12 KiB
The Internet Date
by Ze'ev Schurmann
This was my first attempt at a horror story. It is actually of the subgenre "Creepy Pasta".
When Vivienne got divorced from her abusive husband, she decided to remain single for a while, until she had learned to love herself. Five years on, and she felt she was ready to try her hand at dating once again. One of her friends had recommended a dating app that she had had success with, so Vivienne decided tonight was the night.
She downloaded the app and opened it. She spent the next 30 minutes preparing, what she thought, was the perfect profile. She added some photos from her phone that she felt did her justice. Time was no longer on her side, and she was no longer too pleased about how her body now looked.
She then spent the next few hours swiping through profiles of various men. They all seemed too creepy, all wanting one thing and one thing only. She wanted love. She wanted a man who would treat her right. So she kept swiping left, until... until one profile grabbed her attention.
His profile was titled, Mysteryman6. His photos were too dark to make anything distinguishable out, but his bio captured her attention: “When you love someone, you give them a part of yourself. I am looking for someone to give me apart of themselves.”
Her finger touched the screen of her phone, and she wanted to swipe right, but she hesitated. “Damn it, Vivienne. Live for once...” she whispered, before swiping right. She put her phone down on the bedside table to charge, grabbed her book, and read for a while. From time to time, she would check on her phone, but there was nothing. Eventually, she gave up and went to bed.
The next morning when she woke up she checked her phone. She had a match. She had only swiped right on one person, Mysterman6. It was a match! “What are the odds?” she muttered to herself. She put her phone down and got ready for work.
When her lift arrived to pick her up, her phone pinged. As she got into the car, she checked her phone. She had a message on the dating app. It was from Mysteryman6: “You have beautiful eyes... I wish I had your eyes.” Vivienne blushed. She didn’t know what to say, she was so nervous. It had been a long time.
The whole way to work she kept thinking in her mind what to reply with. She didn’t want to come across as desperate, even though she was willing to admit she was. It had been a long time.
She sat at her desk and took her phone out of her bag. She stared at the message for a while and took a deep breathe: “Thank you... tell me about yourself.”
She sat for a few minutes and stared at her phone waiting for his reply. Nothing. She sighed again and placed the phone back on her desk. As she removed her hands away from it, the all too familiar ping came. She looked a the screen and there was a new message from Mysterman6: “What would you like to know?”
Vivienne thought for a moment: “What do you do?” She held her phone for about 10 seconds, and as she was about to place it down, the ping came: “I am a collector.”
“What do you collect?”... she waited... half a minute went by and nothing. She shrugged her shoulders and placed the phone on her desk. As she took a sip from her coffee, the ping came: “I collect beautiful things, what do you do?”
“I am a personal assistant.” she replied. She waited, nothing. So she sent another message: “Do you have a clearer photo. You look so mysterious in your photos?”
Vivienne placed down her phone and started to do some work. After about an hour the next ping came: “I am sorry. I am very self-conscious about my face.” Vivienne paused: “Why?” Vivienne had no sooner pressed send and she regretted the message, so she quickly sent an apology: “Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. I shouldn’t be asking such personal questions so soon. If you don’t want to tell me it’s fine.”
Instantly a message came back: “I have Aniridia. It’s an eye disorder that makes my eyes appear abnormal. My eyes appear completely black, no distinguishable iris.” Vivienne felt terrible: “I am so sorry. Is that why you commented on my eyes first?” She placed the phone on her desk and another ping came through: “Yes. Sorry, but I so wish I had normal eyes, that when I see eyes as beautiful as your own, I feel compelled to compliment them. I hope you don’t mind.”
Vivienne wrote back: “I understand. And thank you again for the compliment. You need not send me a photo. Let’s just get to know each other. Deal?”
No sooner had she pressed send, and they reply came back: “Deal...”
That entire day Vivienne and the mystery man exchanged words. He seemed so perfect, such a gentleman. At the end of the day she had gotten quite comfortable with her mystery man that she took the first plunge: “Do you want to meet?” Nothing. She stared at her phone for a good ten minutes and there was no reply. It was home time, so she packed her things, put her phone in her bag, and headed out to catch her lift home.
The other girls in the car wouldn’t stop talking, but Vivienne couldn’t hear them over the noise of her own thoughts. She wondered to herself if she had moved too fast. Had she scared him off? Maybe this was her soul mate and now he’s run off thinking she was desperate. “Stop thinking like that Vivienne, stop it!” She muttered to herself as the car pulled up alongside her house.
Vivienne said goodbye to the others and got out. She reached in her bag for her phone and checked. No messages. She stared at the phone as she walked up the driveway. When she got into the house she put her phone on the kitchen counter and started to make a cup of coffee. Then the ping came: “Where should we meet?” “Do you like Italian food?” "Yes, I do.” “Great, there is a lovely Italian restaurant by the wharf. We could go there. You don’t need to pay for my food.” She waited, nothing.
She placed the phone on the counter again and started to sip her coffee. Ping. She picked up her phone. “It would be my pleasure. When would you like to meet?” She thought for a bit, “How about tonight, at 7?” “It’s a date.”
Vivienne felt strangely excited. She hurried upstairs to get ready. At 6:30 to called for a taxi and was ready waiting outside when the taxi arrived. She didn’t live far from the wharf. When she got out of the taxi, she started to feel nervous. For a second, she actually considered going back home. “Toughen up Vivienne. You’ve got this.” she told herself.
She entered the restaurant and realized that she didn’t know what he actually looked like. She turned to the doorman and asked him if anyone with strange eyes had come in. He shook his head as he opened the door. She went into the restaurant and asked for a table for two. The waiter escorted her to a table that overlooked the water.
“I will have a glass of your house red, please.” She said to the waiter. He nodded and left for the bar.
“Good evening Vivienne.” a deep voice came from next to the table.
Vivienne looked up. He was tall, had long black hair, stubble on his face, and was wearing a long black jacket that came down to his feet. Vivienne stood up. “No, please remain seated.” He sat down at the table across from her. “My name is Damien. I am your date this evening.” Vivienne stood there, she didn’t know what to say. He was so handsome, but his eyes were hidden in the shadow of his hair.
The waiter arrived with the wine. “I will have the same.” said Damien. “Um... thank you for that.” she quickly added to the waiter. Vivienne couldn’t believe how good looking this man was. She really wanted to see his eyes but didn’t want to seem rude. They sat there in silence until the waiter returned with Damien’s glass of wine.
“You look nervous. Shall I break the ice?” asked Damien. “Oh... sorry. I have never done this before so I don’t know what to do.” “You’ve never been on a date before?” “No, I mean, of course, I have been on a date before. Just not an “Internet Date” if you know what I mean.” Damien chuckled quietly.
“I know what you mean. It was scary for me the first time. But once the ice is broken, it gets easier.” “Well break away then...” responded Vivienne as she giggled nervously. She felt like such a child with that last comment.
The evening continued, and Damien soon got Vivienne to relax and enjoy herself. She really liked him. After dinner, Damien insisted on paying and escorted her to the parking lot. “I guess this is good night then?” she asked as she turned to face him.
He placed his right hand on her cheek. She lifted her left hand and held his hand in hers. “My god, he has beautiful hands.” she thought to herself. “You have beautiful eyes,” he said to her, “I wish I had your eyes.”
She smiled. “Do you mind?” she asked, “Before we go home, may I please see your eyes?” “I suppose that is only fair.” he said as he pulled his hair back behind his ears. Vivienne gazed into his face as the street lamp lit up his eyes. They were so dark. But they looked beautiful. “I like your eyes.” she said. “You are too kind,” he replied, “Would you like me to phone for a taxi for you?” “Why don’t we share one?” “It will be my pleasure.”
They chatted on the side of the road as they waited for the taxi to arrive. The whole time Vivienne was fixated on Damien’s eyes. So dark, yet so beautiful. Why didn’t he think his eyes were beautiful. When the taxi arrived, Vivienne suggested they go back to her place for a drink.
“We can if you want, or we can go to my place. I am a collector, and over the years I have collected some exquisite bottles of wine. It would be an honour to share one with you, and whatever is left, you can take home to enjoy tomorrow.” Vivienne blushed and nodded. He was so charming, so handsome, and so mysterious.
Damien opened the taxi door for Vivienne and they got in. They travelled out of the city and beyond the suburbs. “You live in the country?” asked Vivienne. “Yes, it’s quiet out here. Not many people here to stare. I live in privacy.” “I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
The taxi pulled up to a two-story thatch roof house. Damien opened the door got out and held the door as he waited for Vivienne. He turned to pay the driver before gesturing to Vivienne: “Mi Casa Su Casa.”
The walked up the driveway to the front door. It was a massive solid wood door that opened outwards. He bowed his head down: “After you...” She smiled: “Thank you, good sir.” She entered the house and started to take her jacket off. The lights came on. It was bigger inside than it appeared on the outside.
“You have a beauti...” Damien struck her on the head with a hammer and she fell to the floor. Blood poured out onto the marble tiles. He rolled her over onto her back and placed a small jar with formaldehyde next to her head.
“You have beautiful eyes.” he said to her, “I want your eyes.” He pulled the eyelids of her right eye apart and started to cut the eye out with a scalpel. He dropped the severed eye in the jar and proceeded on the left eye. “Thank you.” he said as he got up and closed the jar.
He dragged her limp body toward the kitchen. He opened the cellar door and the stench of rotten flesh came out like a gust. She let out a moan as he pushed her body down the cellar steps and closed the door. He placed the jar on his kitchen counter and opened a bottle of 1987 Merlot. He placed the bottle on the counter, pulled a marker pen out of the drawer and wrote on the jar: “Vivienne, 39”.
Damien walked into the living room with the jar and approached a display cabinet. He opened the cabinet and moved a few jars over on one of the lower shelves: “Veronica, Vivienne, Wendy.” he said as he added the jar to his collection. He locked up with cabinet: “Now, that wine is not going to drink itself.” he proclaimed with a smile.