BINGO

Daniel sat silently in the Bingo Hall parking lot. His left hand gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white in protest. In his other hand the classifieds were plastered with nervous sweat, clinging to him like a suffocating second skin. The cool Fall air made him all the more aware of how out of place the sweat drops felt dripping slowly down his face and neck. It was only an interview. There was no reason for his stomach to be in knots besides the hunger. Yet he was still anxious. He glanced at the ad he had circled the day before. The meager salary glared up at him from the wet paper and he shook his head in disgust. He couldn’t believe how low his prospects had sunk, but jobs were hard to come by since he left the war. “BINGO ANNOUNCER”, the title made him smile in disbelief but it quickly turned into a look of desperation as his stomach growled painfully. He tossed the paper into the backseat where the rest of his possessions lived and slammed the car door behind him. The jarring slam made little flecks of rust dance to the ground and the dying sunlight made them almost shimmer like stars. He dared not wish on them. 

He made his way down the uneven path pausing briefly at the door to adjust his tie in the reflection of the dirty glass. He couldn’t stand to meet his own gaze anymore. The gaunt face and hollow eyes just didn’t seem to belong to him. His suit seemed to swallow him and he tried hard to ignore the hole wearing into the bottom of his right shoe. He stepped into the hallway and was met with the faint stench of mildew. Multitudes of brightly colored flyers lined the peeling white walls and he thought they looked more like the scales of some reptilian creature in the shadows of the dim lighting. The bright light at the end of the hallway was a welcome sight in the otherwise depressing building. The door was adorned with a slightly off-center manager placard and he sought comfort in the small imperfection as he left a chain of quick, soft knocks on the faded wood. 

“Come in!” the voice beckoned him, breathing life into the stale air. 

He swung the door open with a slight creak and hurried inside. The office was small but welcoming and made him almost forget the discomfort of the dreary hall. A dark-haired man immediately sprung up from the desk extending his hand excitedly. Daniel nearly didn’t extend his in time to meet it as he was perplexed by the amount of energy the small man possessed. They exchanged small talk and pleasantries and when it came to the actual interview he just couldn’t believe how easily the words came to him. He tried not to let his surprise show when the man offered him the job on the spot, rather he thanked him and shook the cold, steady hand once more. 

“Only one thing. You must pass a quick audition with our residents.” the man smiled. "The job is easy and does come with a room here in our main recreations building. The residents hall is the next building over and i'll give you the grand tour after you audition and we fill out paper work."

His stomach once again clenched in hunger and anxiety but the hunger won out and he quickly agreed to the odd request. Before he knew what was going on the man had ushered him further down the hall and through a large set of double doors that swung shut heavily behind them. The large room was very dimly lit but he could make out the distinct outlines of people seated at the long tables laid out in front of the brightly lit stage. He could hear the slight coughs and labored breathing that usually accompanied places like this, places where the elderly were sent to play shuffleboard until they shuffled off this mortal coil. The overwhelming smell of strong perfumes and colognes wafted to the entrance and he tried not to gag as they reached him. Before he could really take in every detail he was pulled roughly to the stage where the manager gave him a short introduction and handed over the microphone.  

His mind flashed back to all of his failures on stage, tripping when he marched to collect his diploma at graduation, his failed joke of an attempt at a comedy routine where he almost threw up instead of delivering the punchlines, not that they landed very well anyways. It all flooded his mind and he felt the vomit rising in his throat as he cleared it. Could all those cataract-ridden corneas and thick-lensed glasses see him jitter and shake? The thought seemed to jar him into reality as he made a short introduction himself and to his delight was greeted with a gentle applause from the seated crowd. His heart stopped pounding in his ears and he managed to follow the simple commands from the manager as he took a seat and began the game. 

Automatically he cranked the handle on the machine in front of him until it reluctantly spit out each ball he was to announce. He swept through each cue effortlessly and managed a few well met jokes between numbers. It seemed like an eternity before he plucked the last ball out. A faint cry of Bingo! echoed through the room and his sigh of relief was genuine as he looked forward to concluding the odd interview. The woman who approached him on stage was a welcome sight. Happily extending the thick card in her pale hand she practically danced across the stage to claim her win. He checked the card at the managers bequest and offered a congratulatory smile. The manager swarmed him with his loud clapping. 

“The job is yours!” he exclaimed and offered another handshake, this one rougher than before. 

 Daniel choked out a thank you and sank back into the chair, weak from the excitement. He could finally get a good night's sleep without keeping one eye open and one foot on the gas ready to flee.

“And my prize?” the woman questioned. Her eyes seemed to hint that she already knew what it was. 

The manager gave a slight nod and his smile deepened considerably. Daniel looked on in horror as the woman smiled revealing her impossibly sharp teeth. The manager erupted into a loud string of strained laughter as she flashed her fangs and suddenly he exposed his as well. Daniel stumbled out of the stiff chair and fell to the stage in horror. He managed to land a hard kick into the womans ribs as she rushed at him. She quickly recovered and they approached him from either side as he crawled to the edge of the stage, scrambling over and hitting the concrete floor.  

As they approached, he stumbled toward one of the tables. Clawing into the crusted old tablecloth, he twisted the fabric and screamed for anyone to help him. When his eyes met the figures sitting there he went limp. Underneath the guise of dark, he could make out the skeletal remains rotting into the tables themselves. Dab pens had tipped over spilling a plethora of colored ink all over the cards strewn about. The figures were grotesque and drained of color themselves, bones trying to escape skin. He screamed in terror as the couple descended upon him. This wasn't their first kill and he wasn’t the only one hungry tonight.