Draining Vinessa

BY EMMANUEL WILLIAMS

March 25, 2024

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At the bar known as Dry Town, most everyone knows you don’t hit on Vinessa, that’s Joey’s girl. And he’s crazy about her to a fault.

One night, a stranger walked in while Joey took a whiz, and put his hand on Vinessa’s waist. Hadn’t even asked her name yet. Joey comes out of the bathroom and grabs the poor fellah, everybody knew what was coming.

Outside, Joey wound up for the knockout punch while Vinessa and the entire bar looked on.

Then the stranger brought out a longknife, and ran Joey straight through his gut. And Joey stopped breathing and fell to the floor.

Vinessa, afraid of the cops who would be on their way. Between their questions and the shady way they keep Joey’s ma in the senior home, she made a run for it. With everyone pouring over Joey’s body, she escaped unseen.

She made it two blocks on foot before she heard it. Footsteps hurrying behind her, trying to keep up with her pace. Over her shoulder she saw the stranger from the bar. Some guys just don’t let one go.

Vinessa turned down a thin alley hoping to lose him. She looked back to make sure, and saw a different man blocking her view. Perhaps he was already in the alley and she missed him in her rush.

Her pursuer came into view behind the new stranger between them, who turned, and closed the gap between men quicker than Joey ever could have.

Vinessa saw her pursuer get his neck snapped like the popping of a champagne bottle at the end of the alley. And she did not want to thank the gentleman responsible.

So she ran. Deeper into the alley.

She thought the darkness within would soon turn to light, but it just got darker. She turned, but she wasn’t alone.

“I’ve been waiting for this,” he said. Standing in breathing distance as if he had been just that close for far too long.

She pushed him, but he wouldn’t budge. He picked one of her legs up to his waist, and she fell trying not to give him access.

When he knelt on his knee in front of her, he moved the hair away from her neck, and bit into her, deeply.

Blood ran down her collarbone as he sucked with all his might at the gash that widened with every sip.

Until he drained her physical body dry. Hollow he left her, fading into death.

As he walked casually out of the alley, Vinessa’s soul left her body, and hung in the air like a pale aura, lost and absent. A sleeping mirror image of its host.

Along came a black-hooded figure carrying a long-handled tool with a sharp, curved blade. He appeared out of the shadows and with his hand, reached for Vinessa’s hovering soul.

But an angel of the lord appeared, snatching Vinessa, and immediately flying her up toward the sky.

Half to heaven, the earth’s atmosphere broke, and there laid a golden brick floor leading to a desk and large golden gates.

The angel dropped Vinessa’s soul on the ground unceremoniously, and descended back to earth.

Saint Peter looked up from his YouTube video and saw the new arrival.

“Hello Vinessa.”

Her eyes flew open.

-fin-