The woman walked into the bar, glancing quickly around the room in search of someone or something. She was tall, approximately 5'11", and stunningly beautiful. She wore a tight, dark blue dress, the shoulders covered in violet sequins. The high heels she wore were a dark blue, shimmering in the low light from the lamps on the few tables, and gave her the appearance of being well over six feet. She had a small purse slung over her right shoulder, also blue and covered in violet sequins.

Several of the men glanced up and became riveted on her. She had dark auburn hair to the small of her back, rolling off her head in a solid wave of red gold. She wore only a slight amount of makeup and small diamond studs in each earlobe. The stole slung behind her and covering her forearms was a rich brown sable fur. She walked confidently, apparently very self-assured or else familiar with this restaurant.

Completely ignoring all of the ogling men, she walked to the bar, locking gazes with the barkeep. He faltered under the intensity of her gaze, almost dropping the snifter in his hands.

"I'm looking for a man," she whispered. "His name is Carl and he should be wearing a blue pin-stripe suit with a yellow carnation in the left breast pocket. Have you seen him?" Her voice rolled out of her throat in a silken purr, surprising the barkeep who expected a loud, demandind voice. She raised her eyebrows at the end, accentuating her question in an incredibly alluring fashion.

"Uh, no, s-sorry ma'am. The only people I've seen tonight are those still here and two women who left about ten minutes ago." He tried his hardest not to let her see how terrified and attracted he was at this moment.

She glanced around the room once more and then locked her eyes on his. "If he comes in here, you will call me at this number," she said, pulling a small slip of paper out of her bag. "Immediately."

"Yes, of course. If I see a man with a yellow carnation, I'll call you immediately," he gasped, quickly becoming uneasy. This strange woman in fornt of him seemed to be giving off a strange heat and he suddenly found himself sweating profusely, and he was positive the sexual attraction he felt had nothing to do with it.

He reached out to take the slip of paper, and she grabbed him by the wrist. He managed to stifle a scream as he felt the pads of her fingers burning small circles in his flesh. Her perfectly manicured fingernails suddenly extended into tiny black claws that dug into the back of his hand. She glared into his eyes, her pupils shining with a hellish red light that burned after-images into his corneas for several hours afterwards.

"You will call me. You do not want to learn the pain I can inflict for disobedience, mortal." Her silken voice had turned into a low growl that scraped its way out of her reptilian throat. He could smell the sulphur on her breath, mingling with the delicate lilac perfume that she wore. She released his arm and composed herself in an instant, once again becoming the goddess she had been a moment before. She smiled prettily at him and turned, ready to leave. "Remember my warning, mortal," she whispered as she left.

Shaken, the bartender returned to his job, but kept an eye locked on the door in case the man she sought came in. One of the long-time waitresses came up with an order and made a small joke about getting the women's number, saying how she saw the paper he had recieved. He gulped loudly and let out an unintended high-pitched giggle. She looked at him sharply, saw how pale he was and decided not to press him. Walking away, she wondered if maybe he should call it a night and go home.

Eventually his terror faded and he began to joke with himself, becoming to believe that maybe he had imagined the entire incident. But whenever these thoughts began to surface, the throbbing in his arm reminded him of the truth of the encounter.

As closing time began to near, the whole confrontation had almost completely faded from his mind. A busy dinner hour came and he soon found himself incapable of constantly watching the door. But as nine thirty neared he happened to glance up and immediately saw a young man in a blue pinstripe suit with a yellow carnation in the left breast pocket enter. A shiver crept up his spine as he searched his pockets for the tiny slip of paper with her number on it. Reaching into his back pocket, he calmed, feeling that small piece of paper in his grasp.

Looking up, he saw the man seat himself at a table with a couple already there, falling easily into the conversation. The bartender felt a twinge of guilt, he didn't want to turn this man over to the lady in the sequined dress. He glanced several times between the slip of paper and the man at the table. His anxiety built and he fairly screamed when the waitress walked up and asked for a martini and a brandy. He shakily poured the drinks and then returned to his dilemma.

He took one last look at the man at the table and then made his decision. Grasping the paper in his fingers, he slowly tore it into small pieces then threw it into the trash can below the counter. He dusted off his hands and stood, feeling much relieved that that was behind him.

Suddenly he caught a whiff of lilac in the air and heard a low cursing. A sudden, sharp pain gripped his abdomen and he gasped as searing pain ripped through his intestines. He wrapped his hands around his stomach and then began to cough uncontrollably. He could taste blood in his mouth and felt it rolling down his chin. Several of the customers began to throw worried glances in his direction, concerned either for his health or their own.

The pain intensified and he could feel a strange warmth emanating from his abdomen. The heat began to build and he couldn't bear the pain any more. He collapsed to his hands and knees, coughing up more blood onto the floor. Suddenly he felt something let go in his stomach and he felt his bowels burst out upon the floor, splashing his face and chest with bloody ichor. He tried to scream but there was now something blocking his throat. A red-tinged mass flew out of his mouth and he somehow knew that it was his lung.

A few concerned people walked over to the bar to see if he was okay. He could hear several screams and a body hit the floor as the gore released from his body came into their view. Some of the more stoic people began to question him, hoping he was still alive. He tried to respond but only coughed up more blood.

He felt another wave of agony wrack his body, and shuddered as several of his organs exploded internally, showering him and the bystanders with a red mist. There were more screams from above and then the sounds began to drift away as his vision clouded. Before the blackness seized him completely, he could smell the delicate scent of lilacs on the air and heard the purring laughter in his ear.

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