‘What do you mean?’ ‘We were keeping pretty close track on my menstrual cycles, and the day before Tim died was the day I should have started my...period that month. I didn’t. There’s nothing unusual about being a day or two late or early, so I didn’t let myself get my hopes up. I didn’t tell Tim, either, because I didn’t want to get his hopes up, either. ‘The next day was the newspaper warehouse fire.’ She flinched as she said it, as if she had just been slapped. ‘I was at the hospital when I. It was a happy party. I thought Livy was incredible. But she showed no interest in me in any way.In any case, Mom told me that Livy was coming to visit the old folks and would be staying with us in the spare bedroom. I was overjoyed. I mean, the way my luck was going she would be licking my balls the first night she was here. I could dream anyway.No such luck. Livy was friendly enough. We were a loving family. But I got no vibes that she was interested in me in that way, you know? Oh well, I. More than once I have propositioned women on the train and ended up in a hotel because of their shoes. But that is for another time. She was shorter, thin and walked quickly in heels that were at least 5" tall. As she walked around back, I started my car and pulled across the street. As I parked Dan texted me "Are you coming?" I texted back "I am walking in." The back door had no window. I had no idea what I was stepping into. I was in a room with six guys. Some of them taking off clothes. It. It was in that moment she had perceived a presence behind her, the hairs sprung up along the nape of her neck. She reacted on pure impulse and turned around to face this unknown threat, her eyes bulging in horror at what she saw.The light from her backpack illuminated a glistening wall of purple flesh and from it, twin horizontal rows of thick red tendrils thrashed excitedly in the air. This massive maggot was reared up before her with circular maw lined with flesh-rending black hooks, gaping.