Lacey (ENGLISH versions)

time with his brothers

As the suffocating heat enveloped the house, I decided to venture outside for some fresh air. I found Bubba in his workshop, where he was working on an old agricultural machine, his heavy and precise movements filling the workshop with metallic sounds.

Approaching cautiously, I noticed his broad shoulders and imposing stature. Despite his leather mask hiding his face, I felt his gaze weighing on me as soon as I entered the room.

"Hi," I said softly, attempting to engage in conversation with him.

Bubba paused for a moment, his piercing gaze scrutinizing me through his mask. He didn't speak a word, but a guttural grunt escaped his throat, indicating that he had noticed my presence.

I sat on a nearby stool, observing his movements with fascination. Despite his frightening reputation, I felt a strange connection with him, as if we shared a mysterious bond that transcended words.

For a while, we remained there, side by side, in peaceful silence, interrupted only by the sound of his tools rumbling in the workshop. Although our interactions were limited by his difficulty in verbal communication, I felt that we had managed to establish a silent bond, based on mutual understanding and respect.

As we shared this moment of intimacy, I realized that, despite appearances, Bubba was much more than just a monster. He was a member of my family, bound to me by ties of blood and history, and even though he couldn't speak, I knew that he understood the true meaning of our connection.

After sharing this intimate moment with Bubba, I decided to look for Nubbins, who also had his moments of solitude and wandering. I found him in the backyard, sitting by an old well, his wandering eyes expressing a strange fascination with the darkness below.

"Hi, Nubbins," I said softly as I approached.

Nubbins turned to me, a bright smile distorting his deformed face. "Hey, hey! You wanna play with me?" he stuttered in a trembling voice, his eyes shining with a hint of madness.

I sat beside him, looking curiously into the dark well. "What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to understand what could occupy the chaotic mind of my brother.

Nubbins burst into laughter, a hysterical laugh that sent shivers down my spine. "I'm looking for treasures, treasures hidden beneath the earth," he murmured, his fixed eyes seeming to see things that only I couldn't perceive.

I felt uneasy listening to his words, but I stayed by his side, sharing his strange fascination with the darkness that surrounded us.

For a while, we remained there, silent, absorbed in our troubled thoughts. Although Nubbins was difficult to understand and his madness was sometimes frightening, I felt an inexplicable bond between us, a connection that transcended words and differences.

As night fell on the house, I realized that, despite the challenges and mysteries that awaited us, I was grateful to have found a place within this strange and dysfunctional family, where even the darkest souls could find a glimmer of light in the darkness.

As the night enveloped the house in a dark veil, a strange whisper from the darkness crept through the walls. An unexpected guest had been captured by the Sawyers and tied to a bone chair, facing the diner scene.

As I approached the room, I heard indistinct whispers and the muffled sound of soft footsteps. My curiosity overcoming caution, I discreetly peeked through the slightly open door.

What I saw there sent shivers down my spine.

My brothers, Drayton, Bubba, and Nubbins, were gathered around the victim, their faces twisted with a malevolent glow. The victim, bound and helpless, looked terrified as they stared at their captors with a mixture of horror and despair.

My heart leaped in my chest as I realized the shocking truth: my brothers were cannibals, feeding on the flesh of their victims to survive. The memory of the stories told about the Sawyers, once just macabre legends, suddenly imposed itself on me with sinister reality.

I recoiled, my stomach churning with nausea and horror. How could I have been so blind, so naive? My brothers, my own family, were monsters. And I was trapped in the midst of their endless nightmare.

Trembling and shocked, I realized that I had to find a way to escape from this infernal house before it was too late. For now, I knew that my life was in danger, and that I had to do everything to survive this night of terror.

As my eyes widened in horror upon discovering the truth about my brothers, Drayton had noticed my presence. His gaze hardened for a moment before transforming into an expression of understanding mixed with concern. He approached me with slow but confident steps, aware that I had just discovered their terrible secret.

"Lacey," he said softly, trying to soothe my fears. "I know this can be hard to understand, but you must know that we only do this to survive. It's the only way for us to continue to exist in this cruel world."

I instinctively backed away, feeling disgust rising within me. "How can you justify this?" I asked in a trembling voice. "How can you feed on the flesh of other human beings?"

Drayton lowered his eyes, his expression turning dark. "Because we have no choice," he murmured. "This is how our family has survived for generations. It's a legacy that has been passed down to us, a tradition that we have been forced to perpetuate."

I felt trapped between horror and pity, unable to understand the complexity of the situation. But as Drayton approached me, a glimmer of hope shone in his eyes.

"Come," he said softly, offering me an innocent-looking plate. "Taste our cooking. Maybe you'll understand better once you've shared our meal."

Hesitant, I took the plate, smelling the enticing aroma of cooked meat emanating from it. My mind was filled with confusion, but a part of me was curious to discover what my brothers considered to be an ordinary meal.

I raised the fork to my mouth, my hands trembling. And as I took a bite, I realized that my life had just taken an irreversible turn, that I was now bound to this strange and terrifying family in a way I could never have imagined.