The Death Thief

Dinner Guest

I entered the hotel's double doors wondering what kind of food a ghost serves for his supernatural clientele. I had visions of a buffet bar with raw meatballs and decaying spare ribs. Of course, he must have had some human food to accommodate those in human housing, but I also wouldn't have been surprised if we were expected to eat bizarre cuisine with the intention of helping us step more fully into our new lives.

I didn't get to find out though. Apparently I was quite a popular woman that day.

"Del, did you enjoy your shopping trip?"

Scarlett stood in the center of the lobby, in full view of the hotel's entrance. I stopped with my hand still clenched around the intricate brass handle of the door, debating if I could run. I had nothing against Scarlett, but despite the sweet shy smile on her face, I knew she wasn't visiting me out of her own interests.

"Yes, I should probably go to my room and see if Bungee beat me here with my things." I gave her a forced smile and began to head towards the human housing corridor, but, she simply sidestepped over to intercept me.

"I've come to ask you to join Lord Antonov and myself at the Nightshade Lounge for dinner."

"Well, I'm awfully hungry right now. I didn't have much for lunch and it's been a busy day. I'm not sure I can wait for him to rise." It wasn't a complete lie. Just a slight bending of the truth to meet my needs.

"He'll be up soon. The Nightshade Lounge accommodates vampires in the spring and summer when the days are long." She took a slight step forward, causing me to take a slight step back, which in turn furthered me from my goal.

"I..."

"Please, I must insist you follow me. He wishes to speak to you about last night and make his apologies."

Without thinking, I placed a hand upon my side. My calf hadn't bothered me outside of a little itching around the bandages that Gregory had applied the night before. My side, however, still had a low resonating pain that emanated with the throb of each heart beat. It wasn't enough to hinder my daily activities, but it was enough to whisper in my ear and remind me of what horrors I faced only the night before.

"Okay," I said, with a subtle nod of my head. "Show me the way."

Scarlett wore a thin smile as she guided me back to the door. Outside was the same luxury car that had escorted me to Lord Antonov's place when I first arrived. For a moment I doubted my decision, but Scarlett reacted to my hesitation in an instant, explaining that the lounge was on the outskirts of town and that she solemnly promised she wasn't taking me anywhere against my will. It occurred to me that there was something wrong if such an explanation was necessary. Still, I got in, hopeful I hadn't just made another mistake to add to the long list of bad ideas that had gotten me to that point in the first place.

Scarlett kept silent during what was, in fact, a relatively short trip to the lounge. It did sit just outside of town, close to the farmlands that I expected Antonov owned. Realizing he was one of three wealthy vampires in town, I wondered if he even owned the lounge itself.

"The vampires have a tunnel system they use during daylight hours," explained Scarlett without any provocation from myself. "Lord Antonov is probably already on his way here."

I looked over the darkened treetops and towards the orange tinted horizon. A rich magenta melted into the purpling night sky, a few stars already visible with no city to choke their glow with the harsh blast of street lights. I wondered how long vampires had to wait before it was safe to head outside. There were so many things I still didn't know, that I didn't understand.

I took a deep breath and followed Scarlett inside.

Solid black doors served as the entrance, but only led into a tiny foyer with enough room for a handful of people. A single light dangled from the ceiling, its dull yellow glow filtered through a rich red shade. It cast the dark, velvety walls in a golden light and revealed two silver handles that pierced through the near black surrounding us.