I never thought this is how I would die. I know. What a way to start a story, right? But it’s true; I never would have guessed my life would end this way. I thought maybe I would die of old age, or perhaps I would die in a car accident or, heck, maybe I would even die of food poisoning or something.

But no. Here I am in my “loving” boyfriend’s childhood home, about to be carved up and served to some weird little kid with wild, sparkly eyes. I’m already dead, but I can still see and hear everything for some reason.

I guess it would be a good idea to back up a tiny bit and explain how this actually came about. Well, David and I had been dating for about a year, yet I had never learned anything about his family. So obviously I had never met them; heck, I had never even seen a picture of them! I guess this should have been a red flag, but living me was so naïve.

Anyway, for our one-year anniversary, David decided to take me to his family home in some rural town a few states over. I was over the moon. I rapid-fired questions at him about his family, about his home, and about his childhood, but he deflected them. God, I was so dumb. Why didn’t I see how wrong this was?

When the day came for us to finally make the trip to see his family, I could hardly control my excitement. I had barely slept that whole night, and I was looking forward to the drive. The first half I remember vividly; we passed through a couple of states that I had never been to, and I soaked in every detail. The second half was a blur. At the time, I assumed it was sheer exhaustion from how excited I had been, but now that I’m dead, I am remembering some strange-tasting coffee that David kept giving me. I figured it was just weird brews from random gas stations, but I wonder…

Whatever. It doesn’t matter now. All I know is that I couldn’t tell you how to actually get to his family home, even if I was alive. I fell asleep and didn’t wake up until we pulled up to the house. It was kind of weird because his family was just standing on the porch, waiting for us to come up. They had looked normal enough, but I remember having a sudden twist in my gut when I made eye contact with David’s mom.

God, something about that woman was unsettling, but I had just thought it was nerves. That I was scared to meet his family for the first time. Now that I’m dead, though, I can see that her eyes were cold, steely blue. There was no kindness there, even if her smile was bright and inviting.

I remember David excitedly introducing me to everyone: his dad, his mom, and his little brother, Victor. He was a little strange, and he kept staring at me, a tiny bit of drool sliding out of his lips, which he kept wiping away on the back of his arm. Weird. We were ushered inside and shown to our separate rooms; there would be no co-sleeping under their roof, no ma’am.

The house was FABULOUS. It was a big, three story house, fancier than anything my family had ever owned. Every piece of furniture, every appliance, looked brand new. It made me wonder what David’s parents did for a living. I would have to remember to ask. And whatever was cooking in the kitchen smelled phenomenal. David made sure to say as much when he smelled it. His mother had said something like, “Yes, I made your favorite. I know it’s been hard for you to eat such dissatisfying meals since you moved away.”

I remember wondering at the time if she was making a jab at my cooking. But now I know what she meant. Now that I’m dead, I can see several truths that living me would never have even dreamed.

I was left to unpack my things in my assigned room. Apparently it was the designated guest room. The room was great, by the way. It had a great view of the yard outside, and in the distance I could see what looked like a giant work-shed. Maybe I could walk around the property later and explore a bit, I remember thinking. My room shared a wall with David’s room, which made me feel a bit more comfortable. Against that wall was a gorgeous mirror. I threw a sheet over this because I don’t like mirrors that face the bed. They just creeped me out.

I placed my clothes in an old wardrobe that stood right next to the mirror, in the center of the wall. The inside of the wardrobe, I remember, was lined with a beautiful velvet that was mostly smooth and perfect. I could see, though, that there was a small piece in the far right corner in the back that stuck up just a tiny bit. I went to try to stick it back down and had felt a weird lump under it. I felt around until my fingers grazed what felt like a tiny, folded note.

When I grabbed it and pulled it out, it was a note. I glanced at the open door, and when I made sure no one was coming down the hall, I unfolded the note and read, my blood running cold as I read its entirety:

Get out of here. These people are evil. David is a liar. He has been kidnapping and killing people, and he is coming for me soon. I know there will be others, I just hope you find this note before they get you. They are CANNIBALS!

This had to be a joke right? Living me sure thought it was. I remember my heart had been pounding so loudly in my ears that I hadn’t heard David walk up behind me. I didn’t see as he read the note over my shoulder, didn’t hear as he grabbed a statuette from one of the end tables and bash my head in.

And now I’m dead.

As I lingered, I guess it’s my soul, or maybe even my ghost? Who knows. Anyway, as I lingered I heard David’s mother say, “She is the quickest to go, I think. The last one made it at least a couple of days because she wasn’t so nosey.”

“Yeah, she was a smart one,” said David as they carved me up. “If she hadn’t found that note, she would have figured it out sooner or later. Victor isn’t exactly subtle when he’s hungry. Did you see him drooling when he looked at her? She had to have noticed it.

“It’s a shame,” said his mother. “She didn’t even get to have dinner with us. I was hoping maybe you could find one to settle down with, that you would convince her that this life is better. No matter, we’ll keep a bit for ourselves, and your father will sell the rest. We’ve got to keep up appearances, you know.”

Now that I’m dead, I’m just angry. I didn’t leave as I watched them gorge on my body. I didn’t leave as I watched the father haul off the rest of me to sell to God-knows-who. No, I don’t plan to leave ever. I am going to make their life hell. Somehow.