“Would you like another glass of tea, dear?” The young woman had a winning smile on her face, but her teeth were black and her gums looked enflamed. She picked up a cracked, glass pitcher and offered it to the former person that had been nailed into the chair with long spikes. The thing pulled against the spikes, trying to get to the fresh, human flesh that was sitting in front of it. The other two at the table were doing the same, causing little spurts of the funk that was inside of them to pepper the stained tablecloth over the kitchen table. 

She put the pitcher back down and picked her glass up, “sipping” from it. “So, twll me, what is it you do for a living?”

The creature to the left of her gave a muffled moan.

“That seems interesting! I think that you have a very good job ahead of you over the next few years. Technology is always going forward. Never know what they will come up with next.”

The one that she was talking to was in a pair of filthy coveralls and the name “Pete” was embroidered on the left side over a Ford dealership’s logo. It struggled against the spikes, starting to pull at the skin.

“And what about you?” She paused. “Teaching? Oh I don’t think I could ever be a teacher. That is such a difficult job. All of those kids counting on you for everything…”

This one used to be a nude woman. The spikes were driven through her breasts. 

“You. sir, have a dirty mouth and should watch what you say. I don’t care if you are supposed to be my date, I won’t stand for that sort of thing.” 

This creature was an older man who didn’t look very worse for wear if the gaping hole where his left cheek should have been. His yellowed teeth were like caution lights flashing though what was left of his cheek.

“It was so kind of all of you to come to dinner. This date has been lovely.” Laila said with a bright, wide smile. “Dinner was absolutely lovely, don’t you think?”

The old man creature with the missing cheek pulled away from the spikes, leaving bits of flesh on the spike. He grabbed Laila.

“Wait! No…” She pleaded with the creature. “Stop that!” She pulled her arm away. It easily slipped from the gunk slimed hands of the creature. “You should behave! I was told that you had better manners than that!”

The creature lunged at her again, the only thing keeping her just barely out of reach were the spikes that were driven into the creature’s hips. 

Then another pair of hands wrapped around her and her shrieks pierced the night.