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Kathryn looked up at the looming building as she pulled herself from the cab. The tower of an apartment building stood dark against the light gray New York sky. 

She turned and reached in for her bag, the driver not even so much as glancing at her in his rear view mirror. 

“Thanks,” she said, trying to sound genuine. Truly though, she was glad to be getting out of the creeps' car.

When she first hailed the taxi he seemed nice enough, but once she was in and had given her destination, he had glared at her in the mirror until she shifted under his uncomfortable gaze. He finally put the car in drive right before she finished arguing with herself to get out of the cab and run.

The ride had been uneventful and silent, with Kathryn mostly looking down at her phone, afraid to look up and see the man eyeballing her; but she was happy to be out of there. As soon as she shut the door the driver sped off.

“Sheesh” she murmured under her breath, and turned to look at the building again. Somehow, it looked even darker than before. The windows appeared opaque, reflecting back the colorless sky. The bricks of the building were blanketed here and there by an unidentifiable substance that resembled tar; yet somehow it also seemed alive, seeming to creep ever so slowly, threatening to take over what was left still untouched.

Kathryn shivered, though the weather was quite mild. No wind blew against her as she stood unmoving, no even from passing cars.

Odd, she thought, as she glanced up and down the road. There were no cars in sight, not even parked on the sides of the road.

She pulled the envelope from the front pocket of her bag and unfolded the letter inside:

“To Miss Kathryn Belmeade:

It is with great pleasure we invite you the Elbali Tower for the 129th Annual Devil’s Dinner. Please arrive at 6:00pm sharp on Sunday, October 13th. Formal attire is required.

Signed, Mr.Vincent Elbali”

This was definitely the place. Where was everyone though?

Kathryn had heard about the dinner party before, mostly rumors. She hadn’t known anyone personally who had attended, but she knew the dinner guests changed every year, and that getting an invitation was extremely rare. 

After receiving the letter, Kathryn did as much research as she could on the Elbali. The tower was built in 1904, and had been added onto infrequently over the years. The biggest renovation took place in 1977, when the Elbali went from a 17-story building to a 30 story high-rise. 

Kathryn hadn’t found much else on the apartment complex, not even so much as a website.

As she took the stairs leading into the first floor, she wondered idly how one was to get an apartment here. 

A revolving door awaited her at the top of the stairs, darkness on the other side. Why weren’t there any lights on? Maybe it was simply a trick of the light, or they had glass that you could only see through one way. The sky overhead threatened to crack open upon her though, so she took her chances. 

She stepped into the door, and it started moving slowly on it’s own; our maybe someone was exiting and they were the ones pushing it. Either way, she wasn’t turning back now. The door was inching forward ever so slowly, and she found herself getting slightly claustrophobic. She reached forward and gave the door a little push, to find that it wouldn’t move any faster. Matter of fact, that seemed to slow the door down even more.

There was a dim light illuminating the space, but she couldn’t tell where it was coming from. All she could see was her faint reflection in the darkened glass…and…? She moved closer to the glass in front of her. Shapes were moving behind her, smoke-like in nature, but without any sense of direction.

She didn’t like this. Not at all. 

“Hello!?” She shouted, pushing against the door in front of her. 

The air felt thick and heavy, and her voice sounded muffled, though it should have rang much louder in the tight space. 

The dim light that lit the space was suddenly extinguished, and Kathryn froze, terror gripping her tightly. 

She wanted to scream, to push her way into the Elbali, or better yet, back outside, but she couldn’t will her body to move. 

Kathryn attempted to control her breathing, concentrating on taking slower breaths, when she noticed a faint, low hum. As she listened closely, the hum grew louder and louder, to the point where she had to cover her ears.

She squeezed her eyes shut against the darkness, praying the awful sound would dissipate.

Light flared behind her eyelids, and the murmur of voices sounded from inside the apartment building. 

She opened her eyes, and moved forward, afraid that the door would still be stuck. 

It was not, and she suddenly found herself standing in a grand atrium surrounded by the most gloriously dressed people. 

She drew in a quick breath, and took in the surroundings. The walls were papered shimmery gold and twinkling lights danced from the massive chandelier above. Party-goers were milling about, giving kisses on cheeks and sipping from gold-rimmed champagne glasses. 

A few glanced in her direction curiously, but carried on, obviously oblivious to whatever had happened to her in the rotating door behind her. 

Suddenly remembering the short, yet horrifying event, she moved her way into the room, determined to enjoy the evening. Curiosity quickly replaced her fear, as she made her way towards the center. 

At first, everyone had seemed normal, but as she looked closer, there was something…off about the people here. 

It wasn’t that they looked weird, per say, but it was almost as if they weren’t real. Kathryn shook her head to herself, not even believing herself. How could these people not be real? She was bumping into them, and they sure as hell felt real. Nonetheless, she wrapped her Chiffon wrap a little tighter around her and made her way further into the room.

“Ah, Kathryn!” A cool voice said beside of her. 

Startled, she tripped on her long, emerald gown, face heading straight to the floor. 

A pair of strong hands caught her, lifting her upright.

After ensuring she was stable, she looked up to meet the piercing blue eyes of “Mr.Vincent Elbali," he said, offering his hand to her. 

Kathryn lent him her hand, which he bent forward to lay a gentle kiss upon. His lips lingered a moment, leaving behind an icy sting.

“I do apologize for startling you Miss Belmeade.” Vincent said, voice as thick and sweet as honey. “I hope you can forgive me.” He smiled, flashing a perfect set of teeth. 

Kathryn blushed slightly. “It’s fine,” she said, suddenly finding it hard to produce words. She reddened even deeper. 

Vincent’s smile widened. “Do come with me, Miss Belmeade, I have some…friends I’d like to introduce you to.” He turned to the side, offering his arm to her. 

She lifted her dress and took his arm, feeling embarrassed at her lack of words. 

People were far more interested in her now that she was on the arm of Mr. Elbali. She wasn’t sure how he knew her, and something deep inside of her was screaming, telling her to ask questions, to at the very least slow down and think clearly. But ever since the weirdness of her arrival, which now seemed almost comical to her, she felt at home, as if nothing was weird about this at all. 

They had arrived at the bottom of the grand stairs that obviously led up to the many apartments here, and he continued to lead her as the climbed to the second floor. 

Here, everything was much quieter, their footsteps thudding softly on the padded red carpeting. and as he led her further into the depths of the cavernous building, she wondered idly if this was place actually a hotel. 

As if reading her thoughts, he spoke.

“My great-great-grandfather built the Elbali when he arrived here from Spain.” They took a turn down a long, dark corridor. 

“At first, he wanted to turn it into a hotel, but after realizing how ugly Americans can be to outsiders, he created the Elbali as a safe-haven, of sorts. Tenants here at the building are all immigrants, you see, and they come from all walks of life.” They took another turn this time leading to a staircase that lead down. 

“Every year, we throw the Devil’s Dinner party, and invite others to come a experience the Elbali firsthand.” The reached a door at the bottom of the stairs. 

“This building is special, and while we don’t offer tenancy to those who are not of us, we do enjoy a little fun with outsiders.” He winked at her and opened the door. 

Kathryn breathed in deeply. The aroma wafting from the room was tantalizing, a mixture of smoke and sweet. 

The room was lounge like and filled with dozens of people. Obviously this was some sort of VIP area for the party, and Kathryn was consciously aware of the eyes on her as she and Vincent crossed the room. 

He pulled out a stool for her at the bar. “Please, have a drink. I’ll be back momentarily.” He brushed a loose hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek before heading into a black-painted door near the bar. 

A young woman, probably her own age, pulled up a stool next to Kathryn as the bartender slid her a neon colored drink. 

“So you’re the new one, eh?” The young woman asked, motioning for the bartender to give her another of whatever she was drinking.

It took Kathryn a moment to realize she was speaking to her.

“Excuse me? New one?” She responded politely, inquisitively.

The young woman downed her old drink and smiled slightly, her fingers absently tracing the rim of the glass.

“There’s always a new one every year. Vincent is quite the collector.”

Kathryn swallowed nervously. “What are you talking about?”

The young woman chuckled. “I was 2016.” She turned about pointed to a slightly older woman with jet black hair down to her waist. “She was 1956. And that one over there," she turned to point in another direction, towards a woman with a pixie cut and tattoos, "was 1994."

Kathryn’s brain was swimming and she couldn’t think clearly. She looked down and noticed she had already downed the whole drink.

“Don’t fret, it’s not all that bad.” The young woman said, though the tone of her voice wasn’t convincing. “At least once it’s been a few years. You get used to it.” The young woman downed her new drink in one gulp and walked away, leaving Kathryn on her own.

Kathryn looked down at her hands, shaking slightly. She knew she should run, try and find a way out of here, but even if she did, she didn’t remember the way out of this place and she would surely be caught. 

Oddly, she didn’t want to leave. The perfumed smoke was intoxicating, and she found herself excited for Vincent to return. 

As if on cue, arms slid around her waist and he pressed his face against the nape of her neck.

“Are you ready?” He whispered to her.

She found herself nodding and rising from the seat, but not of her own volition. She felt as if she was floating through the air as he led her toward the black door he had went through before. 

Something in her was fighting, but she tuned it out, blissfully following her harbinger to her death.

Kathryn froze, terror gripping her tightly. 

She wanted to scream, to push her way into the Elbali, or better yet, back outside, but she couldn’t will her body to move. 

Kathryn attempted to control her breathing, concentrating on taking slower breaths, when she noticed a faint, low hum. As she listened closely, the hum grew louder and louder, to the point where she had to cover her ears…