Are You Enjoying Yourself?

The coastal monorail shuttle quietly glides down its track towards the coastal town of Cerene as the sun shines brightly at its midday peak on the horizon. Inside the carriages, passengers sit at their padded booths and gaze out the windows to either the shimmering ocean on one side of the shuttle, or the wild marshlands on the other side.

At one of these booths are two men, sitting across from each other, dressed in clothes that would probably be described as “smart casual” by the average onlooker, engaged in a very important conversation. One of them, Daniel Byront, is noticeably older than the other, Henry Smith, by several years.

“So, Henry,” Daniel says, “as the one organising this weekend getaway for the team, I usually go up first and inspect the place a few hours before everyone gets there, to make sure everything is in order. Do you know why I decided to bring you along?”

“No sir,” Henry says.

“Please, drop the sir,” Daniel scoffs. “This is supposed to be a holiday! Loosen up!”

“You said you wanted to have a business conversation though?” Henry asks.

“Yes, well,” Daniel nods, “there was something important I wanted to discuss first. You’ve been working with us for... what, a month now?”

“Five weeks,” Henry answers. He shifts around in his chair anxiously.

“Five weeks,” Daniel nods. “You know, when I decided to bring you on as an unpaid intern for the company, I had my detractors. But I stuck to my guns, because that’s what I do. And since then, I’ve received feedback from various people saying that when dealing with customers and clients, you lie, cheat, abuse loopholes, even undermine other employees – whatever you do to get that deal made. Is that true?”

“Uh, well…” Henry pauses. “Kinda. I mean, yes.”

“Excellent!” Daniel remarks. “See, that kind of spirit is exactly what I was looking for when I hired you. In fact, you’ve exceeded my expectations. You remind me of myself when I first started that job, and I see a lot of potential in you. You seem to have the natural makings of a truly great insurance salesman in you – with the right people supporting you of course.”

“Really?” Henry eyes widen.

“As head of the team, I want to make you my protege,” Daniel continues. “I’ve taken a real liking to you, and I’m ready to hire you properly. After this holiday trip is done, we’ll get you set up with everything you need.”

“Thank you!” Henry exclaims, almost jumping up from his seat. “Thank you very much!”

“The pleasure really is all mine,” Daniel replies, reaching out and shaking Henry’s hand.

The two men lean back in their chairs, smiling. Henry’s attention is drawn back to the window, watching the passing landscapes. The journey continues in silence for a few minutes.

“So what are you gonna get?” Daniel asks suddenly.

“Huh?” Henry looks up, confused.

“When I got my first payslip,” Daniel explains, “I went out and got myself a nice gift. You know what it was?”

“No idea.”

“A watch!”

“A watch?”

“A nice, expensive watch. Still have it here on my wrist.”

“How much was it?”

“Oh, I don’t remember the specific price. If I had to guess, I wanna say it was five grand, maybe?”

“Wow, five grand… I mean, it is a very nice watch.”

“It’s a real looker, that’s for sure. So what would you get?”

“Uh, maybe some good drugs. For a good time. Like ketamine.”

“Ketamine?”

“Yeah, you know, like… its, uh, used as a horse tranquilliser.”

“Horse tranquilliser, like that stuff they were using as a cure during the pandemic?”

“No, that was, uh…” Henry pauses. “Wait, you don’t know what ketamine is?”

“Call me a traditionalist if you must,” Daniel shrugs, “but I stick to the classy options. Like cocaine.”

“Well, to each their own then,” Henry remarks, raising his glass to a celebratory cheers.

“To each their own!” Daniel echos, raising his own glass and matching the cheers. The two men grin happily and chug down their drinks.

The rental car pulls out of the parking lot adjacent to the train station. Henry sits in the passenger seat, while Daniel sits in the drivers seat and starts flicking through the radio channels.

“Hey,” Henry says, glancing out the window. “I think this isn’t too far away from where I grew up.”

“Really?” Daniel asks, turning onto the highway. “What are the odds of that?”

“The town name is the same,” Henry says. “But everything looks different. We moved away from here when I was about six or seven. My memory of everything back then is pretty fuzzy.”

“Well, there’s been a lot of commercial development here,” Daniel remarks. “A lot of it financed by our company, actually. Which is why we’re getting a sweet discount rate on the holiday house. It’s owned by a reclusive business associate of mine, actually.”

“Will I get to meet them while I’m here?”

“Probably not, they’re… they don’t love the spotlight, let’s say. I haven’t even met them in person before. But I think you two would really get along! I’ve casually mentioned your performance to them a few times and they seem very intersted in you. Don’t you go letting them snatch you up for their company anytime soon!”

“Yeah, sure,” Henry mumbles, turning his attention back to the passing landscape, looking for any memorable landmarks from his childhood.

The drive continues on for about fifteen minutes. The surrounding infrastructure becomes more sparse, swallowed up by rows of thick trees until it slowly blossoms into a lush forest. The winding road continues as Henry gazes out the window, entranced by the blurry green rushing past. A sense of child-like awe stirs deep in his brain.

“Okay, here we are!” Daniel eventually remarks, turning into a gravel driveway tucked away in the shadows of the treeline, seemingly positioned so that it would be just out of sight for the casual driver until they passed it. Henry looks up and sees the shape of the holiday house between the trees, two storeys tall with an unassuming layer of pastel cream paint. The house is at the top of an incline that leads down to a beach cove.

The soft rattle of the car engine dies down as Daniel and Henry take off their seatbelts. Henry exits the car first as Daniel takes a moment to grab his keys from the ignition. Walking round to the back of the car, Henry tugs the trunk open and hauls out his travel suitcase. Rays of bright sunlight bounce off the garish red plastic, causing Henry to blink a few times and avert his eyes.

“Hey, do me a favour,” Daniel says, slamming the car door shut. “Can you grab my case as well?”

“Oh, sure,” Henry nods. He reaches back into the trunk and pulls out Daniel’s suitcase. It’s much nicer than his, with exterior casing made from a deep blue leather-based alloy instead of cheap plastic. Henry quietly sighs and walks towards the house as the wheels of his suitcase drag through the driveway gravel behind him.

Daniel retrieves a spare key from under the plant pot next to the front door. The two men walk inside, finding themselves in a hallway next to a flight of stairs.

“The guest rooms are upstairs,” Daniel explains. “Just leave your bag here, we’ll work out those arrangements once everyone else arrives.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Henry remarks, placing the suitcases down next to the bottom of the staircase.

Wandering further down the hallway, the house suddenly opens up into a spacious living area, with tall window panels on all sides of the room that provide a complete view of the surrounding forest. To the right is a set of luxurious leather sofas opposite an extra-wide curved television screen. To the left is a kitchen area, with polished marble countertops and a pantry stocked full of fresh ingredients. And in the middle is a large dining table, set with a long plaid tablecloth and several unlit candles.

“Well!” Daniel exclaims, clapping his hands together. “What do you think?”

“It’s very nice,” Henry says, walking around the table. “Maybe a bit fancier than what I’m used to.”

“Yep, it’s a real hidden gem,” Daniel nods. “Oh, and check this out!”

Daniel leads Henry to the back of the room, where the window panels slide away to a verandah that circles the house. As soon as he walks outside, Henry notices the soft ambience of crashing waves and the smell of salty water. Hen looks over the edge of the verandah and sees a dirt path that winds through about thirty metres of forest before reaching the sandy beach. The path seems to originate from a lower level of the house, just underneath the verandah.

“Is there a basement here?” Henry asks.

“Well, its functionally more of a wine cellar,” Daniel says, “but yes, it forms out towards the back of the house, keeps it propped up on the slope.”

“Huh, okay,” Henry nods. “How long have we got before everyone else arrives?”

“Oh, like half an hour maybe? Probably closer to twenty minutes by now, actually.”

“I think I might go on a walk while I wait. To kill time, I mean. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, that should be fine. Just try not to get lost.”

Henry walks through one of the secluded trails in the forest. The trails, which seemed to make up a winding network through the trees, had not been visible from the balcony. Hidden under the shadows of plants, but much more visible up close. Filtered sunlight shines down through gaps in the canopy. He breathes in the fresh air. It’s so much nicer than the city. A subtle hint of sea salt lingers in the back of his throat, a constant reminder of the nearby beach. The forest feels comforting, like a warm hug from a parent. It feels like home. He closes his eyes and stands still, letting the world around him wash over his senses.

And in that brief moment of complete surrender, Henry he feels a strange shiver run throughout his nervous system, starting at the base of his spine and rushing to the back of his neck. His eyes shoot open, and he whirls around, breathing heavily.

“Hello?” he shouts out into the forest, trying to sound brave. “Who’s there?”

A deathly cold silence falls over the forest. Everything feels still, like a photograph. Then something shifts between the trees. He can’t make it out at first – as if it doesn't even have a form – then he makes out the vague edges of a tall ghostly shape slowly drifting into focus. The wind around him pulses with an ethereal static charge.

“What the fuck…?” Henry whispers. He feels like he’s on the edge of a panic attack, like a rabid animal inside his chest is clawing to get out. His knees have gone weak, and he braces himself to prevent collapse. The only way his brain can process what he’s seeing is just that something is very wrong, but he can’t articulate it.

As more and more of the shape comes into view, its appearance becomes more humanoid. But its very obviously not a human. At least eight feet tall, with lanky limbs far too long, slowly moving towards Henry with the delicate grace of a fragile insect. A strange smell pierces the air around him, like a mixture of sugar and diesel.

A sudden rush of adrenaline courses through Henry’s nervous system. He blinks and straightens his back.

“Who are you?” Henry asks. His voice sounds braver than it did before, but not by much.

“Oh dear,” it speaks. Its voice is like the hum of a thousand insects, with a soft feminine tone. “You really don’t remember me?”

As soon as he hears the voice, something in Henry’s mind snaps. Something buried deep, forgotten years ago.

“No,” he whispers, “you’re not real.”

“You do remember me!” it replies. Its face breaks into something that almost looks like a smile. “I was worried you’d completely forgotten your old ‘imaginary friend’ from your childhood!”

It’s right up close in front of him now, towering over him. Henry feels very small all of a sudden. It leans down and peers at Henry’s face.

“Do you remember my name?” it asks.

Henry just shakes his head.

“I must say I’m not that surprised,” it smiles. “My name is Kutyafaták – well, that’s the version that most humans could pronounce, at least.”

“Do you want my name then?” Henry asks.

“I have no need for it,” Kutyafaták responds. Something mischievous sparkles in their eye.

A distant cry suddenly pierces through the air. It takes Henry a moment to register, but he soon realises that Daniel is calling out from the balcony.

“Is that one of your new friends?” Kutyafaták asks.

“Well, ‘friends’ might be a bit generous,” Henry responds. His eyes look towards the ground. He feels embarassed, like a scolded child.

“I would like to meet them,” Kutyafaták says. “Perhaps you could do me a favour and bring them to me when you get the chance?”

“W-what, all at once?” Henry looks up, startled.

“However you deem most appropriate,” Kutyafaták replies.

“Uh, sure, yeah,” Henry says. “I can do that, I guess.”

“Good,” Kutyafaták smiles. Its form begins to shifts and disappear. “Now go.”

Within a few seconds, Henry is standing alone in the forest once again.

“Fuck,” he mumbles. “Now what?”

By the time Henry gets back to the house, everyone has already made themselves comfortable on the sofas, sipping on cocktails and socialising. Aside from Daniel, there are three other guests: David Raksha, Christopher Laporte, and Thomas Lehrl. Henry isn’t sure exactly what any of these people did in his office, only that he had occasionally seem that looking very busy at various points during the brief period he had been employed there. He feels a little uncomfortable seeing them engaged in a more lively casual conversation, even if most of the conversation topics still revolved around issues of business.

“So I was at this seminar last week, at the conference in India,” David says, pouring more liquour into his cup from an expensive-looking bottle made of rainbow glass. “And there was this fantastic speaker, I don’t remember his name but it was the guy who directed that viral Make An App & Change The World campaign from several years back. I ended up subscribing to his newsletter afterwards. Anyway, he was talking about business ethics, and how exclusivity is the new exclusivity, right?”

“What the fuck does that even mean?” Thomas chuckles.

“Well, its a top-down approach to the democratisation of mass markets,” David continues, “saying that companies are in a position where they can really focus on choosing their own customers, rather than the other way around. Its a fascinating new paradigm. Inclusivity is a nice word, it fits in nicely amongst these trendy ideas like diversity and equity, but what makes people really excited is scarcity. They want things they can’t have.”

Henry usually doesn’t drink alcohol, but decides to join in for the special occasion. Hours pass by in a blur. At some point, the drinking stops for a dinner of cheap frozen pizza and garlic bread, recooked in the oven. And then back to drinking, more banal conversation, and eventually Henry realises that everyone except Thomas has disappeared and presumably gone to bed.

“Oh shit,” Thomas slurs, extremely intoxicated. “Guess it’s just us, huh?”

“I guess so,” Henry smiles nervously. He’s also intoxicated, but much less than Thomas. He takes out his phone to check the time. Its 10:24PM.

“So whats, like, your deal anyway?” Thomas asks. “You’re the new kid on the team, yeah?”

“Pretty much,” Henry nods. “As of today, officially.”

“Ah, nice! Congrats!” Thomas grins. “Daniel has said great things about your work ethic.”

“That, uh…” Henry pauses. “I hope I can live up to those expectations.”

Thomas doesn’t respond. Instead, he chugs down the rest of his drink. Henry silently watches. Something feels like it’s ticking in his head.

“Fuck, I think we’re nearly out of alcohol,” Thomas swears once he puts down his cup. “We’ll have to go out into town tomorrow and get some more.”

“Hey, you wanna see something cool?” Henry suddenly remarks.

“Huh?” Thomas blinks a few times. “Like what?”

“Oh, uh. Well, it’s a surprise,” Henry says. “I saw something really cool out in the woods earlier.”

“Shit, you wanna go out there at this time of night?”

“What, are you scared of the dark or something?”

“No, of course not!”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Nothing, its just…” Thomas stops and thinks for a few seconds. “Ah, fuck it, alright. It had better be as cool as you say it is.”

Several minutes later, Henry is leading Thomas through the dark woods, using the flashlight feature on his phone to illuminate the path in front of him. The distant sound of waves crashing on the nearby beach provides a constant source of white noise that helps Henry stay calm.

“Do you even know where you’re going?” Thomas asks.

“Yeah, of course,” Henry lies. He doesn’t remember the path he took earlier. In fact, he isn’t even sure if what happened earlier was real. Maybe it was all in his imagination? Maybe he had a random psychotic episode?

“Come on dude, lets just do this tomorrow,” Thomas whines. “It’s freezing out here!”

“We’re nearly there,” Henry says. At this point, he’s determined to prove to himself that he’s not crazy. “Quit complaining.”

“Fuck this shit,” Thomas sighs. “I’m going back.”

Henry turns around to face Thomas and argue, but as he does so, he feels the forest go still. A familiar shiver runs down his spine.

“Hello there,” a familiar voice calls out.

“Huh?” Thomas glances around. “Who’s there?”

The dark forest path is slowly illuminated as Kutyafaták’s form fades into existence in front of the two men. Henry breathes a sigh of relief. Thomas remains frozen.

“What the fuck?” he spits. “Henry, what… we need to go. Now.”

“No,” Henry says firmly. Thomas stutters, but reluctantly stands his ground.

“You’ve done well, Henry,” Kutyafaták smiles, slowly stepping towards the two men. “I see you’ve brought me one of your new friends.”

“Hey, who the fuck are you?” Thomas exclaims, trying to suppress his fear.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Kutyafaták says, turning towards Thomas. “May I have your name, human?”

“It’s Thomas.”

“Thomas? Not a bad name. I’ve had worse.”

“Alright, now tell me yours.”

“My name is not one you could pronounce. Besides, it won’t matter.”

“W-what do you mean, it won't matter?”

Kutyafaták’s form silently shifts, growing sharp claws and fangs. In one swift motion, they slash at Thomas’ stomach. He opens his mouth to scream, but no sound comes out. His body falls to the floor, blood soaking into the dirt beneath him. Henry’s eyes widen in shock as Kutyafaták hunches down on all four and begins to eat from Thomas’ stomach.

“What the fuck did you just do?!” Henry blurts out.

Kutyafaták slowly looks up. “Come and eat with me, child.”

“W-what?!”

“I will not ask again.”

Henry blinks a few times and takes a deep breath. Is he really going to do this? He can already feel his legs moving of their own will. Thomas’ body is still moving and breathing. As Henry walks over, he locks eyes with Thomas. Whatever is left of him is desperate. Henry just shakes his head. He crouches down across from Kutyafaták, looking at the bloody mess in front of him.

“How do I, um… you know…” Henry mumbles.

Kutyafaták ignores him. Henry takes a deep breath, and simply leans in. He feels warm flesh pushing against his cheeks and forehead as he plunges his face into Thomas’ stomach, and bites at whatever he can. Blood splatters inside his mouth. It tastes… good. It tastes amazing. Something shifts in Henry’s mind. Something animalistic and ravenous. Henry feels his restraint crumbling as he takes another bite. Then another. He rips at Thomas’ clothes, getting easy access to the rest of his body. He growls and snarls as he bites into raw flesh again and again. Everything becomes a bloody blur.

When Henry slowly regains consciousness, he finds himself slumped against a nearby tree. He can see what he assumes is Thomas’ body, though its mangled beyond recognition.

“Henry?” Kutyafaták’s voice suddenly calls out from behind him.

“Fuck!” Henry jumps up, startled. He looks behind him and sees Kutyafaták towering over him. “You fucking scared me, you… did I seriously…”

His voice trails off. Kutyafaták just nods.

“I can’t believe it,” Henry sighs. “I’m a monster now. That was awful. But, um, it felt… kinda good? I’m fucking disgusted with myself for feeling that way.”

“And it must happen again.”

“Again?”

“With the rest of your so-called friends. You will bring them to me as you did with Thomas.”

“I… I really don’t know if I can do that.”

“You will. For now, clean yourself and rest. You have done all that you can for today. We will continue tomorrow.”

Kutyafaták takes a light bow and then slowly disappears, leaving Henry alone in the forest. As he glances around, he notices that Thomas has also disappeared.

Henry’s mind is a blur as he stumbles back to the holiday house. It’s only once he gets inside that he realises that he’s covered in blood and offal.

“Shit,” he whispers, not wanting to wake anyone up. He quietly makes his way to the bathroom. When he catches sight of himself in the mirror, he almost screams. He barely recognises himself. He tears away his bloody clothes and almost jumps into the shower, turning on the water and grabbing a washcloth. But as he starts to scrub at himself, he feels a familiar ravenous sensation overcome his mind. The blood and offal feels good on his skin. It feels… erotic. Arousing. Visions of Thomas’ bloody corpse emerge in Henry’s muddled brain. He mindlessly reaches down and feels his erect cock. To his surprise, it’s already leaking precum.

As the shower washes blood off his upper body, it runs down his crotch and thighs. He leans back against the wall and moans as he starts pumping his cock. His animalistic moans turn to growls and snarls as he thinks about tearing into human bodies and devouring raw flesh. Ripping into the throats of whimpering prey. Bloody wounds like gaping cunts. Blood. Gore. Death. Fuck.

Henry catches a gasp in his throat and arches his back as he sprays ropes of cum against the shower wall. Its washed down the drain before he finally regains his senses. Was that the strongest orgasm he’d had in years? Or in his whole life? He turns the water off and spends a minute breathing slowly, calming his senses. In that moment, he feels a strong weariness catch up to him. He steps out of the shower, dries himself off with the closest towel, and heads straight to bed.

As soon as he closes his eyes, he feels the warmth of sunlight shining on his skin. He rises from bed and wipes his eyes. Is it morning already? Was last night just a bad dream? Did he actually eat another person? He sits still for a few minutes, paralysed by anxiety, unsure of what to do. Eventually, he decides he has to go downstairs and see if Thomas is still around. That’s the only way to make sure last night was just a dream. The alternative is too awful to even consider. If it was real, and the others find out, his life is completely fucked forever.

Henry slowly creeps downstairs. The sound of conversation drifts up from the kitchen. David, Christopher, and Daniel are already making pancakes for breakfast. Thomas is nowhere to be seen.

“Hey!” Daniel waves as Henry approaches. “Was wondering when you’d be up. You were the last to go to bed, right?”

“Yeah, along with Thomas,” Henry says, trying to act casual. “Is he also up?”

“Haven’t seen him yet,” David shrugs. “Lazy bastard.”

“Did he go to bed before or after you?” Christopher asks.

“Um, after,” Henry replies nervously. “I mean, I didn’t actually see him go to bed, but I think I went to bed before he did. He was still drinking when I turned in for the night.”

“Well, it looks like we need to stock up on more alcohol,” Daniel says. “I might drive up into town later today, if anybody wants to join and have a look around while we’re there.”

“Eh, maybe tomorrow,” Christopher shrugs.

“Nothing worth my time in that derelict shithole,” David says.

“I might tag along,” Henry offers.

“Nice to see someone isn’t a miserable stick in the mud,” Daniel smiles at Henry. “I think we’ll head out around lunchtime.”

“That works with me,” Henry nods.

The sun hangs in a cloudless sky above Cerene’s main street as Henry walks along the road. Daniel has already stocked up at the liquor store and loiters in its parking lot, leaning against the rental car and making random business calls on speaker. All the typical features of a small isolated country town are here – a few local cafes and crafts shops, a few chain restaurants, and so on. But what catches Henry’s eye is a visitor’s centre, bearing the proud sponsorship logo of the company he currently works for. This definitely was not here when he was a child.

Entering the visitor’s centre, Henry is almost immediately underwhelmed. The floors are cracked wooden panels and all the walls are painted a dull grey. There’s not even a reception desk. It’s almost as if a two-room house was gutted of all its furniture, and large informational plaques of the town’s history were put up on all sides of the rooms. The plaques don’t even have any pictures on them, just paragraphs and paragraphs of black text in plain font.

Henry scans the plaques, not really absorbing any information about the town’s local economy and historical figures of note. He suddenly stops when he notices something that grabs his attention. He feels the same shivers in his spine from when he first sensed Kutyafaták. He steps closer to the plaque and begins reading intently:

According to historians, local Indigenous folklore often spoke of unattended children being abducted by mysterious spirits at the turn of every century. These tales were often dismissed by Cerene’s early inhabitants in the late nineteenth century, but as the twentieth century rolled round, local newspapers began reporting on an increased number of missing children reports. Unfortunately, most archival records of newspapers and journals from around this time period were generally destroyed in the infamous summer bushfires of 1926, so it is hard to verify whether this was just a moral panic or a genuine phenomenon. What is known is that these disappearances became something of an urban legend amongst the town’s population, and as the twenty-first century rapidly approached, there was a growing concern that the disappearances would begin again.

For the first year of the twenty-first century, no incidents of missing children were recorded. A wave of relief swept through the population of Cerene, but it was unfortunately short-lived. In the second year, four cases were recorded. In the third year, eleven cases were recorded. By 2005, the rate of missing children was nearly twice the national average. Some would disappear only to reappear a week or two later with no memories of their disappearance, whereas others would disappear permanently. By 2010, a mass exodus has occurred within the town. Eighty-seven percent of families had left by this point, causing a domino effect as economic activity stagnated, businesses were forced to close, and even more people left. For several years, this was considered a ghost town until economic investment from major insurance and development companies slowly breathed life into this town. Since then, there have been no more cases of missing children, even as the town’s population slowly expands and restores it to its former state.

Henry steps back from the plaque, breathing heavily. How had he forgotten this? Surely he would have remembered this from his childhood. The town his parents moved away from when he was just a kid. This had to be why they moved. What other reason could there be? They had never spoken about it to him, almost to the point of being avoidant, although he rarely brought it up. His head swirls with more and more questions, arguments and counterarguments. He stumbles outside, gasping for fresh air.

After taking a minute to collect himself and calm his thoughts, he starts walking towards the rental car. It feels like something violent is trying to tear him apart from the inside out, but he maintains a calm demeanour. There’s no way he can explain this without everything spilling out, including the events of last night. It all feels inexplicably connected.

“You all done looking around?” Daniel says as Henry appraoched, not even glancing up from his phone.

“Yeah,” Henry mutters quietly. “Yeah, I’m done here. What did you get?”

“Just a bit of everything really,” Daniel replies. “And more of it. Hopefully we don’t run out tonight. Probably one less person to deal with, if Thomas isn’t joining us.”

“He’s still not back?”

“Probably had some personal business to deal with, I don’t know. It’s not unusual for people on these kind of trips to just rent a motel for the day, find someone to get intimate with for quick cash, and then show back up the next day like nothing happened.”

“Oh. Right. That makes sense.”

“Anyway, come on. Let’s get back to the house.”

It’s evening again. Henry, Daniel, Christopher, and David sit around the living room taking swigs of cocktails and chatting about politics. Henry tunes out most of the conversation, drinking to keep his nerves calm. Tonight is going to be a repeat of last night. Unless last night was just a bad dream. But what better way to be certain than to go out into the forest and see if Kutyafaták shows up? Besides, Henry rationalises to himself, it seems that whatever is happening to him is part of something much bigger, something completely outside of his control. Taking the path of least resistance is the obvious choice. It’s like following a script that someone else had already written, somehow knowing all the stage directions subconsciously.

The hours drag on. The sky outside darkens. Daniel is the first to excuse himself for the night, leaving Henry with David and Christopher. Henry’s nerves are at breaking point with impatience. A plan starts forming in his head. Instead of picking off his coworkers one at a time, what if he just took them both out to the forest? He finishes the last of the bitter drink in his glass and straightens his back.

“Hey,” he announces, “who wants to see something cool I found in the woods yesterday?”

“Yeah?” David says. “Like what?”

“It’s a surprise,” Henry replies. “I don’t want to spoil it for you.”

“Shouldn’t we bring Daniel along too?” Christopher asks.

“Why does he need to know?” Henry shrugs. “We can’t have some secrets amongst ourselves?”

“Daniel was right about you,” David drunkenly giggles. “You really are a backstabbing little cunt, aren’t you?”

You honestly have no idea, Henry thinks to himself.

“Alright, I’m in!” David exclaims, rising to his feet. “Christopher, are you coming or not?”

“I guess I have to,” Christopher sighs, also standing up, “if you two are definitely going. Someone needs to be the responsible adult.”

A few minutes later, Henry is leading his two coworkers along the forest trail. Its earlier than last night’s excursion, so there’s a little more light to guide the way.

“So where is this secret cool thing or whatever?” David asks.

“We’re nearly there,” Henry says. He wonders if it even matters where he takes them. Kutyafaták can probably go wherever they want in the forest, so its probably not as if he needs to go to the specific place they first met. Regardless, he trudges ahead, trying to retrace his steps from last night.

They continue marching forward for another several minutes. David starts complaining again. Christopher tells him to shut up, saving Henry the trouble. And then the air goes still.

“Hey,” Christopher stops. “Do you guys feel that?”

“Feel what?” David asks.

“It’s gone really cold all of a sudden,” Christopher says, looking around.

“You’re imagining it,” David replies. “Just drunk, that’s all.”

“Look who’s talking,” Christopher mutters. “You fucking reek of liquor, dude.”

Henry turns to face his companions. Just as he does so, he sees their eyes widen. David’s mouth drops open in shock. Christopher stumbles backwards. A shiver runs down Henry’s spine.

“I see we have more visitors,” Kutyafaták’s voice calls out from behind Henry. “Twice as much as last time.”

“Henry, what the fuck is this shit?” David demands.

“This is supposed to be the surprise,” Henry says. “And you do seem surprised…”

“Shut up!” Christopher snaps at Henry. “This isn’t funny.”

“Is something supposed to be funny?” Kutyafaták asks.

“Who the fuck are you supposed to be?” David shouts at Kutyafaták.

“Such poor manners,” Kutyafaták sighs. “Why don’t you two start by giving me your names?”

“My name is Christopher,” says Christopher.

“And I’m David,” adds David.

“Such wonderful names,” Kutyafaták smiles. “And so wonderful to have twice the spoils of last night too. Henry, perhaps you would like to make your pick?”

“Huh?” Henry blinks and looks up at Kutyafaták. “What do you mean?”

“Well, surely you want to choose who you get tonight,” Kutyafaták explains. “Unless you want to share again.”

“Oh!” Henry exclaims, looking at David and Christopher. “Right, yeah.”

“Henry, what are they talking about?” Christopher asks.

“This is fucking bullshit,” David spits. “I bet they killed Thomas last night, now they’re going to kill us too.”

Henry glares at David.

“This one,” he says.

“That belligerent one?” Kutyafaták stifles a chuckle. “As you wish. Happy hunting, my child.”

David glances up at Kutyafaták, then back down at Henry. His drunken brain finally puts the pieces together.

“Run,” says Henry.

David turns and runs. Henry doesn’t even wait to see Christopher’s reaction. He sprints after David, off the path and into the dark forest.

David isn’t as fit as Henry, but he has a head start and the darkness makes it hard to see him. There was still light just a few minutes earlier, but an unnatural darkness seems to have fallen over the area. Henry rushes madly, first on his legs then on all fours, like a wild beast. He pauses and sniffs the air, like a predator tracking the scent of its prey. Sure enough, the scent of alcohol is wafting through the air. Henry slowly follows the smell, closing in on his target. As he gets closer, he hears David whimpering in pain.

More and more animalistic senses kick in, overriding Henry’s human instincts. Even his eyesight seems to adjust to the darkness, rapidly shifting into what he can only describe as some kind of thermal night vision. He sees David lying on the ground, clutching a twisted ankle caught in some exposed tree roots. As Henry creeps closer, David glances up, hearing someone approach.

“Hello?” he calls out anxiously. “Who’s there?”

Henry remains silent, a toothy grin spreading across his face as he gets closer and closer. David eventually recognises Henry’s form and starts desperately tugging at his snared foot. It only causes him further agony as he cries out in pain.

“Get the fuck away from me, you freak!” David screams, eyes bulging in fear. “What the fuck is your problem? What is wrong with you?”

Henry crawls on all fours, closer and closer, staring David down with a hungry smile. David kicks at Henry with his free leg, hitting him in the jaw. Henry howls as he feels a tooth dislodge, and it falls to the ground in a puddle of bloody spit. As he looks down, he realises the tooth barely resembles a human tooth – rather, it looks more like a razor-sharp canine tooth. He gnashes his remaining teeth, running his tongue over them to confirm their new shapes and sizes. The primal arousal he felt in the shower last night begins to awaken again as he feels his throbbing cock grow erect. He feels saliva involuntarily overflowing from his mouth, dripping onto the ground below him in thick wet strands.

David kicks at Henry again, but he reflexively catches the leg in his jaws. Henry digs his teeth in deep, feeling blood rush into his mouth. David screams and shakes his leg, trying to either hit Henry or escape the bite. Or maybe there is no reason, maybe he’s just wildly panicking. As he pulls away, a chunk of flesh is ripped out of his leg. David screams again, even louder. His screams don’t even sound human anymore. All Henry can see in front of him now is a pathetic squirming prey animal. He chomps at David’s leg again, grabbing another mouthful of raw flesh, pulling at it until it rips from the bone. Blood sprays into his face from severed arteries. Then he chomps again, feeling bone shatter in his mouth, sucking marrow and drinking blood, barely registering the background screams that almost sound like sharp nails on a chalkboard, David’s vocal cords audibly straining.

Henry drops the leg from his mouth and crawls forward, looming over David’s body. David is coughing up blood, and his eyes are like those of a deer in fast-approaching car headlight beams. Henry bits down into David’s stomach with his new teeth, shredding through skin and flesh and bone. Blood sprays into his mouth, causing him to choke and jerk his head back, ripping a chunk of intestine out. The fresh tear in David’s stomach pulses, oozing blood like a thick industrial lubricant. Henry grabs David’s shoulders, pulling himself upwards so his cock is facing the stomach gash. David whimpers, staring up into Henry’s bestial gaze.

[insert horny murder scene here]

Henry flips David’s corpse over. His erect cock presses against David’s rear, an unnaturally ample smear of precum acting as sufficient lubrication. The rigor mortis keeps the cheeks clenched tight around Henry’s cock as it enters into David’s still-warm body. Eyes widening in pleasure, Henry lunges forward, teeth gripping the back of David’s neck to keep himself anchored. His clawed hands rip deep David’s shoulders for two more anchor points. He begins to ravenously thrust, letting out beastly grunts and howls. The blood that has pooled up in David’s body has begun to leak down through his anus, acting as further lubrication. Henry speed up, grunting louder. His spine arches back and he lets out an inhuman howl as orgasm racks his body, blasting ropes of seed into the defiled corpse.

Sunlight shines through the window in Henry’s room. He stares up at the ceiling in silent contemplation, going over the events of last night. The ravenous hunger, the necrophilia… and then, after his lust had faded down, after his rational mind had returned, the conversation he had with Kutyafaták.

“I think there’s something you’re not telling me,” he had said.

“Whatever do you mean?” Kutyafaták had tilted its head, almost mockingly.

“I was reading about the history of this town, and… I had some questions…”

“About yourself?”

“…I guess so, yeah.”

“There are some things that you are meant to discover for yourself. Sometimes you have to be your own teacher.”

“So you’re not going to tell me?”

“I think I have already made myself clear.”

Henry sighs and sits up, shaking his head. He checks his phone. Its already 9:27AM. He puts his clothes on and walks downstairs. Daniel is sitting on the sofa, watching television.

“Hey,” Henry says.

“Oh, morning,” Daniel looks up from the television. “Sleep well?”

“Not really,” Henry replies. “How about yourself?”

“I was out like a light,” Daniel answers, standing up. “Seen Christopher or David this morning?”

“I don’t think so,” Henry shakes his head. “You haven’t either?”

“No, but I’m sure they’re fine,” Daniel walks past Henry, taking an empty cereal bowl to the sink. “By the way, you got something on your shirt.”

Henry looks down and his eyes widen. He’s wearing the same shirt from last night. Its very obviously covered in dry blood and visibly torn in several places. His mind races as Daniel calmly washes up his bowl.

There must be some kind of spell on this house, he silently thinks to himself, if not the whole town. There’s no way Daniel would be so nonchalant about the blood on my shirt and everyone else missing. Right?

“Hey,” Daniel waves his hand in front of Henry’s face. “You doing okay?”

“Huh?” Henry snaps back to reality. “What?”

“You were zoning out for a second there,” Daniel says. “Do you need to get some more sleep?”

“Perhaps, yeah,” Henry nods sheepishly, faking a yawn. “I need to go out on the balcony and make a call first. If that’s okay.”

“Yeah, of course that’s okay!” Daniel puts his hand on Henry’s shoulder. “Damn, you’re really frazzled today, huh? Just take it easy man.”

“Sure, yeah,” Henry brushes off Daniel’s hand and walks out to the balcony, sliding the door shut from behind him. He checks his phone. It’s now 9:35AM. He scrolls through his contacts, feeling anxiety build up in his nerves. A minute passes. Another minute passes. He glances over his shoulder. Daniel is back on the sofa watching television again. He closes his eyes and presses the call button. Holding the phone up to his ear, the ringing echoes out like a siren in his brain. It seems to last forever, but eventually he hears a raspy voice on the other end of the line.

“Hello?” Henry’s mother says.

“Hi!” Henry says, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. “It’s me!”

“Henry!” his mother exclaims. “Good to hear you! How’s the trip going?”

“Great, you know, its really great,” Henry replies. “How are you going?”

“Very well, thank you. Your father is out in the back yard, gardening as usual. Early bird that he is.”

“Should have guessed. Look, um, I’m calling because… can I ask you something?”

“Well, it depends what it is!”

“Its about my childhood.”

“Don’t be silly! You can always ask me anything about your childhood!”

“Alright, well,” Henry swallows and pauses. “Before we moved. When I was really young, I mean. Did anything weird happen to me?”

There’s a long silence. Henry starts to nervously pace up and down the balcony.

“Mom?” Henry eventually asks.

“Sorry, I’m still here,” his mother replies. “I just… I never thought you would ask about this. Or if you even remembered it.”

“Whatever it is, I deserve to know. What happened to me?”

“I don’t know exactly what happened. Nobody does. You were gone for a few days. Playing in a park, out near the edge of the woods. I was watching you play tag with your friends. I looked away for a second to talk with one of the other parents, then you were gone when we looked back. We looked everywhere for you. The local police were involved. We weren’t sure if you were going to come back or not.”

His mother pauses again. Henry thinks he hears a sniffle over the line, but the audio compression makes it hard to be sure. She takes a deep breath, and she continues slowly.

“You did come back, of course. You showed up on the doorstep, as if nothing had happened. No bruises, no marks. And you behaved differently. You were… cold and silent. A sudden mean streak. We knew something had happened to you, but you didn’t even remember anything from the time you were missing. We were desperate for answers. That’s part of why we had to move. We took you to the specialists in the big city. Almost went completely broke in the process. For months, we saw anyone who said they could help. Even a hypnotherapist…”

Her voice breaks down. She’s starting to cry. Henry hears his father’s voice in the background, but he quickly hangs up. He’s heard enough. Disgust builds in his chest. Disgust at himself, at his parents, at his entire life. Something irreversibly cracks in his psyche. He drops his phone off the ledge of the balcony. It bounces off a tree stump and skids across the ground. From the balcony, Henry can see the glass screen cracked like a spiderweb. He turns and silently walks back inside.

The day passes by in a blur. Henry spends most of it inside his room, slowly drowning in a dissociative haze. Eventually, the sun sets. Night falls once again. Henry forces himself downstairs. Daniel is at the table. There’s chunks of human carcass laid out, like some cannibal banquet. Henry assumes they belong to his three former coworkers. Daniel seems unperturbed by the scene in front of him, greedily gnawing on a chunk of raw flesh. The television is on in the background, but is just playing constant static. Henry can see out into the surrounding woods, watching tree branches flail in what looks like a vicious storm that is strangely silent.

“Hey Henry!” Daniel looks up, smiling. His teeth are covered in blood and viscera. “Sorry I didn’t wait for you before starting! I was just so hungry, and it all looked so good…”

“Where did you even get all this?” Henry asks.

“I thought you made it?” Daniel tilts his head in confusion, before shrugging and turning back to the food.

“Well, maybe I did…” Henry mutters under his breath. As he walks further into the kitchen, the balcony door slides open. Kutyafaták gracefully steps inside, as if appearing out of thin air. Looking up and seeing it, Daniel seems to finally snap out of whatever spell he was under. His eyes widen and he wails in horror, jumping back from the table, tumbling over the sofa, and ending up sprawled out on the floor, limbs flailing like some pathetic insect stuck on its back.

“Hello Henry,” Kutyafaták remarks.

“Henry, what the fuck is going on?!” Daniel finally manages to scream. “Why was I eating… human flesh?!

“Don’t worry about it,” Henry says. “It’s not really any of your business.”

“It absolutely is my fucking business!” Daniel exclaims. “What the fuck is that thing?”

“You don’t recognise my voice?” Kutyafaták asks. “I thought you would have picked up on it already. I guess not.”

“Your voice? What about your…” Daniel’s voice trails off. Henry looks confused.

“The voice of your reclusive business partner, of course!” Kutyafaták smiles. “This is my house. And you’ve been under my spell since you stepped inside. All of you. Even you, Henry.”

“Me?” Henry turns to Kutyafaták.

“Yes, you. But you least of all. You just needed a bit of subtle encouragement at the start. Believe me, everything after we first met was all your doing.”

“Wait, so does this mean…” Henry pauses. “This whole vacation… did you…”

“It is not uncommon for plans of the fae to be made in the human equivalent of decades, if not centuries. Not to sound dismissive, but whatever this may temporally seem to you, it was almost nothing to me.”

“H-hey!” Daniel shouts, voice shaking. Henry and Kutyafaták look over to him. “A-are you just leaving me out of this situation now? Am I allowed to go?”

“…so we’re eating him too, right?” Henry asks, turning back to Kutyafaták.

“Unfortunately not.”

“What? But why?”

“Due to the recent dealings of a certain faerie court I am involved in, it has become my responsibility to offer…” it pauses to choose the right words. “A sacrifice. Or a gift, or you prefer. A favour to several of my brethren. And I think that this one shall do quite nicely. After all, offering him doesn’t interfere with my plans past this point.”

Henry starts to reply, but quickly stops. Something distracts him. It sounds like a distant rumble at first, but grows louder and louder, like a bustling audience of voices. The static in the television shifts. The outlines of faces begin to appear through the digital grey fuzz. The surface of the screen itself begins to pulse and distort, as if several disjointed limbs were pushing against a sheet of clingwrap. Henry’s mouth is agape in shock. Daniel has also noticed it too by now, and a growing urine stain is visible on the front of his pants.

Ghostly tendrils emerge from the television. They flicker in shades of white and black, like the static on the screen. They slowly writhe towards Daniel, who yelps and tries to escape but almost immediately finds himself backed up against the sofa. The tendrils wrap around his ankles, then up his legs, before they start dragging him towards the television. Daniel screams and flails, trying to grab anything nearby to anchor him, but more tendrils grab his arms and keep him bound. Then, in one swift motion, the tendrils lift him up into the air and drag him through the television screen, into the static.

Daniel blinks a few times, surrounded by darkness. Suddenly, lights blare at him from several directions. He gasps and shields his eyes. Slowly, he takes in his new surroundings. A wooden stage in a large room, surrounded by several rows of stacked seats, like the stage of a generic community theatre. Strange shapes slowly fade into the seats, populating the theatre. Humanoid figures, but with many strange features – antlers, horns, and so on – all fae of varying kinds.

A spotlight shines down in front of Daniel. He follow its gaze, and sees a pair of golden scissors. He looks around, confused.

“What am I supposed to do with these?” he asks aloud. There’s no response from the audience. But the answer is already in his head somehow. Not all at once - more like an intrusive thought, slowly emerging from his subconscious. He swallows hard. He wants to run, but he feels magically stuck in place. He reaches down and picks up the scissors, gently caressing them in his hand. The tip is sharp enough to accidentally prick his skin. A giggle ripples through the audience as he winces, confirming what they’re here to see.

He takes a deep breath and grasps the scissors with both hands. It feels like he’s barely in control of his own actions. Like reading lines from a script. He plunges the scissors into his stomach and screams. His body contorts in pain like a ragdoll. The audience cheers in approval. Fuelled by adrenaline, he tears the scissors out and quickly plunges them back into his chest. Bones break and something punctures his lung – whether its the scissors or a broken rib, he doesn’t know. He falls to his knees, coughing up blood. The audience is ecstatically applauding. He weakly smile. Their approval feels good.

He pulls out the scissors and tries to stab himself again, but his arms are trembling too much to make a deep impact. His knees are soaked with blood spilling down his body. The lights around him begin to blur. He falls backwards, slamming his head into the wooden floor. He starts choking on his own blood, but doesn’t have the strength to sit up or turn his head. Everything hurts so much. It feels like the ground is trying to swallow him up. His eyelids get heavier and heavier.

He blinks, and he’s standing up on the stage again. The audience is quiet. He looks down, and sees a thick butcher’s knife where the scissors once were.

“A-again?” he asks, his voice faltering as if slowly beginning to realise what might be happening to him. The figures in the audience nod back at him.

He picks up the butcher’s knife, feeling its weight in his hand. It’s heavy. The spotlights gleam on the blade’s edge. He can feel the audience staring at me. Once again, he feels like he’s just mindlessly rehearsing lines from a script. He falls to his knees, and moves the knife up to his throat. The audience is on the edge of their seats. With one swift motion, he slices his throat open. He feels his eyes widen as the audience bursts into applause again. Feeling dizzy, he falls forward, slamming his face into the wooden floor and breaking his nose. The adrenaline begins to wear off, and he feels the stinging pain in his throat. He coughs and sputters, trying to push himself back up with his shaking arms, but he quickly falls forward again and knock himself unconscious.

He’s on the stage yet again. Of course he is. In front of him is… gasoline and matches? He quickly realises what he’s supposed to do. Best to just get it over with. Fire shouldn’t be too slow, right?

He pours the gasoline over himself. The smell makes him feel sick. He gags after getting some in his mouth. Then he takes the box of matches and strikes one. He looks at the glowing flame, almost hypnotically alluring, and suddenly hesitates.

Why am I doing this? he thinks. Is there a point where this ends?

He shakes his head and drops the match onto himself. Everything lights on fire and it burns it burns it burns IT BURNS IT BURNS IT BURNS IT BURNS IT BURNS MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT-

Back in the holiday house, Kutyafaták and Henry stand next to each other in silence.

“So,” Henry eventually clears his throat, breaking the silence. “I’m a changeling. Not a human.”

“You figured it out,” Kutyafaták nods. “You are of the fair folk. Just like myself.”

“What happened to the human version of me?”

“That is not a question I know the answer to. Nor is it one you would want the answer to.”

“Why not?”

“The fae are tricksters, of course, but some are more… devious and malicious than others. Some like to use their powers to torture humans beyond recognition. Your best hope is simply that the human you replaced is living happily now, or did not suffer for too long before they died.”

“Oh,” Henry mumbles, shifting around uncomfortably. “Now what?”

“Well, you’ve passed my… let’s call it a test, shall we?”

“…wait, this was all just a test? Seriously?”

“One of a countless many for those of your kind,” Kutyafaták nods. “I still have unfinished business in this dimension, but I have to return home to make sure my dealings with the aforementioned fae court are officially resolved. And you’re more than welcome to come home with me, of course.”

“And what if I don’t want to do that?”

“Well, you could stay here and see if the humans let you back into their society after what happened here.”

“But nobody even knows what happened here…” Henry begins, but Kutyafaták interrupts.

“Four men disappeared here under mysterious circumstances. You are the only one left. That by itself is suspicious. And what if they find remnants of blood in your clothes, under your fingernails? Traces of flesh and organs in your stomach and in your teeth? Inconsistencies in the alibi you make up to protect yourself? Would you risk all of that, just to continue living a lie? To live a life that isn’t truly yours? Could you truly live like that?”

Silence falls over the room as Henry considers his options.

“I suppose its not much of a choice, is it?” he eventually sighs. “When you put it that way, at least.”

“Come with me, child,” Kutyafaták reaches out one its hands. “It is time to go home.”

Henry reaches out and grasps the hand. In the doorway to the balcony, a glimmering white portal fades into view. Something wells up in Henry’s chest, and he feels teardrops rolling down his cheeks. It dawns on him that this is – as far as he can remember, at least – the first time he has ever cried in his life. Kutyafaták slowly steps forward, leading Henry towards the portal. He takes a brief glance behind him, once last look at the human world. Then, taking a deep breath, he turns back and steps through the portal alongside Kutyafaták. In a flash of brilliant white light, the two figures disappear, leaving the house empty.