First Date

“Naaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” he howled, abating the razor impressions of fingers and teeth gnawing into his flesh. Suddenly his clothing wasn’t shredded. He wore a green polo top and blue jeans. The attackers were gone and so were the dead, though blood seeped through the shirt and the wounds were still gaping and fresh.

“What’s wrong with you?” Katie asked from the passenger seat of the car. Her face was turned up to his, curious. She didn’t notice he was bleeding. It was invisible to her. “I’m sorry I called you so late. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Craig remembered this moment, even while breathing in and out to battle the agony of his nerves. Katie was younger, about twenty-one, he imagined. She was stood up by Brice Adams that night. Brice was Craig’s roommate at the time. He was supposed to meet Katie at Odyssey Cinema 30 to catch a chick flick, for a first date. Katie had called Craig in an emergency. She was dropped off at the theater by a friend, and she was stranded, and not being able to reach anyone on a Friday night, she got a hold of Craig. He arrived to pick her up, and it was only nine at night. He offered to take her to eat at a Japanese restaurant. Craig knew she loved sushi, and he consoled her ruined evening by saying, “Might as well make the most of this night. Call it a friendly date. Brice is a jackass. He’s only my roommate because I can’t afford rent right now. When I change jobs, I’ll kick his ass the hell out.”

Katie was still in date mode in this moment. She was grateful for his kindness, and Katie was beautiful. Her hair was curled at the ends, fresh from the salon. She wore a moderate amount of makeup, but it was the glow about her that interested him the most. Alive. Happy. Energetic. They were qualities he wished he owned and wanted to soak up. They had hit it off that night. Sushi. Dancing on retro disco night at Shakes. They stayed out until four in the morning and made out in the car before saying good night.

That was the beginning of their relationship, and he wanted so badly to enjoy it. The loss hurt him as much as his bleeding wounds. He couldn’t shake the dead playing with his body, touching him, violating him, devouring him. His polo shirt was sodden through, and Craig had no choice but to pull the car over.

“You’re so sweet to pick me up like this,” she reiterated. Katie still had no idea he was bleeding. They’d just finished sushi before he entered the memory. “Craig, you’re a nice guy. My dating life sucks. Let’s do something else tonight. Do you like to dance?”

“Yes,” he said, refusing to lose this moment, speaking through gritted teeth. He touched her cheek with his palm just as he did when he was twenty-two. “I like you. You’re nice, Katie.”

He winced. The blood dripped from his shirt onto the steering column. It stained the seat too, colored his jeans, and now, Katie’s cheek.

Craig gave in. He needed comfort, and he kissed her on the mouth softly. “I love you, Katie. I can’t stop missing you. It’s not fair you’re gone. I’m sorry it ended the way it did. I think about it every day. I made so many mistakes.”

Katie pushed him off. “What are you saying?—are you some kind of weirdo?”

The memory was gone as he knew it. Katie eyed him, infuriated. The blood on her demonized her. She still didn’t wipe it off, oblivious to it.

Craig continued talking, despite her confusion. “I’m sorry for how you died, for whatever that counts for…”

Katie changed blink-fast. She was a blip, the transformation ending with a series of demeaning laughs. “Being sorry doesn’t count for much, Craig. It doesn’t count for shit.”

She vanished in a split second, and then Dr. Krone seized his neck. “Whatever that bitch told you in the mausoleum, you can’t fight me. You’re not strong enough. You have no concept of what your brain is capable of!”

Craig drove again, slamming the gas, gasping for breath, the doctor’s hands wrapped so tight around his throat the doctor could break his neck. He clutched the wheel and battled to steady it as the man smothered his life.

“Yes, you can see within me. But I see much, much deeper inside of you, Mr. Horsy.”

“Graaah!” he gasped, white-and-purple blotches filling his vision. Pinpricks stabbed at his head and body. Desperate to avoid death, Craig swung the vehicle off the road, swerving hard to the right.

The car barreled down a short hill, bouncing twice, the shocks bending, the back bumper ripped off. They were seconds from crashing into the trunk of a hulking tree. Gaining speed, Dr. Krone relaxed in the backseat and announced without an inkling of fear, “Now let’s proceed with the treatment!”