The Dinner

[I wrote this like... 2 years ago and haven't edited it since so if something is a little off that's why]

The curtains on the windows fluttered forward as a light wind blew through, making the apartment colder than it had been. Moonlight spilled into the room and pooled on the floor leaving only parts of the small room dark. In the darkest corner he sat, knees to chest and hands in hair. The room was silent besides the occasional whimper coming from him.

He had his eyes fixated on one point in the eerie room and didn't dare move his eyes from it. A pale, ghostly figure laying on the ground, the moon shining onto his face giving him a gothic and hollow look. A small, imperfect, red circle was drawn out around him and the wound in his chest indicated he drew it himself.

Dusk turned to dawn and the man in the corner stayed, fearing that if he stepped out of the shadows it would be real. He kept staring at the lifeless body that laid before him questioning what to do next.

Moving only in the shadows of the room, the man stood and went to his kitchen. He went quietly and didn't dare make any noise even though he knew he was the only one in the apartment. He searched around in the cupboard before finding a medium-sized blue Tupperware container.

A small chime came from the other room and he almost dropped the container from fear. Quickly he made his way back to the room and found his phone on the floor covered in red. Unfazed by it he wiped it clean on his white undershirt staining it red too before turning the device on.

Blue light flooded onto his face as he opened and unlocked his phone.

Nick: hey 

Nick: do u and george wanna hang out today

Actually, george is kind of busy

Nick: what's he up 2 then

Nick: u still there?

Nick: clay?

He had moved over to the body on the floor and knelt down beside it. Delicately he placed his hand on the other's chest and put his other hand on the black handle of a knife lodged in the mid-section of the one laying lifeless on the ground. Quickly he, Clay, pulled at the handle to reveal the other end of the blood-stained knife. Fresh blood started to seep onto the floor as the knife was removed.

Buzz

Buzz

Buzz

Clay made his way back to his phone, careful to move in the shadows, and with his free hand answered.

"Hello."

"What up man?! You didn’t respond and I got worried! You free to hang out anytime soon?" 

He sat back down with the Tupperware container beside him, the phone sandwiched against his ear and shoulder, "Sure, how about you come over for dinner. Does five sound ok?" He kept his voice flat and monotone despite the situation he was in.

"Yup! Works for me. How about George though? You said he was busy?"

Clay took the knife and cut the hands off the body. "I did," He removed the socks that were still on the body and cut the feet off. "He didn’t say much about what he was doing today."

"That's ok, we'll see him another time then."

Clay chuckled to himself before slicing the body down the middle. He cut the two halves into smaller pieces and placed them into the blue Tupperware container. Once he was done he sealed the lid and carefully made his way to the fridge. “Well see.” 

“Okay? Well, I’ll see you later!”

Clay rolled his eyes, “Sure Nick.” he placed to container on the top shelf and closed the door. 

The phone call ended and he returned himself to the main room with the bloodstained floor. He attacked the stain with a mop but the floor was just as red as it was to begin with. He spotted a rug in the corner of his room and pulled it over to cover the stain.

“Time to make dinner.”

---

The doorbell rang ten after five and Clay greeted it with his signature bright smile. “Nick! Good to see you.”

Nick walked into the apartment and greeted his friend. “Do you have any idea why George couldn’t make it? He’s usually never too busy for diner with his friends.”

He smiled to himself, “Oh he had a job interview… a chef I believe.” 

“Good for him!” Nick took in a deep breath, “Mmm, what are you cooking, it smells fantastic.”

“Why don’t you try some? Though I can’t take all the credit, it’s a recipe borrowed from a dear friend of mine.” Clay swiftly moved Nick into the small dining room and sat him at the end of the table. He went to the kitchen and stirred what appeared to be a stew in a brass pot with a wooden spoon before scooping some of the stew out and putting it into a small bowl. He passed by the now-empty blue Tupperware container that now laid in the sink, as he returned to the dining room with the bowl of stew and a slice of bread and handed it to Nick. 

“Mushroom stew and raisin bread.” 

Nick hummed as he took a spoon and scooped some of the stew into his mouth, “This is really good! Aren’t you hungry?”

Clay sat at the other end of the table, hands folded neatly in his lap. “No, I haven’t had much of an appetite today."

Seemingly pleased with that response, Nick went back to eating his stew. "This really is amazing. What's your secret." 

"That I can't tell you or it wouldn't be a secret."

Nick chuckled, finishing off what he had left of the stew, "Do you mind if I have more?"

"Of course, let me get you some." Clay got up from his end of the table and made his way to the kitchen again, taking the plate and bowl with him. He passed by the empty blue Tupperware container and knocked it further into the sink. He grabbed the wooden spoon and scooped some more stew out of the brass pot and into the glass bowl Nick had been using. He cut a fresh slice of bread and placed it onto the plate. As he made his way back he realized Nick wasn't at the table anymore, instead, he was examining a small, red spot on the floor.

"Hey Clay, how'd you stain your carpet red?" Nick stood back up and laughed, "Do you kill someone?"

Stepping into a small ray of sunlight, Clay felt his face flush realizing what he had done. He dropped the plate and bowl onto the floor, both shattering to pieces.

"Geez man, it was just a joke…" Nick knelt down and started carefully picking up the larger shards of glass. "Are you doing okay?"

He hadn't heard what Nick had said, his ears were ringing and his stomach felt twisted. He grabbed the biggest shard of glass out of Nick's hand and closed his eyes. 

The next day there was only one person in the apartment. 

Sorry it's been a hot minute, as you can probably see most of my old works have been taken down, that's of my own doing. I was really uncomfortable with some of the stuff I had previously written and honestly I just didn't want it on here anymore. I hope you can respect that.

Thanks for reading!