Chapter Text
“Dad?”
“Yeah, peanut?”
She wrapped her arms around herself. “Can we please turn the thermostat up? It's freezing in here.” Abigail felt like her teeth were about to start chattering. Her sweater wasn't enough.
Winds whipped outside, the news had been calling for temperatures to dip lower than they ever had.
December 20th, 2017. The coldest night in decades, it seemed to be. Weather warnings had popped up all over…
“Abby. No. I've told you before, if you're cold, put on a thicker sweater and use a blanket. We pay more than enough for the heating we're using.” He shook his head. “I'm sorry you're cold, peanut. But… No.”
Anthony Brooks was a stubborn man. She knew this, because she'd inherited it.
She knew he wasn't gonna budge…
But she was cold, and really didn't feel like making herself a can of soup…
Abigail pulled out her phone, searching for any local restaurants that were still open despite all common sense.
Blue and brown eyes widened at the sight of a tiny pizza place, one she'd never been into before, or had even heard of until now.
‘Caine and Abel's Amazing Pizzeria’, just some sort of pizzeria/arcade hybrid by the looks of it. But, for whatever reason, it was still open.
She could really go for pizza… It didn't look too expensive, either.
“Abigail, if you leave this house, bundle up. I mean it, peanut, frostbite out there is under forty minutes right now and it's not getting better.” Her father warned.
Abigail slipped on her warmest winter jacket. Her short stature meant it protected her legs far better. Her lined leggings helped.
She wrapped a red-and-blue striped scarf around her neck, pulling her favorite pom-pom beanie onto her head before pulling up her hood. “Look. See? Warm.”
“And now you don't have to go out.” Anthony replied with a cheeky grin. “Problem solved.”
“No, new problem.” She retorted. “I want pizza.”
Her dad laughed. “You're going out in a blizzard, one this bad, for pizza?”
Abigail opened the front door, squinting as the bitter wind immediately slapped her in the face.
“Stay safe, Abby! Love you!” Her father called out.
“I will; love you too, dad!” She shouted, shutting the door behind her.
It wasn't a long walk, she'd be there, warm up, stuff herself with cheap pizza, and be back home in no time at all.
~~~~~~
“Mom, please just drop it.” He hissed. “I'm going out.”
“Leeroy, you are not just going to walk out on me, not like your father.” His mother snarled. “Do you have any idea how hard I work-”
“Yes! You're a nurse! I know how hard you work! All I'm asking for is some time to myself!” He shouted. “I'm a grown man-”
“You're nineteen!”
“Legal! Adult!” Leeroy seethed. He'd played his music too loudly again and his mother had come barging into his room, demanding it be turned down.
They lived on the end of a street, and the only neighboring house was empty, its occupants having fled to a country that wasn't buried in snow for the next week and a half.
But his mother always had to make something her problem. He'd just been enjoying a song that happened to be angry-sounding (it really wasn't, it was actually quite sad if you knew the lyrics) and she'd demanded to know ‘what was wrong’ and why he was ‘in a mood’.
Oh, how badly Leeroy wanted to just give her a mirror when she asked that question.
Without entertaining her theatrics any longer, he left, slamming the front door behind him and pulling up the hood of his favorite purple hoodie, slipping on headphones under it.
‘Hoo, they were not kidding! Fuck me, it's cold out.’ He shivered, shoving his hands and phone into his pockets. It didn't matter how cold it was. He wasn't going back there to get warmer clothes.
He'd have to dive into the first open place… Where was that…
The cold air made Leeroy's eyes sting and water but he kept his head up, looking around for any place to go as he trudged through the quickly growing snow.
Then, across a quiet street, a brightly flashing sign resembling a Circus tent with a slice of pizza in the center caught his attention.
“Pizza, huh? Could go for that. Better than leftovers.” He shrugged, crossing the street without looking and making his way to the large flashing sign.
“And an arcade, eh? Count me in. Might actually be something worth my time, then…” He'd still probably put up graffiti later.
Ha, Rana would…
He looked down, shoving his hands back into his pockets.
Nevermind.
~~~~~~
It sure was chilly out!
He rubbed his hands together as he walked through the snow.
With Destiny away visiting her older sister, and his daughters in their university dorms, he'd been given free reign of the house.
After finishing up his aquarium project, he… Really didn't have much to do.
Grant supposed he could have made himself dinner, but he'd done that last night, and he would definitely do it tomorrow… Maybe a little cheat night would be fun.
He knew Destiny wouldn't like it, him going out in these conditions, especially not for something as silly as pizza, but… He was fine. The place was local, only a short walk from their house.
Sure, he was bad (so, terribly bad) with directions, but it was a walk that needed no directional changes! A straight line! He wasn't that bad!
A large snowflake landed on Grant's glasses. “Oh!”
He'd forgotten he'd put them on. How handy! He took them off, wiping the freezing water with his mitten.
‘Now, do I go for the classic cheese and pepperoni, or do I really treat myself with a supreme?’ He'd seen their prices online and felt a little guilty. They were practically giving food away… Though, he supposed, it was a good thing that at least one restaurant wasn't trying to hike the prices of everything just days before Christmas.
Oh, shoot, he still needed to wrap gifts.
He'd do that when he got home!
~~~~~~
Riley sighed, wanting to throw their phone at a wall.
This wasn't a breakup, no. They'd had breakups before, for plenty of reasons.
“No, no, not you man. You're not like those weirdos, you're one of the good ones.”
The good ones.
The words scorched in their brain.
And now, with phone lines getting bad, they couldn't even rip into them for it any further. None of their texts were getting through.
Not that it mattered. Riley had just blocked his number.
They needed a cigarette.
Their (now former) best friend, he'd always been on the prickly side. Always a little sharper in his jokes.
But Riley had seen him posting online, making a joke they didn't find funny at all. There was no punchline, just hate-filled insults at a person just like Riley.
So, they'd called him out on it over text, not wanting to start an argument in a virtual public space. Telling him it hadn't been cool.
They identified the same way as the person he'd been making fun of. Non-binary, genderfluid, whatever made them comfortable.
Who cared that someone did it, and was into weird things like making cute animal stickers? That didn't make the stranger any lesser than Riley.
‘You’re one of the good ones!’ He’d insisted, as if that wasn't the most heinous thing he could've said.
They took a deep breath, running a hand through their hair, fluffing up the small pink part of it.
“I need some air…” Riley muttered, standing up from their bed.
Snow battered their bedroom window. They slipped on their warmest socks and changed into a long-sleeved shirt rather than their crop-top.
Riley made their way down the stairs, their uncle calling over to them from the living room. “Where you goin’, kid? You've got your ‘I need to process this’ face on. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, bossman, just…” They swallowed.
It wasn't every day you lost a person you'd known since you both were in preschool.
“I need to go out.”
He nodded sagely, and scratched his stubbled chin. “Alright. If you say so, kid. I'm here if you need me, okay?”
“Thanks, man.” They flashed him a quick smile and slipped on their jacket, zipping it up. “See you in a bit.”
“Grab yourself a bite to eat while you're out, I'm just gonna pop a hot pocket in the microwave!” Their uncle shouted as the pink haired person closed the door.
Yeah, food. Like anywhere would be open when the whole state was up to its tits in snow.
They walked, kicking the occasional rock around until it inevitably was buried in a snow bank.
“Fuck, man… Why couldn't you just stop?” They muttered. “Or were you always like this?”
Thinking about it wasn't helping. Riley just wanted to listen to music…Or play some video games.
A flashing sign caught their eye. They had no idea how far they'd walked, as if in a trance.
A pizzeria was open. A new one, by the looks of things. A small poster on the front door advertised an arcade within…
Food, and video games.
Riley shrugged, walking up to the building. It wasn't like this day could get any worse, right?
~~~~~~
Zoey loved the holidays, she really did…
But all the family members that had been brought to her house were driving her insane.
Just a little piece and quiet so she could storyboard her comic, that was all she wanted. Peace, and quiet. It didn't have to be silent, but her many younger cousins running around and screaming was keeping her from doing the only thing she wanted to do.
So, Zoey had slipped out of the back door of her house, art supplies in her backpack as her cousin screeched his little lungs out about wanting a snack.
The winds burned her ears, and she wished she'd had a hat of some sort. She tightened her scarf more, putting in her gloves as she shivered.
She just needed to find a place to draw for tonight, and get away from her chaotic household that she never quite fit into.
And maybe, just maybe, someone else would have the same idea! Maybe she'd make a friend there.
She could really use one.
A black sheep in her loud family.
None of her co-workers particularly seemed to like her. She was one of the managers of a fast food place, one that had closed for the weather today, but would definitely be open again tomorrow.
She looked both ways before crossing a street away from her house, sighing.
What was the point?
Maybe giving in would be better at this point.
Just sit quietly at the table, waiting for the next part of the day to pass her by while her family stormed around her.
Zoey shook her head. That wasn't living.
But it was easier than whatever this was.
A college dropout with a dead-end job, no friends, and a family that saw her as an afterthought…
‘Please.’ Zoey prayed as she walked. ‘Please, let something change. I'll do anything… I can't keep this up much longer.’
She nearly slipped on an icy patch on the side walk, catching herself by grabbing a nearby road sign. She was thankful she'd put her gloves on.
Steadying herself, Zoey glanced ahead.
Something was flashing.
What was that?
She walked closer, the flashing lights growing brighter.
She'd never seen this place before. A pizzeria and an arcade… With how bad this blizzard was getting, she supposed that it wouldn't have many people…
She could go for a slice of pizza right about now actually, having skipped lunch to have a shower before her family arrived.
Zoey pulled open the door to the restaurant, smiling as loud circus themed music blared in her ears.
It wasn't as loud as home.
And that was more than good enough for her.
It seemed about four other people had the same idea as her, all standing in line at the front counter.
A pair of men stood behind it. One with hair that had been dyed a strange, blood-red color. His grin was a bit too wide. “Well good evening!” He called out to Zoey. “Step right there in line, miss, we will serve you in just a moment!”
Beside him, a fit man with dark eyes and another too-wide grin. “We just live to serve.”
Weird, but nothing too bad. She worked in fast food service, she'd met more than her fair share of weirdos.
A short woman stood at the counter, a pom-pom beanie on her head. Behind her was a young boy, grumbling to himself. Behind him, a taller person with lovely tanned skin despite winter stealing away the sunshine, dark hair with a shock of neon pink.
In front of Zoey now, an dizzyingly tall older man with the widest blue eyes she'd ever seen, staring off into space before he caught sight of Zoey. “Oh, hello there!” He gave her a friendly smile.
She had a good feeling about this.
~~~~~~
“No, no, no, no, NO!”
Her mother was going to skin her alive.
“Please, come on…” She begged and pleaded with her car, rubbing the cold steering wheel. “You can do it, I know it's cold but I just need to get home and you can be in a nice, warm garage. Just… Start for mommy. Please…?”
She turned the key again. It sputtered, and died.
Her beloved car had finally had enough of her.
Suzie grabbed her hair in her hands, tugging it. A bad habit she'd picked up as a child and never put down.
Tears pricked in her eyes. She'd made such a good deal this morning, chatting pleasantly with co-workers as the snowstorm rolled in.
With the temperatures having dropped so quickly, Suzie's car engine (or maybe the battery?) had quit on her on the road, the car spluttering and groaning before she'd managed to pull it over to the side of the road.
She sobbed in frustration. Why was shit like this always happening to her?
And now, with the storm having gotten bad enough to put her poor car into a coma, her phone wasn't getting any signal. The winds must have blown a tree over, or a power line had gotten so cold it had snapped.
She stepped out of the car, shivering instantly and wrapping her arms around herself. Her car had heating, as did her workplace building, she hadn't thought to bring a coat. She was only planning on being in the cold for a few minutes today. In the car, and out.
She wrenched open the hood of her car, hoping that just seeing the parts of it would somehow reveal to her exactly what to do, how to fix it, anything.
The redhead sighed. ‘Of course not, stupid. Now what? No car, no phone… Mama's gonna be so angry with me… Not to mention what I'm even gonna do before she can get her hands on me…’
Her hands were going numb. She slammed the car hood shut, looking around.
She'd pulled over just feet away from a colorful, lit up building. Its signature flashed, and she could see a few people inside… A pizza place?
Well, she didn't have to watch anything… Maybe they'd be kind enough to let her warm up. Maybe one of the people in it would know how to help!
Wind whipping her hair, snow clinging to it now as she walked through the snow, pulling the door open and entering.
“H-h-hey, d-do you m-mind if I… U-use your bathroom?” Her teeth chattered.
The man at the front counter focused on her. “Why, of COURSE! You're not very dressed for the weather, are you?” He laughed. “The lady's room is just through the arcade, on your right!”
He turned back to the short woman at the front counter.
She looked… Oddly familiar.
“Sorry, Christine, what were you saying?” The man asked.
“I… That's not my name.” She shook her head, sighing. “Just a large pepperoni pizza please, nothing special, I can't do this a third time…”
Suzie slipped off, darting through the arcade dining room and into the bathroom. She took deep breaths as she shivered, running the closest nearby sink on hot water, shoving her hands into the stream and sighing with relief before drying them off, brushing snow out of her hair.
These people were strangers, ones crazy enough to be out here with a blizzard howling at the door. Suzie shook. Would any of them help her? Would they want to? She didn't want to burden anyone with her troubles… Maybe one of them had a working phone?
She reached into her purse, pulling out her eyeliner and mascara. Suzie refused to look anything less than perfect, even in a bad situation. Smile. Be prim and proper. Smile. Be a lady, or people will not engage with you. Keep smiling.
Her mother had taught her well.
~~~~~~
Abigail tapped her foot, waiting on her food. The younger man behind her had ordered, and they had entered the main dining room.
Well, dining room and arcade.
He'd stopped in front of the pool table. “Hey, you wanna play a round while we wait?” He tilted his head. “Name's… Leeroy.”
“Oh! Yeah, I can play!” She stepped up to the table, thankful that there was a step around it for someone short like her. “My name's Abigail.”
Leeroy slipped a few coins into the table, the plastic screens lifting and granting accessories to all the things they needed. She grabbed a cue and chalk.
She'd learned from her aunt and uncle, growing up and frequently visiting their house. Her cousin Mara had always swiped the chalk away, poking Abigail in the nose with it.
Setting down the triangular frame, she set the balls down in the order she'd memorized. “You wanna break?” She offered Leeroy. “Only fair, you paid for this game.”
Leeroy cracked the tiniest smile. “Heh. Yeah, I can. Your mistake though, I'm pretty good at this.”
“Oh really?” She grinned. “Well let's see… The loser has to buy the other a drink.”
Leeroy nodded, holding out his hand. “Shake on it, shortstack.”
They shook hands, and the shy girl from the lineup joined them. “Oh, a-are you guys playing pool?”
“Yeah, why, what's it to you?” Leeroy glanced at her, and she shrunk.
“O-oh! I uh… I hope you don't mind if I sit nearby, a-and draw.” The girl shrunk into herself.
“I don't mind!” Abigail chirped. “Maybe you can play whoever wins!”
“You mean she'll play me, while you buy me a drink.” Leeroy smirked.
Abigail guffawed. The absolute audacity of this man! They'd known each other for all of a minute!
Over the circus music, something else began to play. Over in the corner, the person with pink hair sat alone in a booth next to a jukebox. Abigail waved to them. “Hey! You wanna play?”
They looked up from their small soda cup. “I… Fuck it, why not?” They sighed. “The minute that pizza comes out though, I'm digging in. I'm starving.”
“Oh, me too!” The oldest man had come in, standing nearby. “It was either this, or my own subpar cooking!” He laughed. “I've got nothing on my wife’s cooking!”
Leeroy tilted his head. “Then… Where's your wife?”
“Oh! She's visiting her sister. I stayed behind, we have two daughters in university.” He smiled. “My name’s Grant!”
Okay, this guy was… A little odd. But she supposed she was too.
The bathroom door opened, and a downright neurotic looking redhead burst out. “Um! Hi! C-could anyone… Help me? P-please?”
Oh, yeah, the girl who hadn't dressed for the weather. A thin, baby-blue blouse and a white pencil skirt over black stockings. She looked a bit fancy to be in a place like this…
“What's the matter, is everything okay?” Grant spoke up. “Are you okay?”
The woman pulled her hands close to her chest, her eyes darting around the room. “Um, yeah, I… I-I don't wanna bother anyone but, uh… M… M-my car kinda… Died?” She smiled awkwardly. “I-I think part of it just… Froze up. O-or broke, from the cold. And… I can't get a signal.”
Abigail bit her lip. She had her driver's license, but no car. She had no idea what to do.
The wind howled outside. According to the meter on the wall, it was already minus thirty outside. The temperature was dropping quicker and quicker. Would walking home be safe anymore?
Abigail was thankful the heaters in this building were still on.
The person with pink hair slapped their hands against their thighs. “Right, lemme take a look. I'll see what I can do.” They stood up. “Name's Riley, by the way.”
The redhead nodded. “Riley. Th-thanks. My name is, uh, Suzie.”
Grant spoke up, raising a finger. “I might be of some help! I've had car troubles of my own before!”
Leeroy nudged her. “Hey, wanna go watch nutcase freeze himself to this chick's car? She looks like she's about to have a heart attack.”
Abigail raised an eyebrow.
‘We just met, dude. Don't be weird… Though… I might be able to try and get a signal to help her.’ Abigail thought to herself. “I… Might be able to help a little.”
Leeroy sighed. “Fine. I'll hold the flashlight, I guess.” He grumbled. “Don't know why that princess needs all of us minus Picasso over there…”
She stepped out with the others into the main foyer. The glass door to the outside showed nothing but whipping snow.
“Fuck me, that's really bad…” She muttered. She really regretted not having a cigarette before stepping into the restaurant.
The red haired woman squirmed. “Uh… T-that's okay! M-maybe if anyone has phone service, I-I could call a taxi?”
Abigail checked her phone, and grimaced.
No signal.
The others shook their heads. “Sorry.”
A heavy silence hung in the air, aside from Suzie who was clearly trying not to have a full-blown panic attack in front of them.
The person from before spoke up again. “Do you have any antifreeze? Might be able to use that to clear any-”
The wind gave a sudden hard gust.
And an ungodly crashing sound right outside the door made them all jump.
The artist girl had run into the room. “What happened?! Is everyone okay?!”
The large sign on the front of the building had fallen.
Blocking the exit.
Caine and Abel, the owners of the place and seemingly only employees burst through the kitchen doors. “HELLO my meowing milkmaids! Who's HUNGRY for PIZZA?!”
This couldn't possibly get worse.
But of course, it had to.
Because just as Caine had finished shouting, all of the lights in the pizzeria went dark.
“Fuck.”