Crowdsourcing Stories

Promised Forever (Alt. Title: Curse or Cult) Ch. 1

The uncomfortable scent of disinfectant permeated the air of the small waiting room. Ophelia scrunched her nose as the concentrated fumes tickled her nose, even behind her mask. She shifted from one foot to the other restlessly as she waited for the blond receptionist to cease the assault on her keyboard. With an impatient sigh she busied herself by awkwardly studying her surroundings.
The waiting area seemed large enough to be comfortable while empty, as it was, but that was the only positive aspect she could find. The walls and floor were the same off-white and large square tileing combo that was all but mandatory of doctor offices, the only wall decor a few generic sceneries and a 'meet the staff' bulletin. To put it simply, the place was beyond boring.
As the minutes stretched on Ophelia felt the weight of her aimless obsession. Glancing around the sparsely decorated room her eyes fell upon her only option for salvation, a magazine rack. She snatched up the first one, prepared to half read decade old articals on the 'latest' in golf club technology or some other nonsense.
Flicking open the cover carelessly Ophelia felt something slip from the pages, the dark 90 by 50 mm scrap fluttering to the floor. For a moment she just stared at it, the contrast between the black business card and the tiles a feast to the eyes after nothing but the toneless color of the furnishings.
She considered leaving it there for the next victim to enjoy the same respite from the monochromatic prison that was this office. But curiosity got the better of her. Crouching down to pick it up she was surprised to discover that the face of the card had not been blank, but contained a question in the slightly gothic Aquiline script. A shiver of excitement raced down her spine as she read the crimson lettering. "Do you want to live forever?"
She flipped the card over but the only other text was a mysterious address. A cursory search of the address pulled up pictures of an exquisite old cathedral building. Scrolling through the articals her brows furrowed as a pattern emerged. 'Mysterious Disappearances Surrounding Norwich, 'Third Missing From Mass', 'Death At The Pulpit', 'Norwich Cathedral Abductions Continue'.
"Miss, hello?"
A voice cut into her thoughts, pulling her right back into the dreary office with a now impatient receptionist staring at her with a fake smile. Once she was sure she had Ophelia's attention the blond glanced back down at her monitor before addressing her again.
"You're Mr. Chung's referral? I'll need you to fill out these forms for me real quick." The woman pushed a large packet through the window and began prattling off a memorized explanation of what it contained. Ophelia shook her head lightly, turned away and exited the building before the receptionist could pass her a pen.
Settling behind the wheel of her 98 Mercedes Ophelia looked down at the card still clutched in her palm. As she re-read the address on the card she turned the ignition, a smile playing at her lips as the car rolled away from the curb. "Finally, I'm at the start of my vampire romance."