THE BLOODSTAINED BRIDE
The lights of the parking lot were burned out as they always were. Aaron sighed heavily as he strolled to his car.
"Can't anyone just do their job?" He asked under his breath to the darkness. It had been a long day at the office and all he wanted to do was go home, take a shower, and crawl into bed. Why did the boss always have to keep him so late? He was the only one still here, as usual. He couldn't help shake the feeling he was being taken advantage of.
These dismal thoughts coupled with the migraine that was sneaking up on him dampened his spirits as he made his way across the dark parking lot.
"Why can't I ever get a spot closer to the door?" He whined quietly. The sound of his own voice was shaking away his fear of the dark, so he continued talking quietly about nothing in particular.
Finally, he reached his destination. After sliding the key into the door, he couldn't help but feel apprehension nipping at the back of his mind. A shudder overcame him and he decided to blame it on the wind other than his own sinking suspicion.
He flung the door open, hurriedly, hoping to escape whatever it was that was giving him the awful feeling. Possibly someone was lurking in the parking lot waiting for an unsuspecting businessman to—no. Don't even think about it.
Aaron sat down quickly in the driver's seat and closed the door behind him. He stuck the key in the ignition and turned it, desperately, shortly before locking the door.
"Long day at the office, honey?" A woman's voice asked from the backseat.
Aaron's eyes widened slowly and fear gripped him, preventing him from even turning his head and seeing the owner of the seductive voice.
"W-W-What…?" He stuttered out breathlessly.
"Oh, don't play cute, baby…" She said with a giggle.
Who could it be?
Finally, he turned around and saw a brunette sitting in the backseat of his car. Her eyes were a scary, piercing green. Her full lips held a sick grin.
"Who are you?" He asked, terrified.
"Oh, sweetie, let's not play games." She giggled.
He felt fear grip him, tighter and it grew hard for him to breathe.
"Well, are you gonna help me over the seat or am I gonna have to do it myself?" She asked, still smiling that sick smile of hers.
"I—I don't even know you, ma'am. It's dark out here and you may have me confused with someone else…" Aaron stuttered.
"Oh, honey, your sense of humor is why I love you. Now how 'bout helping me over the seat."
"Look, ma'am, I—" He began.
"Oh, sweetness…" She interrupted, sliding her hand into the front seat. It held a knife. Although it was sharp, it looked like something that was better kept in a kitchen. Hardly a murder weapon of choice.
"Don't pretend like you don't know how to be a gentleman."
He was amazed at how she could keep smiling and acting so sweet when she was threatening his life. He grabbed her weapon-less hand and helped her over the seat.
Now she was right next to him.
"Well, aren't you gonna drive us home, darling?" She asked sweetly.
He decided to play along. All he had to do was get her guard down for a second. Then he could duck out of the car and use his cell phone to call the cops.
Such an impulsive move and he was never a really impulsive man, was he?
"Yes, of course." He said to her after a moment of thinking, "Let's go home, shall we?"
"Yes dear!" She said happily, still keeping the knife at an unsafe distance close to him.
Aaron backed out of his parking space and began the drive home.
"Why you working so late, baby?" She asked, seemingly concerned about his hours.
"Oh, the boss wanted me to stay and finish up the accounts…" He said, choking down the terror in his throat.
"Oh…Well, you know I worry, love." She said, smiling.
"Yes, yes, I know." He said.
"I've never even seen her before in my life!" He thought to himself as he continued to try to place the face. He thought maybe it was an old friend playing a joke. She didn't have a forgetful face. He knew that he had never seen her before.
For the first time, he looked down at her, diverting his attention from the road.
She was wearing a white wedding gown, but there seemed to be some kind of stain on the front of it. Why was she wearing a wedding gown? Was she insane?
"Oh, one second, honey…" She said, pulling down the vanity mirror on the passenger's side. She clicked on the overhead light and checked her reflection.
He couldn't silence the gasp that escaped him.
Down the front of the dress…She was completely covered in blood. And now, in the light he could see that the blade of the knife was, too.
"Oh…Oh my God…" He said quietly, unable to fully grasp what was happening to him.
"Honey…" She started in an insecure tone. "Do you think I'm pretty?"
He swallowed the vomit that was rising in his throat.
"Yes…Yes, I do…" He said, carefully choosing every word.
"Prettier than Kristen?" She asked, almost angrily.
"Who's Kristen?" He thought.
"Much prettier…" He said.
She giggled happily, put the mirror up, and switched off the light again.
Silence filled the car.
The mysterious bloodstained bride next to him began humming quietly, trying to extinguish the stony silence that had descended upon them.
The humming was the most terrifying thing he had ever heard, second only to the bride's voice.
Possibly the third scariest sound he ever heard filled the car shortly after the humming began.
His heart stopped in his chest as his cell phone began to ring. He knew exactly who it was. Elizabeth always worried when he worked this late. She always called on the way home. Why didn't he take a precaution and turn the phone off when the crazy woman first made herself known?
What could become of this?
The brunette in the passenger's seat plucked the phone off of the dashboard, flipped it open, and looked at the Caller-ID as if it belonged to her.
"Elizabeth?" She asked, anger creeping into her voice. "WHO IS ELIZABETH, DARLING!" She screamed.
"I—I…" Aaron started, but could say no more.
The bride pressed "TALK" on the phone and pressed it to her ear.
"Hello?" She asked, sounding agitated.
"Aaron?" She said after a second, "Aaron's right here. Who is this?"
Elizabeth gave the obvious answer and the mysterious woman's eyes widened dramatically. She hung up the phone, rolled down the window, and threw it out.
Aaron's hopes of phoning for help flew out the window.
The bloodstained bride began sobbing uncontrollably in the seat next to him. Aaron continued to drive, unsure of what was going to happen next.
"Pull…over…the…car…Aaron…" She choked out between sobs.
"But, I—" He protested.
"PULL OVER THE CAR AARON!" She screamed, switching emotions more quickly than he could grasp. The knife was at his throat before he realized it.
Quickly, he did as he was told.
"A wife, Aaron!" She screamed as soon as the car was parked, "Why couldn't you just tell me?"
She began crying again.
"I don't even know you, ma'am…" He started again.
"LIAR!" She screamed and lodged the knife into his leg.
Aaron felt a blinding pain go to his leg and screamed loudly.
"Shut up…" She said quietly, "Just shut up."
She cried loudly.
"Why can't you just love me the way I love you, Aaron!" She screamed.
"I don't even…" He started again, trying to speak though the agonizing pain.
"You're just like all the others, Aaron." She said.
The way she kept saying his name terrified him.
"You're just like all the others…" She repeated.
She continued to cry.
"I really loved you, ya know?" She sobbed, "I didn't wanna have to do this to you, Aaron." She sniffed, "Not to you…"
"No…Don't…Please, Ma'am…"
"MY NAME IS MARY!" She screeched and he felt as though his eardrums would burst. She pulled the knife from his leg in a practiced motion.
She had done this before.
"You broke my heart…" She said, "Now I have to break yours…"
"No, please—"
The last sight Aaron saw was the bloodstained brunette bride plunging her bloody knife into his chest. She kissed his lips lightly as he felt his life slip away from him.
Crying, Mary climbed out of the car.
"HOW COULD HE DO THIS TO ME!" She asked the sky.
She walked down the road in hopes of a young gentleman offering her a ride.
Finally, she flagged down the first car she saw.
The man driving was covered in tattoos. She was enthralled by them as she climbed into the passenger's seat.
"Are you okay, lady?" He asked, his eyes wide, "Your dress—"
"Oh, you noticed my new dress?" She asked, happily, "Thank you, baby. See, that's why I love you…"
"Look, I think you have me confused with someone else…" He said.
He leaned over her to open the door and convince her to leave. Her voice stopped him.
"Don't joke with me tonight, honey, I've had a really bad day."
That's when he saw that peculiar knife in her hand.
"So…we going home?" She asked.
"Yea…" he said, unsure of what to do next. He returned both of his hands to the wheel and began to drive.
"Yea…let's go home…"