The Gracious Host

   The Party began at ten p.m. sharp. Cormack Desner held a large party for the public every other Friday night. His house was massive. A modern home, built with the look and feel of the Victorian era. Large bay windows painted the front of the gray colored home. 

  David and Ben, walked through the assembling crowd on the front lawn. Men and women dressed in fine clothing ranging from suits and elaborate gowns, to tuxedos and white gloves. The occasional couple would arrive wearing masks one would find at a masquerade. David wore a simple single breasted, pressed black suit, with a red tie. Ben had only a white button down shirt, and gray pants. Dress code was not strictly enforced, however most folks dressed to impress at Cormacks. It became almost a red carpet event to the locals. An excuse to enter their own limelight. 

   “I’ve been doing business with Cormack, he wants to come further in the view of the public.” David spoke in a raised voice so Ben could hear him over the crowd. “I’m hoping I get to speak with him.” 

   “Good luck finding him.” Ben laughed. “He tends to hide himself away, barely showing his face for his own parties.” 

   The pair stepped through the threshold of the large oaken doors, which had been propped open. The parlor was full of people chatting, drinking and picking on small hors d'oeuvres. Ben threw a few pieces of shrimp in his open mouth as he passed a tray on a small wooden table. 

   “Let’s try to find our host.” Ben laughed with a mouthful. 

“I spoke with him on the phone just yesterday, he said he would be expecting me.” David shrugged his shoulders, and wandered to the bar. “Vodka cranberry please.” He asked the fair skinned woman behind the bar, and tossed a twenty dollar bill in her tip jar. 

   She placed the drink on the bar and returned only a brief smile before continuing to make drinks for the other patrons. David sipped his drink. Well made, he smacked his lips and grinned. Just strong enough to tinge the throat, and sweet enough to keep drinking. He drank quickly and carried on about the large house. 

   David and Ben found a small couch to sit on, and people watched for a good while. 

   “Look at this woman here.” Ben pointed to a sloppy drunk redhead, attempting to dance. “One heel is already broken, and she’s working on the next.” He laughed and chewed on his straw. 

   “There he is.” David stood, and nodded in the direction of Cormack. He was a tall, fair skinned man with shaggy black hair. He stood out in a crowd, a certain aura followed him in the air that drew people to him. “He’s coming this way.” 

    “Smile!” Ben laughed and snapped a picture from a disposable camera he had hidden in his pockets. 

   “Christ man.” David held a hand over his eyes. “A little warning before you blind me next time.” 

   “It is good to see you made it.” Cormack approached rather quickly and silently. “David, right?” 

   David’s eye grew a size larger, “Yes, it’s a pleasure to see you sir.” He reached out a hand. Cormack took it, his hand oddly cold and clammy. 

   “Please, the formalities are not necessary. In my own home, it’s just Mack.” Cormack smiled, with his lips closed. “Are you enjoying yourself?” 

   “I’d say so, forgive me. I think I’m getting a little drunk.” David held up a half empty glass. 

   “Vodka cran,” Cormack chuckled, and held up a similar colored drink. “We share the same vice.” 

   “Can I get you a drink?” David asked. “Perhaps we can speak for a few moments?” 

    In that moment the flash of Ben’s camera blinded David again. Cormack shot his gaze to the young man, and a look of severe agitation came across his face. 

   “No.” Cormack said sternly, “I apologize but I must attend to some more matters. It was a pleasure David.” He then disappeared back into the crowd. 

   David whipped around and smacked a hand into Ben’s chest. “What’s the matter with you?” 

   “I thought you’d like a picture with the man.” Ben shrugged with a half grin on his face. 

   “I hope you didn’t ruin my chance to work with him.” 

The two young men stayed for a while longer and continued to drink. David had grown fairly drunk when he decided it was time to leave. The party was even fuller still as they made their leave. It took the better half of an hour just to reach the door, and even longer for the drunk men to find a car to take them home. 

   “Goodnight Dave.” Ben slurred as the car dropped him off at his small home. 

   “Be safe my friend.” David replied with a smile. 

 David had arrived at work Monday morning like any other. The sun had not yet risen, David liked to arrive very early in the morning. He held a coffee in his left hand, and a crispy hash brown in the other. As he entered his office, he was surprised by the presence of a familiar face. 

   “Good morning David.” 

“Uh–” His jaw almost fell to the floor. “Mr.Desner.” 

   “Cormack, please.” He smiled. “I wanted to apologize for my shortness the other night. I hope it will not impede on our work here.” 

   “Not at all, sir.” David smiled. 

“Fantastic, I must be going now then. I look forward to our official interview.” 

   David felt giddy most of the day, he had attempted to call Ben and tell him. However, he seemed to be a hard man to get a hold of. All weekend Ben had been silent, and on the way home David passed his place, it appeared he had not left his house either.  

   “Odd, for a social butterfly like him to recluse all weekend.” David shrugged it off. Maybe he had been too drunk, and was still trying to recover. 

   Several days had passed, and David had still not heard from Ben. On Thursday, David returned home to a message on his voicemail. It was from Ben, and spoke only the words. “No interview. Secret.” 

   David was surprised, and confused to say the least. It had been almost a week since they'd spoken and that was all Ben had to say. David decided to drive over to Ben’s house. He parked his car out front and waited for a minute. Maybe Ben would stumble outside in his underwear, holding a cup of coffee. When he didn’t come out, David stepped out and walked to the door. He knocked once and waited, no answer. He knocked again, and still there was no commotion of footsteps from inside. 

   “I will get you eventually Benjamin!” David shouted jokingly through the door. As he began to walk back to his car, he noticed something strange. Odd gouge marks in the post for Ben’s porch stairs. Four distinct, deep grooves in the wood. David turned his head around to face the door, and stared for a moment. 

   “Ben?” David called out, and stepped over to the door again. He turned the knob, the door was unlocked. He entered the house, and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. There was clutter about the living room, and a few plates scattered on the coffee table. The television was on, playing a show he had never known Ben to watch. 

   “Ben, are you here?” David called out again. 

 David reached the kitchen to find similar clutter. Dishes that seemed to be days old, and the fridge door cracked open. He opened the fridge to see several old meals and leftovers untouched. Like Ben had decided to fast this whole week. He stepped carefully down the hallway, beginning to feel uneasy. David reached Ben’s bedroom door, and his heart began to thump like a drum in his chest. A splotch of dried brown blood was crusted on the knob, in the shape of a curled hand. 

   “Ben!” David shouted as he burst through the door. The sight before him made his stomach curl. Ben lay in a heap on the floor amongst tossed furniture. A pool of dark red, dried blood lay around his head and chest soaked into the rug. David stood with his hand over his mouth for a minute, before stepping over slowly to where Ben laid. It only got worse the closer he got. The young man's throat had been gouged out, his head barely remaining on his shoulders by a few tendrils of flesh and bone. David gasped and fell backwards. 

  “Jesus Christ!” He shouted, and scooted himself against Ben’s dresser. He hit it so hard, it blew papers over his head and into his lap. 

   Most of them were random documents, except one sheet of lined notebook paper. Most of the notes were ineligible. Except one phrase, repeatedly written in large letters. 

  Photograph, Photograph, Cormack has no photographs. 

David stared at the sheet for a while. “You have to call the police David, pull yourself together.” 

  David rose to his feet, and took another look at Ben. He turned to walk out when he noticed an envelope from the pharmacy on the dresser, full of pictures. Most of them seemed harmless, a few of Ben in the mirror. A couple shots of drunk women and crowds at the Cormack’s party. Then David came across two pictures of himself. He thought nothing of it, at first. Then he realized. 

  The second picture…that was not just me. He thought. Cormack has no photographs. 

 The photo in which Ben snapped of David and Cormack, appeared to just be David standing in front of a large crowd of blurred legs dancing. David rifled through the photos over and over again. 

  It can’t be, it has to be here. 

He eventually gave up, and came to a single conclusion. 

  “Whoever did this, must have taken the photo.” He sighed, and gathered himself. He turned to walk out of the room, when a figure blocked his path in the door. 

   A tall shadowy figure, looking down on him with eyes that held the essence of night itself. A smile upon its face, it opened its mouth to speak, revealing a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. It spoke a single simple sentence that sent a chilling shiver through David’s spine.

    “How about that interview, David?”