Sofia Stratton

It had taken a while, but Sofia finally managed to shut down the night club and get everyone out. It was the worst part of her night trying to get the drunkards out. For that she relied on the cook and bartender who usually swept the place clean as she dealt with getting rid of the light weights. If a customer was too troublesome, she usually saw it right away and had "friends" she would call in to help her take care of her problem.

Sofia thanked the guys who had stayed to clean up by handing them each a $100 tip. Once they left, she was finally alone.



Sofia was rarely alone. When she did find herself with some quiet time, she celebrated the silence. Tonight, she felt a drink was in order.

She walked towards the bar to pour herself a glass of her best whiskey when out of the corner of her eye she saw a movement from one of the more private booths which contained nothing more than a sofa.

"What are you doing here?" She said angrily. "We're closed."



Then she recognized him. He had been the stranger she had met earlier in the night out front of the club when she had stepped out to get a few deep breaths of the slowly chilling fresh air. He looked like no one else she had seen before. He wore what had to be a wig, and his clothes looked like a costume of some sort.

His smile disarmed her with its charm, but there was the barest hint of danger that made the fine hairs on her arm stand up. Perhaps it was the way his eyes traveled down her face to the tight gown covering her body. Or maybe it was the way he almost appeared to lick his lips as his eyes wandered back to hers. "I hope you will forgive me. I only wanted to see you before I left."



She found herself smiling at him now. His dark brown eyes seemed to dig into her, holding her steady. "I'm sure I can." Her own voice seemed far away as if it wasn't her speaking. The only thing she could see were his eyes.

One of his arms slipped around her waist, pulling her body close to him. Slowly, he leaned down to kiss her very bare neck as his free hand traced down to her shoulder. The lace of her dress scratched over the hard curve of her shoulder as his hand deftly slipped the scrap of fabric down. Against her exposed skin, she could feel the embroidered silk of his costume. A glance at the couch behind them was all the permission he needed. He had her gown off by the time they took the step back. His own costume lay in a pile on the floor by the time they sat down.



There was no time to think and hardly time to breath. His kisses were fierce and strong, but never strong enough. She pulled him towards her ferociously, surprising herself. Her head swam; was she breathing? Her vision became blurry and dark around the edges, but she refused to stop pulling him closer.

As the darkness began to drop over her vision, Sofia took a last glance at his eyes. There was a sudden clarity as the light hit his eyes from a different angle. They were not normal human eyes, but something much more malicious and frightful. And it was already too late for her.