Midnight Red

Jonah was awakened by the smell of coffee and toast. Bruna had this way of making them, which involved soaking the slices of bread in olive oil, sprinkling them with salt and pepper on both sides, and tossing them into a pan until they were golden. They didn’t have a toaster; Jonah insisted it was pointless.

“Good evening, sir.”

“I forgot to set the alarm.” Jonah sat in the chair he had designated as his since the day he decided to live with a roommate. Bruna had no choice but to accept it.

“And that’s news since when?”

“It’s Saturday, give me a break.”

Bruna ignored the morning offense and served breakfast. When she looked at Jonah, she noticed his focus on the table where a red envelope lay.

“That arrived today. For you.”

“For me?” he asked, his mouth full of bread.

Bruna shrugged.

“It has your name on it.”

Jonah wiped his hands with a paper napkin and immediately opened the envelope. It was simple, but the paper inside looked elegant. Expensive even.

Bruna sipped her coffee and grabbed her phone. When she looked back at Jonah, he was frowning.

“Is everything okay?”

Jonah didn’t answer. He lowered what seemed to be a letter and looked at his plate with colder toast.

“Hey. What is it, Jonah?”

“Huh?”

Bruna licked her lips.

“What does it say?” she asked, nodding toward the paper. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Jonah laughed.

“It’s an invitation to a new club.”

“An invitation? From who?”

“What?”

Bruna paused for a moment to make sure her friend was listening for more than two seconds.

“I asked who the sender was.”

“Oh, I don’t know. It doesn’t say.”

Jonah slipped the letter into the pocket of his sweatpants and continued eating. They finished breakfast in silence; Bruna engrossed in her phone, and Jonah searching for answers in the breadcrumbs decorating the now-empty plate.

Hours passed, and Jonah spent much of the day rereading the invitation. It essentially stated the location, time, the importance of punctuality and discretion, and that there would be consequences for not attending. It didn’t go into detail, but the tone wasn’t exactly friendly. With only a few hours left, the decision was made. He was going. He couldn’t take the risk; it seemed too serious to ignore.

Around ten at night, Jonah left his room to take a shower. Regardless of where he would end up, he would make sure to look as sharp as he could.

The door was jammed. Jonah knocked and asked Bruna if she’d be much longer. Bruna opened it immediately. She had a towel wrapped around her head, half-done makeup, and a short red dress that looked stunning on her.

“I need at least another half hour.”

Jonah sighed.

“If you shower quickly, I’ll leave the bathroom to you and finish later.”

“No, no. I’ll wait.”

Bruna pursed her lips and crossed her arms.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“Uh. You look really nice. Very pretty.”

“Tell that to your face,” she said, rolling her eyes and looking back at the mirror.

“Umm…”

“What now? If you want to use the bathroom, I can leave, it’s no prob—”

“No, it’s not that.”

Jonah leaned against the door frame and studied his roommate’s dress in detail. The shoes next to the tub, which looked as beautiful as uncomfortable. The hairdryer resting on the toilet, minutes away from scorching her hair just to achieve an ephemeral blowout. Three different lipsticks on the sink, which, when combined, would create a shade that couldn’t be found anywhere else.

“What’s going on with you today? Did your thirty-year crisis hit just hours before your birthday?”

“Uh… I won’t be able to go to the club.”

Bruna dropped the mascara as if it had burned her.

“What? You kiddin’, right?”

“Tsk. No.” Jonah closed his eyes and slowly knocked his head against the frame in an attempt to gather his words. “I have to go to this place I was invited to.”

“Huh? What place, the new club? You mean the thing with the invitation?”

“Yeah.”

“But why? You don’t even know who invited you. Plus, we booked the VIP table with the guys a month ago. Are you really going to ditch us on your birthday for some random weirdo who sent you a mysterious invitation?”

Jonah bit his lip to the point of feeling the skin split. If he didn’t come up with an excuse or save the moment, he’d have to cancel the plans at the last minute and go with his friends. He could do it, but if the consequences were as bad as the letter made them sound… No. It was better to disappoint his friends.

“No, no. Look. I’m going, but I just have to stop by this place first. It’ll only be a little while.”

Bruna crossed her arms again and shook her head. She looked defiant.

“Let’s all go then.”

“No. Besides, the invitation is for me. Maybe it’s for my birthday, like for exclusive people or something.”

Bruna laughed without genuine amusement, stepped forward, and Jonah had to take two steps back.

“You know what? Do whatever you want.”

The slam of the door hurt less than the look of disappointment on her face.

Two hours later, Jonah was standing in front of the entrance to an overly ornate hall. It didn’t look like a nightclub; it was more like a castle, something straight out of a Bram Stoker novel. He glanced at his attire and briefly worried that the shirt and dress pants wouldn’t be enough.

He approached the door, and someone stepped out. Judging by the height, it seemed like a man, but he was wearing a black robe that covered him down to his feet, and a hood that obscured his face.

“Uh. Good evening,” Jonah slightly bowed his head and showed the invitation. “I got this today. I don’t know…”

The person handed him a black bag, and once Jonah took it, they stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter. They didn’t utter a single word, and Jonah didn’t ask anything, he just walked in.

Two other people greeted him. They were also wearing black robes, and like the person at the entrance, their hands were covered in gloves.

They seemed like women, given their small frames. They escorted him silently to a bathroom and pointed for him to go inside. Then, they pointed at the bag and turned away.

Jonah entered, still not understanding much. He was wondering how good of an idea it had been to go to such a strange place, but he was already there. He took out his phone. It was full of messages from his friends insulting him, asking if his no-show was a joke, or simply sending unfriendly emojis. There were five minutes left until midnight.

He opened the bag and took out a red robe. He put it on but pushed the hood back enough to see. When he came out of the bathroom, the two people were still there. They guided him, one on each side, until they reached what seemed to be the main hall.

“Sorry, but what is all this?”

He received no reply.

The hall was dimly lit, with antique lamps casting a warm glow. There were two balconies above, one on each side of the room. It was filled with people in black robes looking at his direction. No one else was dressed in red.

His breathing quickened.

A few seconds later, once he was in the center and the two women had stepped aside to give him space, a white light shone down on him, nearly blinding him. Immediately afterward, a male voice was heard over the speakers.

“Do you know why you’re here, Jonah?”

Jonah was never one to scare easily, but he could feel a slight tremor in his legs and irritation in his stomach. Something hot was quickly rising up his esophagus, alternating with muscle contractions that were making him dizzy.

He fell to his knees; he couldn’t control his body any longer. He didn’t know when the tears had started to fall. He saw them mix with the stomach acid on the floor.

He began shaking his head furiously and pulled the hood off completely.

“I had no choice. I had to kill him. I had to kill him. I had to kill him. I had to—”

Suddenly, several white lights came on. Jonah lifted his head and saw the faces hidden by the robes. There were dozens of people, and one by one, they began to remove their hoods. His friends, his family, his coworkers were there. Bruna at the bottom, her face distraught.

Jonah wiped his mouth and slowly stood up as best he could. He backed away little by little without taking his eyes off the faces of everyone, motionless, until he finally left the hall.

He left the place, and his legs began to regain energy. Without realizing it, he bumped into someone. It was a man, and he looked annoyed. When he met his eyes to apologize, the man’s expression changed.

“Hey, birthday boy! Where are you going? Sorry I’m late, it’s just—”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Jonah turned around and ran so fast he disappeared within seconds.