Retire 566
by Cristae566 (Extra Story 33) The Wicked Lamb_1
A small chandelier with bulbs glowed softly overhead. In its gentle light, the pale yellow wallpaper shimmered warmly. The cupboards, refrigerator, and oven filling the kitchen were all a pretty yellow, matching the wallpaper as if part of a set.
Though the years and the touch of their owners had left their marks, everything was so well cared for that it was easy to imagine how it must have looked when new.
The woman who had tended to this home pulled a freshly baked pie from the oven. A sweet aroma filled the kitchen.
With a gentle expression, the woman took a dish decorated with raspberries from the cupboard and transferred the pie onto it. Her hair was just beginning to gray.
“They’re college students? They look even younger than that.”
Standing in the kitchen doorway, Sheriff Dave Donner was so entranced by the pie that he missed his cue to answer.
“Are you sure they’re really college students?”
It was only after his wife asked again that Donner nodded.
“Asians always look young. I asked about college and all that on the way here.”
“Is that so?”
“And their car broke down—I couldn’t just leave them on the road.”
“That’s true. There’s nowhere for outsiders to stay in our town anyway.”
Donner belatedly glanced at his wife for her reaction.
“…It’s all right, isn’t it?”
“You did the right thing. You’re the sheriff—it would be odd to ask someone else.”
Mrs. Donner smiled gently. Donner smiled back at his wife.
“It’s a remote place, but it’s lucky they met you. When was the last time someone from outside came through—six years ago?”
“Herbert—wonder how he’s doing these days. Christopher would know…”
“Are they still in touch? I never understood what those two had to talk about, with one so much younger.”
“Guess he gets lonely.”
Donner shrugged.
Mrs. Donner, recalling the young man who’d stayed in town years ago, laughed fondly. He’d been a bit sensitive, but his occasional witty remarks had made him an entertaining guest.
She wondered what kind of young men these new visitors would turn out to be. When she thought of Asians, all she could remember were the diligent young men who’d worked in her lab decades ago, back when she ran the company. Since retiring to this place, she’d barely heard news from the outside world—times must have changed.
The thought of the confused faces of the young Asian men her husband had brought home made her feel curiously cheerful.
“So, what brought these boys all the way out here? It’s not exactly a place you find by accident.”
“There’s no signal out here. They’d saved a map on their phones, but it got wiped somehow.”
Mrs. Donner looked at them with sympathy.
“Young people these days are so unprepared?”
“Think about when we were young.”
“Still… Even with all the advances these days, you never know when some stray monster might show up.”
As sheriff, Donner couldn’t deny that, so he just clicked his tongue.
No matter how much the world changed, dungeon breaks still happened. Especially far from big cities, where guilds’ protection didn’t always reach.
But, compared to the old days, things had improved. Instead of forming gangs, Awakened now actively hunted monsters. Donner sometimes ran into Hunters checking on dungeons even out here during his patrols.
As long as everyone did their job, that was good enough.
“Well, it’s good to be young. That’s what youth is for.”
“Youth is…”
Mrs. Donner started to speak, then closed her mouth. Donner, sensing her thoughts, chuckled. She shot him a look and lightly tapped his shoulder.
“All right, all right. At that age, you want to try everything.”
Still smiling, Mrs. Donner nudged her husband toward the hall.
“Go get changed. I’ll check on the boys.”
“Sure, sure. What about the pie?”
“It needs to cool a bit longer.”
Donner didn’t argue, but obediently left the kitchen.
But Mrs. Donner, pausing, caught him before he left.
“What about their car? You left it with Nathan, right?”
“Nathan will take a look and let us know.”
“Nathan’s in charge, after all.”
“That’s right.”
Satisfied, Mrs. Donner nodded.
Once her husband disappeared into the bathroom, she finally headed upstairs. The wooden stairs creaked under her weight.
It was a house for two, just her and her husband. Occasionally, outsiders would stay, but not often. The last one had been six years ago.
Along the stairs, the walls were covered in wallpaper with tiny flowers and hung with small frames. Some held pressed wildflowers, others sketches her husband had done as a hobby.
There were a few photos from their youth, too. Maybe because they’d been talking about youthful recklessness, one photo in particular caught her eye today. How many years had it been? Mrs. Donner smiled at the little picture of herself in an old newspaper, wearing a lab coat.
Back then, she’d felt as if the whole world was at her feet. The vague confidence that everything would work out.
Things hadn’t all gone as she wanted, but she’d achieved most of what she’d set out to do. That’s why she could enjoy this peaceful retirement in a small town. It hadn’t been a retirement she’d chosen, but looking back, she was glad she’d managed to get out. Others who hadn’t pulled out in time…
Well. She’d heard one of them had died in prison not long ago.
Still wearing a gentle smile, Mrs. Donner knocked on the guest room door.
There was a brief flurry of movement inside, then a reply.
“Yes! You can come in!”
“Hello. Nice to meet you. We met earlier, but just call me Ellen.”
“Hi, Ellen.”
Sandy smiled brightly and waved. With that shy smile, it was even harder to believe he was about to graduate college.
Not that there was any reason to lie about such a thing—but you never know. The sheriff’s wife needed to have a sharp eye.
“Are you comfortable? Need anything?”
“I’m fine, really.”
Sandy beamed. At first, his loose clothes had made her think he might be a girl, but after a short conversation, it was clear that wasn’t the case.
The mystery novels she read with her husband often started like this. A peaceful small town, a stranger with an unclear background arrives. At first, the townsfolk try to help out of kindness, but before long, strange things begin to happen…
Mrs. Donner smiled back at Sandy. She liked her current life, but she couldn’t deny it was less exciting than the old days.
So she was glad, by chance or not, when outsiders came to visit. Before that young man, Herve Schneider, six years ago, there had been a few lost travelers who wandered into town.
“Have you eaten?”
“Ah… We just had a quick bite in the car.”
Sandy scratched his head and pointed at his backpack. A few energy bars poked out of the pocket. Mrs. Donner frowned.
“That’s not a meal.”
“Well, there weren’t any gas stations around…”
“And your friend?”
“Young?”
“Me?”
At the mention of his name, the other guest emerged from the small bathroom attached to the room. His face was still damp. His sunglasses hung precariously from the collar of his T-shirt.
He bowed politely to Mrs. Donner.
When Young lifted his head, the first thing she noticed was the scar crossing his eye. Mrs. Donner managed to hide her surprise. The scar ran across his left eye—a rough, torn wound. With a scar that large, it was a miracle the eye still held its shape. Young looked at her; his left eye was covered with a white film. The eyelid barely moved.
“Thank you so much. Honestly, we were feeling pretty desperate.”
Young smiled warmly as he greeted her. Mrs. Donner shook her head.
“Nonsense. It’s nice to see young people again. I was just asking if you’d eaten. Your friend says you haven’t had a proper meal…”
Sandy grinned sheepishly. Young smiled too, and Mrs. Donner joined them.
“Come downstairs. My husband needs to eat, too, so let’s all have dinner together. There’s apple pie, if you’d like some.”
“Apple pie!”
“Sandy! I feel bad imposing so much…”
“It’s nothing. Who knows how long it’ll take to fix your car.”
Young and Sandy’s eyes widened.
“Will it take long?”
“I couldn’t say. Our town’s so small, we barely have a restaurant. Now, come on, let’s go down.”
The two glanced at each other, then followed Mrs. Donner downstairs without protest.
During the short dinner, the Donners learned all about their new guests.
How they’d decided to travel, what had happened along the way, where they were headed, what they wanted to do.
Young had put his sunglasses back on, hiding the worst of his scar.
“There was that mess in San Francisco last year, right? The company I was going to work for went under because of it, so I gave up.”
Despite his pretty face, Sandy threw his head back and laughed heartily. His bright pink hair shook with his laughter.
“My parents want me to come home, but I want to give it a bit more time. These days, there are a lot of job postings from guilds in Las Vegas, so I’m thinking of trying my luck there.”
“Guilds? Are you a Hunter?”
“No. I awakened, but I’m not cut out for Hunter work.”
“Young, you too?”
“Just barely enough to be called Awakened.”
Young nodded, taking a big bite of apple pie as he spoke.
“After what happened in San Francisco, the West has been recruiting a lot. Our major is dungeon environmental engineering, and there’s a boom in that field now.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Recently, all the talk is about runes and mana engineering, but this field’s not bad either. Nothing wrong with giving it a shot.”
“Right. That’s what youth is for—trying everything.”
Sheriff Donner agreed.
They chatted for a while, and as the night grew later, Mrs. Donner began clearing the table—Sandy was yawning repeatedly.
“You must be tired. Get some rest.”
“I’ll take you to Nathan—the guy fixing your car—tomorrow. He’s a bit slow, but he’s the best.”
“We really appreciate it.”
“By the way, is there anywhere around here with phone or internet service?”
Young scratched his cheek as he asked. Donner looked apologetic.
“Like I said, the dungeon break nearby… Sorry. I’ll check on it tomorrow.”
“Thank you!”
“It’s my job anyway.”
Donner waved his hand dismissively.
Young and Sandy headed upstairs. Donner listened to the creak of the stairs for a moment, then pulled out his phone.
He found “Nathan” in his contacts. Instead of calling, the sheriff sent a text.
[I’ll bring the outsiders by tomorrow morning. They’re not Hunters, but they say they’re Awakened. The repairs will take a while, right?]