A song hummed pleasantly through the speakers mixing in with the ambiance of the bar. The kind of bar that pretended to be old. We were kind of similar in a way. Maybe that's why I keep coming back here. Laughter floated through the air like smoke. I'd been there for about an hour, maybe two, smiling at no one in particular. People smile back when you smile first. It's a rule plain and simple, yet I never could get it quite right..
I quite like these rules here. It makes it all.. Easier.
The stool next to me was empty until she took it. She looked to be about the same age as me physically, maybe a little older. Her blonde hair cascaded fluidly down her shoulders. She had that look about her. The look a person gets when life dealt them one to many blows to get back up from.
To my surprise she ordered something sweet then glanced sideways at me whilst brushing a locke of hair to the side.
"Have we met?" She asked.
My grin grew wider. "Not yet."
She laughed, that sound always amused me. Although personally I've always preferred the visuals of it all. Not long after she relaxed.
We started talking. Small things at first; the accent of the bartender, the neon sign that kept flickering, the shoes that a man in the corner was wearing. They've always kept themselves busy with such irrelevant things. She asked what I did. I told her something vague about research and abbatoirs. She chuckled it off with a sip of her drink as if it explained everything.
People love a mystery. Probably because they are scared to be disappointed at the truth.
This is one of their greatest flaws which I will never understand.
I caught her ogling at me once, between sips.
"You've got a strange smile." She said.
"Strange?" I widened my grin. "That's not very nice."
"No that's not—" She laughed again, more gently this time. "It's just.. I don't know what it is, it's just strange alright." She said jokingly. "It's like you know something I don't."
"Maybe I do." I said.
That peaked her curiosity once more, it always does.
We talked for quite a while, till long after people left. The staff was cleaning up, bartender counting tips. The air had that late night calmness to it. I quite like this part of the cycle.
She told me about what she did for a living, her apartment, how quiet her life had become. They are always quick to trust or distrust. It's funny how one thing can be the greatest strength yet the greatest weakness at the same time.
I told her I liked quiet things. That made her laugh again, though neither of us seemed to understand why.
When the lights came up, with a wide grin of my face I offered to walk her home. She hesitated for a second, but not long enough for it to matter.
"You live nearby?" She asked.
"Just across the street. You can see the building from here."
Convenient she called it. Perhaps that was the first thing we could truly agree on tonight.
The streets smelled like wet concrete and perfume. It was no longer raining yet the ground remained glistening. The streetlights humming faintly above our heads. We talked as we walked. Well she did most of the talking. Words tumbling out like an ever flowing river. Stories about friends she lost touch with, place she had always wanted to see for herself.
Like always, I listened. They tell you so much stuff when you never even ask for it. When they think you're listening.
She looked beautiful basking in the candescent streetlights. I told her that. She blushed, said I have a way with words.
The Elevator in my building creaked as it climbed. We watched our reflections in the mirrored wall. Two people standing close, pretending to be casual. I wondered to myself what she could've been thinking about.
My grin caught the light strangely. She noticed and quickly looked away.
My apartment was clean. No clutter, no photographs, a wooden table and a window that framed the city like a painting. The only noticeable thing was an enormous freezer but she paid it no mind.
"Minimalist huh." She said.
"I like space." I responded.
I poured us some drinks, nothing that would spoil the fear.
We stood by the window, city lights blinking far below. She leaned against the glass, tracing shapes in the condensation with her fingertips. Some kind of triangle symbol with three stripes in the middle. I paid it little mind and shrugged it off quickly. Perhaps too quickly.
"So, do you ever think that people repeat themselves too often?"
"All the time" I said.
"Then why smile so much?"
Looking back at it the question made no sense but perhaps that was the intention.
"It's helps me fit in." I said
"Fit in with what?"
"With all of you."
She smiled nervously, but the moment passed. We talked about travel, bad movies and all sorts of trivialities for a small while. Eventually she sighed.
"I should probably go, early morning."
"Ofcourse." I said with a wide grin.
She noticeably shivered a bit.
Neither of us moved.
The rain started again, talking softly against the glass she said tenderly.
"You really are different."
"Thank you." I replied not knowing what else to respond with.
As she was walking towards the door getting ready to leave, the light flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then everything stilled.
When sound returned it came with the noises of flesh ripping. The sound of chewing filling the room.
I smiled, the big smile that never fades.
Thrice..
A sudden crash split the quiet. The door burst open, voices shouted, heavy boots struck the floor. Light flooded the room, white and blinding.
I froze, hands still raised with intestines hanging off, grin still fixed.
Someone frantically yelled a name. The same name of the woman whom I was digesting right now. Someone else ordered me not to move.
I kept smiling.
And then the world went silent again, as if holding its breath for what came next.
Suddenly a bright light shone through the window.
It swalled the boots, shouts, even the wailing of a man and the squelching of flesh.
A single white light that seemingly swallowed the entire world mid-breath.
When the glare faded and the noise receded I found myself in a white room. I wondered for a second if this was the thing they called heaven but was interrupted by a small whirr.
A seemingly floating screen appeared in front of me.
It read: 'Welcome user!-'