She waded across the creek and climbed up the embankment. He reached a tree that was leaning hard, maybe days from falling into the water. She used the exposed roots to grapple her way up. She scrambled onto the ground. Sitting up, Erin could see a large pile of tree trunks and limbs, many massive enough it would have been impossible for Jackson to move them. These formed a wall, one surrounding maybe a third of Jackon's property.

They were walling in their castle. In another few months they were burying the place, hiding it from the world. She leaned against the makeshift wall and unzipped her bag. She brought out the bottle Pamilia gave her and unscrew the lid. The smell hit her hard.

"The fuck? Is this moonshine?"

Erin laughed. She heard of an old woman in town who had been making moonshine for decades, a mainstay for local kids who couldn't find someone to buy their alcohol for them. Pamilia. The old witch and part-time moonshiner.

She raised the bottle to pour it on her but stopped. So what if they couldn't smell her? They would damn well see her. She crawled to an incomplete portion of the wall and peeked through it. She could see the front of Jackson's house, the shattered windows and open door. She could see Ry. He was alive! He had been tied to the trunk of a pine tree, one that had been broken and the upper portion shoved into the ground, so the roots were up and played like a large, desiccated spider.

There he was. It wasn't over. Not yet.

She needed a distraction and the moonshine would do. She started to splash it across the wall. When she lit it with the lighter from her bag and the flames erupted. She jumped back, shocked at the heat and fierce spread of the flames.

The flames ran across the wall. She could hear the apes wailing from the other side.

"Good. Run for the hill's you bastards."

She looked around to make sure they had not discovered her, when she saw the lion, stalking close to her, lowering itself to the ground.

"Oh, fuck off," Erin said. "Why are you stalking? I have no defenses!"

The cat seemed to narrow its eyes.

"You prehistoric bastard, you get off on this, don't you?"

The cat stopped. Slowly, it raised its head. Erin heard the animal inhale and then growl. It bounded toward Erin, who dropped to the ground and tried to shield herself with her arms. But the lion rushed past her, diving over the unfinished part of the wall and into the yard.

The wailing of the apes became more desperate. The lion roared. This was distraction enough. Erin raced around and followed where the lion entered. The fire hit the overgrown grass and moved closer to the smaller deadfalls placed all around Jackson's property.

The creatures didn't notice her as she ran to Ry, who was wiggling against the ropes and trying to loosen them. She immediately started to untie him. There were no knots, they had just wrapped lengths of ropes over and over again.

"Erin! You have to get out of here, I can get out of this. I already got it loose."

"Shut up, we're going together or not at all."

"I get it, I'm too old to start over too."

"Agreed," Erin said. "Can you imagine? Tinder in Lagoe?"

"Like which middle-aged man in wraparound sunglasses and overextended on a Ford pickup is the one for you?"

"I'm glad we can laugh in the face of utter doom."

"Baby, we've had a lifetime of practice."

Freed, Ry grabbed Erin and held her tight. She did the same. They were together. They were alive.

"We have to go," Erin said.

Ry remembered the scratching on the door near Jackson's bedroom. "Wait, we have to go inside, there might be others."

"Seriously?" Erin asked.

"Seriously."

"Lead the way."

Erin followed him into the front door. The house was empty, the creatures busied with the lion. Ry led her down the hall to the bedroom at the far end.

"Don't look in that room," Ry said. He motioned to the room where he had been held captive. "That's where they're keeping what's left of Jackson."

"Jesus, what happened to you here?"

"Nothing sexual, let's get that out right away."

They reached the door at the end of the hall. Ry turned the knob and tried to open the door, but it caught on something. He pushed hard and it flew open.

"Oh fuck me," Ry said.

Inside the room the furniture had been smashed and destroyed. The dry wall pocked with holes. Smears of brown and red, some painted in crude symbols, dotted the wall. At the center, amid bones both human and animal, were smaller versions of the creatures. Their head seemed larger than normal, a massive cranium that narrowed into small mouths of razor teeth. The eyes were large ovals, unblinking. Their bodies were skinny and almost devoid of hair. They hissed and growled. They all looked at Ry and Erin and started to shriek.

"It's a nursery," Erin said.

One of them held up a human skull, smiling so wide its eyes were closed.

"Look," Erin whispered.

A mattress was tucked into the corner of the room. A figure laid there; its back turned to them. The mattress beneath it was stained yellow. The skin was tight and nearly bare, the ribs exposed. The figure rolled over and sat up. It was one of the creatures, only much older. But they could see the burn scars on its face, the snout-like face. Ry recognized it. The one who could talk.

He could feel the buzz in his head, only not nearly as strong. The creature looked tired, its features hung like an ill-fitting mask. One of the smaller ones saw the elder was awake, and threw a shattered leg bone at it.

The elder didn't react, but looked hard at Ry. It started to poke itself in the chest.

"Die."

Ry nodded and shut the door.

"What do we do?" Erin asked.

"Get the fuck out of here."