Forums of Fright: Red Eye
Hello deadscrollers! It’s nice to finally speak to you. My name isn’t important so you can call me your creep curator. I’ve been spending my death collecting terror tales from chilling chatrooms and threatening threads. I hope you enjoy my retelling of them to you. This one I found on a finance bro forum about a restaurant that really costs you an arm and a leg. This story is called… Red Eye.
“This prick gonna keep rattling on?”
I thought to myself as Mr big shot CEO Joe Lennard kept yapping about market shares and things like that.
Joe was probably 50’s at this point. He looked like the kind of guy who would post on social media about his fake abs, and his cars and yachts and how much he loved god while he would pork barely legals on his boat. Well Joe had a lot of rumors around him. I hated the prick, smug smile, fake tan, veneers that were made genuine in the U.S. Slick back greying hair. “Remember, we’re a family at this company.” Joe said, sounding like a motivational speaker,
“Yeah and if the rumors about him and the secretary are true this family is incestual"
I thought to myself, making me crack a smirk. After he finally quit his motivational jargon I was walking out before he met me at the door.
“Oh brother, here comes the weekly lecture about being a friend to the customer”
“Johnny, I’m glad I caught you before you left. What are you doing tonight?”
I felt a wave of confusion wash over me.
“Uhhh… nothing.”
He grinned and put his hand on my shoulder,
“great. We’re thinking of collaborating with West Bank Investments and we scheduled a sit down at this really nice spot, just opened up in the city.”
“Well where is it?” I asked him, intrigued now.
West Bank Investments was the Disney of investment corporations in the city. If I could make a great first impression on the president of the company, I could leave Mr big shot here and get outta this dump.
“The place is called The Red Eye. Real classy from what I hear. Opens late. I’m talking at 9 pm”
He kept talking about the atmosphere and dress code and crap. I was just gonna wear my good suit and that’d be it. I didn’t care what I had to wear, I’d wear a fuckin monkey suit with a banana up my ass if it got me in the room with the West Bank president.
That night I got home and prepped. My apartment was a mess. The maid had gone on vacation back to Mexico so her granddaughter picked up her shift. And let me tell you she was a knockout. Curves in all the right places, big pouty lips, the works.
She happened to be there when I was so I decided to try to make a move on her.
“Hey Lizzie?”
“Yes Mr Conway?”
“Are you doing anything tonight?”
she shook her head with a grin on her face.
“Well guess what, I’m taking you to the classiest place in town. Strictly business.”
She nodded her head
“Sure Mr Conway”
I was hoping to get lucky twice tonight.
I picked her up at her place right on schedule.
She was wearing a hot black number with a handbag.
The drive to the place was about ten minutes and I’ve gotta say, you couldn’t really ignore the place.
It was ten stories high, and in New York you’d think it’d get lost in the concrete jungle, but not this place. This place looked like it had been here since the 1920’s. Very gothic.
The only addition being a red neon sign saying “The Red Eye”.
The first thing that should’ve tipped me off was the valet. The guy looked like a fent flopper stood straight up.
His valet suit was ill fitting and his eyes looked like they were bleeding.
“Keys sir”
he asked like it hurt to say.
His teeth were as yellow as hell and looked like they were on the verge of falling out.
I handed him the keys making sure not to touch him so I wouldn’t catch whatever the hell was wrong with him.
I gave him his tip and he gave me my ticket,
“Thank you sir”
he said as Liz and I walked into the restaurant.
When we walked in I could see that this place had a hell of a lot of work done.
The floors above had been taken out to make way for huge chandeliers.
The place looked like it was lit in gold.
Guys in black suits walked amongst the crowd serving food on silver platters.
“This place is amazing”
Liz said, and I had to agree with her.
We walked over to who I assumed to be the maitre d. He was wearing all black, even in the light his face was obscured by shadow.
“Hey… I’m looking for the west bank table”
the guy… or woman, I couldn’t tell what the hell it was, pointed behind it to where I could see Joe sitting and schmoozing it up with the president. Joe was also sitting next to a cute blonde, who was not his wife may I add.
When we sat down I was introduced to Clay Gabriel, president of West Bank.
A bit of a big boy, round glasses and a shirt so tight I was in fear of losing an eye from a projectile button. When we got there he kissed LIz’s hand when I introduced her and she made a face like she found something rotten in her fridge.
“So what do we wanna order?”
the man said as he leaned over his gut to take a peek at his menu.
I did the same. I was in the mood for a nice steak, and low and behold they had it. In fact they mostly had meat.
“Ugh,” Liz said,
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“I’m a vegetarian,” she said.
Ungrateful bitch. Did she look at the prices here? Whatever.
The waiter came over and I can see why they kept the valet outside.
This guy looked like he belonged in a Calvin Klein ad.
Perfect pale skin, chiseled features and jet black hair.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen” he said in an eastern European accent.
“My name is Nadeem, I’ll be taking care of you tonight, what will we have to drink tonight”
I felt that this was an excellent chance to show off to mr moneybags so I chimed in
“I’d like to buy your house wine for the table”
Nadeem grinned at me
“Very good choice sir”.
The gesture worked. The fat man moved over to Joe and said
“That’s what I like Joe. Somebody with initiative.”
Joe grinned clearly embarrassed.
Highlight of the night.
Joe’s date, who I later found out was named Julia, was the queen of all airheads.
Constantly checking her phone and probably asked Liz if she had watched Euphoria like three times.
I decided to excuse myself and go to the bathroom.
The inside was just as nice as the outside. Windows that looked held on by obsidian, black marble counters and stall doors. Red painted walls.
They even had one of those bathroom attendants with the candies. He was an old guy, a bit pudgy in the face, balding.
Not as bad as the fent flopping valet but he had a thousand yard stare that I didn’t care for.
Once I finished my business and took a bump off of the toilet I headed out and started washing my hands.
“Let me help you with that sir” the old man said as he stood, his eyes never moving.
He started drying my hands. I didn’t want it to be any more awkward so I tried to make idle conversation.
“So you have a name”,
“Of course sir” he said.
“Well… what is it?” I asked.
“The specials today are excellent”
My dumb ass still high off of the lines I had just taken replied
“That’s a strange name”.
“I’m always here, sir,” he replied.
I just shook my head and walked out of there.
On my way back from the bathroom I saw a table with a few New York food influencers I recognized. Sue and Byron Black. Married, multi millionaires who made their money eating lavish meals and still as fit as supermodels.
I wondered how much of them was plastic.
When I got back to the table, Nadeem had returned with the wine.
He had poured our drinks and left. “
Enjoy,” he said.
“I hope you’ll excuse us I already ordered for the table as you were gone” Clay said.
I didn’t mind.
Joe raised his glass, “To new opportunities” he said.
We all raised our glasses and took a sip.
I wanted to spit it out but I didn’t wanna look like a child either.
It was thick, and sweet. I could tell on the first sip that it was gonna stain my teeth.
“It’s definitely a unique concoction” The fat man said.
As soon as he said it, as though she came out of nowhere, the owner approached us.
A fair skin Italian woman who looked like she had to have been twenty four.
Curly hair and a black dress.
“How are you enjoying your wine?” she asked with a grin on her face,
“I’ve never had anything like it” I said.
“I’m glad to hear it. I’m Nadia. You are Clay Gabriel, are you not?”
The fat man stood up “I am”
Nadia looked excited “Well if you’d like I could take you to show how it is made”
He grinned “I’d be delighted, would you like to join me?” he asked the table.
Joe and Julia went, I looked at Liz
“I’m kinda hungry. Don’t want my food to get cold”
Nadia simply smiled and said, “Suit yourself” and they disappeared into the double doors into the kitchen.
When the food arrived, Liz had ordered a basket of fries, the only vegan option and I got a ribeye.
It was very rare and didn’t taste like any cut of beef I had before. But it was good none the less.
Liz made some boring conversation.
Told me about how her and her mom moved to America, her grandma before she started working for me.
I could tell she thought this was an actual date and not that she was arm candy for me to look good.
They were back there for a long time. Ten minutes turned to twenty, twenty to forty, forty to an hour. An hour to two.
I got really sick of it, and so did Liz as she excused herself and decided to go home.
Blue balls tonight.
I started to get really pissed off. How long does it take to make a bottle of fuckin wine?
I decided that I could salvage this and try to get in good with Gabriel.
I stood up and went into the back room.
I just had to pretend I belonged as I saw the cooks frying, grilling and grinding the meat.
At the far end was a pair of double doors which said “Winery” over it.
When I opened the doors… I saw something that made me wish I had just gone home.
Chains from the ceiling, and attached by the feet was Clay Gabriel shaking with a gag in his mouth. Out of his neck was a long tube pumping blood into a tap.
Two of the waiters were using the tap to pour his blood into wine glasses that they drank from.
The two looked up at me and grinned. They grinned wide. Canine teeth long and sharp.
I ran out of there and into the cold storage room. Hiding under a shelf they lost me.
But on the meat hooks I saw several bisected bodies hanging like cattle.
One I recognized as Julia, Joe’s date.
I got up and tried to sneak out of the room when Nadia guided the Black family into the Winery.
Curiosity got the better of me and I peeked through the door.
Byron looked at her, camera out
“And what is the secret ingredient Nadia?”
Nadia smiled at them. “Oh Byron… the secret ingredient is you!”
She lunged at them and threw Byron to the ground before slitting his wife's throat.
She began to drink from the spray before throwing her body to the ground
“Ughhh. I hate the taste of silicone. Chain him up!”
Two of the waiters attached chains to Byron’s arms and legs and hoisted him upside down from the ceiling before sticking a tube into his neck and poured the blood into a bottle of the house wine.
It hit me like a bus that I had been eating and drinking and I threw up on the ground.
They heard me and set on me.
I tried to get to the kitchen door but it was locked from the outside.
I turned to see the chefs grinning at me, canines long and sharp.
I noticed the slab of meat they were chopping on the cutting board had a set of expensive veneers in it.
I fell to my knees as I got dragged away.
I’m stuck now, trapped in the cold freezer.
I’ve been here for damn near twelve hours now. In another few, the dinner rush starts.
And I think I’m next on the menu.
I don’t have any cell service here so if anybody reads this, please send help! Please!
Poor Johnny, tried to butter up old Clay and ended up being the one buttered up! But don’t feel too bad if you didn’t catch Clay's attention. He seemed pretty drained! Liz made a good choice getting out of there like a bat out of hell!! Gave Johnny the cold shoulder now he’s in cold storage! That’s a freezer burn! I do feel bad for Jules though. Due to her choice in men she’s beside herself! Sounds to me like Nadia runs a nice tight ship, maybe I’ll go in one day for a bite!! Anyway, that’s all for today, fright fans. Tune in for next time’s story of sadism. Bye Bye now.