through her screams, the calm coo of Dalton’s voice calling me back rang through my ears like he was right behind me.

“Silvestia, honey! Let’s go home.”

The dinner patrons sat and watched me while I booked it to the kitchen.

“Don’t run from me,” he demanded, but I continued to race to the kitchen, though it seemed to get farther and farther. The people I attempted to pass became like a blurred photo and the more I tried to move closer to the kitchen, the more stretched and longer their images became.

My head turned to look over my shoulder. Dannie was in Houston’s arms, frozen. Her arm stretched out to me, mouth wide in a mid-scream. Hutson was just as still. Then my eyes landed on Dalton—the only normal-looking thing in view. He stepped toward me, and the sound echoed in the silence. One step after another, I sprinted as fast as I could, but his steady pace was superior to my attempts. When his hand landed on my arm, everything was in motion again. Dannie’s scream finished in the air, and all the patrons returned to eating their meals.

Dannie, no longer screaming, was talking to herself in fits of denial. “But he was here.” It was all I could make out of the murmurs. Hutson attempted to soothe her.

“Let’s go, Darlin. You must be tired.” He said with a smile, but the strength of his grab told me he was about done with my theatrics.

Unable to scramble my thoughts in order, but knowing that fighting a man who could poof you into a new city and make walls stretched beyond what was realistically possible wasn’t a fair fight, I searched inside myself to find whatever manipulations I could have over him.

While he guided me past Dannie, he called to Huston, “Take care of her. We’re headed out.”

“Wait!” I pleaded, struggling to shake myself from his hold. I turned enough to stare him in the eyes. “This isn’t my reality, is it?”

He bared a half smile and shook his head. I thought for a moment before I spoke. “Then… may I please stay with Dannie? At least… until I understand?”

Dalton looked into my eyes, petted my cheek, and then turned his gaze to Dannie.

“No.”

Desperation flooded my insides.

“But you will see her tomorrow for breakfast. How does that sound?” He asked, peering down at me.

Danny had pure fear in her eyes. We pleaded with one another, but even she knew they had us cornered. How could we fight two men who froze time and alternated reality?

I met Dalton’s gaze head-on. “Fine. But… I want your word she will be okay.”

He held my gaze as he slowly nodded his head. “You will see Danniella for breakfast without a scratch on her.”

In my gut, it felt genuine; I glanced at Danny one more time, lipping the words tomorrow, and then let Dalton guide me back to his car. He opened the passenger door for me to get in before climbing into the driver’s seat.

As we pulled out, I waved to Dannie, who walked side by side with Hutson toward a different vehicle — a yellow sports car with a black stripe.

“It will be alright,” Dalton said with his hand on my knee. I remained silent.

Thanks for reading the second chapter of The Ocean’s City. Let me know what you think! Grammar Nazis are welcome!