Day 275 came, another body was found. The pattern continued. An old damaged body, marked like the others.

At Alice's parents' room, around the time the next murder would be expected to happen, another family dinner took place. It was a tradition—one that didn't stop even with the killings hanging over them. They still gathered. This time, there was another guest at the table, another member—Lili, the new friend who had moved across from Alice.

The first topic of conversation was, of course, the body.

It was an old woman. She'd lost both legs and an arm. The nurses had been taking care of her. She was just an old woman. The dad immediately suspected the nurses. "They must've wanted to get off work," he muttered.

The mom, however, had a unique perspective. She wasn't troubled by the old woman's death. In fact, she wasn't bothered at all. "What's the big deal?" she said dismissively. "She was practically dead anyway. Why are they clinging to life?"

"Don't say that." Alice said, with slight discomfort.

But the mother just kept going. She said something about letting go. About being selfless. "The older generation has lived their lives. The younger, stronger ones have more to offer. It's survival. You can't cling to life forever."

Alice didn't respond right away. She wanted to say something more, to challenge her mother, but her mother's words were not wrong. She didn't push back. After all, she was still with her, wasn't she?

"Which word did they use this time?" the dad asked.

"Crippled." Victoria answered flatly.

He chuckled. "What happens when they run out of words?"

The mom laughed, quick and dry. Everyone joined in. The joke lightened the mood, if only for a moment.

They ate in silence for a few beats before the conversation shifted again. Somehow, it drifted toward the council—how they were dealing with the so-called killer and the latest string of deaths.

The dad's tone changed immediately. "The council's a joke." he said, barely chewing his food. "They're covering something up. Cameras just happen to malfunction when the murders happen, are you kidding? They're hiding something from us."

Victoria couldn't help put some reason into the conversation. "The council is doing everything they can. They're not against us. They're just... trying to keep things together."

The dad scoffed. "Stop using that word. It's just one guy. Don't make him something he's not."

Alice's mom sensed the rising tension and tried to lighten the mood with one of her classic dirty jokes. It did defuse the tension.

***

Later, as the evening went down and the dishes were cleared, the conversation shifted again—this time, it was about Lili and what had happened to her.

"I was coming back to my room." Lili began, looking down at her hands. "And there were four boys. They were going through my stuff. I asked them what they were doing." She paused, recalling the memory. "I might've yelled at them... maybe threatened them with stuff I couldn't do." She looked up briefly, as if unsure of how to continue. "And then, it happened. They attacked me. They... silenced me."

"Four of them, huh?" The mom asked with a small smirk. "Well, be glad nothing worse happened."

Alice shot her a sharp look. "Mom, you can't say that."

The awkwardness hung in the air. "They just asked me a few questions." Lili continued, her voice trembling. "I denied, of course. They didn't take my word for it. Then, they heard some people moving outside, and they just... left."

Victoria's mind wandered. Four of them? Weren't there five? And now, all of a sudden, they're all black? Is she lying? Was she exaggerating? Is she exaggerating right now? It seemed odd.

Lili had told her and Alice about the attack at least four times. The stories had been shaky at first, but they were still somewhat consistent. But now, everything changed. Why? She couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right, but then she quickly brushed it off.

It's nothing, she told herself. It doesn't have to mean something sinister, like there's some deep mystery lurking behind lili. She thought, foreshadowingly.

The dad asked Lili about her family.

"They're dead." she said. "they died when i was nine."

Alice's dad nodded sympathetically. "That's a rough life, kid." he said, with a soft smile. "We're your family now."

The room went quiet for a moment. There was a strange comfort in the words, a sense of belonging. The rest of the evening felt lighter. The conversation were relaxed, and the atmosphere grew warm and wholesome.

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