"Delilah! I'm leaving now!"

"I-I'm almost ready!" I call back as I hop around trying to put on my shoe when I stumble into the couch and flyover the back of it.

Laughter erupts from my chest as I hang upside on the couch, both feet in the air whilst Gracie sniffs at my face to make sure I was alright.

Zak's laughter catches my ears and I look down or rather up to my feet to see him waiting with his hand outstretched. "Come on, let me help."

Taking his hand, he pulls me up and off the couch until I was stood beside him, fixing my clothes and hair whilst I continue to giggle.

"You good?" He asks moving some of my hair making me nod.

For the past week, I had been at Zak's house. Sleeping in his spare room and keeping my head down. I had become the perfect house guest, I made us both food daily and walked Gracie whilst he was at the museum.

I never knew the gaping hole which sat in a home, until I experienced life with Gracie for a week. The little Collie had filled my time and attention for the past week, with her walks and games of fetch. At first she was shy, uncertain about a strange woman entering her home and taking up one of the spare rooms, but by the third night, she came tottering into my room, sniffed my hand and snuck up on the bed, where I instantly welcomed her with open arms.

Now we were inseparable and complete trouble for Zak.

"We won't be long Gray." Zak spoke ruffling her fur as we headed to the door.

"Bye babe. I'll bring you something back." I whisper down to her.

"No she won't. You'll be 60lbs and unable to move." Zak replied making me pout.

He grinned and pulled me along whilst tucked under his arm.

"Not even a little trea–"

"No."

"You're no fun."

"Neither is dog obesity."

I rolled my eyes at his annoyingly but true point and slipped out into the garage.

He went to the museum everyday, whilst I stayed at his home or tagged along depending on how busy he'd be.

Climbing into the truck, I pushed my back into the footwell and looked over to see him fixing his hair in the interior mirror.

"Oh stop, you look great." I spoke pushing a piece of his hair into its position.

"I have to, I can't be looking grubby beside you..." His eyes go over my face "You're amazing. Always. Jack is an idiot, but hey, it was my gain."

I smile widely and peck him on the cheek "Vegas charm is here today, I like it."

He gave me a wink before the roar of the engine sounded and we appeared from the garage and headed to the museum.

The kissing front was in full swing, he stole kisses when I least expected it and woke me up with them if I had fallen asleep on the couch or beside him when we watched films. But we hadn't broached any physicality. He hadn't thrown me down on a bed, tore my clothes and devoured me like a Wild West Tarzan.

But there was always time for us now, no worries or guilty feelings. We were growing.

+++

At 10am, nobody was here at the museum, it didn't open until 1pm and staff didn't arrive until 12pm. Which meant myself and Zak had the run of his museum to prepare exhibitions and sort things out.

Like Christmas, I was given the privilege to open all the parcels that Zak had been accumulating. So like a mad woman, I grabbed a package, tore it apart, retrieved the item and then asked where it was to be placed.

We worked like that for an hour before I reached the bottom one, grinning at the carnage I had made, I picked the last box and opened it.

"Um.. I don't like this present much." I said looking to Zak as I retrieved it from the box.

With a meat hook in my hand, I frowned "This isn't used.... Is it?"

"Probably not, I haven't really looked in great detail." He admits. "That's Ed Gein's room. There's a small hook on the low beam, it's going there. Do you want me to do it?"

"Nope, I got it." Leaving him in the office, I walked around his museum until I came to a darkened room. I didn't know much about Ed Gein, just that he killed people and used a cauldron for their body parts. Something that made me positively queasy.

I found the hook that Zak had mentioned and moved to my tiptoes to loop it on.

I was reaching for the stars to hang this up and had just got it on when something hit the floor in the room. Jolting forward, I bashed my knee against the cauldron and out of instinct, I grabbed the cauldron, incase it toppled over..

Oh god..

Oh god I'm touching it!

I'm touching it!!

My eyes tore around the room looking for the item that fell when I saw the large ladle. Figuring it was that, I took a breath and calmed myself down before shooting back to let go of the cauldron.

The hook swung above it as my heart pounded in my chest. Sliding along the wall, I rushed out the room and back down the corridor when I heard knocking.

Changing my course, I went to the door, figuring it would be yet more parcels. With the key still in the door from when we came in, I twisted it and opened the door.

My smile vanished, my heart stopped and its as if everything went in slow motion. I could feel the hairs stand up on the back of my neck and the chicken skin coat my body, right down to my legs.

"Hello darling."

This isn't real. This is a nightmare, or- or karma for touching that pot. This is in your head Delilah. This is in your head.

"Aren't you going to say something? Invite me in?"

I felt sick, my stomach felt too sensitive for my body, the blood had slipped from my face and pooled at my feet. I was going to pass out..

[34]

Zak broke down the boxes and piled them in the corner, he kept them for storage purpose and always had tape at the ready.

Hearing a beep on the camera, he looked up to the television to find Delilah at the front door. Narrowing his eyes for better vision, he grabbed the mouse and clicked on the tile to bring it up bigger. Once he did, he paused.

She was at the door, talking to someone, her lips moved but he couldn't hear and he watched as she backed away from the door as the person stepped inside.

This person wasn't invited...

Seeing the reaction from the camera alone caused Zak to tear out the room and go straight to her. For the first time he was angry that he had been so far away from her.

Swinging around the corner, I came to a stop seeing Delilah, she looked ill, seriously ill and he couldn't remember her looking that bad earlier. Was she coming down with something?

"Delilah, come here." He spoke as she trembled. "Delilah..."

"And who are you?"

"The person that owns this building. Delilah. Come. Here... Now." He ordered.

This time she looked at him, and he expected a barrage of verbal abuse, but it never came and she hurried to his side seeing him and almost hid behind him. He didn't miss the way she held his elbow in fear.

"Who are you?" He asks wanting to know who could cause this.

Who could turn the woman he had become fond of and lived to see her smile and hear her laugh into a wreck, trembling and looking physically ill.

The woman beamed at them. "I'm Delilah's mother. It's a pleasure to meet you."