THE CUL DE SAC SECRETS

[Death and grotesque subject matter—not explicit]

"Mom, where is Black Cat?"

"Tracy, I’m not sure. I believe your father let her out, and I haven’t heard her scratching to come back in, now that I think about it."

"I will head out to search for her. She cannot remain outside all night, especially with coyotes lurking nearby; the poor thing would be an easy target."

"Alright, grab a flashlight and follow the trail. She enjoys that spot in the backyard by the trail."

"Sure, sure."

"Black Cat, Black Cat, here, Black Cat, where are you?"

Black Cat meows.

"Oh, I see you are back on the trail. I'm on my way."

Black Cat darted between Tracy's feet, guiding her toward the back of their property and onto the trail. Each time Tracy paused, Black Cat purred and rubbed against her legs, radiating contentment.

Lisa listened to the Christmas music filling the air and thought, "Is it that time of year again? The most wonderful time of the year, my foot! Simone, come on, we're going to be late."

“Shut up, Lisa; I don’t care,” Simone snapped back. "We have plenty of concerns to address besides ensuring Moe is tightly wrapped like beef in the freezer."

Every neighbour in the Cul de Sac heard Lisa and Simone grinding and cutting bones, aware they were slaughtering some meat. Tracy noticed her family’s freezer stood emptier than ever and wondered if that was the case in all the other homes in the Cul de Sac. She knew families gathered at home each year to celebrate a Merry Christmas. Simone and Lisa always told anyone who asked about the grinding ahead of time when they could. 

At 8:30 that evening, the grinding and cutting tools stopped. Everyone in the Cul de Sac embraced tradition and gathered at Sonny and Shannon’s home to enjoy the year's first stew. Six neighbours gathered in their cul-de-sac, each arriving with empty appetites and full bottles of wine.

As they entered the house, Sonny stood at the door, pouring glasses of wine. As he filled their glasses, Tracy collected their side dishes and desserts.

Tracy arrived home earlier in the week, eager to help her parents prepare the house and to spend quality time with Sonny. After leaving for college, she lost contact with her dad and felt the absence of the time they used to spend together. A few extra days with her parents apart from her siblings was great, but now she wanted to reconnect with the rest of the family.

Lisa and Simone rushed down the walkway, clutching a piece of their finest meat tightly wrapped in butcher paper, showcasing its freshness. Sonny and Shannon have five children, including two sets of identical twins, one boy and one girl, and their daughter, Tracy.

People praised Lisa and Simone's meat cuts, oblivious to the unsettling kind of meat: each time the cuts appeared, someone from the morgue or the community vanished and remained unaccounted for. Lisa, the coroner for Bay County, remained unaware of how the bodies left the morgue. Simone, the senior detective for Bay County, accessed all information and understood the schedules of every city employee.

"No one suspects a thing. However, the morgue bristles with extra cameras and locks at every turn."

“Simone, what will we do if they come searching for us?”

"Lisa, this isn't going to lead to anything significant. They all have their doubts, but without solid evidence, it's just circumstantial."

The ladies loved each other for six years, showcasing numerous excellent qualities that complemented one another, fitting together like a hand in a glove. The townspeople struggled to accept the chilling reality of a serial killer lurking in their midst, creating an atmosphere thick with tension, unease, and disbelief.

Today was the day. Happiness filled the air as everyone gathered in the cul-de-sac where the meat choppers lived. They sat around the giant table, savouring their stew, sharing jokes, and laughing, all wrapped in Christmas cheer. An outsider would see a thriving community where laughter filled the air and the aroma of the stew wafted invitingly. Everyone returned for seconds and savoured each bite like a cherished secret. Except Tracy couldn’t stop thinking about what she had seen two nights earlier. 

Tracy stepped out for a walk around midnight, just two days before the party at Shannon and Sonny's. She strolled along the trail behind the house in the cul-de-sac, pondering the next steps for herself and her boyfriend.

Before she left school for Christmas break, Tracy's heart sank when she entered their bedroom and found her partner in bed with another man, shattering their happiness. Whenever Tracy couldn't join, Alex, their best friend, accompanied Stewart everywhere. In an instant, everything clicked into place. Alex and Stewart form the actual couple in this scenario. Tracy stood outside, peering in.

She walked with tears streaming down her face, feeling overwhelmed by sadness and illness. Weakness gripped her knees as she faced the reality of parting ways after four years together. She planned to tell them her decision to leave them when she returned to school.

But something caught her eye as she walked on the trail behind Lisa and Simone’s house. Tracy paused, crouching low. She ensured that if they glanced back, they wouldn't catch a glimpse of her. She observed. Lisa yanked a large, black, bagged lump from the rear of her CRV. It struck the ground with force. Simone emerged and grasped the other end, placing the bag onto the cutting board. The butchering mats lay covered, while bottles at each drain caught the runoff. They stripped the carcass in just a few minutes, then secured the body tightly. The two women pulled out saws and started slicing the body into pieces.

Tracy stood still, her breath catching in her throat. She pulled out her phone and took picture after picture until she could no longer hold it. The cold bit into her skin, and her finger felt like it might fall off. She stumbled as she stood to leave, realizing that any further movement would reveal her struggle. She caught their gaze.

They stood and watched the woods as she crouched in place, frozen, hoping her black coat and boots helped her blend in with the trees and darkness against the fresh snow. Once the women felt satisfied and they found no cause for concern, they resumed hacksawing the body into pieces. 

Tracy turned and fled back to her parents’ home. She stumbled through the front door, a wave of relief washing over her as she arrived home. 

“Dad? Mom? Are you both there?” Tracy shouted.

"We're here in the den! Come on in!" her mother called out.

“Oh, good!” Tracy exclaimed.

“Couldn’t sleep, huh?” Sonny asked his daughter as she stepped into the house.

"I walked on the trail and saw something you won’t believe."

“You saw a deer?” Shannon said.

Nope.

“You saw a coyote?” Sonny said.

Nope.

"You're right! We will never guess," Shannon said.

“Okay, check this out.” She grabbed her camera and displayed her pictures on the TV.

"Is that a...?"

“Are they…”

"Absolutely and definitely."

Sonny gasped, his eyes widening with realization. "Do you realize what this means?" he said.

"We can't show this to anyone in this town if we want justice," Shannon declared.

"I sent a copy to my school email and my email, which they won't recognize as mine," Tracy said. "As I stumbled while leaving, they both turned their heads in my direction, but I’m certain they didn’t see me."

Tracy placed her phone on the charger, said goodnight, and climbed into bed.

"We have to tell her, Sonny. If we don't, this situation will explode for all of us in this cul de sac."

"How do we explain it to her? She will never grasp the concept of cannibalism and the needs we face."

"We need to delete that footage from her phone, no matter what."

Shannon grabbed Tracy's phone, scrolled through her pictures, and erased every image featuring Lisa and Simone. She plugged it back in and then went to bed too.

Tracy and Sonny sprinted up Balder Mountain the following day, strolled down its slopes, and headed out for coffee. Tracy mentioned that the pictures were missing from her phone. As the father and daughter conversed, a sobering moment emerged when Sonny posed a hypothetical scenario.

"What would you say if I said, hypothetically, that the cul de sac is aware of what those two ladies are doing and supports their actions?"

"Eew! Dad! Is that true? Come on!"

"What other possible explanation could there be?"

"I don’t know, but that sounds unsettling to me."

The two engaged in a lengthy debate but couldn’t reach a conclusion. Children discover unsavoury things about their parents in often inexplicable ways, impacting their understanding of the world. Their conversation was over; Tracy stormed out, tears streaming down her face as she entered the fresh air.

Sonny picked up the phone and called Shannon, sharing what had unfolded at coffee. When Tracy returned home, the ladies of the cul-de-sac sat around their table. Tracy quickly skipped the greeting and hurried upstairs.

Shannon and the other women sat with glasses of wine and hors d'oeuvres, their conversation buzzing like a lively beehive. The group chattered excitedly about the upcoming dinner, discussing who would bring what dish.

The twins, both sets, drove up together, causing everyone to jump. Their ride was harrowing. Slush covered the roads while patches of ice glistened in the cold. The drive presented challenges in certain areas. The four entered the house, settled into their seats with the ladies, and began to drink wine together. Before long, Sonny arrived home, prepared mixed drinks, and set the wine aside.

People drank until blitzed, while dinner consisted of finger food and potato chips. Jokes and friendly laughs filled the air, but as the moments passed, they came to a stark realization: nothing was funny about the situation. At midnight, the ladies departed, and Sonny and Shannon's household settled in for the night.

In the morning, Tracy woke up eager to go for a run, but her father, having drunk too much the night before, could not rise from bed and join her. Tracy ventured out by herself. She experienced the most exhilarating run of her life. When she reached the top, she spotted Simone and Lisa waiting there.

Tracy's breath quickened as she faced Lisa, and her legs felt heavy like lead. Their behaviour towards Tracy shifted dramatically after that day, leaving Tracy puzzled about what transpired between them to cause such a shift. Lisa sensed Tracy's suspicions and confronted her.

"Hiya, I didn't know you ran up here, too," Tracy exclaimed.

"Good morning, Tracy," she said with a smile. "We come up when we feel energized." She turned to Simone, requesting a hit from the joint they were smoking.

"Care for a hit? Nothing compares to the experience of strolling through nature while you're high."

Tracy nodded and grabbed the spliff. She drew a deep breath and passed it back to Lisa. Tracy turned and walked back down the hill as the couple continued. The scream pierced the air as Tracy stumbled. She leaped into the air and shouted to Lisa and Simone.

"Are you two okay?"

"We need your help, please."

"I'm coming. Hold on." Tracy darted up the mountain, her backpack filled with emergency supplies, as she reached the ladies on the other side.

Simone twisted her ankle, and the two ladies rushed her down the mountain. Tracy quickly got Simone into the ladies' CRV and assisted them back to the bottom.

“If you need anything else, just call me,” Tracy said, waving goodbye.

She questioned the reason the women were up there. In the ten years of their run-up, walk-down, and coffee shop routine, she and her dad had never seen either of them on the mountain.

Tracy strolled back to her car, changed her shoes and socks, and downed a bottle of Gatorade before heading to the coffee shop.

At the coffee shop, she encountered her siblings and parents.

“What the fuck?” she said as she entered and approached their booth.

“What?”

"You eat with that mouth, young lady?"

"Does your mom know you speak like that?"

"Pardon me."

"Alright, you four, cut the girl some slack. Hi, sweetheart. I apologize for not being able to get out of bed to join you. I needed that extra sleep," their dad said.

"Sure, Dad. You chose them again over me, huh?"

“Now, honey, that’s not fair,” Sonny exclaimed.

"Yeah, honey. You've shared countless mornings with your dad alone since you've been home," Shannon added.

They cleared space for another seat, and she settled down for coffee. She saw that everyone else had already eaten.

"The usual Trace?" the waitress inquired.

"No, thank you. I’ll just have a coffee."

Shannon paid the bill as Tracy reached for her coffee, and they all headed out together. She watched as they discussed their destination, but none invited her to join any of them. Her face radiated heat.

She discovered comfort in her parents' failure to give her a role. The night of the party arrived, and the group crackled with excitement. Everyone focused on their tasks, but Shannon and Sonny overlooked assigning a job to Tracy. As no one noticed this oversight, she embraced her lack of responsibility for the party.

The guests arrived. They enjoyed a steady stream of drinks while various appetizers filled the table. The entire cul-de-sac gathered and mingled to enjoy each other's company over a housemade concoction—a Zombie concoction created by Tracy. 

She mixed the potion, transforming everyone who drank too much into a drunken zombie. The partygoers kicked off an exciting Euchre tournament. Tracy shared with everyone the types of alcohol in the mix, but that was all. The noise increased throughout the night, accompanied by clinking glasses and laughter as the drinking continued.

Tracy remained sober, observed her neighbours' interactions, and uncovered a secret they protected. She realized the connection lay with the pictures she had taken, which had disappeared from her cell phone, and she sensed her parents were also involved.

Simone rose to use the toilet but stumbled and face-planted onto the kitchen floor. Everyone laughed, and Lisa joined in while the uncertainty of Simone's condition lingered. The neighbours made fun of her throughout the night. Simone received no sympathy from anyone and eventually joined them in their laughter.

Tracy hovered nearby, catching snippets of conversations that drifted through the air. On a hunch, she went to the garage. She opened the chest freezer there and discovered it brimming with meat. Upon seeing that piece of the puzzle, she examined the labels. She captured images of every label. The party rocked inside, drawing everyone's attention, while she lingered in the shadows, evading detection. No one knew where to look for her amidst the crowd.

Following the Christmas break, she escaped her parents' grasp. She ended her relationship with her boyfriend and Alex. She found a space tailored to her needs that would enhance her work and health.

Once that part of her life settled, she called the FBI.

She assembled an elaborate package with reasons why she could not present it to an authority figure in her hometown.

The FBI agents arrived to see her. Their curiosity peaked as they observed the people from Tracy’s photographs, the cul-de-sac adults who all knew and ate from the freezer. 

After looking at Tracy's pictures, one agent asked, "Are you certain that all of these came from a single freezer?" 

“Yes, ma'am,” Tracy replied.

"What about the other residences in the cul de sac? Do you think they also have these similar packages?" the other agent asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you, Tracy. This information captivates and assists us with our ongoing investigation into the missing people and bodies in your hometown. We will investigate as soon as possible."

"I appreciate it; for a minute there, I was beginning to think I was crazy,” Tracy said.

She went to the door to the outside and observed them climbing into their car. She watched them burst into laughter right after they fastened their seatbelts.

She shook her head. But stopped when she recalled an assignment from her Expository Writing class, which required her to explore something peculiar yet a real-life experience. 

She detailed the entire ordeal and her suspicions as truth in a 12-page paper titled "Cannibalism in the Cul de Sac." In the body of her paper, she raised some interesting questions:

1. Did a serial killer unknowingly supply the cul de sac with bodies, or was there a serial killer living in the cul de sac?

2. How long had the parents been keeping their secret?

3. Did the children of the cul de sac parents want to see their parents again after learning about the cannibalism they fed in their homes throughout?

4. Were Simone and Lisa always involved? Or did one convince the other to cannibalize with her?

At the end of the paper, she stated that these questions and others as they arose would be addressed in a follow-up story.