CHAPTER 2 24 Hours Before

|24 hours before|

“Sorry, sorry,” Cecilia apologized as she walked in, taking a free seat at the conference table for the department meeting.

“Again Cecilia? You are always late. What is your excuse this time?” Jamie, her manager, asked.

Cecilia opened her mouth to apologize, and then she closed it. No. She would not let her embarrass her in front of the CEO. Jamie wasn’t getting away with it today.

“Well, I was actually doing my job and your job. The fifty files that you piled on my desk today, I just finished them. So, I apologize for prioritizing your work over a meeting that could probably be sent in an email. No offense, Mr. Anderson,” Cecilia snapped.

“None was taken,” CEO Mr. Anderson chuckled.

Jamie gaped at her and blushed in embarrassment. She slammed her hands on the table and said, “How dare you speak to me like that! I won’t stand for it!”

“Well, I think this is a great segue into the main reason why I am here today,” CEO Mr. Anderson interjected. “I came here to congratulate the person who increased the department’s numbers. I figured it was you, Ms. Burke, but it seems that Ms. Adams has been doing the work. Can anyone vouch for Ms. Adams?”

“No, that is not true. She’s lying and just trying to show me up,” Jamie pleaded.

The hands of her employees raised one by one showing that what Cecilia had said was the truth. Jamie glared at them and yelled, “Get your hands down. You are only siding with her because you all didn’t get a raise this year!”

Everybody in the office had benefited from Cecilia's knowledge and experience. Her coworkers were aware of and respected Cecilia's work ethic.

Mr. Anderson continued, “I have already investigated the case files and noted that Ms. Adams has been performing your work for months now, Ms. Burke. You know each employee should be a representation of our company and lead with integrity, which you have failed to do. You deserve to be demoted, yet Ms. Adams deserves this promotion.”

At the Bar.

“Drink! Drink! Drink!” Angie, Cecilia’s best friend, cheered Cecilia on as she chugged down another glass of beer.

“Woo!” Cecilia said as she slammed down another glass, “Another!”

“We should’ve done this a long time ago,” Donna said, “All that work paid off. Look at you now girl. You’re a big-time manager now!”

“Enough about work. More drinks! Another round of shots!” Cecilia said as she waved over the bartender, who at once began filling their shot glasses again.

“To Cecilia’s new job and being free on the weekend!” Donna said as she raised her shot glass. With a clink, all three women drank their shots of tequila.

The bartender pushes a strange orange drink to Cecilia and said, “Just for you.”

“Woah. What is that? We are not drinking any mystery drinks,” Angie said as she took the drink from Cecilia before she could drink. She sniffed the glass, “It smells fruity. Lame. It’s only hard liquor tonight!”

“Trust me. There’s hard liquor. I call it the Special Punch. It’s a celebration drink. It’s on the house,” the bartender explained.

“I didn’t get a celebration drink on my birthday, and I was at the bar all night,” Donna pouted.

“It’s a new policy,” the bartender said with a smile as he took the drink back from Angie and offered it again to Cecilia.

Cecilia took the drink from the bartender. She immediately was surprised by the sweet, tangy taste. Cecilia could not taste the liquor, but the drink was so good she couldn’t stop drinking. When she was halfway done, Cecilia felt a chill creep up her spine. A sense of unease lingered despite her drunkenness.

“Oh, I think I’m going to be sick,” Cecilia groaned as she put her head down on the bar before sliding out of her seat. How many shots had she taken? 5? 6?

As Cecilia stood, she slurred her words, “Hey guys, I’m going to the restroom.” Angie and Donna barely heard her over there laughing as Cecilia staggered to the restroom.

“Yes,” Cecilia mumbled as she noticed that the bathroom had been cleaned. Slippery or sticky restroom floors grossed her out more than anything.

Cecilia moved over to the mirror and took a close look at her reflection. “Oh! I look like a hot mess,” she laughed drunkenly.

Cecilia started washing her face to remove her makeup, which was now pointless. While cleaning the rest of the makeup from her face, Cecilia heard groaning.

“Having a rough start to your week, too?” Cecilia called out. There was no response from the lady, but she could hear more moaning. “Hey, ma’am, are you okay?”

Cecilia began opening the doors to each stall to look for the woman. At the last stall, the handicap stall, the ground was covered in grass and vines were all over the walls.

What? Am I seeing things? She thought as she rubbed her eyes. The stall still looked the same except now she could see a woman huddled in a corner of the stall.

“Are you okay? Do you need help?” Cecilia asked.

The woman did not answer, and Cecilia took a step into the stall. Her stomach began flipping again. Cecilia paused for a moment and looked behind her. The restroom and the stalls behind her looked normal.

“So weird,” Cecilia muttered as she turned back around and began walking toward the woman.

Right as her hand was about to touch her shoulder, she felt as if she was going to be sick. She felt she shouldn’t touch this woman and just leave. As Cecilia retracted her hand, the woman turned around to face her.

“What the hell?” Cecilia said as she attempted to back out of the stall, but the woman grabbed her wrist.

The woman’s eyes were that of a cat’s, but they were red, not bloodshot, but crimson red. The lower part of her mouth was smeared in blood. Cecilia felt her skin crawl when the woman grabbed her wrist.

“Gotcha,” the woman said as her mouth twisted into a sinister grin, revealing blood-stained fangs.

Before Cecilia could do nothing as the woman pinned her placing a rag over her mouth and nose.