The Ritual

Content Warning: Blood, Violence

Everything was ready for the ritual. Every little corner of the old mansion was decorated to be perfectly macabre. Megan’s slender fingers held the crystal chalice with grace, the dark red wine inside catching the candlelight and giving her the feeling that she was drinking real blood. She found the thought amusing as she blew the ink dry on the contract before her. Not a second of preparation had gone to waste planning the evening's events.

    They had set the stage for the main event in the dining room, where every small detail was planned over and over in her head for days, from the black velvet curtains to the color and style of the candles. The table was full and inviting--an offering to the guests. Small cookies filled trays, decorated with intricate red frosting to match the evening’s theme. A passing conversation she had with a guest described them as tasting like roses and honey. She smiled, delighted that they were a perfect match for the centerpieces. The cookies and flowers were surpassed only by the main course: a whole roast pig made its home in the center of the table. Its crisp, mahogany skin was begging to be the first victim of the fine steak knives. When it got its wish, it bled rich, fatty juices that threatened to stain the ceremonial robes of the attendants. She was prepared for that, too, and had a stack of folded cloth napkins placed at the end of the table.

    She mingled with the others, each in their identical black robes. Familiar faces sent her warm smiles and nods, little signs of confirmation that her efforts had paid off. Not a single person was without a drink or plate of food, or missing their ceremonial clothing. She glanced at the clock--just half an hour left to go before the ritual began.

    “A little extravagant, Megan,” Ron called from a table of guests. They smiled over their chalices of wine, waving her to the empty seat beside them. “You really went all out!”

    “The boss insisted,” Megan said with a smile.

    Ron shook his head a little. “I swear, this company wouldn’t function without you. He certainly wouldn’t, but even us desk jockeys would suffer.”

    She giggled, “Don’t be ridiculous.”

    “He’s right.” Angela sat next to him and smiled in agreement. “I’m not sure any of us in purchasing could do our jobs without you.”

    “I just sign papers for him and send emails and junk. And plan parties.” Megan took a seat, reaching for the tray of cookies on their table.

    Ron raised his glass. “And excellent parties at that!”

    “Is all this fanfare really necessary?” Angela asked.

    “Of course! Wine and pork is always necessary,” he said.

    Megan looked at her curiously. “How long have you worked here?”

    “Almost two years now.”

    “So you’ve never seen a promotion like this, have you? This isn’t just a fancy new title; the boss is becoming one of the senior partners. It’s a big cause for celebration! It comes with a nice raise and a fancy house.” Megan gestured around the room. “All of the partners have one, so they can entertain guests and clients at their homes. It’s just part of the deal.”

    “Wait, the boss is moving in here? This is his new house?”

    “Consider the party and ceremony to be a sort of christening!” Ron held up his glass, looking for a toast. “To the big boss. May he live a thousand years.”

    The others toasted, gently clinking their delicate crystal glasses. “I’m thinking someone’s had just about enough wine,” Megan said with a sip. Ron dismissed her claim with a ‘pfft’ and topped his glass off with more from the bottle on the table.

    “He’s been like that all night,” Angela teased. “I thought this place was rented out. It looks old, almost historical.”

    She nodded. “It is, we had the whole thing remodeled over the last few months. They did an excellent job, especially with the windows. The stained glass window in the foyer is brand new. The skylight here is exceptionally beautiful. They’ll open that up soon.”

    “I can’t wait!”

    “You won’t have to for much longer.” Megan pointed to the grandfather clock against the wall. It was seconds away from midnight.

    As the clock chimed, everyone gathered in a group before the table. At the head, an older man stood in a special cloak--the man of the hour. It was a heavy black fabric like the others, but delicately embroidered in gold. He was surrounded by the senior partners, all men of similar age with robes the same deep red as the wine.

    One of the senior partners stepped forward and gestured to the man in the black and gold cloak. “We have gathered tonight to recognize one of our own. Jim has served all of us for many decades, leading and encouraging the bright young minds that have joined us over the years. Since he has taken his position we have grown immensely, and have prospered in ways we could have hardly imagined. To say he deserves to join us as a senior partner would be an understatement. I believe we all can learn from Jim and his ability to adapt to these quickly changing times. It's thanks to his long nights at the office, his unwavering loyalty, and the youth that he has given to this organization that has allowed us to continue our work.” He turned to Jim and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Congratulations, Jim. May you be with us for a long time.”

    The audience of coworkers all raised a glass. “To Jim!” The clinking of glasses and cheers filled the dining room for several minutes before it calmed down again.

    The red cloaks nodded to him and he sat in his chair at the head of the table. They placed a bowl of thick red liquid in front of him as the curtain was pulled from the skylight. Pale, delicate moonlight fell upon Jim like a spotlight. The senior partner who had given the speech bared his teeth, his vampire fangs reflecting menacingly before he savagely clamped them shut on Jim’s neck. Jim's face contorted into one of agonizing pain, but he refused to let out a scream. 

    Megan was sure that the few seconds the senior partner was attached to his neck must have felt like ages to him. Before she knew it, Jim was released. Blood still slicked the partner’s fangs and lips as he gestured to the bowl. Jim drank from it and Megan clapped, the audience joining in. She smiled as she realized she was lucky she liked Jim so much. He was going to be her boss for a very, very long time.