Las Flores

Floating in the glass of Merlot were the remnants of a human tooth.

The tulips in the center of the table began to droop, and the restaurant grew heavy with a ringing silence.

Margot knew this change of atmosphere wasn't there just before she ordered. Nor, was there a shiny white tooth floating in her drink. Something was awfully wrong about this restaurant. What seemed like a normal glass of alcohol turned into a horrid potion.

She looked at her sapphire ring, glistening in the last remnants of light escaping from the candlelit dinner.

It grew cold, and the air was thick .

While the room continued to darken, the glass sat menacingly on the stained wooden table. It really appeared true to it's original name. The liquid was like a blackbird swirling around in deep hues of navy blue and violet.

None of this was making any sense.

Margot wondered if her date would get sick too, and how the rumors about the mysterious disappearances from Las Flores were clearly true. There was no rhyme or reason to the bizarre events here, and it seemed to nab only a few victims at a time based on the occassional news updates.

Regardless of the warnings, she originally thought they were fake. The restaurant was still in business, and it didn't seem as harmful as everyone portrayed it.

Tonight was supposed to be special, yet her surroundings didn't even seem like a real place anymore. Everything was decaying quickly, and all the workers she had interacted with moments ago were nowhere in sight.

"What should we even do?" Peter mumbled, growing quiet and unsettled by the hallucination in his own glass of Merlot.

"I...don't know."

Margot and Peter had taken a few sips of their Merlot before the restaurant had even begun to change.

It was supposed to be a wonderful date, with much to discuss and hours of their friday night put to good use. Their laughter from before turned into incredible nervousness now, squeezing their senses closed and forcing them to face the serpentine restaurant.

But as soon as the restaurant began to crumble, it was building itself back up again. Without any time to escape, it returned to normal as quickly as it turned to dust.

Margot and Peter were dumbfounded, as the hustle and bustle of the kitchen continued like before. The familiar clang of plates and silverware echoed from the kitchen, and the people at nearby tables reappeared in their spots.

The drum of socializing carried on, much to the horror of the couple on their first date.

Grabbing Margot's hand, Peter suggested they leave immediately. Without even considering paying the check, both of them ran out of the restaurant into the arms of the evening sunset on the street. Never again would they return to Las Flores, or experience its deceptive dining. They were lucky to make it out without a scratch, and avoided ending up on front page news like the others.

With a lot of gasping, Peter and Margot looked at each other completely dumbfounded.

"How is this possible? The whole place is lit up again and people are still coming in..."

"I don't care, I just want to go home." Margot wanted to get as far away as she could, continuing the date at her place.

"Right, I'll drop you off."

Once Margot opened her front door, she invited Peter in for a redo of their date. The scary experience left them anxious and awkward, but she didn't want to let Las Flores turn their intial spark into something sour. Just as the two began to settle in, things were slowly turning back to normal conversations.

Margot almost forgot about the events from earlier that night, as they sat and watched a movie together. It was peaceful again, and the hours were going by with ease. Peter was one of the best people she had gone on a date with, and his subtle romantic flirting took away the uneasiness from before.

She was having a good time with him, and wanted him to stay a bit longer. Motioning to the fridge, Margot said that she had some sparkling water on the bottom shelf.

Peter walked up, grabbed two shimmering glass bottles, and brought them back to the couch. Laughing, they said their cheers and took sips.

Only...

The water tasted weird. It was heavy, smooth, and metallic.

Its clear contents turned into red, then purple. A tooth appeared again in the bottom.

Startled, Margot screamed and threw the drink against the wall. Peter looked at his own drink as acid began to form at the top, melting away his drink and hands.

There was nothing but Merlot and bones, as the bottles came alive with a sinister aura. Peter and Margot ran out of the apartment, looking at the fountain in the center to see the water had turned dark like their glasses of Merlot.

The wine spilled from the trees, it came out of the earth, and it leaked from the sidewalks. The vines of grapes and organic remains wrapped them in its deadly touch.

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Once again, the news broadcasted the fate of the couple. When they never returned home, the cause of their deaths were easy to trace. Every newscasters warned the public of going on dates, to be mindful of the disappearances surrounding the restaurant, and how everyone should avoid going there at all costs.

After all, it had been abandoned for 10 years now.