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Such a violation of the rules could place me inside the room next time.
Okay so we know that he is somewhere where there are rules in place and someone is currently being punished for violating said rules.. ~Z
A disused farmyard separates us from the nearest neighbour a quarter of a mile up the road.
I wonder if the pov we're getting is someone in a cult (voluntarily or more interestingly if it's not voluntarily..) ~Z
They are quiet and unassuming and I expect most people forget who they are soon after crossing paths with them. They get away with what they do by hiding in plain sight and by being ordinary.
They sound like your typical serial killer ~Z
Like those before him, he holds on to the hope of a miracle. He doesn’t realise that, to them, he is not human. He is an everyday, ten-a-penny object. And it doesn’t really matter how carelessly you treat an everyday object, because if it breaks, it is easily replaced. That’s what will happen to him. It might take them weeks or months, but eventually, another one just like him will come along. One always does.
I can't gage what this implies.. If this is a cult, I understand, but if this is not a cult, then are they punishing people who work for them? I'm intrigued ~Z
She is the first to speak, a sing-song inflection in her voice. ‘You can come out now,’ she chirps. She is only ever this upbeat in the aftermath.
Okay so not only did they kill that guy but seemingly one of the psycho's enjoyed it. I wonder if the narrator enjoys seeing others punished.. ~Z
No, I think, I’ve pushed my luck enough today and the reward isn’t worth the risk or retribution.
Okay so it's curiosity! Can't tell if it's the good or bad kind yet LOL ~Z
Everyone except their families soon forgets about a missing child. And me. I remember every one of them.
Oh gosh it was a child??? That changes things.. And curious to know how narrator lures the children ~Z
moonlight flit.
New expression for me. Meaning they left hastily at night ~Z
He responds with a slow nod as he tries to comprehend what we have done.
It sounds like they were running away from something but also they could just be processing that they bought a house? The crimes happened 39 years earlier according to the prologue right? ~Z
Our criteria were straightforward: the place could be no more than a fifteen-minute drive from the town centre and train station, it must have shops and a pub, it couldn’t be too overlooked and had to be surrounded by plenty of long countryside walks for when we get that dog we’re always promising ourselves.
The closeness to a train station requirement slightly worries me. Nobody wants to be near the train cuz it's so loud. They clearly have a car so getting to a train station shouldn't be a problem for them. The only benefit I could see is last minute trips and quick getaways? ~Z
It was as if he was having a premonition of what lay ahead of us. Tearing apart and rebuilding this house was going to put an end to our Mr & Mrs Smith boutique hotel weekends away, my spa breaks with the girls, his Sunday morning football league with the lads, along with gigs and overpriced gym memberships. Goodbye fun, hello hard graft.
Sounds like they were just desperate for a home, cuz this makes me feel like they didn't want that house in particular, but maybe they had a hard time finding another place so they settled? ~Z
So we sold it and moved in with his parents, Dave and Debbie, while we waited to find somewhere.
By the way she has spoken about her mother in law, seems like the decision to get this house was partly because she probably hated living with her in laws LOL so fair and valid bestie ~Z
But this is the only way to get what we wanted – a house in the country for a fraction of the price, and to escape living with his parents.
Called it! Although my suspicion of them running away from something and the location requirement is probably incorrect. They will definitely just be unlucky victims I think ~Z
We’ve always said that we’d tell each other the truth no matter how much it might upset the other one, but when it comes to this house, I’ve bottled it.
That's so funny cuz they both feel the same way. Agreeing to tell the truth no matter what except when it actually matters I guess LOL could've saved themselves a lot of time if they just were upfront. Especially since they seem to feel the same way hahaha ~Z
Perhaps I’m misreading my wife, but something tells me she’s not as into this place as she’s letting on.
There has never been a more perfect cue to voice your feelings sir ~Z
We rarely talk about anything worthwhile.
Seems like Finn has some communication issues that run in the family ~Z
It looks like a noose or something, which is a pretty dark thing to leave behind.
That's where the prologue happened LOL I wonder if the family left soon after the events that occurred in the prologue. Really curious why they fled in the middle of the night.. were they ever caught? Are they still alive? ~Z
‘Anyway, who’d have believed you and Mum were fighting to get your hands on the same thing?’ ‘She and I have been doing that ever since I met you.’
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL Typically boy mom!!!! ~Z
‘I’ll remind you of that comparison the next time you’re begging for a fumble under the duvet. I’ll even let you call me Mum if you like.’
I love Mia. Full time sarcastic comedian ~Z
Debbie certainly isn’t willing to wave farewell to Saint Emma. She keeps a framed photograph in the dining room of them at their high school prom. Emma’s wearing a silver gown and Finn’s dressed in a smart suit and tie. I assumed she’d eventually replace the photo with one of our wedding pictures, but no.
That's actually really fucked up and disrespectful.. No wonder she was desperate to move out of there ~Z
‘There’s a lot that needs to be done but we’re willing to put in the hours,’ I say. Debbie lets out a half-laugh, half-pig-snort. ‘Oh Mia, wandering around John Lewis picking out bedding and matching curtains isn’t “putting in the hours”. It’ll be Finn and his dad doing most of the work, won’t it?’
Debbie is such a bitch wtf ~Z
‘She said it without thinking.’ I brush off the hand he has placed on my shoulder. ‘You know what she’s like.’
She absolutely said it on purpose. Men really don't understand women lol ~Z
We both know that when morning arrives, this foul mood will have passed. But for tonight, I intend to have loud, passionate sex with Debbie’s son and scream the sodding roof down if I have to, and I don’t care who hears. If I can’t give him a baby, I’ll at least give him the time of his life.
Queen shit ~Z
Debbie and I are awake long into the night once again discussing the pros and cons of Finn and Mia buying that house. She’s convinced that if she can get Finn alone, she can talk him into selling it to us after all. But Mia has the same fiery determination that I’ve seen one too many times in my wife. When they put their minds to something, it isn’t easy talking either of them out of it. I fear this isn’t a battle Debbie can win.
If they want that house from Finn and Mia, maybe Debbie should stop being a giant c*nt and maybe Mia won't feel the need to depend on owning this house to get away from her ~Z
I know Debbie didn’t mean it to come out as it did,
I'm sorry.. are all the men in this book stupid? ~Z
Truth be told, I think Mia was gunning for an argument. There was something combative about the way she jangled their house keys in front of us. She wasn’t just celebrating the purchase of a home, she was celebrating getting one over on Debbie.
Sir... you're an idiot. Mia was celebrating leaving a toxic environment LOL not combative to be excited about owning a house either btw ~Z
I’ve only met her parents a handful of times but they give the impression they’re never happy with their lot either. Perhaps that’s why they’re on a five-year global sailing adventure: they want to see for themselves if the grass is greener on the other side of the world.
Maybe you're just a boring prick Dave ~Z
I don’t have a problem with booze, but I also know that it’s become more than a habit lately. My reliance on it to remove all the sharp edges from my life began soon after Debbie’s diagnosis. Then it heightened when the business started slipping away from me.
So quick to judge Mia yet he sounds like a lot to handle too ~Z
I cut a casual figure as I approach the house on foot. I cast my mind back, trying to recall when I was last here. It must have been some thirty years ago, when curiosity got the better of me. But before I even reached the driveway that day, each young face from my chequered childhood appeared behind the weather-stained windows like they had all been waiting for my return.
Is this still Dave? Has he been here before? 30 something years? Was he involved in the events of the prologue? ~Z
This place was pristine back in my day, a far cry from how it appears now. While Dad kept up with the indoor maintenance, the garden was Mum’s domain. I can still picture her out here, floral gloves on, a pair of secateurs in her hand and a bag full of pruned twigs and stalks by her feet. She looked at peace in nature. However, towards the end of our time here, even that wasn’t enough to satisfy her.
Dave's parents were the psychos? Maybe he was the narrator in the prologue? The bait that got all the victims?? Did Debbie save him from that situation? ~Z
As the lorry pulls away and the new guardians of this house leave their vehicle, my attention gravitates towards her more than him.
Sorry who tf is narrating right now? I thought it was Dave at first cuz the last chapter was Dave and this chapter didn't have any name... is this the narrator from the prologue?? Are they part of the construction crew or just lingering? ~Z
There’d be no hope of them understanding. Blinkered as they are, I could only be a monster.
Sir/Maam what are you planning??? ~Z
It’s the constant reminder of how much money we are ploughing into this, with so much yet to be done before we can even think about moving in. Maybe we should’ve let Debbie and Dave buy it after all.
I think its the bad energy in the house but this is also a good reason to feel that way ~Z
Finn was – and still is – an open book, and admitted straight away that he had a girlfriend, Emma. Yet I still grabbed his phone from his pocket and typed my number into it. I justified it by telling myself the Girl Code only applied if I knew the competition personally. Not cool, Mia, not cool.
Definitely not cool Mia ~Z
We got a huge discount through a client but Debbie and Dave couldn’t afford to join us on this once-in-a-lifetime trip. I expect she has never forgiven me for ‘making him’ do it abroad.
Okay that's pretty awful Mia... You denied his parents watching their son get married. That's kinda really shitty especially since he seems to love his parents.. I get why Debbie and Dave don't like her. Still don’t like them though ~Z
This was the universe punishing me for stealing another woman’s man.
That is exactly what I would have felt if I was in her situation ~Z
It was always Mia who was desperate to start a family, much more so than I was. Not that I ever told her that.
Weird cuz he never defended her when his mom started shit but okay ~Z
‘I’ll come by again soon, Mia,’ I whisper.
Wtf is going on? ~Z
‘You’re the last one,’ I whisper as I stare deep into his lifeless grey eyes. His limbs are flopped by his side and his skin is warm to the touch as my hands glide across his face and arms. The pinky-red impressions left by my fingers around his neck are beginning to fade. I stroke his hair before finally, I hold his hand. It feels so small in mine.
I'm genuinely confused because if this mystery person is harming kids, why were they talking about saving the baby and fantasizing about killing Mia? I don't know who they’re targeting or why... ~Z
His death was a selfish one. I killed him because I wanted to.
What went down with George for you to want to kill a kid who reminds you of him.. ~Z
But both will live on inside me.
I really need to know more because I still don't understand the spit in Mia's mouth thing and it's just really weird and creepy.. ~Z
I’m also calling time because my judgement isn’t what it used to be. I researched that girl’s watch afterwards – someone had paid more than £300 for it. She was not as impoverished as her appearance suggested.
Is this person "saving" kids from a poor upbringing or something? Is that the goal? LOL ~Z
So for that and all the other reasons I have mentioned, I am bidding farewell to this life while it still remains my decision to make.
IMAGINE!!! Decides to stop killing because tech is too advanced?!?! ~Z
I hope Finn didn’t see me recoil at that suggestion. The last thing our fragile baby needs is me anywhere near him. I’m a risk to him. I don’t deserve him.
So crazy how one little comment can really mess you up... Debbie really do be a menace ~Z
The need to deliver the worthy into a better world is like having rats under my skin. They claw at my insides and tear at my flesh until they break through the surface.
Okay so they’re saving children from bad parents maybe? But how would they know if Mia is a good or bad parent? I don't know... I have no clue why they’re doing this. Maybe they’re just schizo ~Z
Not even a birth certificate, even though I have one of my own. Sometimes I wondered if he was a figment of my imagination; if I’d made him up to make life at home bearable.
Definitely schizophrenic then ~Z
This boy is unloved and uncared for. He needs us to help him. An image of my parents briefly flashes into my mind. They are why I do this. To protect him from people like them.
Kills kids so they don't go through any neglect by their parents? Questioning Mia going through postpartum but seems like she and her baby were targets before she even birthed him? But Mia is also a child of neglect.. maybe the person wants to "save" her even though she's an adult. Maybe she was the student? Gosh.. so many theories swimming in my mind!!! ~Z
‘Are you ready?’ I ask. When they nod, a rush of endorphins energises my body.
I like that they are also keeping the gender of this student anonymous. And honestly the gender of this mystery narrator hasn't been mentioned either I think.. Although I am assuming its a man ~Z
So why would he deliberately keep this quiet?
Could that one chapter being nameless but right after David's pov be a hint that David is actually the mystery killer? That girl started screaming after hearing his name.. They were the same age when the incident happened and the mystery pov said he was used as the bait to lure kids.. All hints are pointing to David.. Or is that deliberate? ~Z
This development doesn’t sit comfortably with me one little bit. I’m not going to be pushed out of his life just because Mia has suddenly decided she wants to play at being Mum.
Maam that is her child ~Z
