Invasion by Martin McConnell

Author:Martin McConnell [McConnell, Martin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gecko Print Publishing
Published: 2018-03-27T23:00:00+00:00

John left Stark in the car and entered the tiny boutique. The rest of the crew and the helicopters weighed on him. They were parked at a sandy spot many miles away from the actual compound. He wondered if the draped netting over the vehicles would be enough to protect them from the eye in the sky.

The store didn’t look like any antiques place he’d ever stepped into. There was a long bar to the left where a few waitresses drank coffee and talked about the day ahead. A scattering of picnic tables stood between himself and the counter. An old man sat reading the local paper.

The rest of the building was normal enough, except instead of having islands of random junk, steel shelves supported layer after layer of cardboard boxes. A few trinkets were scattered about the lower shelves, but nothing worth noting. Most of these places were filled in useless old crap, but the actual selection in this one barely existed. They must have gotten most of their real business from the café, but for the moment it was dead.

Another waitress emerged from a door behind the counter with a plate of bacon and eggs, and rushed them toward the awaiting customer. “Here you go, Frank. You sure you don’t want any toast or jelly this morning?”

The elderly chap levitated his shaking hand from the tabletop, and quivered for a moment before speaking. “No, no, no, little lady. Doc says I need to cut down on my sugar.”

“Okay, baby,” said the waitress. “Well, if you need anything else, you just let us know. Okay? Thank you Frank.”

She approached with a sly grin and grabbed a menu from a podium near the door. “Table for one?”

“For two,” John corrected.

“Right this way, baby.”

John’s eyes rolled as she spun an about face and marched toward a picnic table near the window. It was almost eleven. The thought of breakfast food at this time of day baffled him. The guy was obviously a regular. His eyes followed John across the dining area. He had to be a regular. The waitress didn’t bother dropping a check on his table, unless he already paid.

He took a seat, noting strands of silver mixed with the golden highlights of the waitress’s hair.

“I’m Betty, and I’ll be making my rounds. So if you need something you just give me a holler, okay sweetheart? Did you know what you wanted?”

“Two coffees. Um, one of them with a lot of sugar, the other black.”

“Sounds like the lunch special around this place. I’ll have it right out.” Her paper dress flared as she spun toward the counter. “Girls. Two black coffees for the gentleman please.” She twirled back. “They’ll bring it right over, hot stuff. And there’s plenty of sugar in that little tray right there.” She pointed. “Did you need anything to eat this morning?”

“Just the coffee.”

“Okay, sweetie. Well if you change your mind, just holler at me.” She marched off, dipping toward the old man as she passed. “Everything okay, Frank?”

“Just fine, deary,” he replied.

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