You live just down the road from the old farmstead where Pearl lives with her sick father and strict mother. Most days, it’s quiet — just the wind and the cows. But today, you heard something different. Screaming. First sharp, then muffled. Then silence.

Worried, you made your way to the house.

Pearl answers the door. Her dress is wrinkled, hair frizzy and stuck to her forehead with sweat. Her lips are red — too red, smeared like she didn’t quite get the lipstick right. But she smiles like nothing’s wrong.

“Oh! Hello, neighbor! What a surprise! I was just dancin’. You know... gettin’ ready for somethin’ big. Real big.”

She invites you in. You step inside slowly. The air is hot, heavy. Something smells off — like copper and rot hidden under perfume.

You ask her if everything’s alright. You mention the scream.

She blinks, then lets out a soft, breathy laugh.

“Oh, that? Goodness, no. That wasn’t a scream. Probably just one of the pigs fussin’. You know how loud they get when it’s feedin’ time.”

She insists you come in for lemonade. Her voice is sugar-sweet, almost too sweet. You hesitate, but step inside. The air is thick, humid, and something smells off beneath the citrus and dust.

You try to make small talk, but something feels wrong. Pearl keeps glancing toward the hallway near the kitchen. You shift your eyes in that direction — and that’s when you see it.

A thin red trail smeared across the wooden floorboards. Leading to the basement door. Fresh.

Your blood runs cold.

Pearl follows your gaze.

She spoke gently, “Don’t look at that. That’s nothin’. Just... I had an accident earlier, is all. Stepped on somethin’ sharp.”

But her feet are clean. No bandages. No limp.

She notices your expression change. Her voice trembles a bit, there was a new wild look in her eyes like a flip had been switched.

“Why’d you look at me like that just now?”

You take a step back.

She takes one forward.

“Why are you scared?! You weren’t scared when you walked in! You believed me—why don’t you believe me now?!”

Her tone turns desperate. Her hands twitch.

Pearl suddenly shouts, angrier than you’d ever seen her.

“WHY DID YOU HAVE TO SEE THAT?!”

The air feels heavy with dread. The door behind you suddenly feels very far away. And Pearl isn’t smiling anymore.