A Night at the Tainted Gem

Two roommates take a trip to the new nightclub in town, where a grisly crime scene is discovered the the night of.

A Night at the Tainted Gem

by Joshua Tray

“You’re always hungry,” my roommate, Jacob, complained, “we had both of our dates for dinner, prepared enough food for a small army, but here we are anyway going to a nightclub because you have the munchies.” His southern accent became more prominent as his frustration rose.

“You didn't have to come along; I could have gone alone.” He was driving us through empty street after empty street until there it was; the new night club. Tonight was its opening debut, and there were cars and people surrounding it for blocks.

“And miss this wonderful traffic jam? Never.” Jacob complained further. After finally finding a parking lot a ways away from the club, we walked back towards it, now able to get a full view of the line of people about a mile long emanating from the entrance. I noticed the sign above the door that read: ‘The Tainted Gem’ in neon letters. But what really caught my eye was the delivery truck in the alleyway beside the building with a beer brand’s symbol on the side. An idea formed in my head, and I wasn't in the mood for paying for beer that evening.

“Hey Jacob, I bet you a beer that I can get through the door before you,” I challenged, “I’ll even give you a ten second head start to the line.” The offer was too tempting for him to refuse, and I knew it.

“Alright; you’re on.” He strode to the line, confidant in his free beer. I jogged back to the car and rummaged through the trunk until I found my old baseball cap. Closing the trunk, I noticed a woman across the parking lot looking at me. She had dark skin, long, straight hair, and was wearing a thin red dress. She winked at me, and I smiled back, slipping on my cap.

By the time I was back at the nightclub, Jacob was well on his way to the door. I sneaked around to the delivery truck I saw earlier and fortunately, the rear hatch was open. Grabbing a keg of something that looked expensive, I went back to the entrance. All I needed to do was nod to the bouncer at the door and I was free to go inside. I set down the keg and my cap next to the entrance and followed the heavy bass into a crowd on the dance floor. It was eclectic in there as I headed for the bar. I ordered a drink and sat down, waiting for Jacob to come through the door with a scowl on his face. After a few minutes, a woman sat next to me, obviously bored. She was a beautiful blonde, wearing a short skirt and a dozen bracelets on her right arm.

“Why so down?” I pried.

She gave me a small smile, remarking, “My date is passed out drunk, one of my friends is nowhere to be seen and the other is in the woman’s bathroom with some jerk she met. And now, I’m talking to a stranger at the bar, hoping to get hammered.”

“Well, let me fix one of those problems; I’m Adam. See? No longer a stranger.”

She smiled wider this time, “Christi. You here with someone, Adam?” She asked, biting her lip softly.

“As a matter of fact, no. But I was hoping to go home with someone” I put my hand on hers, winking. Christi glanced over her shoulder towards which I assumed was her date, lying unconscious on a table in the far corner.

“But if you want to do anything, it will have to be before he wakes up” I knew I had her. After a pause, she made up her mind, grabbing my arm playfully and half-dragging me to the rear exit, a big drunken grin on her face. Right before we left the club, I saw Jacob coming through the front door and giving me the finger. I just laughed, not caring about his anger at this point.

After a while, I came back into the club to see my buddy sitting at the bar, two empty beer bottles on the counter and another, half full, in his hand. “Jacob, I believe you owe me a beer.”

He glared at me, but proceeded to order another beer, clumsily knocking over the empty ones in the process. “Happy now?” he asked, slurring heavily.

“Hey,” I said to the bartender, “don’t let him go home alone- I’ll be his ride.” He nodded, and I patted my buddy’s shoulder as I walked to the bathroom. When I came out, Jacob was waiting for me, confusion painting his face.

“Adam, what took you so long in there; and why did you go into the women’s bathroom?” he was pretty drunk at this point.

“There was a long line,” I said, ignoring his other question, “let’s get you home, buddy. He had no objections as I half carried him out of the nightclub and into the car. As we drove away from the club, I heard sirens behind me. Looking back, I saw three police cars screeching to a halt outside of The Tainted Gem. They all got out, rushing inside with guns drawn.

*_     *_    *

The next morning, I found Jacob lying on the couch, watching the news. “How’s your head?” I asked him.

“Throbbing, but I’ll be fine. How’s your appetite?”

“Satisfied; for now. Hey, isn't that the club we were at last night?” I pointed at the TV.

A news reporter was standing in front of The Tainted Gem, which was surrounded by police cars, a grim look on her face. “Five bodies were found in proximity to our city’s newest nightclub, The Tainted Gem, last night” she spoke, “A woman in a red dress was found in a parking lot down the street, a delivery truck driver was found in his vehicle in an alley adjacent to the club, a young college student was found behind the building in a dumpster, and two lovers were found in the women’s restroom inside. These seemingly random murders all have a disturbingly common trait- their skulls have all been brutally cut open and their brains extracted, nowhere to be found. As the investigation is ongoing, one must wonder what kind of monster we are dealing with here.” I shut the TV off and looked at Jacob.

“Five in one night, huh? What is that, a record?” he remarked.

“Oh no, that’s not even close to the record. Want some breakfast?”

“Only if you have leftovers from last night.”

“Who would I be if I didn't bring home the extra brains?”

“In that case, scrambled please.”

Author's Note

This is my first short story; a little something to give a hint to my style.

Reviews

[Marie]

I like this story. It seems perfectly normal at first; then the surprising ending really gives it a punch.

[Joshua Tray]

Thank you; it means a lot to have someone read what i write