When Darkness Falls
“There is a house in New Orleans, they call the Rising Sun. It’s been the ruin of many a poor boy and God, I know I’m one.”
A smile spreads over my lips as I look out at the crowd, pausing to let the music play for a bit as I scanned the faces for the one I came to this little bar for. This wasn’t my usual scene and neither was karaoke, or singing in general. Going to bars to find /supposedly/ non-existent supernatural beings wasn’t something I listed on my resume or hung next to my framed PhD. In fact, I was supposed to be home with a fever and suffering the horrible consequences of catching the flu. However, if I was going to find the world New Orleans hid in plain sight and so well, proving that there were more than humans living on Earth, this needed to be done.
My smile grows as my gaze falls on the young man who specialized in medicinal herbs and remedies that did a little more healing than they were qualified for and much faster than was normal. It was a shame really; all those wasted lies he told thinking that I wouldn’t notice how his eyes lowered every time he told a small fib. Tonight, we were going to have a little heart to heart chat. Talking to people was my specialty and, sometimes, I added in another specialty of mine. The guy who worked part time in the local voodoo shop was due for a special session with me where I’d show him those specialties.
“My mother was a tailor. She sewed my new blue jeans. My father was a gamblin’ man….Down in New Orleans.”
I kept my eyes on his face, giving him a wink as I continued the song, the rest of the crowd whistling and cheering as I danced while I sang. What some didn’t know is that I took a few drama classes throughout my life so any part I needed to play, I could do it and do it well. Tonight my roll was a flirtatious doctor who had a crush on a possible witch, or something more, and might possibly be a little tipsy. I step away from the mic stand, taking the microphone with me as I sang the next verse, coaxing more cheering and even impressing voodoo boy I was doing this for.
“Now the only thing a gambler needs is a suitcase and trunk. And the only time he’s satisfied is when he’s on a drunk.”
I make my way over to his table and lean down, kissing his cheek before I dance my way back to the stage, rolling my eyes while I have my back turned towards everyone. I was going to be exhausted tomorrow but at least it would make it more convincing that I was recovering from the flu. Everything that had happened in my life led me to this moment and finding any supernatural beings that I could find; my sister’s death being the first stepping stone. She had died when I was still a teenager, just shy of 15 years old, and her death was ruled as an animal attack but the animal they said it was didn’t live in our area. It was impossible and none of the evidence added up or made sense.
“Oh mother, tell your children, not to do what I have done. Spend your lives in sin and misery in the House of the Rising Sun.”
Ever since then, I was set on finding what killed her, already guessing the motive. After all, two can keep a secret if one of them is dead. My sister just knew too much. At first I went along with it, even finding that I had a love for psychology. I was always interested in figuring out how things worked and the human mind was very complex. No matter how long it took or how hard I needed to work, I would figure out what made people tick; especially people like me who didn’t run from the darkness that losing a loved one created. No. We let the darkness in and used it as a guide.
“Well, I got one foot on the platform; the other foot on the train. I’m goin’ back to New Orleans to wear that ball and chain.”
So here I was in what I was always led to believe to be Supernatural Paradise; New Orleans, Louisiana. I made this my home once I started going to school to earn my PhD. It truly was a lovely place and had a lot to offer even for someone who didn’t have secret motives. It wasn’t until recently that my dying interest for something more was peaked as people started to go missing. They were tourists mostly and people that anyone who wasn’t paying attention wouldn’t miss. But I paid close attention, noticing the smallest details around me.
I walk back onto the stage and place the microphone back onto its stand as I finish up the song that I always had an obsession with. It fit my mood a majority of the time and really was an inspiration for nights like this one.
“There is a house in New Orleans they call the Rising Sun. And it’s been the ruin of many a poor boy and God, I know I’m one.”
I step away from the mic and bow before walking off the stage. Heading straight for the table, I hold out my one hand and pick up my purse with the other, a small but kind smile on my lips as I speak.
“I’ve had enough singing and bars for one night. What do you say to getting out of here?”
He nods and takes my hand, getting up and leading me out of the bar. Just as he goes to turn towards his place, I tug on his hand and shake my head.
“I’d rather go to my place. We can have a chat there and some drinks.”
“You got it.”
My smile widens and I lead him towards my house, taking the quickest route instead of my usual scenic route. Getting to my front door, I pull my keys out of my purse, slipping a small syringe filled with a mild sedative into the sleeve of my dress before I unlock my door. I push it open and step aside to allow him in and shut the door behind us, locking the door as he glances around.
“Nice place.”
“Thank you. I’m quite fond of my home. It took a while to get it perfect. Maybe I’ll give you a tour some time.”
“Why not give me the tour now?”
I hold back the laugh that threatened to slip through my lips as I walked up behind him and took the cap off of the needle, trying to be as discreet about it as I could. This probably wasn’t necessary but it was a safety precaution and the best way I knew how to get him to talk.
“Because you’re about to take a nap before our chat.”
Just as he turns, I reach up and stick the needle into his neck, emptying the syringe before he can react, and the confusion on his face turning to realization. I tilted my head and watched as he stumbled a little, his hand coming up to rest on the wall for a second before he fell to the floor. It was only going to take me a few minutes to get him where I needed him and then it was time to see how he ticked. It wouldn’t be too hard since getting people to talk and let me inside their head was what I did for a living. This was just the first time I was sure what I brought home was more than a simple human. He was the next step to finding the world I had been seeking for so long.
Or so I hoped.