Neon

Blood

She was so small sitting there alone. So blue. No light surrounding her face, giving her an eerie aura. Her dark hair shined like silk in the flashing green and yellow lights.

I brushed through the crowd. Warm sweaty bodies throwing themselves at each other. The smoke was thick in the air, clouding my eyes.

I made my way over to her. She didn't see me at first, so I stood there a few minutes before she turned and flinched, noticing me. I gave her a short grin, to which she smiled.

"We should leave." I said.

She stared off into the distance. I snapped in front of her face. Gaining her attention back immediately.

She nodded and took my hand. I guided her through the house and out the door. Strange. She didn't need much convincing. If I had known it'd be this easy...

"Fresh air!" She cheered. She smiled, clapping her hands together silently.

"Will you ditch this place with me?" "I can take you to a real party." I whispered.

"I'd enjoy that." She said. She sounded skeptical. I didn't blame her. We've never met before. We were complete strangers. I couldn't believe she was trusting me.

Her mistake.

I opened the door to my truck and helped her climb in. We didn't even fasten our seatbelts, we just took off down the road. I drove a short ways out of the small town. Past the notoriously huge cornfield just outside the city limits.

I turned down the familiar dirt road. Dodging holes and ditches.

"Where are we going?" She asked me.

"There is a cemetery down here, right beside the old Jungle." I said.

"What's that?" She asked.

"It's an- was an old bar my father owned." "Nothing fancy." I explained.

"What happened to it?" She asked. Her hair flowed in the wind, flying out the open window.

"There were some, rumors." "Which was bad for business, so we had to close the place down." I told her.

"What were the rumors?" She looked at me, genuinely interested.

"A group of people started saying there was unusual behavior coming from the bar at night." "Some say there was a group of cultists who made sacrifices in the basement."

"People went missing, which they tried to attach to the bar, but there was never proof." "The case was dropped, but business just wasn't the same." I explained.

She shook her head. Pushing her hair behind her ears.

"That's so crazy." She smiled.

"So, we're the rumors true?" She asked, looking at me.

I looked at her and grinned.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Lydia." She told me and I grinned.

   "Lydia." I said and We drove down the long dark road in silence. I rolled up to the old wooden building. It was rusted and worn down due to bad weather over the years.

I parked in my usual spot and got out, helping her get out as well.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"The rumors are true you know." I whispered.

She looked me in the eyes as hers grew twice as big. Almost out of excited.

   "Are you serious!" She cheered.

   "Really?" "That doesn't scare you?" I asked.

    "Should it?" "Will I be dying tonight?" "I don't mind, I'm actually flattered!" She scoffed.

   I rolled my eyes. I grabbed her hand and walked her up the sunken stairs. They were worn down and falling into the ground. The railings were just two steel poles now.

So many memories on this porch.

So many heartbreaks.

I shook those thoughts aside. This one was different. She seemed, unbothered. To me, that was odd.

"I'm thrilled to hear you say that." I said.

I shoved the old rusted door open with my shoulder.

"Follow me." I told her, waving my hand at her.

She followed me through the bar, it was dark and a bit chilly. Chairs were stacked upside down on the tabletops. The windows were all boarded shut. And the floor was coated in a thick mixture of dirt and dust.

We walked down a long case of old raggedy stairs into the basement floor. Here it was even colder.

I glanced over at her before pulling the keys out my pocket. She was looking around at the walls. The old pictures of my family throughout the years. I never put much thought into them. To me they were just pictures on a wall.

"Hey, after you." I said once I opened the door. She blinked at me and walked past me. I shut the door quietly behind us. Locking it, to make sure she couldn't leave.

This one wasn't leaving me. Not again.