Viribus

Chapter 3: The warning

We are walking to the car and I just can't stop thinking about Viribus, I'm terrified. Before I even realize it, tears are rolling down my cheeks.
"Viviana, please don't cry, you are going to get through this. I know you are strong," Dimitri says as he goes in for a hug, being careful not to disturb my bandaged ribs. His arms wrap around me and the warmth of his body makes me feel like my life isn't over, even though I knew it was. "How about we go downtown for a drink before we head home, I think that might cheer you up and get your mind off things."
"Maybe you're right, any good places around?"
"There's a cool little pub about 10 minutes down the road. I've never been but I've heard great things."
"Let's go," I smile even though it takes everything in me.
Once we get in the car, Dimitri turns his Bluetooth on and starts to type something out on his phone. The car is suddenly filled with music, its Voodoo Child by Jimi Hendrix.  "Dimitri! I love this song, you don't know nothing about that do you?" I say jokingly and laugh. I start to sway back and forth.
"I'm not going to lie, I don't know much about this genre of music but it's worth it to see you like this."
"Like what?"
"Happy."
We jam out all the way to the bar. When we get there, the parking lot is vacant besides a few cars. It's definitely a hole in the wall. When we walk inside, it's just as I expected for a place like this at 9:30 pm on a weekday. It's dim with bluesy music playing from an old jukebox in the corner. There are some younger college aged guys playing pool and drinking beer. In the center of all of this is the bar. It's empty besides the bartender, who looks like she'd rather be doing pretty much anything else.
"What do you think?"
"I like it, it's very...Alabama. Let's go keep the bartender company I guess."
We both laugh. I haven't laughed this much or smiled this hard since all of this started. We take a seat at the bar and the bartender comes over to us.
"Hey y'all! I don't think I've seen ya here before have I?"
"It's actually our first time here, we've had a rough night and thought we'd come in for a drink.", says Dimitri.
"Oh! Fancy accent ya got there, well u came to the right place; Coldest beer in town! What can I get for u and the pretty lady here?!"
He gets a vodka and coke and I get a strawberry margarita. A man walks in and sits at the bar on the other side of us. He's older, maybe in his late 70's. He doesn't say hey or smile or anything, he just looks down. There is something very off putting about this man but I cant really put my finger on it. The bartender walks over to tend to him and he looks up.
That's when I see it, his eye. His right eye is opaque just like that crazy old lady I took care of in the hospital last week. As soon as he see's me, his eyes don't leave me again.
The bartender comes back and I ask her if she knows him.
"Honey, I've never seen him before. He's a weird little man, that's for sure."
"Dimitri, that guy is really creeping me out, he has an eye like that lady at the hospital and he keeps staring at me. "
"Well, let's finish up our drinks and we can head out, unless you want me to beat up an old man, because I will." He chuckles.
"Yes, lets get outta here, I got a weird vibe as soon as he came. I'm going to go to the bathroom and then we can leave."
The bathroom is not the cleanest. There's water, or at least that's what I'm hoping it is, scattered about in free standing puddles. The light is a glowing yellow that flickers from an obvious shorted line. The smell...well, it smells like a bathroom, let's just say that. While inside the stall, I hear the ladies room door open and I get a little scared because there were literally no ladies here besides the bartender.
It's pathetic how little it takes to shake me up these days since all of this started happening. A woman could have been around and I just didn't see her and I'm sure Dimitri was keeping his eye on that creepy old man. 
My reasoning completely goes out of the window when I see the persons feet walking by the stall. Those were MEN'S LOAFERS.
"Excuse me sir, but this is the ladies room"
The loafers stop for a second but then continue to walk to the stall to my left and proceeds to go in. At this point, I'm terrified to even move, let alone leave the stall but I slowly open the door and make my way to the sink so I can quickly wash my hands. My eyes don't leave the mirror but in the reflection I can see that the shoes have disappeared from the stall.  No one is there anymore.
"I'm losing my damn mind."
Just as I finish drying my hands and turn to leave, there he is. The man from the bar along with his weird eye is just standing there in front of the door staring at me.
"I don't want any trouble sir, my husband is right outside this door waiting for me, can you please just let me through?"
Still he just stands there in some catatonic state but still staring. His eyes are following my movements but no other part of him moves.
"What is it that you people want from me?!What have I done? Tell me so that I can fix it!"
The man's blank expression changes and his mouth forms into a twisted smile to reveal several rows of sharp jagged teeth. He reaches both hands forward palms facing down and then flips them over to reveal the words
"WE WILL. GET YOU." Carved into each hand, both dripping with blood and pus.
The lights completely short out and all I can do is scream and push myself in the direction of the door.
I run out of the door like a crazy person, I'm screaming and crying at the top of my lungs and everyone is just looking at me like I'm crazy.
"VIVIANA! What's wrong?!" Dimitri comes running over. 
"That man from the bar was in there, he's not human! He tried to kill me! You didn't see him come into the women's bathroom?! 
"Viviana, I was watching the bathroom entrance the whole time. That man got up and left a little while ago, there's no way he could have been in the bathroom with you."
"Well he was and he's not human, I'm telling you, these things want to kill me!"
The bar had went from a low buzz to just dead quiet. I thought the guys at the pool tables eyes were going to pop out of their heads.
"Dimitri, can we please leave now?"
This has become all too real. It was quiet the whole ride to Dimitri's house. He had tried to comfort me several times but it just wasn't working. I don't think this is something that anyone can save me from. I need to figure out what this thing wants in order to survive.
Finally we get to a big brass gate with the words BLACK BEAR COVE written across it.
"Dimitri, I know you aren't about to tell me that this is where u live."
"Viviana...this is where I live", he says with a chuckle and a grin."
He puts some code in the keypad and a female voice says "Welcome home Dr. Ivanov."
The gate opens and we drive down this winding road for a few moments. I look out the window at the big houses and the perfectly groomed lawns. It's well lit with street lights and something about this gated community feels "safe" to me.
We arrive at perhaps one of the biggest houses in the cove. I am in awe that a 30 year old man is living like this. When we get out of the car and walk up to the tall wooden door, there's an old fashioned big gold knocker with the initials DVI carved in cursive.
"You live in this mansion all by yourself?",I say as I gawk in amazement.
He laughs. "I'd hardly call it a mansion, but I moved here in the hopes that it wouldn't be just me here forever." He looks over at me and smiles. My heart skips a beat. "Please, let me give you a tour." He unlocks the door and I honestly don't even feel like I'm in Alabama anymore. There's a beautiful large crystal chandelier in the middle of the the ceiling. He leads the way to the living room, which is filled with, what looks like antique Victorian furniture. There is also a glass cabinet in the corner filled with beautiful china.
"Did you decorate this yourself?"
"As much as I'd like to impress you and say yes, an interior designer helped out a little bit, and by a little bit, I mean she did the whole thing.", he laughs.
"Let me show you where you will be sleeping, I know you're tired."

I am tired and this house is beautiful but I'm not going to lie, I was terrified about sleeping  by myself tonight. He leads me up this winding staircase and down the hallway a short distance until we get to the guest room. The room is burgundy and gold. There are lush velvet curtains swept across two giant windows. The bed was high off of the floor with four large wooden columns on each corner and to top it all off there were two glass stained doors leading up to a balcony that overlooked the whole neighborhood.
"Wow.", I say as I'm trying to take it all in.
"Do you not like it?
"Dimitri, it is gorgeous but...."
"Yes?"
"This looks like the exact type of house in the movies that the black girl gets killed in. Is your room very close by, I'm nervous."
Dimitri laughs, "My room is right across the hallway but if u want, we can go in the living and watch some tv until you feel tired. I've got snacks too."
"That sounds great actually."
"Would you like to be more comfortable? I don't have any real pajamas for you but I do have one of my larger t shirts and basketball shorts, will that be okay?
"That works for me, thanks again Dimitri for being so sweet and accommodating; And to think, before I met you, I thought all doctors were jerks.", I say jokingly.
"Well I'm glad I could change your mind and Viviana, its no trouble at all."
I go into the bathroom and change, I already feel so comforted by the smell of his shirt. A buzz comes from my back jean pocket and I see its my mom calling.
"Hello?
"Hi cupcake! How are you? I know it's kind of late but I couldn't sleep and I haven't spoken to you in a few days so I just wanted to check in."
"Hey mom, I'm great! I know, work has me constantly tired, I'm gonna work on checking in with you more."
I haven't told my mom about any of the things that has been going on, mainly because I know it's not going to solve anything. I know that this is the first time I've ever lived on my own in another city and they are worried sick already so I might as well just keep it to myself.
"Well, good. You know how much me and your father worry about you but we are proud of you for being independent as well. How's the pooch?"
"He's doing okay. He got into a little accident with a car and he's at the vet but the vet said his injuries are minor and he should be in tip top shape in a couple weeks."
"Oh wow! Well I hope he gets better soon, u need your protection over at that house by yourself! You know your dad was doing some research on that area your house was built on and he pulled up some interesting things."
"Like what?"
"Well, I didn't really want to spook you, especially knowing now that you haven't been having any issues but I still think it's important for u to know."
"Yeah mom, you know stuff like that doesn't phase me. Go ahead."
"Well, there was a family that lived there back in the 1940's, a husband, wife, daughter and one baby son. They were a pretty standard family until the husband got injured on the job and could no longer work. He was stressed out about being able to provide for the family. They were moving further and further into debt. Apparently he completely went mad one night and went into the baby's nursery. He took a knife and stabbed his 4 month old son several times. The story goes on to say that the mother and the daughter escaped and that the father was put to death by electric chair soon after."
"Okay mom, I know I said stuff like that doesn't bother me but that was pretty terrifying."
"Honey, I know you haven't been having any problems there and if you don't, then that's great but I just wanted you to be informed because if strange things do start happening, get the hell out of that house."
"I will mom, I promise."
"Okay, cupcake well goodnight and be safe. Love you."
"I love you too."
We get off of the phone and it takes me a moment to compose myself. Wouldn't it have been my luck to move into a haunted house. I knew it was haunted but hearing confirmation is still surreal.
When I get back to the living room, I tell Dimitri what my mom told me on the phone.
"Wow, so it sounds like the spirit of that man is haunting you because he doesn't want anyone in that house."
"I don't know, I just have a feeling that moving is not going to fix all of my problems, this thing goes everywhere I go."
"We're going to figure this out together Viviana, and everything is going to be okay."
He looks me in my eyes and places his hand on my cheek.  His eyes look so different in this moment, more soft than I knew eyes could be. Had it been anyone else, I would have dropped my gaze but with him, I'm drawn in closer. There was something about his face that made me feel as if I would never meet a man like him again. A feeling of calm sweeps over me. He leans in and his lips press against mine and I feel as if I'm not even on earth anymore.
In this world I am not a girl who is in eminent danger and is worried to death about her injured dog. I have zero worries and zero fears.
Dimitri suddenly pulls back.
"I'm sorry if that was too forward, honestly, I've been wanting to do that since I first saw you a few weeks ago at work. I hope you don't think that's weird.", Dimitri says looking down at the floor and blushing.
"No, it was nice. Everything about you is nice."
That night I fell asleep on the couch in Dimitri's arms and I had never felt so safe since all of this started.
I was awakened by my phone buzzing at 6 am the next morning. It was Dr. Fredrick.
"Hello Dr. Fredrick, is everything ok?"
"Viviana, you have got to come see this for yourself, how soon can ya get here?!"
"I'm on my way."