chapter 1

It was a hot day, the sun radiating and baking the pavement of the streets. Bruce Deckard was out for a run, training for an upcoming 5K race. He was trying a new route to change up the monotony but he hadn’t expected the temperatures to be so high and was running out of steam fast. Bruce was 29, average height of 5’10, of mostly Irish decent, and weighed in at 185lbs. Broad shouldered and sporting icy blue eyes, and a short cropped dirty blonde hair he was good looking, but not a pretty boy. He had just begun his 5th mile when his phone began to ring.

“Hey babe, I forgot to ask you if you ever got around to changing the oil in my car, the light is still on?”

It was his wife Kira; they had been married for 5 years now and had settled into the day to day life that comes with marriage. They had an energetic 4-year-old son, and had recently moved to the area due to a job offer Bruce had received to become the IT department’s director of operations at Louisville International Airport. Kira had a degree in ecology, but after having their child she had decided she would rather stay at home and had become very passionate about baking as a hobby.

“Yeah,” he puffed as he worked his way up a slight hill “Sorry, I forgot to reset the light, I’ll do it quick when I’m home”

“Thanks, you should make sure to drink some water, it’s really hot out there!” she returned

“Can do, Love ya babe”

“Love you too, bye,” She ended the phone call.

It was midday, the sun high in the sky preventing any hope of shade. The street Bruce was on had the normal array of businesses you would see in a city. Lawyer and doctor’s offices, clothing stores, tech companies, and an artist’s gallery. Louisville was a beautiful city, but he had recently moved to the area and was still learning his way around.

“I guess I should find someplace to grab some water,” he thought to himself.

And then he saw it on the corner of the next block. It looked like a restaurant, but quite like anything he had seen before.

It was framed out of paved bricks, with gunmetal accents laid between the brickwork and no windows of which he could identify. It had with a parking lot adjacent, the spaces wider than was usual for this part of town. The parking lot featured a ramp running to a large set of double doors featuring a bright purple neon sign above them. “The Venus” it read. Bruce pulled his phone out to check if there were any better options within a block or two, but to his surprise he found a dead black screen.

“Looks like the call wiped out the battery,” he murmured. “Better this than running in circles.”

He stopped his cadence, turning and then proceeded to walk the ramp and pull one of the doors open.

There were patterns etched into the metal of the door, he couldn’t quite place the image in his mind, but it looked familiar to him. As the door opened his face was met with a blast of cool air, as well as an array of aromas, scents, and richness such that he had never encountered before. His eyes now adjusting to the dimmer interior he took in with a bit of amazement one of the most decadent buffets that he could have ever imagined.

“The heat must be playing tricks on my eyes.”