Over the next hour or so, nobody said a word. We had arranged ourselves in a line across the couches with overflow sitting at the dining table. From the north side of the living room to the south was Mother, Jacob, Andrew, Christina, Matthew and Iris sitting on the couches and then Rebecca, myself and Alison sitting at the dining table. Occasionally, a cough or grunt would echo through the room and hollow halls, and many meaningful glances were shared but nobody said anything. Rebecca and Alison had looked at each other several times, considering whether it was worth trying to whisper to each other or not. In this scenario, anything could look suspicious. That’s why, when someone finally did speak, everyone immediately tensed up.

It was Christina because of course it was Christina. She had apparently managed to get herself into another argument with Andrew. I noticed her shifting uncomfortably before leaning over to Andrew and “whispering” something to him. Although her whispers were so loud and the room so quiet, it was entirely possible to make out everything she was saying. 

“I need to pee,” she hissed.

“You need to use the restroom,” Andrew corrected.

“Why does it matter how I say it?” Christina insisted, her voice raising slightly in frustration. “If I don't go now, I'm gonna wet myself.”

“Would it kill you to watch your manners for a single night?” Andrew growled back, dismissively.

Jacob chimed in at this point, apparently not content to wait out a lover’s quarrel without intervening. “What's the problem?” He asked like a father interrupting a fight between two of his children.

Christina looked between Andrew's disappointed expression and Jacob's commanding one. “I need to use the restroom, “ she bit out.

Jacob’s brow tensed and he lowered his head. “I already told you, nobody leaves this room for any reason, that includes bathroom breaks. If I let you leave now, it’ll cause a gap in our defenses.”

Christina groaned loudly. “If I go by myself, there’s no way anyone can kill me right? The rest of you will be in here.”

“Yeah but if you’re the killer, you might go and get yourself a gun or something to kill us all with.” Iris accused but the room had simmered down to a point where the others were no longer as on board with her aggressive approach.

“Iris, please,” Mother said. “You’re not helping.” Iris seemed embarrassed to be reprimanded by the matriarch of the house and hung her head.

“If I don’t go, I’ll-” Christina stopped herself to look at Andrew and wonder what he would allow her to say. “I just really need to go!”

“Why don’t you go with her, Jacob?” Mother asked gently. “You can keep an eye on Christina and make sure she goes only to the bathroom, and I’ll watch over everyone here?”

Jacob considered my mother’s proposal for a long time. I think he knew as much as anyone did that if he denied people the right to use the bathroom, the authority he had gained by being an assertive stranger would fizzle and dissolve. He ultimately had to concede. 

“Sammy, make sure everyone else stays put.” He said, standing up. “Christina and I will just be a moment.”

My Mother nodded in agreement but looked a little worried. I guess she really did feel safer with him near. I didn't have time to contemplate her feelings further, however, as soon as Jacob and Christina were on their feet, Alison leaned over to me and whispered something barely audible in my ear.

“I'm going to sneak off and find a weapon.”

What?

Before I even had the chance to argue she had already begun to silently crawl toward the kitchen. I turned my head, although I tried to do it slowly to avoid drawing attention, to see if anyone had noticed her leaving. Smartly, she had left at the very moment everyone else had turned their attention to the hallway to watch Jacob and Christina disappear into it. What on earth was she thinking?

Miraculously, even when everyone returned to their previous positions, nobody seemed to notice that Alison had left, not even Rebecca who was staring at the flickering flames in the fireplace. I, however, was viscerally aware of it. I could feel all the individual sweat beads rolling down my skin as I repeatedly ruminated on the horrors of what would happen once someone noticed. I imagined angry mobs and pitchforks. But before my overactive imagination could trigger a heart attack, Alison slid silently back into the seat next to me.

I had no idea if anyone noticed her when she snuck back but she couldn't have been gone for any longer than a minute. When she did return, it was with a kitchen knife barely concealed behind her back. After she was sure I had noticed it, ensuring I knew the mission was a success, she slipped it into her pocket. Alison was wearing a dress and, like most women's clothing, it hadn't come with any pockets. However, Alison had taken it to a seamstress to get pockets added. Never one to do things half heartedly, she had asked for the largest pockets they could provide. Given that the dress ended by her feet, there was plenty of room to accommodate her request.  As such, she was able to conceal the knife almost completely in her pocket, only the barest hint of its handle sticking up from the lip of the pocket.

“What are you doing!?” I whispered, more forcefully than I had intended. “You’re going to hurt yourself! Or someone else.”

Alison leant back in and whispered, lowly. “If people are being allowed to leave this room, the killer has a chance to strike. I want to be prepared.”

This logic seemed completely flawed to me but I didn’t have time to argue before she spoke up again. 

“Did anyone see me leave or come back?” She quickly glanced around at the others, noticing that nobody seemed to be looking at her. “It took a while longer than I wanted it to. The knife we used to make dinner was missing. I had to find another one.”

I felt Rebecca’s presence next to me as if she were hot like fire. I just hoped to god that she wasn’t hearing any of this conversation. I made my voice as small as possible when I responded to Alison. “Why would you risk something like this anyway!? You’re being paranoid. The killer is not going to kill anyone else!”

Right as I finished my harshly whispered sentence, a scream could be heard coming from the hallway. Oh good, god had a sense of humour.