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Today was the day. The best of days! The greatest, most amazing, life changing of days!
The man laid in his bed, and he remembered what the woman had told him, the night before. She had said, "Yeah, sure. We can do that", and so, they were finally going to go on a date!
Now that today was officially the day of the date, the man was a nervous wreck. He had been madly in love with this particular woman, since the first night that they had laid eyes on one another… The night before. And now that he was going to officially go, and meet her for a walk - along the docks at Gotham Harbor - the man had no idea what to do with himself...
"What do I wear? Eru, man… I still have hours until this date. Until then- What am I going to do?" The man said to himself. "I know!" The man sat up straight in his bed, "I'll go get myself a new outfit, I suppose. I want to look nice and all, for my date tonight."
The man had a large, proud grin across his face. He got out of his bed, and he then began his normal routine of a quick shower, and shave...
"Ouch!" The man exclaimed. In all of his excitement, the man's hand had a slight tremble this morning. He nicked himself shaving, right under his eye. "Great. Now she's going to think I'm some knucklehead, or something. Getting in fights, or something. I don't know. Of course I'd nick myself, today… Of all days."
The man then got dressed, and as he was heading out of his house, he reminded himself, "Today's the day." The man then got into his automobile, and he drove a few miles to the nearest general store. He wanted to find himself a nice shirt to wear this evening…
… Nothing too flashy. But maybe not too dull as well…
When the man had finally arrived at the store, and then began browsing through the available selection… The mission was proving much harder than the man had anticipated. Nothing he picked seemed good enough to wear for her… The man didn't know why, but this woman already meant all of Arda to him.
"This is the one!" The man finally proclaimed!
… He had grabbed a blue hooded sweatshirt, and for some reason- that one, was the one.
"Ok, so it's been… about an hour…" the man said to himself. He was definitely disappointed at that moment. He was certain that all of this shopping had brought him to within an hour, or so, of his date… but no. There was still quite a while to go...
"I guess I could go for a jog through the park… but on the other hand, a lot of strange things have been happening there lately..." The man began rambling aloud. "I could check out the docks early… Well, no. I think I'll just go get some lunch, first. Won't ruin my appetite for later, but also don't want to go starved- and then pig out!" The man laughed to himself.
… The man then left the general store, and drove a few miles out to the nearest diner. There, the man sat down inside to order himself a sandwich...
As the man sat there enjoying his lunch, eventually, someone stumbled through the door of the diner. Immediately following the, "CHINK", of the bell dangling from the door, a patron sitting beside the door screamed at the top of their lungs, "AHHH!"
"Oh my Eru, he's bleeding from the neck!" someone yelled.
The man immediately sprang up from his seat at the bar, wildly searching for the source of the commotion. He finally laid eyes on another injured patron, grasping at their new wound in pain. The man wasn't sure how it happened, but all that mattered in the moment was assisting someone else in need. He ripped off his newly purchased sweatshirt and rushed to the side of another patron assisting the injured. "Here, apply pressure with this," he urged. "This will help stop the bleeding until help arrives! Trust me... I'm dating a nurse!"
…
When the rush of paramedics, and police, eventually arrived, the man was quickly pushed to the back of the crowd. After so long, a detective took the man's story of what had happened, and then the man was free to leave the diner.
"Great!" The man exclaimed, as he looked down at his wrist watch. "I only have two hours left to get ready for my date! And now I have no idea, again, what I am going to wear!... I do hope that that person made it through... Nastey looking bite on their neck… Something wild, from the park, must have done that… Giant bird, or something..."
The man got back inside of his automobile, and then he went directly back to his home. Once there, the man ran inside to try and find something presentable to wear...
"There's nothing here," the man said. "I should just call this off… I've got nothing to wear. This stupid cut on my face… She's never going to go for a guy like me…I can't do this..."
RING! RING! RING! RING!
The man could hear his telephone ringing, but he didn't want to be bothered right now. He let the call go to the answering machine. The man listened as the answering machine began to record a message from the caller,
"Hey, friend! I hope that your not-answering is just because you're getting ready! (Laughing). I was just calling to let you know that I was running a few minutes behind. I'll meet you down at the docks! I'm so excited! (Laughing). See you soon!"
CLICK!
"She's excited!" The man boasted with a newfound pride. "Oh man, I have to do this! Ok… Need an outfit…"
… And just then - as if directed by Eru, himself - the man found his favorite button up shirt, laying on the floor in the corner of his bedroom closet…
"Perfect!" The man triumphantly proclaimed!
The man then quickly washed his hands, and his face. He put on his shirt, and then the man finished getting himself ready for his date...
"A nurse," the man said. "I can't believe that a guy like me- got a date with a nurse! This is definitely going to change things for me… Hopefully. If all goes well tonight… Life changing!"
The man then left his house, and returned to his automobile... Just as the man was reversing out of his driveway, his home telephone began ringing again-
RING! RING! RING! RING! (Answering Machine begins)
"Hey, friend. Me again… I am so sorry. Work just called, and there's been a rush of critical injuries at the emergency room. They called me in for the evening- I can't make it to our date. I'm so sorry. I'll make it up to you. I promise!"
CLICK!
…
The man arrived at the docks, and he found a nice bench facing out into the Harbor. He passed a flower-vendor walking the docks, and the man even purchased a couple of roses for his date! At the bench, the man sat, and he waited patiently for his date to arrive...
After so long, and as Sol began to rest for the evening, a fog crept over the docks. Shortly after that, the man would soon see a silhouette begin approaching through the fog... The figure seemed to be holding their neck? Or at least holding their shoulder...
"Hey, you!" The man called out. "Hey, are you alright?"
"Feed…" the figure sounded as if it had struggled to speak.
"Hey, my friend will be here any minute. She's a nurse! We'll get you some help! Now, come on over here, and sit down with me."
Just then, from behind the man, another figure appeared from the shadows! This figure however, was within reach of the man. The figure grabbed the man! As the man turned to face his attacker, he was met with the face of pure evil!
"Oh my Eru! What are you!" The man yelled in terror.
… The face of his attacker had two distinct characteristics… One, eyes as black as the night's sky, and as hollow as the void of space… Two, large fangs that protruded from the attackers extended jaws!
As the man struggled to fight off his attacker - who by now had begun madly biting at the man's neck - the first figure caught up to the action. This figure also began lunging at the man's neck! The man tripped during the struggle, and he fell over onto his back. Both figures then looked down at their prey, as if they were eyeing their next meal…
… Just as the figures were set to pounce on the man-
BANG!
One of the attackers then dropped to the ground from a single headshot!
"SHINK!"
… The sound of a sword being drawn from a sheath?...
"Get outta here, man!" Yet another figure then called out. "These are Vampires! You can't stop them, yourself!" This stranger then appeared from the fog, and he used his sword to cut off the head of the man's remaining attacker!
"Oh my Eru! What is going on!? I have a date tonight! Who are you?"
"I don't care what you thought you were doing tonight! The name's, Blade. Now, get out of here! Before one of these vampires has you for dinner!" Blade then disappeared into the fog…
… Although the man could no longer see Blade, the sounds of Blade's gun, and even his sword, could even be heard long after the man had eventually returned back to his home… When the man had finally returned home, he had felt defeated…
"Today was supposed to be the best day ever... It was supposed to be life changing. But it was none of those things! Why me? Go figure… a nurse wants to go on an actual date with me… And then vampires!?... What the-"
The man was upset... However, it was then that the man saw that he had the second voice message. The man dreaded what the message might say… Fearing the worst, the man was sure it was something else to be added to all of the bad from this day… But still, he decided to play it anyway…
...
"... I'll make it up to you. I promise."...
The man sat back on his couch next to the answering machine. He leaned back, and for the first time all day, he relaxed his muscles. A grin started to grow across the man's face…
"The nurse," the man said aloud, now with a full, teeth-showing smile. "Still can't believe she'd give a guy like me a chance..."