Consumed

He finally snapped, “I’m trying to have a conversation with my family,” he hissed. “You trying to talk over the top of me… It’s rude… Very fucking rude… Now… I’d be eternally grateful if you’d shut up. Food should be eaten and not heard!” He addressed the rest of the family, “Right now we should be eating as kings and queens. All of us. A family. A real family. Enough food to last us for months but you’ve all played your part in ruining that for each of us.”

“I won’t tell anyone… I won’t….I promise…” Charlotte pressed her luck. “Whatever I’ve done… I’m sorry.”

“It’s nice to get fresh food eaten like this,” Robert sighed, “but it’s a real pain in the arse when it doesn’t know its place and continues to yak. Shut… Up….” he bellowed.

“Maybe we should just eat,” said Andrea. “It might make us feel better.”

“For once we agree upon something,” said Robert. He leaned forward until his face was nearly touching Charlotte’s, “Now you can start screaming,” he told her.

He sat upright and put his hand over one of Charlotte’s eyes. As soon as his skin touched her’s she let out a little scream of fright. A louder scream followed when he dug his fingers into her eye-socket. By the time he removed them, he had her left eye in the palm of his hand. Charlotte’s screams got louder and louder — the pain from her eye so unbearable she probably didn’t notice the girls were pulling back her finger nails in a tried and tested method for removing them completely so they wouldn’t get stuck in their throats. Robert slid the eyeball into his mouth and held it there for a second before pressing down with his teeth to the satisfying sound of a pop. A little juice squirted down his chin much to his amusement. He had barely swallowed when he pressed his hand back against Charlotte’s face.

* * *

“What’s happening down there?” Joel asked from the darkness of the room where he was trapped with Lara and Stephen.

“It’s dinner time,” Stephen answered as though it were all perfectly normal.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Dinner time…”

“That sounds like Charlotte,” said Lara — her voice quivering with fright. “What are they doing to her? What’s happening?”

“I’m more concerned with how come they’re eating and yet I’m still locked in here,” said Stephen. He stumbled his way, through the blackness, to the locked door and started to bang on it as Charlotte screamed on downstairs. “Hello? Anyone? Come on! I’m hungry too! Why aren’t you letting me out? A joke’s a joke… Come on!”

“My friend is in trouble,” Joel pointed out, “let me out so I can help her! Please!”

“Now why would I want to do a thing like that?” asked Stephen. He carried on banging the door, “I’m supposed to be down there with them!” he reminded Joel and Lara.

“They’re eating her?” asked Lara as another loud scream echoed through the house.

“I’d say so — yes,” said Stephen. “They’d better save me some that’s all I can say.”

“You’re fucking nuts! The lot of you!” Lara cried.

“We’re nuts?”

“You eat people?”

“We’re nuts?” Stephen repeated. “You’re nuts! You haven’t even tried it! If you had — you’d realise you were the crazy ones for going so long without trying it! It’s the best fucking meat in the world. Tastes so good. One taste — you never forget. Tell you what, if they’ve left any…” another scream filled the room, “…I’ll sneak some up for you to try. Fair’s fair…”

“You’re sick!” Joel shouted.