Sequel
https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/ues641/a_diner_run_by_the_devil/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Three long hours of driving from our cozy little two bedroom apartment to a large barebones wood cabin in the mountains, to celebrate my 22nd birthday at grandmas, along with my older brother Sean, and our younger brother Donald. Due to a bad spill at work dad was unable to join us. It’s strange how much one empty seat could make a full car feel empty. “So Maggie, I ask one more time, why in fucks name are we celebrating your birthday in the boonies? I mean couldn’t we just have had grandma and grandpa come down by us.” Donald groaned from the back seat, his annoyance growing as his signal bars quickly faded. “Uh, maybe because they’re in their 80s?” Sean retorted for me, looking back at Don, confusion sarcastically painted across his face. “Oh please you can live 3 days without internet, and hey they still have the T.V” I said through chuckles. He narrowed his eyes towards me before slouching back into his seat. “Ah yes how could I have forgotten the television older than the great depression with a total of two movies.” He mumbled under his breath as he scrolled through his phone in an ultimately vain attempt to keep connection to the outside world as we pulled and began driving down our grandparents long dirt driveway, and it was the moment we reached the end of it things started to change.
The house had been completely off from how I remembered it. It didn’t exactly look different, but newer, much newer. perfectly painted in a dark maroon, and the windows were perfectly stainless. They had gotten a deck and from what it looked like, boarded up one or two of the windows. I was ready to chalk it up to them having some serious renovations since the last time we were over, until I saw Sean’s face. He looked extremely puzzled, as he studied the place closely. “Yeah definitely looks different huh.” I said, nudging him trying to break him out of his daze. His response sent a bit of a chill down my spine as he slowly shook his head. “No, just the opposite… ‘’ He whispered almost like he was talking to himself, before snapping back into reality and quickly waving off his comment as some freudian/mandela effect crap messing with his head as he unlocked the car and we stepped out.
“Well that wasn’t cryptic at all” Don said to me as he bumped my shoulder with a small laugh as we waited for someone to get the door for us. After a few minutes of knocking to no response we resorted to the key in the plant pot. I mean they didn’t exactly have the best of hearing, and there had been plenty of times we’ve had to let ourselves in for that very reason, it wasn’t exactly cause for alarm…that came when we stepped inside to see the interior of the house had to put bluntly, went back in time. The living room looked like a painful parody of 80’s tropes. What little modern technology our grandparents were completely gone, along with the photos of me and my siblings that once covered the walls…say for Sean’s baby photos
“Oh shit…I was right…” I heard Sean mutter to himself with a slight worry in his voice. I looked at him with wide eyes, something about the way he said that just sent me so many chills. “Well you know how we lived with gramps and grams for a while before you guys were born right?” he asked as he slowly scanned the room. He continued before either Donald or I could answer. “Well it looked exactly like this, down to the smallest detail.” Me and Donald traded looks. Like Sean said, neither of us had been alive at that point, so we couldn’t exactly make too much an argument. However at that time our brother Donald was known for arguing things he had no knowledge of just for the sake of pushing buttons. “Okay so you’re telling me our grandparents house has reverted 25 years. You sure they didn’t just like the original look?” he said trying to sound legitimately skeptical, completely ignoring the whole not a single picture of our Immediate family past Sean’s 7th birthday. “Or who knows, maybe your memories just shit.” He continued to prod with a laugh
Sean scowled, something that honestly freaked me out more than anything he was telling us. He had always been a very tame and calm person, I’ve never seen him get legitimately angry with someone, but not this time, no he was pissed. He looked like if Don said another smart ass remark he’d strangle him. “Yeah you little piss ant? wanna keep being a smart ass? How bout I take your ass and shove my foot so far up it you’ll taste my shoelaces you smug–“ Sean began to explode on Don, even getting ready to smack the shit out of him, until a voice filled the room that made all other thoughts.
“Who the hell are you people?!” A young woman said from behind us, cautious but unthreatened. An unforgettable voice, no matter how much time had passed. We all turned around to see a face we knew well. After all, it was one that got hung all around the walls of our house. One I haven’t seen in person for almost 13 years. All we could do was stare until Donald had finally broken the silence. “That’s her, isn’t it?” he said to us almost in a trance.
“What? what the hell is this kid talking about?” She asked us, now slightly unnerved by our presences. My response most likely only made us look less sane, but it was the only thing running in my head. “Mom.” I let out softly, which turned into a small chuckle. I know it sounded crazy but I couldn’t help it. There I was standing in front of my mother, young enough to be my sister. I clearly set off a red flag, as she began to back out the room, but then she started studying our faces closer, changing her sights on an old photo of my grandma in her younger years for a moment then back to me, Then the photo of our grandma, someone she often said I looked a great deal alike. Donald could only stare at her constantly mumbling as if trying to come up with words to say to her. Sean, however, caught on, and did something that began to erase all her doubt.
“Cherry oak coffee table, 5 years old, you just got home from groceries!” He blurted out, a slight hint of desperation in his voice and while I was now thinking we were gonna look crazy to her again, I looked back to see what Sean said left her frozen in place. “Three stitches on the left eyebrow, leaving three small scars. Two going down it, one going across” He continued, his desperation quickly subsiding as he got into the swing of it and continued explaining. That’s when I realized what he was up to. See, Donald and I weren’t alive at this point, but Sean? Sean was most definitely alive, and had loads of evidence to prove at least his Identity and eventually, by extension ours. Once that happened it felt like she never left. She may have only met us but it took very little time for her to make things feel as though she never died.
“Hey honey, sorry for being rude before, this is all very…much to take in,” She began as she walked over to Donald, who had mostly been in a near catatonic state, but he quickly snapped back once he heard her voice. “but you know what, getting a closer look at you, you look just like your father, wait you do all have the same father right? I mean not that it- wow I am bad at this, sorry still a little weird, the whole time thing”. She continued through nervous embarrassed laughter. After all this time he was finally able to speak after staring at her. “yeah, this is definitely weird, ‘’ he said just staring at her, but once she got Donald talking, well he wouldn’t shut up. For once I didn’t mind so much. It was easily the best birthday I’ve had, the kind you really really never wanted to end, but it did as all do. How it ended however, was not in any way shape or form how i’d imagine, and would make me wish for that everlasting birthday ever so much more
One minute we were sitting around the living room, just telling mom about how our life’s are going, how dad is, and just how much we missed her…then I’m waking up next to my brothers at a dining booth, in some sort of old timey diner with some really weird patrons, and across from us, an old man doing crosswords. One tall, slender son of a bitch in a tan three piece suit, a real goofy hat…and as he looked up from his paper I saw his red snake-like eyes. “Oh well welcome back you three. How was your birthday Maggie?” He asked with a sly grin. I couldn’t even respond at first out of pure confusion. Luckily I didn’t need to say anything.
“What the hell was that?” Sean asked as he quickly began searching around, studying his surroundings. The man simply shrugged and said “a sale.” as he returned to his crosswords. Afte I gathered my bearings I started speaking up but was quickly cut off by Donald’s frantic anger. “Where is she?”. He asked in a desperate rage. The man didn’t look up from his paper but I could tell by the way that sly grin grew back the moment he heard the question, he was entertained by it, almost like he was waiting for it to be asked. “Why what do you mean Donald?” He said. “You said you’d bring her back god damnit!” he yelled out, before going pale as he looked at us. The old man cackled as he looked up from his paper, his snake eyes shooting daggers at him.
“Oh so you’re memories back, good so now your remember our deal, and our deal was and I quote. ‘I’d like our mom to comeback for my sisters birthday’ You never specified this was some sort of birthday present, or that she stayed longer than her birthday.” He said, a sharp sting in his voice as he explained himself. Finally I broke out of my confused daze and spoke. “Don…what did you sell him?” I asked slowly. Before he could answer me, the suited man did it for him. “his soul my dear.” at that Sean broke out into a small laugh as he looked between our little brother and this strange man…until he noticed the suited man was no longer smiling, something that had been quite consistent with his character.
“You humans are so blind, you pitiful arrogant child.” He hissed out, in a voice lower than any human could make. “Do not mistake me for some cheap snake oil salesman. If I wanted to I could show you what I really look like. I am not bound by any rules, if I wished I could transform into a twenty story high kaiju and flatten you and everything you hold even an iota of care for before you finish your next breath.” He finished, paralyzing all of us in fear. He quickly cleared his throat and recomposed himself. “My sales are simply that, sales. You humans should know how valuable your souls are, and you should certainly know how dangerous giving it to a demon is, which I can assure you before your temporary mind wipe your little brother was fully aware of who, and what I am.” he finished, staring down Sean, his twisted grin slowly returning, Sean’s attention however, was locked on Donald, and it was very clear, he was seeing him in crimson red. Without a word, He had grabbed Don by the collar and drove his fist deep into his face, yelling about how he’s dumb, and he just threw his life away. I tried to stop him but there was no shot in hell I was gonna be able to hold Sean back, so he continued to beat the living hell out of him and ask him what he was thinking the whole time until Donald finally gave us his answer.
“I just wanted to meet her god damn it. Once in my life Is that so wrong? She was gone before I could even crawl, what memories do I have of our mom huh?…She was supposed to stay, I didn’t mean to let the bastard trick me. I knew damn well what I was trying to do, I was trying to bring her back for good, it wasn’t supposed to go this way.” He finally shouted out in a blubbering mess of tears and blood. Neither I or Sean knew how to respond, Sean simply putting Donald down leaving him a ball of sorrys and sobs as he sat back down in the booth. Then that-that thing chimed in again.
“aww man I gotta say that really is heartbreaking, tell you what, i’m not an unreasonable guy, I got heart strings to tug too” he said with a somewhat sarcastic chuckle. “So I’ll cut you guys a deal, one of you, and I’ll free your brother’s soul, and since I’m Such a good guy I’ll throw your mom’s soul in there too. No strings attached, she returns to the world of the living until she grows old, or I don’t know break her neck falling down the stairs. Seriously you humans are so fragile it’s basically a mystery wheel on how your gonna croak” He finished before clasping his hands together and leaning forwards across the table. “So, what’s it gonna-Actually scratch that, which one is it gonna be? I can smell it on both of you. Both reek of desperation to save your family, it’s clear there’s a deal to be made here.” He stated. Me and Sean traded looks for a good minute before our silence was broken. “Okay I can see you guys still need some thinking to do so tell you what, I’ll give you a year or two to sort it all out.” he said as he raised a bony hand in the air. “Oh and don’t worry, I’ll come find you?” he finished with a wink before snapping his fingers…and sending us back home.
It’s been about six months since then. Don refuses to leave his room, or even let anyone in. We think he’s trying to Isolate himself from us as some sort of attempt to cut us off to the point we don’t care he’s literally damned. I can’t say I’d be any different…and well that’s why I’m going out to find the diner. I know the beast told us that he’d find us, but maybe…maybe if I find him first I can bring it all to an end before he tries to take them