The Raiders are a normal family. They live on a normal street in a normal town in a normal house. Douglas Raider works as an electrician for the local electrician company. He makes a good salary and provides well for his family. His wife, Elena Raider, works for the local council. She deals with flower shows and arts festivals. She doesn’t make as much money as Douglas but she always helps where she can and Douglas is always grateful. They have two children, Byron and Ave. Byron is a particular type of boy. Aged 17, he is always in his room playing whatever new game has entered the market. His sister, Ave, aged 15, is very different. She spends most of her time out with her friends, gossiping about the drama of their school and causing mayhem in the parks. Douglas and Elena have been called several times to deal with their rebellious daughter. Usually, at home, she was sweet and innocent, barely stepping a foot out of line. But occasionally, she would change entirely. So, you see, a normal family. Normal problems, normal jobs. All apart from one thing. They're cannibals.

​

Once a month, the family put aside a night to go out, prowling the streets. It’s a nice bonding moment for them all. On the calendar, it’s marked as ‘family night out’. But, on the occasions the family isn’t up for leaving the house, they go to the morgue and pick up a few bodies. If anyone notices, they were paid off. Nothing scares the Raiders. Absolutely nothing. All apart from one thing.

 

It was a Saturday afternoon and Elena was returning home from their storehouse, a building far away from their neighbourhood where they kept the extra bodies in case the morgue was out and they were really feeling lazy. As she approached the house, she became entoiled in a terrifying situation. Once she was free from it, she ran towards the house, her keys unlocking the door lightning fast.

 

“Douglas! Kids!” she shouted as she walked through the door, headed towards the kitchen. In her arms was a bag, covered in blood. It was human, obviously. From the living room, Douglas emerged, chewing on something. Probably a slice of the leg from last night.

 

“What is it?” he asked, mouth full. Sighed exasperatedly, Elena dropped the bag on the counter and stared at him, eyes wide.

 

“We have a problem,” she said, suddenly rushing around the kitchen, tidying their knives and food away. Douglas narrowed his eyes at her, placing his lunch on the counter.

 

“And it is?” he pushed. Elena looked back at him, motioning for him to do the same.

 

“The Arnolds are coming in two hours,” she said quickly, still rushing around. Douglas felt something drop in his stomach. The Arnolds were their next-door neighbours. Lovely people, Chloe and Nick Arnold. Douglas remembered how they lent him their lawnmower after theirs broke. But they had the tendency to invite themselves to places and wiggle their way into people’s homes. And they had held out as long as they could. And their house wasn’t exactly suitable for others to see. Butchers knives lay strewn around the surfaces. Blood stained a few handles and walls and a few pieces of other humans lying around as snacks. They definitely couldn’t stay out.

 

“The Arnolds?” he asked, snapping out from his glance around the house. “What…Why…How?”

 

“Oh, I made plans with them to have an early dinner with us months ago and I ran into Margret this morning and she said, ‘Oh, can't wait for what you're preparing for us tonight. Nick can hardly wait!’ And then I told them that we were preparing something special and then ran home.” Elena spoke quickly, barely leaving a breath between words.

 

“And you didn’t think to…?”

 

“Of course I didn’t!” she screamed, slamming a torso against the floor having dragged it from the largest of the three fridges. “I just panicked, shouted, ‘See you later tonight!’ and ran into the house.”

 

“So what do we do?”

 

“I don’t know, Doug! Help me hide all this first!” Elena continued to heave the torso across the floor, almost walking into Byron and Ave, who had finally heeded their mother’s call. “Ah! Kids,” she said breathlessly. “Help your me and your father move last night’s hunt.”

 

“What?” Byron groaned. “Why? Are the police coming again?”

 

“No, no,” Douglas said. “Their pockets are still full enough.”

 

“So what is it then?” Ave spat. She was back in her angsty phase. She had been so pleasant for the last few weeks. “Or is this social services coming to finally get us.”

 

“Hey,” Elena yelled, standing straight. “Your father and I provide you with a good life, a good home. Don’t make jokes like that.”

 

“We’re literally criminals,” Byron muttered. Elena shot him a stern glare that silenced the boy.

 

“Be quiet and do as your mother says,” Douglas sighed, stepping forward and removing his lunch from the counter. The children both groaned deeply and turned towards the back of the house, bickering between them about who had to lower the bodies. Elena sighed and turned to Douglas, smiling at him.

 

“Thank you,” she sighed. Then, the torso by her feet rolled and her eyes widened, suddenly reminded of their task. “We’ve got two hours,” she muttered. “What are we cooking?” Douglas scanned the kitchen. It wasn’t exactly normal enough for him to start planning a normal meal.

 

“I could go to the corner store and pick up some beef or something,” he suggested. “Been a while since I've cooked beef but it's pretty similar to human I think. And if I also get some more green veg, we’ve been running low for the last couple days and I've been meaning to go shopping for a while anyway. Oh, but we’ll need to hide the ornaments and–” He stopped talking. Elena had an eyebrow raised. “What?” he asked. She shrugged, running her eyes up and down his figure.

 

“Nothing,” she said. “Just a sexy look on you, decisiveness.” Douglas chuckled and stepped closer to her.

 

“Really?” he muttered. She bit her lip. “Then maybe we should be decisive somewhere together?”

 

“Maybe we should–”

 

“Mum! Dad!” came a shout from the back of the house. The moment was ruined and the adults groaned as they walked into the back of the house.

 

The next hour was taken up with the family rushing around the house, cleaning supplies and bodies in hand, making sure that when – because it was a when of when – the Arnolds asked for a tour, they wouldn’t stumble across their little secret. Douglas ran out of the house to get something to cook while Elena rearranged the furniture in the living room. They couldn’t do much about the back of the house but they could at least divert their eyes away. Douglas was back quickly and as he started to cook, the doorbell rang. Elena froze and looked down at herself. She was clean, luckily. Byron and Ave were already upstairs, changing out of their bloodied clothes and showering. Elena looked over at Douglas but her smile fell. Across his belly was a smear of blood. The doorbell went again. Hurriedly she grabbed her apron from the kitchen door and threw it at her confused husband, who then instantly saw the problem. Elena ran to the door, opening it breathing heavily, startling Chloe Arnold as their eyes met.

 

“My goodness, Elena,” she said, her posh, upper-class accent cutting through the air. “What a sight. You look positively exhausted.” Elena smiled at her and stepped aside, inviting the couple inside. Chloe thanked her and strode in, flapping her coat behind her as she went. Behind her, Nick appeared, his round, red face grinning and his hands rubbing against one another.

 

“’ello my love,” he said in his Yorkshire accent. “Thanks for this. Wife’s been lookin’ forward to this for a while now. Ever since you suggested it.” Elena said nothing and nodded. Still grinning, Nick walked past her and into the house, Elena closing the door. From the kitchen, she could already hear Chloe talking to Douglas, laughing maniacally at something that probably wasn’t as funny as she thought. Forcing a smile on her face, Elena joined the group in the kitchen. If Bryon and Ave had any sense, they would stay upstairs as long as possible. As she entered the kitchen, she noticed Douglas was keeping his front turned away from the Arnolds. His apron was just hanging around him. Elena dashed to him and tied it around his waist. He whispered a thank you. Behind them, Chloe let out a deep sigh.

 

“You two really are peas in a pod, aren’t you?” she said. The duo chuckled and shared a look.

 

“That we are,” Douglas said through gritted teeth. “Just can't get enough of each other.”

 

“So how you ‘ave you two been together then?” Nick asked. Elena turned, allowing Douglas to resume cooking.

 

“Well,” she began, “must be at least 14 years now.”

 

“14 years?” Chloe gasped. “Such an awfully long time. Nick and I have only been together–”

 

“4 years,” Douglas muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. Chloe looked at him but a smile spread across her face.

 

“Oh my God, yes!” she yelled. “How did you know?” Douglas turned and looked at her. Elena’s eyes dropped to where the bloodstain was. They couldn’t see it. Douglas chuckled awkwardly as he tossed a tomato behind him. The reason he knew was because of the multiple times he had overheard Chloe telling other people that she had managed to trap into visiting their house.

 

“Oh,” he said lightly. “Just instinct.” Chloe laughed and threw her head back with too much enthusiasm, almost enough to knock her off her stool. Nick didn’t seem worried. As she rocked back onto the four stable legs, she leaned forward, her eyes scanning the counter hungrily.

 

“Not to be impolite,” she said with a sneakiness in her voice, “but usually we have a few snacks around to nibble on before we eat dinner.” Elena and Douglas looked at each other.

 

“Sorry,” Elena said, trying her best to keep her smile “But we didn’t have time to–”

 

“Well, what about these?” Nick asked, his eyes locking onto something on the other side of the room. Elena’s eyes darted to it. There sat a plate, a pale turquoise, and on it sat fingers. Several fingers. They were last night’s movie night snack. Cooked at 200 degrees for thirty minutes and lightly salted, they were one of the best things Elena could cook. And there they were, in the open, suddenly noticed. Elena and Douglas’ eyes shot to one another but Nick was already on the move with Chloe now clapping in eagerness. Before Douglas could voice his objections, and maybe give an excuse, Nick had the plate in hand and had a finger in his mouth. He started chewing, his smile not fading. He handed the plate to Chloe, who did the same. Douglas and Elena kept their smiles broad, pretending the food wasn’t what it was.

 

“This is exquisite!” Chloe exclaimed, reaching for a second as she pulled the final piece of meat off the bone. “What is this? Some kind of chicken bone shaped into a finger?”

 

“Yeah,” Elena sighed, still trying to force enjoyment into the moment. “I've been experimenting with different ways to make Halloween-like foods.”

 

“Well,” Nick said, reaching for his third finger. “You’ve done brilliantly. Truly remarkable. Best finger food I've had!” Chloe and Nick began to laugh, throwing their heads back, Chloe placing a proud hand on Nick’s arm.

 

“Oh honey, that was hilarious!” she said through deep breaths. Then her eyes shifted to Douglas and Elena, who were still smiling awkwardly and like a cue from a play, the cannibal couple started to laugh. The laugh was the fakest thing they had ever had to conjure up, even more so the fake alibi they had to give when Douglas’ eldest grandmother went missing. The four laughed for a much longer period of time than anyone would deem necessary for a joke that wasn’t even funny, and once they were finished, Chloe and Nick carried on eating the fingers. Elena felt too awkward to take one. This had not been their intention.

 

The invasive couple continued to pry and poke at every little thing in their kitchen, commenting on the colours of the walls and how they didn’t quite match the flooring and how their kitchen is completely spotless all the time. Once the kitchen had been scrutinised enough, they decided it was time for a house tour. Elena leapt from her place and dash to the hallway leading to the upstairs. Byron and Ave were still cleaning themselves. Expertly, Douglas guided the pair towards the living room, which Elena had hoped was clear of any other nods to their less than legal lives. Once the three were gone, she raced upstairs and burst into Bryon’s room. It was empty. Panicking, she turned and opened Ave’s room. Also empty. Her children were missing. Taking deep breaths, she moved towards the room at the end of the hall. Originally, it had been meant as a children’s playroom but once the Raiders moved in, Elena knew what to do with the room immediately. And she hoped what she thought was happening wasn’t. Sighing, she gripped the door handle and pushed it open, instantly hearing the laughs of her children vanish. Anger building in her chest, she stepped in, careful to close the door behind her.

 

As she entered the room, she was greeted by the sight she expected. Standing in the room, looking incredibly guilty, was Ave and Byron. They were both covered in blood, arms dripping in crimson. In one hand they each held a bat and between them hung a body, naked and heavily bruised with a few deep dashes down his chest, back and arms. That explained the blood. It wasn’t recent. It was at least from a few weeks ago but it hadn't started to smell or decay too much to Elena decided to keep it hanging for a little while longer. The state of the room indicated that they had been in the room since they were sent upstairs. Both looked at their mother with wide eyes, putting on the most pathetic puppy dog eyes they could muster but Elena was immune. She narrowed her eyes at them and a low growl entered her throat.

 

“What do you think you're doing?” she snarled, keeping her voice down. The room they stood in was soundproof, thanks to her, but she still felt it was deserved. “We have people downstairs and you're playing swing ball!”

 

“We got bored,” Byron tried to justify. “And you weren’t having an interesting conversation. Something boring and dull.”

 

“They mean the same thing,” Ave snarked. Byron’s head snapped to her, glaring.

 

“Shut up,” he growled.

 

“Make me,” Ave growled back. Byron turned to her and raised his bat, smacking it against the body. Blood squirted out towards Elena. Just before it hit her, she stepped aside, the blood splashing against the floor and wall. Elena turned back to Byron, anger written in her eyes.

 

“Sorry Mum,” he whispered. Calming herself, Elena lifted a finger and pointed at them.

​

“Put the bats down, go into your rooms, shower, change, and be downstairs in half an hour, got it?” she said slowly. The teens nodded silently and set the bats on the floor, moving towards the door. Elena allowed them to pass but as Ave opened the door, Chloe’s shrill voice echoed into the room.

​

“And so this is the upstairs?” she called. Behind her, Elena could hear Douglas running to catch up to her, trying to encourage the woman back into the kitchen. In a flash, Elena gripped Ave and Byron and threw them behind her and closed the door as silently as possible. Chloe’s voice was silenced and Elena found herself holding her breath. She looked back at her children, who were wide-eyed and trying to wipe some of the blood off themselves. It wouldn’t work, Elena had tried so many times before. She careful slide the lock into place and stepped back, avoiding the walls around her, the thought of blood on her shoes now entering her head. She cursed herself for not being careful enough. But her curses vanished from her head and the door began to shake violently. Chloe was trying to get in.

 

“What’s this door lead to then?” Elena could hear. “Must be something pretty special if you're hiding it.”

 

“No, no,” she could hear Douglas say. “Just a locked door. It’s just a large storage room that we use. Nothing interesting in there at all.”

 

“If you say so, secret keeper,” Chloe continued, releasing the door handle, her words becoming more muffled as she gets further away. “And what’s for dinner? If those fingers are anything to go by, dinner will be incredible.” Then, there was silence. Elena sighed deeply and smiled. She looked back at the teens and her smile fell. She pointed at the door.

 

“Shower, change, downstairs, now,” she ordered. They both nodded and scurried to the door, opening it cautiously and dashed to their bedrooms, avoiding the walls as they were. Once their doors were closed, Elena stepped out from the room and locked it behind her, making her way back downstairs, joining the others back in the kitchen. Chloe turned to her immediately. Elena noticed the empty bottle of wine that now sat on the counter. It was one of theirs.

 

“Elena!” the tipsy woman shouted. “Where did you disappear off to, huh? Nick and I were worried, weren’t we Nick?” Behind her, Nick had just finished another finger, setting the bones onto the plate next to a small pile. He must have eaten at least seven by this point. Chloe had stuck to the original two she had eaten first, but she had moved onto the drinking so her mind was distracted.

 

“Yeah,” Nick said through his latest finger. “Very.” Elena smiled at them.

 

“Sweet of you,” she said, “but I was checking on Byron and Ave. They’ll be down in a minute.” Chloe began to clap.

 

“Ooh, goody,” she said. “I haven’t met your kids yet, they must be delightful.” The earlier scene replayed in Elena’s head and she laughed.

 

“Oh, they're something,” she laughed. It wasn’t long after that the teens came down, dressed in clean clothes and scrubbed of blood. They greeted the two politely and were instantly bombarded with questions about their school life, hobbies and other things that made it sound like an interrogation more than a neighbour trying to get to know her neighbour’s kids. But Byron and Ave answered every question with a smile until Chloe could think of no more. With the woman falling silent, Douglas announced that dinner was almost ready. Eagerly, Chloe slid from her seat and shuffled into the dining room, dragging Nick away from the plate of fingers. There were only four left. With everyone seated, Douglas brought the food to the table. He lifted the lid off with a flare, revealing the delicious meal.

 

“What is it?” Chloe mumbled. Douglas looked at Elena. He had no idea what he had cooked.

 

“Um,” he started. “Some kind of beef stew, I think.”

 

“Ya think?” Nick asked, a smirk on his face. Douglas looked at him, slightly panicked but hiding it well.

 

“Well,” he started. “I can't remember the recipe itself. I just kind of know the ingredients and all that. Old family recipe, I think it is. My mother used to cook it for me when I was a kid.”

 

“Ah, Mum’s recipes,” Chloe moaned, closing her eyes and reminiscing about something. “Always the best.” Everyone around the table chuckled and then started to tuck into the food. Each handed one another a plate and then the vegetables were passed around, then the potatoes, then the stew. It wasn’t long before everyone had something on their plate and were beginning to eat.

 

Nick, despite the fact of having eaten nearly four hands worth of fingers, was the first to finish, his plate wiped clean. Then it was Byron, always a fast eater, then Elena and Douglas, then Ave, and finally, Chloe, who had begun to sway as the day stretched into the evening. The group made light conversation until they were all finished and the table was cleared with Nick taking most of the questions as Chloe began to slip into sleepiness. Once she rested her head against the table and began to fall asleep, Nick laughed and looked back at Elena and Douglas.

 

“And that’s our cue to leave,” he said. Elena and Douglas laughed back. Gently, Nick pulled Chloe from her chair and guided her to the front door. As they stepped out, he turned back, leaving Chloe to slump against the wall. “Thank you so much for a lovely evening,” he said. “I really enjoyed myself and as for the wife…” He gestured to her and they laughed again. “Well, thank all the same and we’d love to ‘ave you ‘round at some point.”

 

“We’d love to,” Elena said without hesitation. Grinning and waving goodbye, Nick looped an arm around Chloe and helped her down the steps and towards the front gate. Once they were through Douglas closed the door and turned to Elena. Byron and Ave were already upstairs. Once they had heard that the pair were leaving, they took the opportunity to run.

 

“Well, that went as well as it could have,” Douglas sighed. Elena laughed and walked back into the kitchen, groaning at the number of dishes that now lay strewn around the counter.

 

“Few close calls but we did alright,” she said, turning back to him. A thought crossed her mind. “And hey, where did you get that beef? It was really good.” Douglas frowned.

 

“Beef?” he asked. “What beef?” Elena narrowed her eyes at him and leaned forward.

 

“The beef for the stew,” she said slowly.

 

“Oh,” he said, understanding. He began to chuckle. “No, that wasn’t beef.” Elena cocked her head to the side.

 

“What was it then?” she asked. Douglas raised an eyebrow and it clicked in Elena’s head. A smile spread across her face and she started shaking her head, turning to start washing the dishes. Douglas joined her side. “You're wicked,” she chuckled.

 

“They seemed to like the fingers so much,” he justified. Elena laughed and rested her head against Douglas’ shoulder as she turned the tap on and filled the sink with warm water, the sponge in her hand getting ready to, once again, wipe human flesh from their plates.