The Cryptic Message

Sarah sits down on the empty seat across from Gavin. She looks around, quietly taking in everything, but missing almost everything important. Her eyes finally meet Gavin's and he smiles. She offers a smile back, but hers is twisted and confused. The lights above their table are twinkling and low, setting a romantic mood. The sky outside is dark, way past sunset, the stars and moon visible in this part of town. Sarah stars at the stars, nervously twisting the plain ring on her pinky finger. The metal catches in the light and her Sarah's eyes seem to glow a deep shade of red.

Gavin, her date for the night watches her quietly, probably thinking up something witty to say. If their texts proved anything, it'd be that Gavin likes to sound funny and smart. With a Bachelor's degree in science, he is smart. He's also very attractive, which makes some of the other patrons wonder what he sees in Sarah, a mousy looking girl with plain features. His eyes are a deep blue and his hair an even darker brown. Even sitting down, he towers over some of the people in the restaurant. His bulk is clothed in an expensive looking suit.

"Sarah, right?" he asks, swirling his red wine in his wine glass. "I'm Gavin." Sarah nods, but doesn't reply, that twisted smile still on her thin lips. Her eyebrows are pulled low over her eyes, seeming to darken the shade of brown. He starts to become uncomfortable and pulls at the neck of his shirt. "Do you want anything to drink, Sarah?"

"A glass of warm milk would be much appreciated," she says in staggering words. Gavin smiles faintly, his eyes wide as he motions over a waiter.

"Can my friend have a glass of warm milk, by chance?" he asks. The waiter looks at Sarah and nods. She scurries off and returns a few moments later with a tall glass of milk. The waitress leaves after giving Sarah the milk. Sarah happily sips it, making weird faces and unintelligible sounds at Gavin. It reminds him of his little sister, who has autism.

"Can we order?" Gavin asks the waitress as she returns.

"Of course. Can I get you some more milk?" she asks Sarah. Sarah nods and relinquishes the glass.

"I'd like a steak please. Medium-rare with a side of mashed potatoes," Gavin says to the waitress. She nods, scratching it down on her pad with the pen in her hand. "What about you Sarah"

Sarah smiles at him, the gesture becoming more relaxed. Maybe it was just nerves, he thinks to himself.

"I want some macaroni and cheese," Sarah says to the waitress. The waitress nods and writes it down to.

"I'll be right back with your milk and I'll put your order in." The waitress leaves and Sarah goes back to staring blankly at the table top.

"Thank you," Gavin says to the waitress as she brings over Sarah's milk. The waitress nods and checks the table next to theirs. Sarah begins to sip at her milk again. Gavin wants to ask her questions, but his mind can't think of any they haven't talked about before. All of a sudden Sarah starts to cough and Gavin stands up halfway, ready to help her if needed. Sarah looks back up at him and her eyes are clouded and confused again. The waitress comes back over to see if everything is all right and Sarah begins screaming when she sees her.

"Don't like milk. Why bring me milk?" she screams at the waiter. The waiter flinches as Sarah starts to bawl, her eyes leaking tears. But the tears aren't an ordinary color. The tears are black, thick, and acidic. The burn the skin on Sarah's face, making her cry harder.

Gavin lurches to his feet and back pedals away, knocking over a person in the process. "What's happening?" he shouts. Sarah's gaze swivels to him, still squealing and screaming in an eerie way.

"You did this to me!" she screams, clutching at her face. Her skin continues to flake off her cheeks, revealing tissue and bone beneath. "You did this to me!"

"I don't know what you mean!" he shouts back. "You asked for warm milk!"

"You poisoned me!' she cries, falling to her knees and cradling her face in the crooks of her elbows. "You did this to me." Her cries quiet more and more until they stop altogether. Her shoulders stop shaking, her back stops moving. Her lungs inevitably stop working. The waitress leans over, poking at Sarah. Sarah's unmoving body falls forward and breaks. The rest of her skin peels off, her bones turned to dust. Her blood pools on the floor, creating an expanding pond of blood.

Sirens sound in the distance as Gavin continues to stare at the body of Sarah, a girl he'd met online. A girl who had sounded sane online. A girl he'd liked. Now, he didn't know what to do. With her screamed accusations, the other people at the restaurant will most likely tell the policemen and the investigators that he'd poisoned her. He looks up as the paramedics rush into the place, zeroing in on the crime scene immediately. They push past him and he takes that as his sign to leave.

He turns on his heel and runs to the kitchen just as policemen swarm the place. Their black uniforms are snug against their lean bodies, their hats pulled low over their faces, making them look exactly like the other. They search for Gavin, but they look for him in the wrong places. They miss him by less than five seconds. By the time the get to the back exit through the kitchen, two more bodies are added to the count. Including that of Gavin Smith. His blood is smeared on the wall by the door in words. Staggering, much like Sarah's spoken words.

She thought she could leave me. Now, both Sarah and Gavin are dead. And you're all next.