Alex’s offer had been tattooed in Tammy’s mind since he left. He seemed to want to help her, but he clearly wanted to help his cousin, too.

All Tammy had to bear was a week, that’s all she had to last before she could escape.

That’s if he was telling the truth. For all she knew, Alex was as crazy as his cousin.

“What did I tell you?” Aidan growled from behind her. “I said five minutes. You had five minutes!”

Tammy glanced down at her plate as a thought occurred to her; what if Alex was telling the truth?

It was worth a shot, at least. Hopefully then she’d be back home by next week.

“I’m sorry, Aidan,” Tammy apologized, making her eyes go wide. “I know you must have put a lot of effort into this.”

She paused, checking his reaction.

“I’m just not hungry,” she finished, daring herself to stand up.

She placed a hand on his chest bravely, and he flinched, not expecting it. “Thank you, though.”

She smiled sweetly before handing him the plate; another bold move which rendered him speechless.

As he began to clean up, she realized this was going to be easier than she thought.

Tammy followed him around the kitchen eagerly, her body overflowing with excitement.

Aidan didn’t complain, although he almost accidentally caught her a few times when she got too close.

“Where are you going?” she asked as he slipped his jacket on.

He raised an eyebrow, the confusion clear on his face. “To go check on Joyce.”

“Can I come?”

Aidan glared at her. “Why are you being so needy? What are you playing?”

Tammy shook her head and put on her best puppy eyes. “Nothing, I just want to see if she’s OK.”

“Well she isn’t,” Aidan spat, venom coming out of his voice. “Her health is deteriorating. I called her family but they want nothing to do with her.”

Tammy tilted her head. As much as she was having fun playing Aidan, she still felt bad for Joyce. “That’s awful.”

“I’m sorry,” he said after a brief moment of silence, his agitation settling down. “It’s not your fault.”

~

The pair reached the bungalow in less than a minute, and Aidan burst through the door without so much as a knock.

“Joyce,” he called afterward, making himself known. “I got your milk.”

Tammy followed him inside, taking anxious steps behind him.

The place was dark, and eerily still.

Tammy’s gut twisted as she entered the property, her nostrils immediately met with the stench of dampness.

Aidan called out again, this time louder. “Joyce, you in here?”

No reply.

“Fuck,” Aidan cursed, slamming his hand down into the wall beside him. “I knew I should have fenced the place off.”

Tammy watched as the concern on his face grew. She wished she could do something, but there was nothing for her to do.

Joyce was Aidan’s responsibility. Whilst it was like the blind leading the blind, the old woman lived here, Tammy didn’t.

“We need to look for her,” Aidan ordered Tammy. “Search every room. I’ll start outside.”

A good opportunity to run, perhaps. But could Tammy do that right now to Aidan? To Joyce?

Before she could answer, a scream sounded from nearby.

The scream of an old woman.

Joyce stood still in the middle of her hallway, desperately shrieking with a terror in her voice that Tammy had only heard in horror movies.

Aidan rushed to her side, getting ready to aid her.

“The pirates,” she cried, sobbing so hard her glasses were fogged. “They came back.”

With that, she pointed to the floor. Aidan stepped back immediately, his face turning a ghostly-white color.

Tears then appeared on his face, actual, real droplets of water.

“What have you done?” he asked, his voice shaken and unsteady as he peered down at the body which lay beside her feet.

Alex.