The Dark Room

I turned just in time to notice Angela pulling a razor blade out of her purse. She looked at me and smiled as she made a small incision just above her left breast.

“Care to take a lick?” she asked.

“Not while I’m working,” I said. I handed Walter his beer. I noticed the blood start to drip along the cut down into Angela’s cleavage as the happy couple made their way to one of the curtained areas.

I didn’t know the next couple or the next. They ignored me and headed for the curtains.

The next pair totally creeped me. Like most of the people that came in, the woman in the business suit was pale, not a tan-line to be seen. Then I saw who she was with. It was none other than Catherine Higgins. I knew right off that she didn’t fit.

First of all, she had a tan. Second, she was on something and was staggering all over the place. The chick in the business suit kept having to hold her up. Third—and this was a dead give away—she was the Dean of Student’s daughter. Little Catherine couldn’t have been more than sixteen.

Things got busy, even behind the bar. After a while, Reed came out of his office to look things over. He smiled. It was a good crowd. I had no idea there were so many blood lickers in this small college town. I lost track of little Catherine and her escort.

It was another forty-five minutes before things slowed down. I decided to take a break and get some air. The brunette in the business suit came out of one of the booths as I walked by and bumped into me. Her body was hard and oddly cold.

“Excuse me,” I said. She didn’t say anything. Instead she ran up the stairs and out the door past Trixie.

I looked up the staircase. Trixie looked down and shrugged her shoulders. “Fuck it,” I thought and went up to take my break.

Ten minutes later I came back. Trixie was gone and the door was open. The place was empty but the lights were still on.
“Trixie?” I called as a walked down the stairs.

“Shit,” I said. I looked at my cut index finger, then at the banister. There was a loose splinter. Just what I need, I thought. As I passed one of the stalls I saw a pool of blood forming under the couch.

“You okay in there?” I asked. No answer. I waited another couple seconds. “You okay?” Still nothing.

I thought about calling Reed but I didn’t want to look like an asshole if it was nothing. “Okay, coming in,” I said.

It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust. When they did, I saw the Dean’s daughter face down, her blood saturating a pillow and dripping off the couch.