Bleed

Introduction

This is for Kenny Penn's Challenge which you can read about here:

The music is Neil Diamond's "Red,Red Wine" covered by Tony Tribe

Bleed

The Wine

The restaurant had been recommended by an exclusive magazine he had subscribed to, and particularly for a digestif (an unusual red wine) that was both expensive but possibly the most gorgeous thing you would ever taste.

While many frequented the restaurant, it was always fully booked for weeks in advance, most could only afford it once or twice a year, but always raved about it and always that digestif was the main topic of conversation. Everyone wanted to buy bottles to take home, but the restaurant only sold by the 125ml glass and each patron was only allowed one glass.

Sometimes patrons asked their partners if they could have theirs but nobody gave up their chance to savour the wine glass, knowing that was it until the next time they could get a booking.

Once he had tasted the digestif he knew he had to have more. The next time he ate, he was alone for the meal, he asked about the digestif and what was so special.

The waiter told him that it was a secret held by the owners of the restaurant, and one small glass was the limit for any customer.

He asked why that was, and the waiter told him that if anyone had more than one glass at a sitting, then they were never seen at the restaurant again.

He asked the waiter why that was, and the waiter explained again that he had never seen them in the restaurant again. He didn't know why.

That night before he left the restaurant he made a booking for the first slot he could get, for two people. He was going to bring a friend who was teetotal and he was going to have two 125ml glasses of that special wine. The friend would play along.

He then waited, he wanted to have that second glass, damn the consequences

The Double

The day came and he and his friend ordered their meals, and a glas of the digestif to follow. The friend did not drink so he would have two glasses to enjoy.

The drink produced a feeling of mild euphoria, and he knew why he and others wanted more, it really made you feel incredible.

Then he drank the second glass.

The euphoria dissipated and was relpaced by a screaming blackness, and he felt his body going into a seizure. His mind could not take it any more and it closed down.

His friend was shocked and called the waiter over. He was perturbed that a team of medics appeared so quickly, and took the collapsed patron away and told him to go home. He wanted to make sure his friend was ok, but they asked for his phone number and told him he would be contacted.

He never was and when he tried to contact his friend his house was occupied by someone else and all traces of his friend who had taken him to the meal were gone.

In The Chair

He awoke tied to a heavy chair, tubes running from his arms, draining his blood. There were jars on benches around the room and there were others in a similar position.

A man in a dirty white coat with an assistant came to him:

"Ah you are awake. We tell people to limit themselves but some have to push it like you did., and you know what happened.

The wine is stilled from a particular grape from a fine that is nourished with human blood. We then add secret herbs from a cursed field in Romania and create our product, which sells very well as you know.

Those who ignore our limits then become the source of the next batch of the digestif, you will never leave here. We have removed all traces of you from society, it is like you never were, and don't think about asking questions, well you can think, but not ask because we always cut the vocal chords"