by Dobrina Rosales
I never understood why people are afraid of ghosts.
Sure, ghosts and possessions are a scary thing, unless you’re desensitized to it or are used to it. Or if you’re like me, a half-vampire/half-demon, then you already know about this stuff.
Yes, you read that right: I’m a half-vampire/half-demon hybrid. I’m the offspring of a vampire and a demon. Shocking, right? Considering vampires and demons are immortal enemies, according to the history of vampires and demons. So, how am I here in the first place?
The story is long and boring. All you need to know is I was born between a vampire lord and a demon king. The demon king is known as Lucifer. The vampire lord, or king, if we want to get technical, is named Blaise Bloodsworth. I know, such a clever name. Anyway, I was born between them, and the only reason I was born is because they don’t know what protection is.
Oh, before I forget, my name is Briar Bloodsworth. I am a fashion model, fashion designer, singer, and artist. I am at a place called the Plaza Hotel located in Las Vegas, New Mexico. I heard this place is infamous for being haunted, and I wanted to check it out. I had to make an excuse to tell my agents and husband to come here, so I told them I needed a mini vacation.
My husband knew I was lying, but he let me go anyway, since he’s busy working on an art project and wanted no disruption. On the other hand, my agents didn’t want to send me on a vacation because I needed to do more work. However, I’m excellent at persuading, and they had no choice but to grant me my request.
I stood in front of the hotel, staring at the old building in awe and wonder. The building was so cool! I’m a fan of old buildings and their history, especially if it’s haunted. I stepped inside and looked around the lobby. The lobby wasn’t anything fancy, it was just like you’d find in an old general store back in the old days. It wasn’t bad or anything.
I made my way to the front desk, where there was a lady wearing a beige uniform. I smiled at her, and she smiled back, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
“Hello, how may I help you today, sir?” The lady asked with a cheerful tone, though I knew her tone wasn’t genuine.
“Hello,” I said politely, “I’m here to check in,”
“Okay, what’s the name?”
“Briar Bloodsworth,”
The lady typed on her computer while I waited to get my key. I looked around the lobby and noticed a lot of old pictures and photos from movies. I heard several scenes from different movies were filmed here at the Plaza Hotel. I wondered if the directors and actors knew the hotel was haunted.
I cleared my throat to get her attention, she glanced at me with scared eyes, and I frowned, “Uh… sorry to ask out of the blue, but I heard stories about this place being haunted. Is that true?”
The lady looked around frantically, as if watching out for something. She stared at me as she shushed me. “No sir, it’s not,” she answered quietly. I knew she was lying by her posture and tone of her voice.
“Here’s your key, sir,” the lady said, giving me the key and smiling like she didn’t get scared by my question, “Your room is 308,”
“Thank you, ma’am” I replied.
I got my key and went up to my room. I unlocked the door and put down my suitcase. Once I put everything into its proper place, I surveyed my room. The room looked old and had a Victorian-style layout. I’m a huge fan of the Victorian era, and so is my husband. He would’ve loved this place. Maybe I’ll bring him here for an anniversary or a birthday gift.
I took off my boots and climbed onto the bed to watch TV.
I skimmed through the channels to find something to watch. Eventually, I settled on the true crime channel and watched some shows.
A couple of hours later, it was dark, and my stomach growled. I grumbled as I stood up and stretched. Looked like I needed to get something to eat. However, my diet is massively different from humans. I’m part vampire and part demon, and their palates are different from humans, duh.
I can eat either red stuff that I can suck through my teeth, or souls.
I don’t eat souls unless it’s truly necessary, and I do drink blood, but never humans. Why? I made a promise to my husband not to eat humans because it’s savage, and killing humans will bring suspicion on us. He’s also a half-breed as well. He’s a dhampir and he doesn’t and won’t drink human blood. One of the reasons that I fell in love with him is because he was a freak like me.
I made my way out of my room and was about to head for the elevator when I sensed something in the hallway. I turned around but didn’t see anybody. I tried to use my supernatural senses to pick up anything suspicious but couldn’t find anything. I shrugged and headed to the elevator and out of the hotel to pick up some snacks I could eat.
Moments later, I was in my room with a bunch of snacks and resumed watching some true crime documentaries.
I kept eating when I glanced at my phone and saw it was going to be 9:00.
“I guess I should call him before he gets on my case,” I said, as I dialed my husband.
I waited for a few seconds for the phone to ring for him to answer.
“Hello, my darling Dakota,” I said seductively.
“Hello, my beastly Briar,” he replied happily.
“How’s your night been?” I asked.
“Oh, it’s been lonely without you,” he answered dramatically.
“I know but I won’t be away long, I’ll be home soon,”
“You better,”
I laughed as we continued talking. “So, Zackery and Sam thought it was a good time to-“ Dakota continued as I listened to the conversation, when I sensed a presence outside my door.
I glanced at my door and felt something stronger. I furrowed my brows in confusion and stood up slowly. “Uh… sugarbat?” I said tentatively.
“Yes, B,” Dakota replied.
“Can I call you back tomorrow?”
“Sure, why?”
“There’s something I need to take care of at the moment,” I said in a serious tone.
“Oh, okay. Good night, I love you,” Dakota said sadly. “Love you too, bye,”
I hung up the phone without waiting for Dakota to hang up. I quietly made my way to the door, and I touched the handle of the door. I slowly opened the door and poked my head to see if there was anybody at my door. But to my surprise, there was no one there, and the strong presence was gone too! I thought I must be tired. However, I closed the door and turned around to find a female ghost who died in the 1800s.
I snarled and was about to ask who she was when she put her cold hands on my cheeks. I was not bothered by the cold, but I was bothered by someone touching me that is not my husband. “I know who you are, Briar Bloodsworth,” the ghostly lady announced coldly.
“You what?” I asked in confusion. But she disappeared before I could ask any questions. I stared at the spot she was at for a few minutes, then I felt anger and bewilderment.
“What the fuck was that?!” I exclaimed.
I didn’t see the ghost after that and tried my best to search for her, but she was gone. I never saw her again.
However, I wonder what she meant by “I know who you are, Briar Bloodsworth.”
Leonardo Magazine 