On the day that Rose Howe died, everything changed.
The day began like any other, Rose woke up at midday with no plans and an equal number of prospects if her empty mailbox was anything to go by. This was her fifth month after graduation with a bachelor’s in Information Technology, and despite numerous applications she had no job offers let alone interviews to show for it.
In the beginning she knew it wouldn’t be easy to get a job but knowledge and experience were two different things it seemed. Rose was losing hope, it began to reflect on the flat she was living in. Clothes were strewn all over the floor mixed with random garbage like instant ramen packets and judging by the russling that she sometimes heard in the kitchen corner there might be a rodent family that moved in.
She didn’t have the energy or the motivation to get up and clean, she mostly stayed in bed all day anyway. She didn’t have to worry about friends or family dropping by, she didn’t have any friends and her aunt was the only person to have raised her. She chuckled softly to herself at the thought of her aunt visiting.
The phone rang suddenly, startling her from her thoughts. A quick check on the caller id dispelled her hopes of a prospective job offer. She picked up anyway, she was finally desperate enough to talk to aunt Imelda anyway.
“ROSE! YOU FINALLY PICKED UP!” aunt Imelda shouted immediately.
Rose winced and held the phone away at her aunt’s shouting. “ Auntie why are you shouting?”
“oops, sorry flower. You know how I don’t understand these bluetooth thingies….” There came the sound of music and shouting then her aunt closed a door which cut off the noise. “That’s much better”
‘She must be at the club then,’ Rose noted.
Rose’s aunt Imelda owned a night club in town called the ‘midnight lady’ which she had been running ever since Rose can remember. She used to sleep in her aunt’s office and dodge hookers shooting up in the toilets when she was doing homework. So it came as no surprise that as soon as Rose turned eighteen she left that place, rented a seedy flat just off campus for peanuts and never looked back. Despite the flat being about 5 metres from door to bed it was still a big improvement.
“What do you want auntie?” , Rose asked brusquely. She knew her aunt didn’t really care.
Her aunt paused briefly and sighed resignedly, “I need your help with the finance software . The pos systems aren’t communicating with the server.”
“What about the firm that installed it? quickbyuks?” Rose asked.
Aunt Imelda sighed irritedly and mumbled something Rose didn’t hear.
“What did you say?”
“I said they keep fucking it up!”
Rose laughed loudly. “ I told you they were quacks! And you didn’t listen to me so you’ve come crawling to me… Rose chuckled at her aunt’s exasperated swearing. “Why the hell should I help you?”
“I’ll pay you 400 dollars in cash!”
Rose’s laughter choked off.
She sat up and brushed her hair off her face as she thought. ‘This must be serious.’ Her aunt was a famous cheapskate and in Rose’ entire lifetime she never heard her aunt offering that amount of money for anything, and that included the time Rose had to go to emergency care for appendicitis. Her aunt almost walked out when she heard how much emergency surgery cost even while Rose was screaming in pain on the lobby floor.
“I’m listening”, Rose said.
“Just show up, fix the thing by 5pm and I give you the cash on the spot”, her aunt said. “ I have an important gig at 7 that I can’t fuck up” She sounded unusually somber.
“I want 500”, Rose bargained.
“Deal” aunt Imelda sighed. “Get your ass here in 10.” She hung up immediately after.
Rose stared at the phone in disbelief. Her aunt never accepted a counter offer that quickly. That and the fact that she wanted Rose there two hours early led Rose to believe that this must be monumental for her aunt.
Already her stomach churned at the thought of going back there but Rose didn’t have a choice, that amount of money would solve a lot of problems for her. She could pay tuition fees for a post graduate certification that could help her prospects in terms of job hunting. So even though her nerves were shot to hell and her stomach was trying its best to turn itself inside out she got ready and made her way to the Midnight Lady.
The Midnight Lady was an establishment that defied all conventional standards in not only its location, which smack dab in the middle of the central business district, but also the crowd it attracted- which was just about everyone from all walks of life. In her childhood Rose remembered being baffled at the strange people she saw with even stranger mannerisms that were certainly eccentric in polite company.
Rose would ask her aunt questions like, how can that man be so big that he has to stoop to enter? Why was that person so small? Why did the pretty people smell like sunshine? How come that person has such big eyes?
Not just strange looking people but also strange behaviour, strange sounds too. Many nights where I heard strange snarling or delicate tinkling laughter from empty rooms. As Rose’s questions grew so did her aunt’s impatience. She began to answer all questions with phrases like ‘Never you mind that’ or her favourite ‘Mind your business bug’. Imelda started locking Rose in the office at night and then during business hours which expanded to daytime hours. She would spank Rose until her bottom was red when she asked questions.
Rose learned the message after the third such time, when she asked her aunt how the drinks in the bar were rainbow-colored and glowing, she stopped asking questions and stopped looking at the strange people and the strange things they were doing. She would already be in the office by the time business would begin and stay there well into the night. She focused on her studies despite the loud music and disruptive noises and her aunt praised her placidity. In highschool she won competitions and despite her aunt taking over eighty percent of her earnings she saved enough to surprise her aunt by abruptly leaving the midnight club to her little seedy flat.
Now she had somehow found herself back at the Midnight lady, unsuccessful and desperate for capital to sustain her freedom.
She stood in the empty alleyway outside the back entrance of the club and staring at the door. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and immediately regretted it as the smell of rotting garbage was cloying at the back of her throat. She had just got her coughing under control when the door opened violently so much so that it banged against the wall loudly. Rose flinched back her heart pounding and lost her footing, landed on her ass and stared wide eyed at the figure wildly swinging a bat in their gesticulation.
“I TOLD YA!…WE AIN’T PAYING YER FUCKING TRIBUTE Y-!”
The shouting cut off abruptly at the sight of Rose quivering on the floor. The midnight lady’s bar man sighed and lowered the bat a smile growing on his face. “As I live and breathe, is that the wee lass that was clutching me trousers all grown up now?”
Mick Stanley, that was his name, helped Rose to his feet casting a critical eye at her appearance. “You need to eat more lass!” , he laughed and suddenly crushed her in a bear hug, and despite her height he effortlessly picked her up and spun her like he used to when she was a toddler.
Rose shrieked and pounded her fists on his back, “Put me down you brute!” But Uncle Mick just spun her harder until she hung limp in resignation. Having satisfied his no doubt prehistoric instincts of establishing dominance he finally put Rose back on his feet, holding onto her arm to steady her wobbly legs.
“How are you still so spry old man?” , Rose asked incredulously. She couldn’t remember ever asking his age but she always got that old person vibe from him despite his ever youthful appearance. His hair was still pitch black with the streaks of grey hair, his pale skin still had the same wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, no doubt from his ever smiling visage. Her eyes looked at the way his shirt couldn’t hide the ripple of his biceps and barrel chest when he folded his hands.
The only thing that changed was Rose was now looking at him eye to eye. He seemed to come to the same conclusion she did. He snorted and rubbed his salt pepper grey beard as he considered her, “You’ve certainly grown taller ! but yer much too skinny!”.
Then his hands suddenly darted out and tickled her sides.
Rose startled out a giggle and swatted at his hands but he was so dexterous that he had her cackling and doubled over in laughter before long. She was just about to pee herself when her aunt’s gruff shout stopped them cold.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
“Mick you idiot stop goofing around and get back to work!”. Her aunt stood at the doorway with her arms folded, a scowl on her face.
“Rose, you’re late!” she barked. “ To my office, now!” . Mike stepped back quickly and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
“Sorry boss”
Her aunt didn’t reply. She jerked her head towards the bar and Mike departed with a whispered “Welcome back Rose”. Rose for her part, hadn’t moved since she laid eyes on her aunt for the first time in years. ‘She hasn’t aged a bit’, she thought. Her black hair with silver highlights was still done up in a severe bun that when combined with the perpetual scowl on her face made her look intimidating despite her lanky frame. Her all back ankle length dress with long sleeves was her uniform when Rose was a child and it seemed that hadn’t changed either.
Rose and aunt Imelda stood there staring at each other comparing their last mental images of each other with the current version standing before them and noting the changes, or in Rose’s case, their lack there of. Until finally, her aunt nodded once and swept back in to the club, her long gait making her vanish quickly.
Rose scoffed sofltly and shook her head as if to shake herself into action. She slapped her cheeks softly and once again took a deep breath. ‘So what if her aunt didn’t hug her or even smile at her for that matter? She was like that all of Rose’s life and if there was one thing her aunt could be counted upon it was her ability to never change. Besides, she reminded herself, she was there to do a job and get paid. Everything else was just a side show’
With those thoughts running through her head Rose finally stepped into the Midnight Lady. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the gloomy interior she was off to her aunt’s office. That’s where the technicians installed the server. As she walked she couldn’t help but wonder at the bustle of activity that gripped the place. The narrow hallways seemed even tighter packed with the constant stream of people weaving past her. Each seemed absorbed in their own tasks, their murmured conversations blending into the low hum of activity that pulsed through the club.
Her aunt’s office was all the way in the back, at the end of a long corridor with the only other door leading to a broom closet. Rose opened the door and got struck with a dizzying amount of nostalgia. Aunt Imelda’s office had also remained unchanged, down to the smell. She took a deep breathe and allowed the memories to wash over her. How many nights had she spent under that mahogany table? Cuddling her stuffed bear and reading stories with a small penlight. In these four walls lay an entire lifetime for Rose. But the clock next to the painting of the flower in a pot reminded her of the urgency of her task so she didn’t let herself reminisce any longer.
The mini server rack was placed weirdly next to her aunt’s chair, and not only that, the latch didn’t properly close so the door was easily accessible. Rose clicked in dissapointment when her eyes fell on the LED lights or lack thereof in this case. It was the worst case scenario, the switch was stuck on boot up. From here the problem could be anywhere from spoilt SFP module to a simple lack of sufficient power to the switch. What wasn’t so simple was the fact that it could take ages to test and verify the point of failure.
‘Nothing to it but to get to it’ she thought.
Hours later, Rose sighed in frustration for the umpteenth time as she uncovered even more problems. Like the mythical creature Hydra, once you solved one problem, two more took its place. First it was the power outlet having a loose connection then when Rose dealt with that it was the SFP module dumping all configs, and when Rose was dealing with that she realized the interface pc set up hadn’t been turned on in ages so naturally it needed numerous slow updates…
Needless to say her deadline of 7pm was entirely unrealistic, she communicated as much to her aunt.
Her aunt had not been pleased, her face soured up even more than Rose thought was possible then she summarily banned Rose from leaving the office until past midnight. Rose was still a bit sour about that. It wasn’t that she was keen on being out there in the club, far from it actually, her aunt yelling at her and confining her to the office just brought back a lot of bad memories from her childhood. Even more reason why she shouldn’t be back here, every little words, smell, sound and even the very feel of the wood was filled with memories she didn’t like to touch. Alas, she sorely needed the money so she tied up her errant hair in a manageable ponytail and got back to work.
Some time later, when Rose was in the middle of installing a software patch, she heard a weird sound. She paused, her hands hovering over the keyboard. There it was again, followed by a worrying thud.
Rose frowned and got up to investigate. The sight of the clock over the door stopped her cold, 10:45 pm. Rose froze as her aunt’s words came back to her.
Don’t step foot outside this office until midnight!
More thuds rang out followed by muffled cursing. Rose was on her feet again,her heart suddenly pounding. Her mind raced with questions. it sounded like a struggle. Was someone choking? There shouldn’t be anyone down here, and they can’t have wandered in since it’s so out of the way.
Her eyes darted around the office looking for a weapon. Her gaze landed on a letter opener on the desk. She grabbed it, her grip so tight her knuckles turned white. She felt a little reassured with a weapon in hand, but only slightly.
More thuds echoed, even closer this time, followed by shouting. Whatever commotion was out there it was getting closer. Rose became aware of the trembling in her hands and the sweat that beaded her forehead.
Assuming it was a fight, someone might need help, but Rose knew she was useless in a fight. Despite her height and long reach, Rose had never been in a scrap- let alone punched anyone. She was always the person that ran and called for help.
And that’s what she would do now.
She snatched her phone and dialed her aunt’s number. The phone trembled in her grip as she watched it calling. The Call failed- number busy. Rose swore silently and quickly typed an SOS text just as the door rattled with a sudden bang.
Rose yelped and dropped the phone. She quickly crawled under the desk, her hands tightly gripping the letter opener. Her breath sounded harsh in her ears, each gulp of air scraping against her dry throat.
The voices outside became clearer.
“_Quickly, the old bint’s probably on her way!”
“I fucking know! The fuck do you think i’m doing, the wards are extensive!”
“Wait—” A pause. “I sense someone inside. Smells mundane.”
Rose’s stomach dropped. Wards? Mundane? How did they ‘sense’ that someone was inside?
It didn’t matter anyway, she parsed enough from that exchange to know that they wanted something in this office and Aunt Imelda was probably already on her way. The door was locked and they couldn’t get in, at least not right away. Rose just needed to survive long enough for help to get there.
With a concrete plan in mind, her mind sharpened and a burst of confidence filled her. She bolted to her feet, dragged the office chair to the door, and wedged it under the handle. Her chest heaved as she dove back to the desk. She grabbed her phone and hit redial, but before she could press the actual call button, a whisper cut through the air.
She froze.
It came from behind her.
She whirled, brandishing the letter opener shakily but there was nothing there. Just the empty shadows of the office.
Before she could question herself she heared it again, this time to her right. She whirled but again, nothing but emptiness greeted her.
Another whisper, this time to her left.
Rose spun, her back hitting the desk. “Who’s there?” Her voice cracked on the last word.
No answer. Only silence. And then she realized something chilling: she couldn’t hear the hum of the server.
The whispers surged in volume. All around her but every time she turned only emptiness greeted her. She closed her eyes and plugged her ears in vain, she didn’t even hear the letter opener clatter on the floor, or the phone when it rang. All she could hear were the whispers. They hurt, like nails raking across a chalkboard.
“STOP IT PLEASE!”, she screamed.
The whispers fell silent. Just as Rose moved to pick up her phone they started up again- louder and sharper. Rose screamed clutching her head.
She suddenly felt like the room was becoming smaller, the walls closing in. When had she fallen? She couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter. She needed to get out.
She lurched to her feet and staggered to the door, knocking the chair aside. She paused, her hand on the knob, her pulse pounding in her ears. I really shouldn’t do this, she thought, but her fingers were already turning the knob. The door had scarcely clicked open when it blasted inward, slamming into her and sending her sprawling to the floor.
Two people sauntered in, they were laughing and high fiving each other. Even though Rose felt the relief of the whispers going away, she couldn’t help but feel a sick sense of dread as the duo’s attention focused on her.
Through blurred vision Rose tried to assess her chances. Even sprawled on the floor, she could tell the man was short, and somewhat plump, his ruddy cheeks flushed with sweat. In contrast the woman shutting the door behind him was tall and gaunt, her hair yanked into a severe bun which only drew more attention to her long hooked nose and sickly pallor.
“ Told ya it was a mundane!” he laughed, jabbing a stubby finger at Rose, “ Good thing I ignored yer jabberi and brought the whispers. Once again my intellect far outshines the especially stupid Prim”
Pim’s lip curled. “Let. It. Go, Toad” she hissed, she drew herself up and fixed Toad with a haughty look. Her mouth twisted snidely, “Or do I need to remind you of Argentina?”
The man—aptly named Toad—flushed an ugly red and inflated exactly like a toad—as he rounded on the woman named Prim. “Shut yer trap, Prim!” he spat, spittle flying. Then as Rose watched, they started bickering with each other like siblings.
At first glance, they seemed ordinary enough—if Rose had passed them on the street, she wouldn’t have given them a second thought. But here, in the cramped confines of the office, her stomach twisted, and a primal alarm blared in her mind. Something about them—their posture, their eyes, the way they moved—set off a deep, instinctive warning. These two weren’t just dangerous; they were wrong.
Rose lurched to her feet and darted around Toad, her long strides carrying her halfway to the door before Prim calmly flicked her wrist. Rose barely caught a glimpse of something hairy and many-legged before the spider latched onto her chest and sank its fangs into her skin.
She went down like a marionette with its strings cut.
Agony.
The poison worked so quickly that, in the space of two heartbeats, her limbs went numb and her mouth opened in a soundless scream.
“Tut-tut,” Prim bent down, holding out her hand. The spider scuttled off Rose’s chest and leaped nimbly onto Prim’s outstretched arm, disappearing into her sleeve. Rose stared, paralyzed, as Prim smirked. “You’re not going anywhere until we find where the old necro is keeping the heart.”
With one hand, Prim hauled Rose’s limp body up and dumped her onto the desk like a sack of flour.
“Quickly, Toad!” she snapped.
Toad licked his lips, his eyes roving up and down Rose’s body. Words couldn’t describe the revulsion that swept through her as she lay helpless, unable to look away.
He reached into his mouth, shoving his fingers down his throat. Rose stared in horrified fascination as his hand disappeared, followed by his wrist, and then halfway up his arm. With a wet, gagging sound, he pulled out a long, thin cylindrical object, its surface glistening with saliva. The disgusting swallowing noises made Rose’s stomach churn.
Like a sword swallower, Rose thought, but a thousand times more disgusting.
“The mind spike,” he said, wiping the object with a handkerchief, “is an enchanting little tool I like to use when I want to safely and quickly extract—” He touched a sigil on the side, and the jewel tip glowed an ominous red. “—information from a target. Unfortunately, the mind spike is at home. I only have the mind flayer.”
His slimy, wet palm landed on the side of her face as he bent over, holding the mind flayer above her eye. “This will be excruciating,” he giggled. “Good thing you’re numb from the poison.”