John couldn't believe it was happening. Hope was being charming. Sophie was giggling in excitement of the change of events and even his cold hearted wife was showing a hint of a smile.

He knew Hope was the one. Finally things were going to work out. There was going to be peace. Hope looked beautiful in the new atmosphere. Glowing and pink tinged from the excitement. John could see the stress of the social interaction behind her plastered grin but it would become more natural as time passed. The important things was that his family was accepting her.

He carried the tray of food to the table and served Sophie first. She was his sunshine and she always loved his cooking. To his wife he gave veggies and skipped the meat. He knew her preference and there would be no arguing today. It was a celebration. For Hope he put a large mound of everything on the plate. She deserved s good meal with good company.

He poured wine for himself. And Hope. She should be able to handle a glass of wine- and she definitely deserved it. She was captivated by his family. Listening attentively and making eye contact. Things were going well. He placed his hand on Hopes arm and handed her the wine glass as she looked at him puzzled.

"Thank you Hope. For coming to dinner. For being gracious and polite to my family. We're all going to get along. We're going to be family."

He clinked his glass on hers and watched her take a drink. Her eyes laser focused on his hand gently caressing her arm. It was an important moment. She was happy- and off guard. He lifted his palm higher to stroke her soft shoulder. She was no Alice, but she did have a beautiful quality about her. He imagined her thin frame filling out. Curves returning and her hair thickening. She'd be perfect.

A shudder traveled up his core. Intensely pleasurable and he turned to Sophie.

"You want to be beautiful like Hope you have to eat your vegetables. Come on. Show Hope what a big girl you are."

He filled his glass again and held the bottle above Hopes full glass.

"Drink it Hope. It's a celebration. It's the first day of your blossoming."

He waited until she drained the cup and filled it again. The shaking of her hands slowed as the pinkness of her skin deepened. The wine had tinted her lips red and he imagined how soft they'd feel against his. The quick flicker of her tongue across them caused a surge of longing to fill him and he drank his glass quickly to calm himself.

He wouldn't repeat history. Alice had turned his family against him. He wouldn't go down that slope again.

The table was silent. He throbbed with desire and slammed his fists against the table causing Hope to scream and spill the wine in her plate and across the front of her nightgown.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that Hope. It's just, the moment is so beautiful. It's so perfect and the meal isn't being eaten. Forgive me. Eat. Everyone needs to eat. And take off the nightgown. We can't have you catching pneumonia."

Her face went blank and she didn't move. A test. This was a moment that would define their relationship.

"The nightgown Hope. Take it off."

Her hands remained in her lap and her shoulders slumped. "But Sophie. She doesn't need to see me naked."

John weighed the moment. Hope was thinking of others which was progress. But he'd given her an order. This couldn't be stopped now.

"Sophie is familiar with the body and she doesn't mind. She'd rather have you undressed than to be sick. I'll find you something else to wear."

John took off his shirt and handed to her. Hope stood and removed the nightgown facing away from the all. When she reached for the shirt in Johns outstretched arm he grabbed her and spun her closer.

He placed his face on the nape of her neck. Desire spread like fire through his blood as he placed his mouth on the small pink nipple. He sucked slowly and groaned in ecstasy as he engorged. Roughly he pushed the upper half of her torso on the table straddling her with his legs. She gasped in pain and fear and John felt powerful. His breath was ragged as he licked down her torso.

From the corner of his eye he saw a flash just seconds before he felt an intense burning pain in his side. He looked down to see the handle of the carving knife so out of place sticking in his side. A current of deep red blowed flowed from around it.

Hope used the moment of surprise to crawl backward. He grabbed her wrist to yank her back and she clawed the tablecloth for traction knocking over the candles on the middle of the table and setting the spilled wine alight. Flames shot out from the table and John stood so quickly it knocked his chair back.

Sophie screamed.

"It's ok Sophie. Daddy is ok. Hope just got scared. It's going to be fine."

He could see the bungee cord he used to hold her to the chair melting. Still holding Hopes wrist tightly his sights kept flipping from Sophie screaming in horror in the chair to a decaying corpse whose hair was curling and melting. He wiped his blood covered free hand across his pants and got behind Sophie's chair frantic to yank her free.

"Hope. I'm sorry. I'm not mad. Help me. Help me save my family."

Hope crouched away from him and he swung at her knocking her against the wall where she lay cowering in shock. He calmed his anger and tried to forget about the blood pooling in his shoes.

"Come on Hope. I need you. Please. I'll let you walk out the door. Please. Don't let my baby suffer."

Sophie's screamed filled his ears as he weakly tugged at the chair to pull it away from the quickly spreading flames. He squeezed his eyes to stop the spinning of the room and saw the decaying corpse. He used his bloody fist to beat his temple. Mind tricks. It was Sophie. His baby. She needed him.

Smoke filled the air and Sophie's crying changed to gagging coughs as he fell. He wouldn't fail her. He crawled across the floor leaving pools of blood as he pulled the chair. The room was filled with smoke as linens and curtains fueled it. Disoriented and weak he crawled to Hope was still dragging the chair.

Hope kicked at him trying to crawl below the smoke to the doorway. John held tight to Sophie's chair and used his other arm to drag Hope back to him. She swung her arms and legs wildly for freedom and he held her tighter.

Through the smoke he saw visions of Sophie dancing around the flames as his wife clapped to a beat he couldn't hear. His family. Happy. That's how it was supposed to be. He held Hope even as his arms went numb and he struggled for breath. Soon he'd be too weak to hold her and she'd be free. She'd leave him alone with a family that never understood him. A family that only danced when he was on the other side of the flames, or maybe because of it.

John took the knife out of his side and howled with the pain of it.

"Do you see them Hope? They're happy. Sophie loves to dance. She's always loved to dance."

As she struggled and shook her head no he lifted the knife to her chest.

"Stash was wrong Hope. You are someone worth finding. My family loves you. We're going to be together."

He plunged the knife into her chest and wrapped his weak arms around her in an embrace. This was a defining moment. She was his. John looked toward the doorway. So close. He could make it there in such a short time. But that wasn't where his heart was.

From the flames Sophie appeared. She giggled as she twirled her head thrown back and a smile plastered on her face. She was holding hands with Hope.  Vibrant and healthy twirling in the flames. Free. He rested his chin on top of her head. His limbs were so heavy. His lungs felt the burn of the smoke and ash as he tried to keep his eyes open.

They were free. All of them. He'd set them free. The roaring of the flames drown out the music and he felt the hair on his head melting with the intense heat. The flames licked at his pant legs and he kept his eyes on the spot he last saw Sophie.

That's where he needed to be. With Sophie. He rolled weakly to his side and tried to drag himself forward into the flames where she was waiting. His body refused to move. But it didn't matter. The flames were coming. Even fire knew his place was with his family.  

As he waited for his reunion, his vision changed. Sophie and his wife transformed into shriveled   bloated leaking corpses. Smoke rose from their shriveled skin, as their bodies hissed. Fat bloated arms split and leaking flailed toward him and he opened his mouth to scream as flames engulfed him. Pain seared his body as the scream stopped before a single sound escaped.