The Ritual

From the P.O.V. of Cindy

I linger at the edge of the dance room. Evie said she would be here in twenty minutes, so what am I supposed to do until then?

I look around the room for possible entertainment and see a handsome guy about my age. I smile at him and he smiles back. He walks over, and with a sharp jawline, black messy hair and bold blue eyes my heart is pounding.

"Hi, I'm Kidney" I stutter

"I mean Cindy," I correct myself, with a small awkward laugh

"I'm Drake." He says smirking

We stand awkwardly on the side of the dance floor until he offers a hand and says

"You wanna dance?"

I nod with a smile and rest my hand over his and he leads me onto the dance floor.

We dance to Christmas carols until my feet hurt, all the while keeping a look out for Evie who is now fifteen minutes late.

"Here, come with me" he says, ushering me towards the storage room.

Swinging the door shut behind him, he wraps his arms around my middle and pulls me in closer, then we kiss. As the kiss progresses, we collapse onto a conveniently placed sofa and he slips his hand underneath my dress.

However, when I go to unbutton his shirt he pulls away from me and pushes my wrists down to either side of me. I look up at him confused.

"What are you doing?" I demand.

He gives me an evil grin and says,

"Sacrificing you, to the G.O. occult,"

He releases a hidden knife from a strap at his ankle and plunges it into my chest before I can react. I cry out but his hand passes over my mouth so I cannot be heard. Tears stream down my cheeks as blood starts to stream out of my mouth and the pain, my breathing and my heart beat starts to fade. In my last moments, through the crack of the door I see Evie at the doorway in the maxi skirt I bought her for her birthday.