Final Girls (on hold)

1 / h a b i t s

K A S H M E R E (pictured)

"She can't change,
                       She is stuck in routine
                        Life for her is a cruel circle"

    Old habits die hard. That's the saying, right? The bar is the last place I should be. But alcohol is an old friend of mine.

    The Fortress is always crowded, but even more so at this time of night. People are mostly on the floor, socializing and picking up drinks from those willing to buy. That's not my scene. The bar stools are my home on nights like these, where the past creeps up on my empty mind and forces me to relive the traumatizing experiences my mother left me with. Drinking is my cure. And so is something else...

I sip on my jack and coke, but my focus is else where, specifically to my left where a lone man sits, swirling the straw in his drink.

"Kas," I look back to the front of me, behind the bar where Sid stands, watching me with his usual smirk as he walks up, "It's been a while."

"Has it?" I raise an eyebrow as I observe the bar's manager, my gaze traveling up and down his slender body. Sid has always been attractive to me. His curly black hair, smooth ebony skin, and muscular arms always shown off perfectly by rolled up sleeves is enough to make any girl weak. But the first time I walked into this bar I knew. He's not human, therefore, he's not on my radar. Lucky him.

His smile widens, showing off his many serrated teeth, visible only to the trained eye, "I forget you never keep track of time."

"Yeah, well, why do it when you've been alive as long as me?" I say with a small smile, twirling the glass in my hand before taking the last sip. Sid watches me, his stunning green eyes curious.

"Refill?"

"Hell no. You know I'm slowing down on my drinking," I push the empty glass away, almost sending it flying off of the bar table. Sid easily catches it in his hand.

"Ah, so you came here for that." he raises his eyebrows knowingly. I smile wide.

"I did."

"Well in that case," Sid begins, his gaze darting to something behind me. I frown at him as I suppress the urge to follow his eyes. "There's a cute guy a few feet behind you, standing with his buddies. He's been staring at you all night." Sid places his palms against the counter and leans down, his v-necked shirt dipping away from his skin far enough for me to see the two scars where his breast had been. I advert my eyes before he thinks I'm staring.

"Really? I guess I'm going to have to say hi." I say in my flirtatious tone, standing from the bar stool and fixing the hem of my dress so it exposes my cleavage. Sid smiles again and straightens, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Go and get him. But please, when it comes to the other part, take him outside. I don't need panicked costumers again." Sid gives me a stern look before turning and walking off, going back to his job. I roll my eyes at him before I leave as well, heading straight for my target.

The boy sees me coming immediately, having already been staring in my direction. He straightens and his lips turn up in a sexy smile. He has to be in his early twenties. He's built short and stocky with ash brown hair that is spiked on top of his head and a college shirt fitting tightly against his clearly muscular chest.

"Hey," he jerks his chin at me, smiling wide and proud. His buddies turn to me as I walk up, all of their eyes traveling up and down my body like I'm a piece on display. When I was younger, a man's predatory stare never failed to make my skin crawl and my heart press against my ribs. Now, it is just another part of the job. And of course it helps that men have become more civilized since my childhood, many years ago.

"Hello," I purr, forcing my voice out as sultry as I can, "I saw you staring. Figured I'd come say hi to my gorgeous admirer."

"Well, I'm glad you did. Can I buy you a drink?" he asks, closing the space between us and pressing his hand against the very end of my back, nearly groping my ass. But I say nothing, only smile and allow him to steer me a few feet away from his pack of friends before I step in front of him, placing my hands on his chest. His body radiates heat, something I am not used to.

"How about we get out of here?" I stare up at him, biting on my bottom lip. I smile, "We can go back to my place."

"Really?" he asks, smiling wide. He pulls me to his chest, his hands sliding down to my ass. The gesture does nothing for me, in any sense. My life has been consumed with luring in men and women alike using advances like these. It had became normal after a while. "I'm down." he says, his fingers digging into my flesh. I break away, grab his hand between mine, and drag him off the floor. He follows with a laugh, unknowingly letting me steer him to his death.