There he took up his previous position, keeping his eyes on the guest as inconspicuous as possible while he went through the list of orders. It didn't happen often, but he was slowly running out of alcohol. Maybe he could get his hands on something special on the next trip. Kitchen noises came through the door from behind him. He could hear Zoye humming as she probably hurried back and forth across the kitchen. He could only envy her this relaxation. But she really had no reason to be uncomfortable. If anyone got into trouble, it would probably be him. He could have put it off for a long time, but he should have known that the day would come one day.

"Stop thinking about what could happen."

Angelo winced with a low cry. How the hell this witch always managed to sneak up on him. As if she knew exactly what was going on in his head, Zoye gave him a big grin before continuing on to the guest. She was now wearing a dark red apron, in keeping with the season. She elegantly balanced a bowl of soup and bread on a tray to Ian.

"Come on, you will be really better afterwards," she said while putting everything down next to him, "And we should get you out of your clothes. It's more of a problem than it really helps."

"I ... have nothing else."

"That's what I thought."

Zoye sighed and looked at him thoughtfully.

"At least we hang up the jacket and sweater to dry. And when we have a room ready for you, we make sure that the rest can dry out while you are wrapped up warm."

Ian seemed to object again, but Zoye blocked it with a simple wave of the hand. The man just moved his mouth open and closed, like a fish, with no words to get out.

"The boss has the last word, but I doubt she will mind you staying here."

"I seem to make others nervous," muttered Ian, finally finding his words again.

Zoye glanced back at Angelo, but Angelo was no longer in his place. He probably got her hint and went downstairs to prepare the room.

"Don't worry about Angelo. He's like a dog that barks a lot, but doesn't bite. Your arrival just got him on the wrong food."

Ian let his gaze wander around the room. Someone had made it shine in red, green, and gold. Small fir arrangements stood on the tables and the walls were hung with ribbons, fir branches, cinnamon sticks and holly. In the back he could see a narrow hallway that led back to the right of the kitchen. Where exactly could not be seen, but at least a staircase led up from there to the second floor. There was a door below the stairs. Maybe it led to a cellar. Everything looked neat and well cared for. And somehow unused.

"Do you have any other guests?"

"One. But this one is sleeping a lot at the moment. And he prefers room service. He'll probably stay here a few more days and then move on."

"With the snow?"

Zoye's eyebrows drew together for a brief moment before she smiled again.

"We'll warn him, but in the end it's his decision."

"Fair."

As he picked up the bowl of soup, Zoye sat down on another chair next to him. She took off her apron and threw it casually over the armrest. The smell of carrots, pumpkin and oranges rose in his nose. He sucked it in before carefully dipping the spoon in and taking his first bite. The warmth of the food immediately filled his body. He could just feel how the soup slowly wandered down his esophagus into his stomach. Once there, a shiver ran through his body. His hands trembled as he took the next spoon.

"How long have you been on the road?"

The question kept him from devouring it all. Carefully he put the spoon down, also a bit glad that he hadn't started to shovel the food into himself like an uncivilized barbarian.

"I don't know. Weeks? A month? I've completely lost my bearings in the snow. It feels like I've been wandering around there for an eternity. I've never experienced anything like this before. And neither have other people . "

"How do you mean?"

"Well, you will surely have noticed that you are the only house with the lights still on. All the cities I came through were deserted."

"Ah, yes I see what you mean. The light brought you here?"

"Basically yes. In all the darkness it was hard to miss."

"I'm glad we can offer you a safe haven in this storm."

Zoye smiled at him. Ian returned the gesture and was relieved to find that his face no longer felt like an ice mask. As a test he made a few grimaces to see what was possible without pain. It was a relief to feel the pain have given way to a slight twinge. He picked up the spoon again and continued his meal. They were silent until he was finished and set the plate down with a satisfied sigh. An unprecedented warmth now filled his body. His gaze fell on the hot chocolate and he brought it to him. As if on a sign, Angelo appeared next to them and put a cup of coffee next to Zoye. She raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"So caring, I don't know you at all."

"Don't get used to it. I just know that it's less weird to eat and drink if you don't do it alone."

Angelo turned on his heel.

"As I said, he's friendlier than he'd let you believe," Zoye turned to Ian, but still loud enough that Angelo must have heard it anyway.

Ian just smiled politely, not wanting to be involved, and took a sip of his drink. If the soup was a slowly rising heat that slowly warmed him up again, the chocolate was a punch in the stomach. He began to cough in surprise after the first sip when the burning sensation of the whiskys started to spread. He managed to put the cup on the next table without spilling most of it and then tried to catch his breath. When he sank back into the chair, he met Zoye's full, pitying gaze.

"He always means too well by that."

"Nobody has the stomach", Angelo called, "With the exception of our boss."

"It's okay," Ian managed to croak, "As much as it burns, it helps."

In fact, his body hadn't felt this warm in a long time. He was able to move all limbs again without flinching in pain. And his clothes also seemed to have dried out again from the heat of the fire. At least that's what they felt like.

Creaking and cracking could be heard above them. Ian winced a little. The volume of the noises made it seem as if the whole building was pulling together and then stretching again. Something about it made the cold slowly return to his body. His gaze wandered to Zoye, but she sat quietly in her chair while she sipped her coffee. After a few minutes, Ian looked away, a little ashamed. He hadn't meant to stare at her like that. She didn't seem to have noticed, but he still had the urge to apologize for the rudeness. To distract himself, his gaze wandered to the fireplace. Next to it was a window, the glass divided into four squares and so distorted that one could only guess from outside. It was dark, actually pitch black. Whether it was still snowing couldn't be seen, but he couldn't care less about that. He certainly wouldn't be setting foot outside the door anytime soon. The next moment, yellow dots flashed through the glass. They were big, shaped like eyes. No, they were acutally eyes. Two glowing, yellow eyes that stared at him through the glass. Everything around them was black. He couldn't see any shape, just those eyes. The next moment they slid to the right and were gone. And with them the blackness. Suddenly he could see the snow on the windowsill again. He jumped up.

"Oh dear, what's up Ian?"

Zoye winced, startled. The coffee sloshed dangerously in her cup.

"There's someone out there."

The cook looked at the window, but what should she see except the view of the gray snow.

"Are you sure? It seldom happens that you see someone through the window."

Her voice was calm, but strangely not as if she were further surprised by his shock.

"I ... I was sure someone looked inside."

"Maybe someone was there then, but I don't think there is any reason to worry. Should we actually prepare a room for you?"

Although it would actually make sense, Ian slowly shook his head. He didn't want to leave here and yet he had the feeling that he had to get on his way again.

"No," he replied after a moment, "I'll sit here for a while."

Why was he reluctant to take a room here? He had been glad to finally find an inhabited house. And now he felt the urge to go back to the cold out there? Ian raised his hand to his forehead. From the back of his neck, a headache began to spread. A hand fell on his upper arm.

"Take a deep breath Ian. It's all good. We have time and this decision doesn't have to be made now."

Zoye's friendly smile helped him slowly relax. He sank back and slowly nodded.

"I'll leave you alone for a moment so you can rest. If there is something, we are close."

With that she got up and walked over to the bar. Ian's gaze met Angelo's as he followed her. How long had the barman been staring at them?

As hard as Zoye tried, he couldn't help but feel that the barman didn't want him here. He would do him a favor and leave soon. But first he wanted to enjoy the warmth.