Dark Serbia

My wife, Illinka Simo, is so sweet and intelligent; never would I ever have thought I’d have such a beautiful wife. I never really thought a man like me, who chops wood, could win someone over. We’ve been married for five years, and we are tired of living in apartments, especially sense a girl like mine doesn’t deserve an apartment. She deserves to live in a small town with great scenic views and a lively culture. Every day I think about the love of my life and a potential child.

She and I were in the car driving to the town Lovovik, which would be the town we are moving into. This will be an excellent opportunity to start over and meet new people. “Hey Mile! Look, all the trees were coming by!” They were lighting up because of the holidays, most likely, but still they were fantastic. I put my hand on her hip while I drove the car and said to her. “It is great, honey this Christmas better be a smash hit! This is what the winter spirit is all about!” She looked at me and smiled and spoke. “I need to go to the bathroom. Can we stop?”

I pull over near a station, and it looks somewhat run down as I stay in the car waiting for Illinka. Then, unexpectedly, a man comes up to the car and tries to talk to me, but the window is down. I open the window, and then he speaks. “Do you know where the best trail around here is?” I clench my fist in nervousness and respond to him. “I do not know; I’m not from around here!” He leaves without saying a word and goes behind the station. Then I hear a weird screeching noise from the back of the car, and I quickly gather my axe and throw it into the backseat as purple goo oozes all over the backseat.

“What the hell was that!” Feeling embarrassed, I swiftly cleaned up the goo and thought as Illinka came back. She sits down in the passenger seat as I collect my thoughts. I know demons are weird, but did the demon in the man escape through the open window? We drove out and got back on the road as things got quiet. I’m thinking this was a two-star demon at most, but I’m not an expert on them. The documentaries I’ve watched say, “One-star is a slug, two-star is a young thug, three-star a human, four-star is stronger than a mandrill, five-star is something you can’t handle!”

Soon we were in Lovovik, and soon saw buildings, and a small-town square that was like a mini village. Saw the school in the town called Sunce Academy and a child with a metal bracelet that blinked. I thought it was odd, but nothing more than that. Then as we drove, I noticed the wood chopping and hunting place I’d be working at. Then we made it to the nice wooden house we’d be living in.

We both walk into the house, and I sit down on the couch and watch highlights of hockey while thinking about dinner. “Why don’t we go out tonight so we can explore the town!” My wife says. “Sure! That sounds super fun actually!” We walk into town and see a chill restaurant with a light-up sign called “Sweeds!” We sit down as I suddenly think about that dark day oh so long ago. She then breaks the silence as the room was mostly empty with one person. “Hey! What do you think of the town’s scenery!”

“It’s nice, I guess...” I say, looking at the upscale menu, deciding that I want the pecan roasted cod. Then, her cute short hair sucks me back in. “Hey! When are you going to talk about that night!” She says, slamming her hand on the table, looking at me with a furious stare. “What night? What are you talking about?” “Don’t play dumb with me, while I spent my time knitting you acted like someone who was guilty of something!” “I was trying to give you time to be artistic in your crocheting abilities!” “That’s BS! You know it!” Her eyes turn yellow and blood drips down her eye. “Are you going to tell me about that?”

She then storms off as the server comes to our table. “Hello! What may I get for you today!” “I’ll get the Mango Vodka with a hint of cherry! I will wait for food until my wife finishes venting to herself!” He looks at me as I think about her yellow eye and its potential meaning. Could this mean she is part demon? There’s definitely something I don’t know, but what could it be? The server brings me the wine, and I drink, hopefully it makes our time here better.

Then she comes back looking sad as she says, “I’m sorry for ruining our night together! What’s that drink!” “Oh, that’s the Mango Vodka it’s actually pretty good!” The server comes back and smiles at us as he begins talking to us. “Hello mam! What would you like to drink!” “I’ll have the Mango Vodka like him and for food I’ll get the steak salad!” “I will get the Pecan cod with broccoli!” He smiles and takes our menus. “Oh baby! I'll have to try a bite of your Pecan cod!”

“Alright! Did you see the highlights between the Kings and the Golden Knights! Because Serbians don’t love hockey, they are missing out on this incredible game, and yes, I did!” I looked at and touched her hair and replied. “Yeah, I agree! We also need more brains like you in Serbia!” “What? I’m just a data analyst! Don’t think I’m that smart!” I kiss her pretty lips and touch her amazing blonde hair.

We soon get our food, and I dig in and taste the incredible flavor of the pecan mixed with the cod; something about it really hits the spot. “Wow! This is amazing! The steak and the incredible taste of dressing compliment the dish so well!” The server comes near us again, smiling with his red tie and suit at us, and says to us. “Are you two enjoying your meal?” “Yes, we are. It is quiet, good actually! That’s a cool tattoo, and I love the colors! What does it represent?” He had a tattoo of a maroon sun-circle shape on his arm, and it stuck out. The server shrugs his shoulder looking at us, smiling a little, and speaks. “Oh, uh... It’s just supposed to represent my grandma! She loved sunsets and always remembered… to stop and see them she was a killer grandma!”

I finally finished my food as I got up to go to the bathroom. After eating so much, I felt like I could explode. “Hey Illinka, I’m going to take a trip to the bathroom!” She nods and lets me go. The moment I walked into the bathroom, the smell of soap and cleaner hit me. There were two stalls for some annoying reason. A fly buzzed around my head, its presence a constant, irritating distraction. I then opened the second stall slowly and saw a body lying there awkwardly, which had looked dead. The head looked brutally smashed, but the body was mostly intact. Then, I looked and zoomed in closer and analyzed her polo shirt, which said Sunce Academy in white.