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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/likeeyedid on 2024-10-26 17:12:27+00:00.

Autumn arrived fully and in its entire grey glory on a simple Friday and I hated it. I had to stay late for a party at the office to spend time with people I didn’t like and hardly knew yet. And, as I finally found the moment to say my goodbyes and left the building, I was smacked in the face by rain carried over on a harsh howling wind. 

Cursing myself for forgetting an umbrella, I jumped out and looked for the next subway station. I was still quite new to this town and had to find my way around. My glasses were just as wet as my phone, which didn’t help much to find the right direction. 

The surrounding lights of the shops and bars shone in the puddles on the ground. I tried my best to avoid them but failed twice and my sneakers were soaked and muddy.  My grumbling stomach didn’t help with the very bad mood I already had. I had filled up on more liquid than food at the party, hoping it would push me to socialize a little. It didn’t.

As I was just about to lose my nerves and call a cab, I saw it. The place that would become my sanctuary and my hell. 

Franky’s 

The building itself was nothing special or at least nothing memorable. Yellow bricks or possibly grey concrete with windows on the higher floors. The ground floor however only had this big door with a wooden sign on top. Franky’s: Restaurant & Bar was written in golden cursive letters that were lit up with a single light bulb on top of it. 

I can’t tell you what led me to open the door, let alone walk inside but before I knew what I was doing I found myself in a small entrance hall. 

A hostess stood behind a wooden desk and when her gaze dropped to my soaked clothes she gave me a warm smile. She was dressed in an elegant black sweater and a skirt. 

“Table for one?” She asked. 

“Oh, no, sorry,” I started mumbling. “I came in by accident.”

She slowly shook her head.

“You walked into a restaurant by accident?”

And just as I looked for words to fill the silence my stomach took initiative and let out a loud grumble. 

“I suppose your tummy doesn’t think it was an accident,” she giggled. “But you’re in luck. We still have an empty table. It’s just down the stairs.” She gestured to her right where a small hallway led to a spiralling staircase. 

I was just about to turn around and get away, politeness be damned because I did not see myself sitting in a restaurant completely soaked, especially as I didn’t even know how expensive this place might be. But then the scent of roasted garlic and baked bread filled my nose and before I could stop myself I was moving towards the stairs.

“Enjoy!” The woman called after me. 

I’d never been to a restaurant in a basement before and this place almost felt like a cave with its uneven stone walls. It should have felt suffocating but instead, it was cozy and inviting. It was dim, most of the light came from individual candles on the tables and soft piano music was being played by a man in the center of the room. The walls were adorned with dozens of paintings. 

A waiter dressed in a white shirt led me to my table. But as I sat down the eyes of every person around turned to me. Everyone stopped talking, the soft tune of the piano the only sound. I caught the eyes of a woman at the table to my left and she simply stared at me, not blinking once. Her mouth opened and for a moment I thought she would say something to me but instead her mouth only opened wider to reveal a set of rotten teeth. 

I blinked and she tilted her head, giving me a smile with full red lips and no sign of rot.

That’s when the waiter placed a basket of bread in front of me and the gazes of the people shifted again as the muffled conversations continued. It was nothing, just a trick of the light mixed with my muddled mind.

“Thank you,” I said to the man who filled my glass and he nodded as he handed me a card.

“I will be back in a moment to take your order,” he said before heading to a different table. 

Surprisingly, the meals were very affordable and everything sounded incredibly delicious. I ordered the honey-roasted salmon with rosemary potatoes and a house salad. After placing my order I simply sat there, mesmerized by the light of the warm candle in front of me. 

Strangely, for the first time since I’d moved here, I felt at home. Like I belonged. I forgot about the cold waiting for me outside, forgot about my wet clothes, and the terrible conversations I had with my colleagues. 

I was pulled away from my thoughts as the waiter placed my meal in front of me. The mouth-watering scents filled my nose and I started digging in. Every bite tasted better than the one before and I used the bread to soak up the last bits of sauce and oil on my plate. 

The waiter appeared again and I ordered a chocolate lava cake for dessert. 

I’m not sure how much time had passed at that point and I realized that I didn’t care. I would have stayed there forever if I could, falling asleep with the sound of the piano. 

My cake was brought out with a shot of espresso I hadn’t ordered. I finished my dessert and drank the coffee in one gulp. And that’s when my heart started racing. The walls felt as if they were about to cave in, no matter how hard I tried my lungs wouldn’t fill with enough air. 

A look at my watch made me realize that five hours had passed. There was no way I had been eating for five fucking hours. I looked at the burning candle that hadn’t shrunk one bit. I even touched it to make sure that it was real and burned my finger in the process. 

I quickly placed some notes on the table and practically ran up the stairs without looking at another person. 

–

The following morning I still had no idea what had happened to me but it took me hours until I was even remotely ready to get out of bed. The days after weren’t much better. I felt constantly tired, agitated, and exhausted.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. 

I couldn’t eat anymore. I’d try a piece of bread and would instantly taste mold on it and spit it out. Even my favorite meals tasted like ash in my mouth. Eventually, I had to resort to blending my food and physically force myself to swallow it. But even then I would throw it back up most of the time. 

A week later I was just on my way back from the gym near my home, hoping to get some energy back, when I suddenly noticed the same sign at the front of a building, in a completely different part of town.

Franky’s

Curiosity got the best of me and I opened the door, just to be greeted by the exact same hostess of the other night. 

“Table for one?” She asked with a smirk and before I knew what I was doing, I nodded and made my way down the stairs. 

–

I’d just started with my dinner when another guest came up to my table. 

“You’re a regular now, aren’t you?” 

He couldn’t have been much older than me, late twenties or maybe early thirties but his curly blonde hair and the freckles on his face gave him a slightly boyish look. 

“Excuse me?” I laughed nervously.

He didn’t even ask permission before sitting down in the seat in front of me which usually stayed empty.

“A regular visitor of the restaurant. Though everyone here is,” he winked. “What’s your name?”

“Leonard Erikson.”

“Leonard Erikson.” He repeated my name as if he was tasting every single syllable. “It is truly a pleasure to meet you.”

I smiled and when he stayed silent for a while I asked, “Are you gonna tell me your name too?”

He grinned.

“Not today, Leo. Can I call you Leo?”

I rolled my eyes and laughed.

“Are you serious?” 

“Wellm how about you call me Jack. It’s not my name but I’ll answer to it,” he shrugged. “You know you seem really at ease for someone who is being lured into this place. A lot of people lose their calm much sooner.”

A hard lump formed in my throat and it felt as if someone had poured ice water over my head. It was weird that I came back here, especially as I was in a completely different part of town. But I just felt so incredibly hungry. 

“Shht, it’s okay. You haven’t even finished your meal yet. It is easier if you simply ignore the wrongness, at least that’s what I learned. I didn’t mean to pull you out.”

“Out of what?” I whispered.

“The experience,” he said with a sympathetic smile on his face. “You’ll spend a lot of time here, Leo. So just so you know you can interact with the people here. It might even help you to do so. Just be careful what you reveal about yourself.” 

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that some of the other guests here are very hungry. They are keeping away from you as you are still fresh but that will change soon. Some hardly ever leave this place and long for a touch of the outside. Don’t feed them too much.”

“This is a restaurant. I’m sure they won’t go hungry here.”

“Not every type of hunger can be stilled with food, Leo.”

Before I could reply, he got off his seat but I grabbed his arm on instinct. I still had so many questions and I wanted to hear him speak for longer. I wanted to know more about him but before I could do so, Jack’s expression shifted into the one of a madman. He yanked his arm free, shoving his fists down on the table in front of me. He came close enough for me to feel the heat of his breath on my skin. In the dim light, his eyes appeared almost yellow as they were drilling into mine. 

“Don’t ever touch me again,” he hissed and turned away from me. This time I didn’t try to stop him.

I ate the rest of my meal in silence and didn’t look for Jack, nor did I interact with a…

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