Demon Hunters Part 6

Zendra waved goodbye to a group of high school football players as they left the diner, rubbing their stuffed bellies as they exited. She smiled to herself and grabbed a rag, wiping down the countertop, all the while humming a nice melody as she did so.

“Hey, Zendra. I’m going to start wiping down the tables since there are only really take out orders.”

“That’s a good idea. Thanks Terra.”

“No problem”, the chubby mouse said, adjusting her glasses and getting ready to do her job. She looked back towards the doors and paused. She turned back to her boss, a wary smile on her face.

“Oh, uh, Zendra? There’s someone at the door looking for you. Says you’ll know who it is.”

Zendra shrugged her hefty shoulders and looked to the door. Standing there was a goose, roughly 6 feet tall and about 400 pounds. He was massive, but he was able to move quite gracefully, almost as if he had been walking in this body for centuries. He waved to Zendra, who nodded.

“Shit.”

“Zendra? Everything ok?”

“Oh, uh, that’s just one of my outside investors, no worries. You can let him come up. Thanks again Terra.”

The otter went to the back and grabbed a tray that had a burger and fries on it, one she had been saving for herself. When she got back to the front of the counter, the goose was already seated.

He cast a large shadow it seemed, one that was more than just because of his size. He adjusted his tie, letting the black silk run down past his inflated man boobs and to the top of his globular gut. He clasped his hands together and gave the otter a disingenuous smile, one that sent a shiver down her spine. 

“Zendra, so nice of you to agree to see me. I must say, I’m a little upset you haven’t returned any of my calls. Is everything ok?”

“Everything is fine, Zero. I’ve just been busy is all. You know, trying to run this diner”, she replied, as she placed the tray of food in front of him.

The goose smiled.

“I know my dear, I know. And I see it’s quite popular as well. Mazal tov!”

He reached out and grabbed the burger from the tray and took a big bite. He savored the meat and cheese, along with the mayo and mustard. He took another hearty bite before putting it back down and wiping the excess of his face.

“Mhm, you are a great cook. There is no denying that. I was wise to, how shall we say, “invest” in you”, he commented, a devilish smile on his face as he did.

“You did. You also said though I could run this place without any help. Yet all I see is people blowing up as they eat this stuff.”

“So?”

“So? So, I want to know, is it because my cooking is good, or are you casting spells on people?”

The goose pulled a bottle of bourbon from seemingly thin air and poured it into an empty glass that had been there before. He took a swig and looked back at the otter.

“When you and I came to our agreement, I told you I would not touch your cooking, and I have not. Everyone loves it because it’s that good. The only thing I may have done, admittedly, is increase appetites in this town. If your food was not good, people would go somewhere else.”

He took another drink, his face still calm. He was not showing much emotion, something that constantly creeped Zendra out. She hated that she had gotten into an agreement with such a terrible character, but she had been broke and needed the funding to achieve her dream.

“And that’s all? You’re not doing anything else?”

Zero stopped his drinking, placed the glass down, and looked at her. His eyes went from blue to black; as if they channeled the nothingness of space.

“You do not get to question me dear Zendra, not in the least. I have lived for a millennia and I will not be questioned by an otter who suddenly has a bit of a conscious!”

Zendra felt all courage leaving her body, like it had many times before with Zero. There was no “formal” contract between the two, Zero told her he would help her live out her dreams. The price was simple, she was not to interfere with him, just cook.

“I-I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to.”

“You were, but I’m going to ignore it this time”, he said as he took another drink. “Unlike some others in my field, who think that they should force others to corrupt themselves, I like to give them the option. Sure, I’ve increased their appetites, but that doesn’t mean they have to give in. Why, you’ve seen some of your staff, they’re still relatively thin, correct?”

The otter nodded.

“That’s because they aren’t as susceptible to my presence. I’d be wasting my time on them and honestly I am not in the mood to do that. I find corruption more delectable when it happens without much cajoling.”

The goose’s eyes slowly returned to blue, calming the otter down.

“Besides, I am doing all I can to shield my presence from your two demon hunters. I could kill them, quite easily actually, but I find it much more enjoyable as they struggle with corrupting themselves. Especially the woman, she is giving off such a struggling energy. It’s wonderful!”

Zendra was confused.

“Wait, there are demon hunters here? Who are they?”

“Now now. It’s better if you don’t know who they are. Let’s not worry about them. As I said, they are doing me a favor by slowly becoming useless, so we wont have to worry about them for much longer.  You just keep making this marvelous food. We’ll be in touch soon. Tah-ta!”

With that, Zero rose from his stool, took the rest of the bourbon down with one gulp, and then politely bowed before heading towards the exit.

Zendra really had no clue who the demon hunters could have been. There were many options, but from the way Zero was talking, the two or more people hadn’t been in town long. This probably ruled out a lot of travelers, even Bianca and Tom, as they had been there a few months.

“I’ll just have to be on my best behavior. I’ve come too far to lose my business now.”