“Yes, perhaps you’re right, Wren. We should consider making some adjustments.” Nam watched the cords in his neck flex. “Let me sleep on the question tonight, and tomorrow we’ll have action.”

“He’s going to kill Grouse,” Nam whispered, their back turned so Rose could use the chamber pot. “Tomorrow.” They rubbed their chin. “But maybe it’s better that way. How much of her, of any of them, is really left, anyway?”

“What? Why?” Rose asked, well beyond any embarrassment over nudity or bodily functions by this point. She figured if anyone in the house should have shame, it was the man downstairs with his collection of dolls. But she did feel new fear. She hadn’t considered that he might be evil enough to kill one of his own members. Clearly, the Plague was deep in this house.

“She’s too far gone,” Nam said over their shoulder. “And he’s made other plans.”

“Other plans?”

They paused. “He’s going to try to give you a baby, and there is barely enough food for the bodies we have now. So Grouse has to go.”

The two of them were silent for a minute.

Rose shifted on the bed. “I’m done.”

Nam cleaned up while Rose chewed her lip in thought.

“Nam?”

“Yeah?” Their voice was flat, eyes far away in thought.

“We leave tomorrow, before the sun comes up. We gotta get away from them as fast as we can, especially if they’re talking about murder. We might be next.” There was no telling when the Chief might decide they had outlived their usefulness or that they were more trouble than they were worth. Rose thought about all the things she’d said to him. It was now or never.

“You sure you can make it?” Nam sounded calm, but their eyes were wide, darting to the closed door and back.

“Yeah, I feel a lot better, thanks to you.” She smiled. “Early or late?”

“What?” Nam’s hands were shaking, so they shoved them in their pockets.

“The group, do they go to bed early or sleep late?”

“Those assholes, they sleep in. Pretty much up all night.”

“Okay, good. Let Derrick know we leave before dawn. Move that bag you’ve been filling to the back porch tonight, before you go to bed.”

Nam nodded, carrying the chamber pot to the door.

“And Nam?”

They turned.

“Pack your stupid comics. You’re coming with us.”

This time, there was no argument.

✦✦✦ ✦✦✦ ✦✦✦

Morning dark was full of menace and twitch. There was something both seductive and terrifying about a darkness that insisted on change without reason, turn without halt. It would be day, and it would be soon, and nothing could stop that. The minutes before dawn were headstrong and without doubt.

Rose had stayed up, scared to close her eyes in case she slept too deeply and they ended up missing their opportunity. She had been stretching and keeping limber, flexing her arms or kicking her legs or doing crunches until her stomach screamed. She was ready. The threat of the Chief on top of her, of life as a swollen Wife, round and hollow as a paper lantern, made today the day it had to happen.