Story: "The Last Bite"

 

The last bite

The old burger joint on the corner was almost empty. Only the sound of a television hanging on the wall broke the silence. Marcos entered with a tired step, rubbing his temples. It was almost midnight, and the smell of rancid fat and toast made him hungry. 

He approached the counter, where a tired-looking employee was listlessly chewing gum. 

—"A full cheeseburger with fries. Large soda, please," he ordered. 

He paid and sat down in a corner by the window. Outside, the street was deserted. The flickering lights of a half-dying street lamp broke the darkness and revealed the drops of persistent rain. It felt good to escape the cold of the street for a moment.

When the employee placed the tray on the table, Marcos took the burger with both hands and took a big bite. The refreshing taste of onion mixed in his mouth. As he swallowed, a pleasant sensation came from his stomach, which began to ease the previous feeling of emptiness he had arrived with. 

It was then that the doorbell jingled and a girl came rushing in. Her face was pale, her labored breathing betraying that she had been running. She headed straight for their table. 

—"Please help me," she whispered, trembling. 

Marcos frowned and swallowed his food before answering. 

—"What's wrong with you?" 

The girl looked towards the door with wide eyes. 

—"He's following me," she whispered. 

Marcos glanced outside. He didn't see anyone. 

-"Who?"- 

—"I don't know what it is... but it wants me to follow it."- 

Something in the woman's tone made him nervous. She reached out and touched him while looking fearfully outside. The woman's wet hand was cold, as if it had been in a freezer. Marcos's first thought was that she was a prostitute. And that some dissatisfied client was following her.

—"Do you want me to call the police?" 

The girl shook her head frantically. 

—"No, please... if I do, he'll find me faster. I just need to stay here for a moment." 

Marcos nodded cautiously. He had many doubts, but something about the way the girl looked at the door made him uneasy. He decided to distract himself by taking another bite of the burger, but as soon as he did, he felt a strange knock on his teeth. He pulled what he thought was a rock out of his mouth. When   he looked at his hand, a wave of disgust came from his stomach. His body trembled. 

It was a tooth. And it looked human.

He gagged, but before he could react, the girl shuddered violently and began to slide toward the ground, as if someone invisible was dragging her. 

—"No! I don't want to go!"— she screamed, trying to dig her fingers into the table or the greasy floor. 

Marcos tried to hold her hands, but as soon as he touched her, an unbearable shiver ran through his body. His hands passed through the girl's flesh as if it were an illusion.

He felt a wave of hot air hit his face.

She looked at him with terrified eyes as she was dragged outside and at that moment, the door of the burger joint flew open. A cold wind swept through the place. Marcos turned around, but saw no one. 

When he looked around again for the girl... she was gone. 

Silence fell over the place. The television stopped working, turning off. The   counter worker, busy cleaning the kitchen, didn't seem to have noticed anything. 

Marcos breathed heavily. 

He got up from the table, burger still in hand, and walked to the counter. 

—"Hey... did you see the girl who was here?"— he asked with a trembling voice. 

The employee looked at him as if he were hallucinating. 

—"What girl?"- 

Marcos pointed to the table. 

—"The one who was sitting with me!" 

The employee shook her head while looking at him strangely. 

—"Sir... you came alone. I didn't see anyone else." 

Marcos felt his stomach turn. He looked at the burger and reached into his hand. 

The tooth was gone. 

There was not even a trace left of the bite he had given. 

The burger was... untouched. 

Outside, the lantern flickered one last time and went out. 

END