Demon In A Bottle

4.

Marnie

I couldn't take my eyes off of it the whole way home like it was a bomb about to go off any minute. That was proof. The only proof I had there was someone else, which was good, but did that prove there was a woman? A tow truck? My phone! I fumbled around for my phone and checked my call history but there was nothing, no evidence of a call. 'What about my search history' I checked but once again, nothing 'I remember his voice! He said he'd be there in an hour and I didn't even...' I zone out on the floor as a mountain of bricks plops down on me from reality;

I never gave him the street name.

I leaned my head back as Chris tapped my leg "Don't forget you need to talk to your boss," she said. I sighed "Yeah, that'll happen," "Well it legally has to, and if he has anything to say about that I'll have a suit that'll make his lawyer's head spin," she said. I rolled my eyes "Bodo is negligent in his duties but he's not a monster," I glanced up at the bottle again, damn, still there. Chris must have begun seeing what I was doing "Okay so what the hell? You find that on the road or something?" she asked. I shook my head "Magia gave it to me" I tried looking out the window "We need to talk to the police too, that woman just left you there," she chided. I don't even have anything to say, I've got a headache now, and I just want to curl up and not exist.

We were home after I think forty-five minutes, it felt like hours as the pain meds wore off "Okay, we're gonna get you to bed, get you some food, some water," Chris recited as she walked me to my room. I sighed, leaning my head back as I turned to her "Chris, I can walk just fine," I walked back to my room. She followed closely and helped me dress down despite my protest, to my bra and underwear. She tucked me in no matter how many times I slapped her hand away with soft giggles before standing "Just try to get some sleep for now, I'll be in with breakfast in the morning" she said. I glanced at my phone "You mean a few hours?" "Keep in mind, I haven't slept... Honestly probably shouldn't have driven," she murmured.

I bit my lip, completely slipped my mind she came here from the club "Right... You get some sleep too, don't worry about it," I said. She rubbed my shoulder and slugged her way out my door, I sat, waiting long enough for her to fall asleep before I got back out of bed. I walked out to the living room bowl and grabbed her keys, I needed a good look at that bottle. I opened the door and felt my heart drop, it was waiting right there on the floor at the entranceway to our apartment. I let my arm dangle as I looked around, my mind full of the white noise from channel 3 as I attempted to process anything.

A click from a neighbor's door urged me to bring the bottle inside so I didn't look crazy. With my good arm, I haul it over to the kitchen island and set it down, examining it from cork to bottom. It was a 3-liter bottle, frosted dark green, the wine inside was definitely dark and moved around but I couldn't hear the sound of it splashing. I shook my head and grabbed a corkscrew, I couldn't drink it obviously but the smell would tell me something.

But I was ambitious thinking I could even open it.

My arm vibrated in pain while I stared down the wine 'Just what the hell went down...' I remember vaguely the world going silent, windy, and intense as she handed me the bottle... I remember her eyes, they were white and pale while her skin glowed and I oddly never felt so safe... So clearly I was drugged, right?

Just looking at this bottle was giving me a weird vibe.

That same blanket wrapped around me, there was an inner craving aside from my own curiosity to taste this wine, hell, to open it.

I stepped away and massaged my temples, doing little to assuage the oncoming dehydration headache. I poured myself a tall glass of water and headed to bed, trying to put it out of my head for atleast a solid 8 hours... Shit. A quick glance at my phone tells me I'll be getting 3 because I need to call Alice and let her know to tell Bodo when he rolls in at 12.