With that, he turned around and headed back into the house like we had just finished taking out regular trash. I grabbed the metal can to carry it—but the heat shot straight through my palms. “Ah—shit!” I quickly dropped it. The metal was still burning hot from the fire. Muttering under my breath, I carried it into the garage instead and looked around until I found a filthy rag on the floor. Wrapping it around my hands, I lifted the can again and carried it out toward the front yard. At the curb, there was a regular plastic trash bin. I tipped the can over. The grey ashes poured out like sand, disappearing into the bin. Pierre. Reduced to nothing more than dust in a matter of hours. I shook the last bits out, set the metal can aside, and dusted off my hands. Then I headed back inside the house. The moment I stepped into the living room, I stopped. Everything had been cleaned. The plastic cups were gone. The bottles were gone. The stains, the mess, the

Knock. Knock.At first the sound reached me like a distant echo, dull and muffled through the heavy darkness of sleep.Then it came again.Knock. Knock.Louder this time.My eyes snapped open.“Daniel? Are you okay?”The voice came from outside the coffin.I realized my body was drenched in sweat. My chest rose and fell heavily as if I had been running for miles.For a moment I just lay there, staring into the darkness above me.Then I pushed the lid open.The hinges creaked softly as cold air rushed in.I sat up and climbed out of the coffin.Ayara was standing nearby, watching me with concern.“Were you having a bad dream?” she asked.I wiped the sweat from my forehead.“I… don’t remember,” I said honestly.Whatever I had been dreaming about had already slipped away.I walked past her and went straight to the fridge. My throat felt dry and tight.I grabbed a bottle of water, twisted the cap off, and drained it in one long gulp.The cold water slid down my throat and into my stomach.

Francis’ eyes followed my gaze toward the hallway.“What is it?” he asked calmly. “What’s going on?”I hesitated for a moment before answering.“One of the girls,” I said slowly, “she’s our neighbor.”Francis raised an eyebrow.“And?”“She’s also… a friend of ours.”For a moment Francis simply stared at me.Then he gave a small shrug.“That shouldn’t be a problem,” he said lightly. “It’s perfectly fine.”I shook my head slightly.“No… it’s not that simple.”His expression shifted just a little.“It’s risky,” I continued. “She lives with her uncle. And he’s already starting to become suspicious of us.”For the first time since we arrived, Francis’ smile faded slightly.The room felt colder.Then he tilted his head slowly.“Do you think I’m some sort of monster?”His voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge beneath it.I raised my hands slightly.“That’s not what I meant.”Francis cut me off immediately.“I was literally telling you a few seconds ago,” he said, his tone tightening, “t

“So where have you been all our lives?” I asked, sitting on one of the wooden chairs in the living room, trying to keep my voice steady even though my heart was racing.Timi sat beside her on the old, long sofa, his presence a quiet anchor. Daniel and Ayara had taken a place near the fireplace, the flickering flames casting shadows across their faces. Francis knelt at the hearth, replacing the burnt wood with fresh logs, the crackling of the fire filling the otherwise tense silence.Waje—our grandmother—sat calmly across from us. Her gaze was steady, almost unreadable, and for a moment, I wondered if she had been expecting us all along.She folded her hands in her lap and said softly, “It’s quite a story.”I swallowed and leaned forward slightly. “Well,” I said, trying to sound braver than I felt, “we’re all ears.”The room fell into a heavy silence, only the fire’s gentle crackle filling the space, as we waited for her to begin.Waje’s eyes grew distant as she began, her voice low bu

I arrived home shortly after dusk. I pushed the gate open and drove into the compound, the tires crunching softly against the gravel before I parked the car. The house stood quietly under the fading light, the familiar structure looking almost indifferent to my return. I stepped out of the car, grabbed the box from the passenger seat, and walked inside. The moment I entered, I placed the box on the table in the living room. The house was silent… except for a faint noise coming from deeper inside. A dragging sound. Chains shifting against the floor. I removed my lab coat and tossed it onto the couch without much thought. The noise came again. My prisoner was awake… trying to move around in the room where I had chained him. I ignored it for the moment and walked into the bathroom. The warm water from the shower washed away the long day at the hospital, the scent of antiseptic and blood fading from my skin. After a few minutes, I stepped out, dried myself, and went int