#uncannysam

The new stock that was sitting in the back may have looked like a daunting task to many, but to Sam it was relaxing. It had always been fun seeing all the new books that had come in. Some requested by customers, others being the next part in a series that may carry on for years. Whatever the case, it was one of Sam’s favorite parts about running the comic book store. And as she carried boxes out to the front one by one, she let the music blasting over her bluetooth speaker keep her company, aside from Scout who had decided to lay in the back office today.

Singing along to “Panic Station” by Muse, the twenty-eight year old was caught up in covering the shelves with merchandise missing the sound of the bell ringing over the door. As she placed the latest issue of Harley Quinn on the shelf in front of her, she spun around dancing to the music, before noticing the person in the shop, “Shit. Uh…” Sam could feel her cheeks turning a red hue as she sat down the rest of the books she had in her hands, “Can I help you?” Smooth, Sam. Real fucking smooth.

It was a reasonably nice day for the winter time, so Marcus decided to take one of his usual strolls around town. He’d been taking them less and less as the weather got colder, so he figured now would be a good day to get back out there, for nothing else but some decent sun exposure. 

As he turned down a side street he didn’t normally go down, he noticed a sign for what appeared to be a comic book shop. “Escape Your Fate Comics” it read, and this prospect excited Marcus. When he was in the navy, he would read some old comic books he had snuck over from home to help pass the time whenever they were on a long voyage. Those nights in his cabin reading old Spiderman comics helped get him through some of his more grueling tours. And now he can relive those nights while maybe picking up some new comics while he was there! 

As he walked in, the place seemed to be empty. However, he then heard a flustered voice asking if he needed help with anything. 

He faced the woman and said “Just browsing for right now, honestly I’m not sure what I’m looking for yet. Just waiting to see if anything jumps out at me, you know?”

The shop had been, dare she say…quiet…most of the day. (She had hoped she didn’t just jinx herself), which had been nice. It had allowed her to get some other work done, but having a customer pop in, even if she had just made a fool out of herself, was always better. It meant being possibly one step closer to paying bills for the month, “That’s fair. Well if you need help with anything, I’ll be here, not dancing and singing to Muse, by the way. I’m more professional than that.” Sam cleared her throat, before looking down at the stock she had sat down.

Leaning forward, she picked the books back up and began sticking them in their proper place on the shelf. Though Sam wanted to allow him the chance to browse, she was curious to what he liked to read, “So, are you more Marvel or DC?” Seeing another Harley Quinn comic, she stuck it in its proper spot, before moving towards the speaker to turn it down, so they could maybe have a conversation, if he had wanted to.

While Marcus had thought he heard the woman singing when he came in, he just didn’t know it was Muse in particular. It wasn’t really the kind of music he usually listened to. 

“Well, when I was a kid, I read a lot of Spiderman” Marcus said, already feeling uncertain about her first question. “So that would be…DC, right? Really I’m open for anything though, I guess you can say I’m relatively inexperienced when it comes to comic books.” 

He looked along the rows and rows of brightly colored comic book covers and noted that a lot of them seemed very inviting.  He grabbed one edition of the Justice League, and noted what issue appeared. 74? How many of these were there? He realized this could become a pretty expensive hobby if he really wanted to get the complete story of whatever he wanted to read. He decided to go to some of the comics that didn’t seem to come from a huge mainstream series. By a bunch of other Marvel comics, he spotted more Spiderman comics, and decided to stick with what he knew.

“Morbius” he read aloud while picking up one of the issues. While Marcus had certainly missed quite a few issues of this series, from what he remembered you didn’t really need to read every single issue to know the story. This one showed Spiderman duking it out with some big vampire. Good for him he thought to himself, remembering his last two encounters with vampires in this town. 

Sam couldn’t help but smile when Marcus had mentioned Spider-Man being DC. It was a common mistake. If you weren’t an avid reader or were brand new to the world of comics or even just shopping for someone else, these things usually happened. Some places she had visited were snobs about that sort of thing and would get huffy, but to Sam, it was ridiculous. If someone was interested in comic books, let them be interested. They would learn along the way, “Actually, that’s Marvel, but a lot of people get them confused. Especially because the whole Sony/Disney thing and…yeah, I’m rambling and probably confusing you even more.” She had a tendency to do that, especially when she was excited about new members of the comic community.

Finishing off the stack, she picked up more and began putting them in their proper places on the shelf, “I do have plenty of Spider-Man, and I could help you find a starting point with that. Were there any particular superheroes or subjects that caught your eye coming in?” It was a simple place to start. However, hearing the word Moribus had caused Sam to nearly drop the stack of comics she had in her hand.

Scooping them up in the nick of time, she took a deep breath and sat them back down in the box, “If, uh…if you’ll excuse me…I just…” Why she still kept stock of vampire comics was beyond her. After everything that had happened with her best friend, Sam had tried to avoid any topics surrounding things that reminded her of his death, and though it sounded silly, hearing the word Moribus left her mind blanking and the need to step back into her office for a moment to regain herself. “It’s just a comic book, Sam. You’re fine.” Even Scout had found his way over to her and began nudging his snout and head into her side, “I’m okay, Scout. I just needed a minute.”

At hearing his mistake, Marcus gave himself an exaggerated smack on the forehead and a shrug in Sam’s direction. “Of course, the…Disney Playstation merger. How could I forget? I’ll have to remember that next time I go looking for these things.” 

A few other covers had caught his attention. Thor looked badass, Black Panther looked exciting. Captain America, while just as colorful and inviting as his cohorts, exerted a level of blind patriotism that felt nauseatingly familiar to Marcus. He figured he’d probably pass on him. 

His thoughts, however, were interrupted as he watched the woman hurriedly excuse herself to the back room. Had he said or done something wrong? He shrugged his shoulders. Probably not, he thought to himself. Probably just indigestion. Still, he couldn’t help but feel the tone in the room become very icy when he picked up the Morbius comic. The sudden shift felt too coincidental. 

“Everything okay?” He called out, but the door to the back room had already closed, and he was left holding the comic book. “Okay well…maybe not that one then,” he said, putting the comic book back on the shelf. His eyes narrowed on one cover on the shelf. It was a much more recent edition of Spider-man, and he had to pick it up and take a good long look at it before realizing he wasn’t holding some cheap knock off book with a different protagonist. “Miles Morales…wow. Pete, you know I love you buddy. But something about this one…I woulda loved to have this guy as my spiderman when I was a kid.”

As Marcus bantered with the imaginary men on the page, he couldn’t help but wonder back to the woman running the store, wondering if she was okay or if she was coming back. 

It had taken Sam a little bit of time to find her bearings again. Thoughts had run feverishly through her mind at the mention of vampires, and instead of spiraling into a full on panic attack, she had resorted to the methods that her therapist had given her. One of which was the full awareness of her hands surrounded by Scout’s soft orange fur. And as she took slower and slower breaths once again finding herself, she knew that if she were to go back out there, it would have to be with a smile. Never let ‘em see ya sweat. Even if you were just having flashbacks of watching your best friend literally be eaten by vampires. 

With one final breath and a forced smile, Sam found her way back out to the store. Luckily, no one else had come in while she was in the back. But she had no doubts that the man who was still, thankfully, perusing the aisles would have been kind enough to keep an eye on things. At least, she had hoped, “Sorry about that. Something…came up.” It was a weak and worn excuse, but it would do. He didn’t seem like the questioning and prodding type anyways.

Sam made her way back to her stack as Scout had already found his spot on the floor, but this time closer to her. Letting her eyes shift, she noticed the comic book in his hands, “Miles Morales. That would actually be a really solid place to start. Miles has been in the comics for a little over a decade now, but compared to starting with the original, I think you’re a lot better off and representation matters.” She smiled, before returning back to the tasks she had previously assigned herself, before her little mini-meltdown.

The woman had emerged from the back room and looked…shell shocked in a way. It was the only term Marcus could find to describe the look that the woman was desperately trying to will off of her face. He’d seen the look before. He was sure he’d even had the look on his own face before. There was something more than what the woman would let on. However, being relative strangers, he decided not to press the issue any further. 

“I get it. Things tend to come up when you run a business like this. Have you been here for long? I think this is my first time seeing this place.” 

Marcus took another glance down at the comic in his hands. 10 years? That was a long time, and probably tons of issues, yet Marcus was looking forward to reading all of them. 

“You’re right, probably less overwhelming to work through than the 40 years of spiderman that came before him. Plus, that’s still plenty of material to read through.” He paused at her comment about representation mattering. “It does. I didn’t really think it would, but…seeing him in a hero position does put a smile on my face.” 

He decided to try and work his way to the beginning of this iteration of spiderman, trying his best to pick up a few issues in chronological order. He’d get enough material to keep him occupied in his free time for a couple weeks and then go out for more if he decided he wanted to keep going. 

“I’m ready to check out.” He said as he brought his purchases up to the register. “I didn’t include any of the vampire ones in there. I can’t stand them either, even if they’re fake” He said with a shrug, hoping to find some common ground with the store owner. 

Sam’s nerves were starting to leave as the conversation resumed. Doing tasks seemed to help too, like putting away comics and arranging them on the shelves, but she knew after he left, she’d be locking up for a break and some decompressing time, “Especially when you run it all on your own.” She laughed softly. Sam didn’t mind running the store though. It was her child and not taking care of things herself just seemed odd, “A couple of years now. Finally save up enough money after college to commit. It’s always been a dream of mine. Well that and actually having my own comics.” Which she did via self-publishing, but it wasn’t something she flaunted and was only brought up if asked. “Have you been here long?”

She finished the stack she was working on and leaned over to pick up another one. New stock coming in was always something she enjoyed, because it gave her a chance to see what new issues she wanted to snag for herself to read. Pulling the first comic out of the stack, she looked for the corresponding issues and began to make space. “Not that Peter Parker isn’t great, but it’s like c’mon, man. You’re reaching grandpa status. Time to let someone else have a go at slinging webs. But I completely agree. The first time I read an Echo comic, I had tears in my eyes. I’ll never forget it. Which is a great series and great show, if you haven’t seen it yet.” (Not me plugging Devery’s new show…)

Seeing him go to the counter, Sam laid down the stack she was working on and walked over to meet him. His stack of comics made her smile. And though the vampire comment did strike a nerve, she was able to let it go when he mentioned not liking them either. But did he really believe they were fake? She was curious, but decided not to dig too deep into it, and instead started ringing up the books, “Looks like you got a good stack. I’ll be excited to hear what you have to say next time you’re in. And as for vampires, I totally agree. Leeching off of people to survive…” Sam thought for a moment, “But I guess you could say that about the world we live in, huh?”

She finished ringing up the books, “Your total is $42.83.” Grabbing a bag from a nearby box, she opened it up and began slipping in the comics a few at a time.

“I've been here…” Marcus thought for a moment. “Wow, almost a year now. Time flies when you’re having fun I guess.” If fun was what you could call it, he thought to himself. “You mean you’ve actually made your own comics? That’s impressive! The writing is one thing, but the art is something else completely. Always looked really hard and time consuming to do. Next time I’m in I’ll definitely have to give those a look too.”

“I agree, Peter will always have a special place as the OG spiderman. But handing the reigns…er, webs, over had to happen eventually,” Marcus said with a smile. “Can’t say I’ve heard of Echo, but it sounds like I should read her stuff too. I…should plan a bit of my budget out for comic books apparently”. 

“Leeching off people to survive…that can really be said for a lot of humans too. Except a lot don’t even do it for survival, they do it for another beach house or lambo or…ah, I’ll go on and on if you let me. I try not to get too riled up when meeting someone for the first time. Let’s just say, there are some people who I’d prefer seeing a monster over. Speaking of which…,” he trailed off, eyes narrowing and voice dropping to a hushed whisper. ”Ever notice any…strange things around town? I mean this town has plenty of rumors but…have you ever thought these rumors to be true?” Marcus wanted to make sure the woman he was talking to had a confirmed knowledge of the supernatural before he went on and on about vampires and made himself sound crazy in front of her. 

“Before you know it, it’ll be a decade.” It was hard to believe that Sam had been here as long as she had. Twenty years may not have seemed like a long time in the grander scheme of things, but on a day-to-day basis it seemed like an eternity. “Yeah, they’re not much, but I enjoy it. If you can find them, there’s a few on the shelves somewhere in the store.” It was easier to downplay her art than to up-sale it. Sam had always been modest about her work, wondering if it was good enough, but it seemed like more and more people were becoming interested in it, especially when they would find it hiding on the shelves.

“Right? No one lives forever.” A statement she once believed. Now, realizing she was in the presence of other types of creatures, she wasn’t so sure there weren’t eternal beings walking amongst her. “Yeah, if it’s something you’re interested in in the future, let me know, and I’ll pull the back issues for you.” Sam laughed, “I hear that a lot actually. People come in not knowing what to expect and leave having the exact same reaction.”

She continued to put the comics in the bag, and threw in a small flier with the hours of the shop and some other information, “You know, you make a very good point. And honestly, don’t get me riled up on politics either.” She laughed softly knowing she could have a long discussion when it came to government, money, and other issues wrong with the world they lived in. The change in topic, despite what the new topic was, was almost welcomed, and in that moment, Sam debated whether or not she wanted to reveal to him that the things that went bump in the night were, in fact, real, “If you’re referring to the goo mess and the ridiculously loud booming noise from the sky, then yes.” She wasn’t quite ready to delve into the reality of vampires, but she did offer him a warning as discreetly as she could, “I wouldn’t doubt that there were other things around here that could be dangerous too, especially at night…” She swallowed the knot that had formed in her throat from the thought of Zach and the monsters that took his life.

“Ah, gonna make me work for it, eh?” Marcus said in response to Sam telling him that her works were hidden away on random store shelves. “You know how to get someone invested, I’ll say that much.” Marcus was always down for a bit of a scavenger hunt, especially when there was something genuinely interesting at the end of it. 

“No…” Marcus trailed off, remembering his own brushes with death. He’d lost crewmates. He’d lost a cousin who felt more like a brother. And he had lost the love of his life. Through it all, Marcus was still standing. No, it wouldn’t last forever, but he could relish in every second he had left, for that was a gift in itself. “They don’t. But it’s what they do with their time that really matters, you know? Pete did a lot of good. So have a lot of other people.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to get divisive. Although it seems like we at least agree with each other on that front. But yeah, the goo and the sky screeching some god awful sound. Honestly, those two things barely cracks the top 10 of weirdest shit I’ve experienced here.” He paused before leaning in a little more closely, dropping his voice a bit. “And I’ve seen what goes bump in the night here.”

“Yeah, pretty much.” She grinned, “I think it’s more of being self-conscious, and not wanting to force it on anybody, you know?” Sam looked down at the bag of comic books. Sure, if people organically wanted to discover her art, that was great. She just didn’t like flaunting it. “Besides there’s plenty of other great up-and-coming artists, like this girl here…” Sam diverted her attention to Maggie’s comic book that was on display on the counter, “She’s actually a local artist. Her name’s Maggie.” She was going to support her friend any chance she got. The goal, get all of Wicked’s Rest to check out her art and stories.

Sam looked back to Marcus, “You’re right. So right.” What good had she done in the world? Would she go out being remembered like that? Her mind easily shifted to Zach. She knew without him in it, the world seemed a lot dimmer. His twisted sense of humor was no longer around to brighten her day or the little pep talks he would give her that made no sense. She missed him so much.

“No, you have every right to talk about what you want to. But I am intrigued now about what’s on your top 10 list…I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve noticed strange things, but I don’t think I’ve ever experienced it. Well, until recently…” She was absolutely referring to Zach, but maybe this guy would think she meant the goo and skyquakes. However, she did want to know more, and leaning in closely, despite them being the only two in the store, she spoke with a low voice, “And what exactly does go bump in the night here?”

Marcus’s interest was now fully piqued at her question. When he first got here, he wasn’t fully convinced of some of the terrors that were rumored to be out there in the world. He had known of sirens, various fae, vampires, and of course other selkies since he had run-ins with these groups back home. Since coming into town, however, he learned that there were plenty more terrifying creatures out there in the world.

“You seem like you have an open mind. I’ve seen…and encountered…some really scary shit. Giant spiders, vampires, vampire hunters, the works. Pretty much every monster from those old school scary movies is real, and for some reason they all like to poke around this town specifically”

Since she had said she had been in town for a while, Marcus knew this couldn’t be the first time she had heard something like this. It wouldn’t be the world shattering revelation that it was when he broke this news to Elias.

“I’m surprised you haven’t seen any of it for yourself. You’ve been here way longer than I have, after all.”

Sam couldn’t say she was surprised when he confessed to seeing scary shit. But it was the vampires that got her. The wound of Zach’s death, no matter how much she wanted to push it down, was still so fresh, and him bringing up vampires again made her breath hitch in her throat. She wanted to tell him to leave. Take his comics and get out. But she didn’t solely for the fact that he also mentioned vampire hunters. If that was the case though, where had they been the night Zach was killed?

Sam could feel anger welling up in her small form. But it wasn’t towards the man standing in front of her. It was for the aforementioned hunters that did nothing when she and her best friend needed them the most. But what he was saying had also contradicted what Cass had said about there being good vampires out there. Her head was spinning, and she wanted to be open and honest. It seemed like he was. Yes, they were standing in the middle of a comic book shop full of fictitious creatures and worlds, but why would he have just randomly brought them up, if he didn’t, too, believe they were real?

“I’ve…I’ve encountered vampires too. They killed my best friend…” She was quiet. And didn’t say much.

For a good long while, Marcus didn’t have anything to say. He just looked at the woman, who now seemed very upset and agitated as she told him what her encounter with vampires ended up like. “I’m…shit. I’m so sorry to hear that.” Grief and trauma really did seem to hang over the heads of everybody in Wicked’s Rest like a black cloud. “When did this happen? Do you have a description of them? I happen to know a couple people who might be able to get a little payback for you.” He, of course, knew it would offer her little solace, as her friend would still be gone. But he felt he needed to offer something to make things “right”, in a way. 

“I’ve uh…lost people myself. Also been attacked by them! Twice! Some people in town say that some of them are not bad but…well when a snake bites you, you learn to fear all snakes.” It was true, he knew he was an especially alluring target for vampires due to how oxygen-rich his blood was. “I think that death is so common in this town that we stop thinking about the victims behind the headlines. ‘Four men mauled by strange animal’ that, let’s be honest, is very obviously a werewolf or something, but I don’t think enough people really think about who the 4 men actually were, you know?” 

“I guess what I’m trying to say is,” Marcus said, realizing he should probably get to the point soon. “I’m sure your friend was a hell of a person. Sometimes, while everyone obsesses over how they died, the best thing you can do is remember how they lived.” He then paused for a moment before quickly writing something down on the back of his receipt and sliding it back to her. “That being said, if those fuckers ever come back and give you any kind of trouble, give me a call. Sorry again for your loss” 

Sam stood silently not having words. And for a moment a heaviness hung over the complete store. Too solemn for awkwardness. Finally, the young woman felt relief come over her body as he spoke again. Sure, it was still awkward. Death was always awkward, because most people felt bad if they said the wrong thing, and then proceeded to ramble just trying to fix it. All in good faith of course, but it was still strange.

“A couple of months ago. It was just a woman and her friends. A gang of them.” Sam tried to keep it as vague as possible. She had been over it countless times with the police, Zach’s parents, her parents, his other friends, and the worst place of all, her mind. She didn’t want to relive it yet again – that’d probably reluctantly come tonight when she was laying in bed trying to sleep. “And I’m so sorry to hear that. I can’t imagine being attacked by them. It’s a lingering fear now…And you’re right. Most people don’t think about the victims. I’ll admit, I became numb to all of it myself, until it happened personally.” Sam viewed the news and all its contents differently now, especially considering she was able to see more than most now.

“Zach…his name was Zach. And he was, hands down, the funniest and sweetest guy I ever knew. He made me feel welcome and wanted when my family moved here from Kahnawake.” Sam had been determined to keep his memory and spirit alive. “And for the time he was here, he lived a great life.” She looked down as she watched the man scribble his name and number on the back of the receipt. Taking it, she looked back up, “Thank you, Marcus. I’m Sam, by the way. I can’t offer you much in the way of protection, but I am a good listener if you ever need someone to talk to.”

Typical, Marcus thought to himself. It was one thing to be a lone wolf hunting down victims one on one. At least there was some degree of sport in those cases. But to ambush some defenseless human as a pack? Completely cowardly behavior. He was certain Zach wasn’t the only victim of this roaming band of bloodsuckers either. 

“Zach” Marcus mulled the name over a bit, making sure it stayed in his memory. While he never knew him, he always did his best to make sure the dead were given their due respects. It was a behavior that carried over from his time watching crewmates get buried. “Sounds like they robbed this world of a great dude. Hopefully they don’t show their faces around here again.”

He offered Sam a warm smile at her last comment. “After everything I’ve been through here, I think having a good listener is exactly what I’m in need of. Be safe, try not to venture out at night. If you do, bring company, and protection. As outdated and lame of a weapon as they may seem, a wooden stake is easily your best bet.”