Don't drink the Wine

Buzz, buzz, buzz, I continue to lie in bed with my eyes tightly close as I hear the silent buzzing of the alarm going off by the nightstand beside me. A nasty metallic taste swarms around my mouth as I turn over to my side to cut off it’s annoying ring. Still unable to open my eyes, I continue to lie in the king size bed and ponder over how I got here. The only thing I know is that I was invited to this lovely penthouse suite for a blind date. The fact that I’m waking up inside of the hotel room could only mean that my date that I had the night before must have gone well.

“Mmmm… smells like someone is cooking bacon,” I mumble to myself as I feel the warm rays of the sun caress my soft skin. “Wait a minute, that’s not bacon cooking, that’s me!” Waking up out of my sleep, I instantly try to find a way to help alleviate the burning sensation that was piercing through my skin. sun rays that are beaming through the glass window feels like fire brushing up against my skin. Seeming as though it was suddenly an instinct, I hop out of the bed and close the velvet curtains that will help block out the death rays of the rising sun.”What is going on?” Is the only thing that I can think about as I press my back up against the tightly sealed curtains and scan around the room for any type of clue that will answer my question.

As my eyes scan over the room I can see an empty bottle of Merlot lying on the floor. Beside it, are two empty wine glasses, and underneath the glasses is a small puddle of what looks like blood. “We must have had a wild time last night! Looks like we spilled half the bottle on the floor,” I joke as I lift my back up from off the curtains and make my way back to the bed. Not saying a word, like a detective in a mystery film, I look in the bed in search of any signs of intimacy. The last thing I wanted to do was take a walk of shame out of this room and through the hotel lobby. What would make it worse is the fact that I can’t even remember anything from the night before.Once I realized that I was in the safe zone, I pick up my phone from underneath the covers and check the time. “ It’s 8:15, good! Hopefully Bridgett is still asleep when I get in the house. ” Before I placed the phone inside of my jacket pocket, I opened up a text message that my nosey roommate sent me last night.

1:30am.Looks like someone is having an awesome date! I told you that blind dates aren’t soooo bad. I’ll see you in the morning, Chica! Can’t wait to hear allllllll the juicy details I read over the message one more time before I close out the message app, lock my phone, and place it in my blue jean jacket pocket. I can’t help but to laugh on the inside as I ponder the fact that I would Love to tell B how the blind date that she set up went. However, I wouldn’t even know how to start.

I’m starving I think as I stand up from the bed and prepare myself to leave. The curiosity in me wanted to sit around and wait for my mysterious blind date to return. My ears are burning to learn about adventure that took place between us, the night before. However, my patience is thin, and the aching pain that is arising in my stomach is urging me to make a fast exit. Realizing that I have everything that I came here with, I hurriedly make my way out the bedroom, pass the living room area of the suite, and finally make my way to the door. But, once I finally manage to make it to my exit, a folded piece of paper with my name stops me dead in my tracks. SARAH

Last night was truly amazing! I never thought I could fall in love with your kind. Welcome to eternity, my love!

P.S If you hadn’t noticed, there are some gifts that I left for you, on the couch in the living room. Enjoy :)

“Love? Yeah this guy is bugging. How can he be in love with me, I don’t even remember the date? And what does he mean by, “My Kind.” To my knowledge we look exactly the same.” I laugh to myself as I think about his baffling statement in the note. “This guy has clearly lost his mind! This is the last blind that that Bridgett will ever talk me into going on another blind date again. But hey, at least I get to pardon with some complimentary gift.” Instantly steered away from my goal to leave, I slowly march back into the living room area to see the surprise that is waiting on me. When I enter the area, my eyes quickly lock on to a pair of diamond studded, designer shades and a long designer black trench coat, with matching black designer silk gloves to match, lying on the sofa. Leaning on the arm of the couch is a large umbrella, with a glass handle. “Well,well,well, I see my blind date definitely has some good taste.” Feeling somewhat like a princess, I pick up the designer glasses and naturally try them on. “I can say one thing about my friend, she sure does know how to spot a wealthy man.” One by one I pick up the other items around the couch, and try them on. I couldn’t understand why this man would buy me this long black trench coat in the springtime, nevertheless,I can’t wait to rock them in the winter. After I’m done admiring my gift, I fold the clothes up neatly, place them over my arm, grab the expensive umbrella, and make my way back out the door.

Not saying one word to any of the housekeepers I hurry past the housekeeper in the hallway oddly staring at me, and hurriedly make my way to the elevator. Excitement runs through my body when I see the metal door quickly open after one push of the button. Trying to escape from the ugly stares, I push myself inside of the elevator and quickly press the button to the first floor/ “ I wonder what that was all about,” I utter as I think about the horrific stares coming from the two housekeepers. “They were acting like they were afraid of me.” Pushing the thought to the back of my mind for the moment, I patiently watch as the elevator slowly makes its way down to the ground floor. “ I probably look like a hot mess right now. I was mainly focused on getting home, I didn’t even check myself out in the mirror. Oh well! There’s a big mirror in the lobby, I’ll check myself out once I get out of this elevator. Man I hope no one else sees me like this.” I readjust the diamond studded sunglasses on my face and continue to wait for the elevator to finally reach the first floor. Man I’m hungry! There’s something about the smell of the iron doors, that’s making my mouth water.

“First Floor”

“Finally,” I spat as I exit the elevator and head past the mirror. “Good, now I can finally see what I look like and put myself back together before I, Oh my Gosh!” I watch in horror as my gifts fall out of my hand into the floor. My heart jumps out of my chest as I look into the mirror and only see the sunglasses hanging on where my beautiful face should be. “What the heck! What’s going on? What’s happening to me?” Confused and afraid,I pick the items up off the ground and head toward the sliding door.

“Ms. Shannon, Ms. Shannon!” Ignoring the call of the front desk clerk, I continue to make my way toward the exit. “AHHHHHHHHHH!” Startled heads suddenly turn in my direction once I run back into the semi-dark lobby of the hotel. What is happening to me? I wonder as I try to protect my sensitive skin to once again from the harmful rays of the sunlight. Did I somehow turn into a mythical monster? “It can’t be true, vampires aren’t real!” I whisper to myself and instinctively begin to put on the trench coat and silk gloves.My mind focused back on what happened on my date last night. I was so consumed in my thoughts that I didn’t hear the front desk worker walk up behind me.

“Ms. Shannon.” I jumped back once I heard his voice. “ Sorry to startle you but, I had to tell you that the car that’s out front is here for you.

Car? I inquiry to myself, as I glance toward the black Cadillac SUV waiting outside. The tints of the vehicle are so dark, you would think that the car is really waiting for the president. Trying not to allow the desk clerk to read my thoughts, I smile back and thank him for the information. After he walks away I just stand by the sliding doors and stare at the alien car and decide on whether or not I should get in. After a quick deliberation, I decided that it will be for my best interest to follow the instructions given to me. Besides, maybe I can finally get the answers to what’s going on with me. Not wasting another moment, I make sure the coat and gloves are properly covering my skin, open the umbrella, and make my way inside of the strange car.

Just like the outside of the car, the inside of the car is dark. Following every safety guideline, I put on my seat belt and watch as the driver in front of me pulls out of the hotel parking lot. The tint was so heavy around the car that I could barely see the face of the mysterious man driving me. By his average looks, I already knew that he was not the man that I had the blind that with the night before. Although my memory from the previous night is a little shallow, one thing I could not forget was how handsome my date was. It was almost as if it was too good to be true. When God created a sexy man, he was the muse that God used. “Driver, could you tell me who this vehicle belongs to?” I ask the driver. Shifting my gears back to finding out some more information. Like a statue, the driver ignores me. “Driver, can you please tell me who owns this truck!” A sense of panic begins to arise inside of my gut when the driver ignores me for the second time. “Driver please pull over and let me out of this car right now!” I shout, hoping that the sternness in my voice will cause him to answer me. But the fact that he continued to ignore me, caused me to immediately be in fear for my life. Like a child being kidnapped, I try to open up the door, but it seems like I was bolted down. Seeing how clearly frightened I'm becoming, forces the driver to finally answer my question.

“Please, calm down, miss. My only instructions were to pick you up from the hotel and quietly drive you home. Not trying to make you feel afraid, I’m just doing my job” The driver calmly says, then continues to place his eyes back onto the road.

“What happened last night? I question once again as I close my eyes and focus my mind back onto the night before. Okay, so when I got to the hotel, I remember talking to Bridgett on the phone. I was telling her how nervous I was about the blind date. Next, I knocked on the door. A handsome man answered, and he told me I “looked delicious”. Fast forward, he leads me to the balcony. I remember the bottle of Merlot and a basket of bread sitting on a table. I remember because i thought it was strange that there was no food, just bread and wine, like it was supposed to be, “The Last Supper.” He pulled out my chair and I sat down. The conversation that we had must have been good because he could not stop saying how wonderful I was and looked. Besides, the fact that the conversation was a little morbid, it was okay. I even recall him talking about vampire blood. He said, “the only way a person can really be a vampire is if they drink the blood of the vampire, otherwise they’re just food.” Was he telling me something that I needed to hear, or was I just blinded by his beauty that I didn’t really hear his words? The last thing I remember so far is him pouring me a glass of the wine on the table. After that, everything is a blur.

Lights flashing off of police cars, an ambulance, and a large group of people standing outside in front of my building causes me to snap back into reality.“ What’s going on out here? I say to myself, as the mute driver pulls the car over and finally unlocks the door to let me out of the SUV. Bridgett was the first fact that I can see before I get out of the car.

“What in the world do you have on, and why do you have an umbrella, it’s not even raining?” Bridgett questions, as she looks over my attire. I ignore her question and quickly ask her what's going on.

“What happened here? Why are their police at Mr. Patterson’s store?” I ask, trying to get more information. Bridgett, still only focused on my outfit, hesitates for a second before she answers my question. “Well, what happened?” I snap.

“Sorry I’m still trying to figure out why you look like you are about to go to a funeral. But, I guess you are technically dressed for the right occasion. Apparently, Mr. Patterson was mutilated last night. Some kid said that he saw some vampires attacking him last night, but you know how little kids are, his mom probably told him that to scare him.” My heart drops to my pinky tired after hearing Bridgett's words. When I hear the word vampire, like a flood of information comes back into my mind. Unable to stay around, I dart in the house. “ Shannon, where are you going?”

It was very clear to me now, exactly what happened on my blind date. I didn’t drink Merlot, no. My date actually put vampire blood in my wine glass. And unfortunately, I was the one who killed Mr. Patterson. His blood, his screams of pain and agony is the only thing I can recall as I place my head over the sink, and fight back the throw up rising up from my intestines. “I’m the vampire that killed Mr. Patterson,” I mumble to myself as tears of sadness roll down my face. My head continues to spin as I fight back the vision of my blood bath date. “This is the main reason why I never go on first dates!” Sadness suddenly turns into anger as I try to figure out my next move.

“Hey, you ran in the house so quick that you forgot to tell me your blind date.” Bridgett was the last person that I wanted to hear or see at this moment. But for some reason, hearing her voice near me made me remember that I was still hungry.

“Don’t worry, I’m going to show you exactly how it went,” I say as I smile and walk toward my roommate.