The Cage

By week five, the money ran out.

Elena had drained her savings account at the butcher shop. Mr. Henderson had started asking questions she couldn't answer. *Why do you need fifty pounds a week, Elena? Why do you smell like that?*

She tried to leave on a Tuesday.

The realization had come slowly, like a creeping frost. The pups weren't just mimicking voices anymore; they were mimicking emotions. They used Toby’s cry to wake her up. They used David’s angry shout to herd her into the kitchen when they wanted food.

She was a servant in her own home. A milk-cow drained of blood instead of milk.

She packed a suitcase while they were sleeping in the basement—or while she *hoped* they were sleeping. She grabbed her keys and tiptoed to the front door.

She opened it and stopped.

The Alpha was sitting on the hood of her Volvo.

It was massive now, almost the size of a bear, its skin stretched tight over jutting bones. It watched her with those calm, human eyes.

Elena looked at the tires. They were shredded. chewed down to the rims.

"No," she breathed.

She turned to run back inside, to grab the landline, but the others were already behind her. They had come up through the kitchen. They blocked the hallway, a wall of grey, heaving flesh.

They didn't attack. They didn't need to.

"Going somewhere, El?" the Alpha asked in David’s voice. It sounded casual, conversational, terrifying.

"Please," Elena begged, backing up until her back hit the front door. "I need... I need to go to the store. For food. For you."

The Runt stepped forward. It cocked its head. "Mama leaving? Mama bad?" It used Toby’s "sad voice," the one that used to break her heart when she dropped him off at daycare.

"No, Mama isn't bad," Elena sobbed, sliding down the door to sit on the floor. "Mama is trying."

The Alpha hopped off the car hood and loped up the porch stairs. It pushed the front door shut, locking Elena inside with them.

"Home," the Alpha said, its voice dropping to a demonic growl. "Stay... home."

It nudged her hand with its wet nose. It wanted to be petted.

Trembling, terrified, Elena reached out and stroked the monster’s head. "Okay," she whispered. "Okay. I'll stay."