(Begin)

The more he thought about it, the more Howard wondered just how true Michelle's warning was. If she was right, he'd be dead the moment he got outside. And yet if he stayed, there was no guarantee he would last two years. Michelle was clearly unhinged, and it was only a matter of time before she would snap. Emmet was scared of her, but he didn't have the balls to attempt an escape. Howard would have to do this on his own.

Michelle had just finished her food and was getting ready to clear the plates. If he didn't act now, she would notice her keys were missing. After narrowly escaping her wrath once, he wasn't confident he'd be spared a second time.

"Michelle, could you put on a song? Your choice."

As she turned in her seat, Howard grabbed an empty bottle and struck her across the face before bolting for the stairs. Emmet tried to help him by tackling Michelle, but she recovered quickly and overturned the table on his arm, leaving him pinned to the ground. She then pursued Howard, pushing her way past the bookcase he'd knocked over to block her path.

Racing up the stairs, Howard spotted a large metal door. As he started trying out each key on the lock, he could hear Michelle's voice booming.

"Howard, stop! You don't know what you're doing! Don't open the door!"

Just as she came within two feet of grabbing him, he managed to find the right key and slipped through, slamming the door behind him. Michelle could only scream at him through the pothole as he tried to open the exterior door.

Suddenly, he saw two bright lights. A car! "Hey! I need help!"

The woman driving must have heard him, because she came running at the door. As she got close, Howard noticed that the skin on her face was covered in third-degree burns.

"Please open the door! Please!"

"Howard, don't open the door!"

"She needs help!"

"YOU. CAN'T. HELP. HER!"

"Let me in, you bastard! LET ME IN!"

Seeing him hesitate, she started pounding the door with her head, trying to break it down, before suddenly collapsing.

What the fuck was that? Howard thought. His eyes drifted to the dead woman's right, where an old pigpen still stood. Only then did he notice the two rotting pig corpses, covered in the same burns.

Michelle was right…Something happened out there. No one…No one can help me.

(Stop)