[...]... They— they took us to this— this garage or something and…” She went quiet, falling onto the couch and crumpling inwards “They… they ate him, right there in front of us Th -the monsters ate him, ate him whole, a-and then, the men made us swear— they made us swear never to tell the truth A-and then they arranged the whole thing, the wreck and the funeral and everything It was a lie They ate him.” 18 Casey. .. both catch death, ” her mother hissed, and Casey obeyed, stamping her sock-feet to remove the snow before escaping into the dwelling’s warmth The house of her youth remained unchanged since her last visit, still littered in unpaid bills and picture frames from the dollar store The chair customarily filled by the hung-over mass of her father pleaded vacant, leaving Casey to assume the man was off gambling... saw the car, I was at the funeral—” “It was all fake!” With that, her mother tore away and began pacing Casey stared, lips parted and jaw slack “Wha— Mom, stop it This… this isn’t okay.” Her mother didn’t seem to hear “You weren’t there You didn’t see— these men came to the house, and they had these things with them, these— these demons with monkey feet and horns and antlers and wolf faces, and they... call the police if you don’t get out, you hear me?” “N-no! You ca-n’t!” Then the crack filled with half a face, eye wide and mouth peeled back to reveal— oh, God, were his teeth filed to points? “P-please, don’t call the- the police— the- they they’ll kill you—” The police aren’t going to kill me, but I can’t speak for you, so—” “N-no, n-not the poli-police! I mean them Th -the monsters, C -Casey. ” Casey s... stood in the pharmaceutical department, a can of ravioli in her hand and her eyes on the sleep aids Perhaps tonight, with the help of a pill or two, she was going to remedy her sleep troubles and keep the fitful dreams away Maybe— Whap! Casey jumped, yanked from her thoughts by the sound of a box of bandages hitting the floor She cast an absentminded glance down at the box, returned her eyes to the sleeping... eyes, hair twisted into a lost cause of tangles— before setting one bottle on the counter and holding the other for examination Having skimmed the label and made sure of the dosage, she tossed back two pills with a handful of water It was then, on her way back to the kitchen to unpack the groceries, that she thought of someone to invite for her birthday: Abbey Graves Of course! Abbey, from human resources... gambling away the grocery money It reeked of off-brand air-freshener “Happy Birthday,” her mother offered in flat tones, avoiding eye-contact “I assume they've come for you.” “You knew about this?” Casey dropped into the couch and began to strip off her frigid socks “Mom, I swear, if this is some kind of joke, it isn’t funny—” “No, there’s nothing funny about this at all.” Her mother sat in her father's chair,... out of shame She currently sent them extra money each month to help out, but she felt crumby every time she did, like a disinterested father sending off child support With a frown, she scribbled Family off of the list Blessedly, the sleep aid chose that moment to kick in Putting the thoughts of a lonely birthday behind her, Casey relinquished to the vague dizziness of the drug and forced herself to... outside!” Casey shouted through the wood, taking the knife up in her hand She heard him place the phone on the wood then step softly back into the living room Turning over onto her knees, she ventured to open the door a crack, knife poised to strike He wasn’t outside Eyes skimming what she could see of the kitchen and living room, she didn’t find him The phone rang again and she snatched it up— if the man... staring at him The look on his half-a-face was painful; he was the most unfortunate creature she’d ever seen Finally, a few words made it to her tongue: “Um, hello.” “He-hello, C -Casey, ” he breathed Casey s mother took the next moment to say, “I’m— I’m going to go make some coffee,” leaving the girl and her alleged fiancé at an impasse, each too intimidated by the other to move any closer to the door “Alright, . frames from the dollar store. The chair customarily filled by the hung-over mass of her father pleaded vacant, leaving Casey to assume the man was off gambling. seem to hear. “You weren’t there. You didn’t see— these men came to the house, and they had these things with them, these— these demons with monkey feet