A Stranger

It was getting pretty late. Hevecta was lucky that the supermarket was open later on Saturdays. With her grocery list in hand, she meandered through each aisle, grabbing only the things she needed. Hevecta was thrilled! Today was her boyfriend's birthday and she just HAD to get him a cake. She figured her last-minute present wouldn't be enough. Tossing the few items she picked up at the hardware department, she made a beeline for the next available register, feeling guilty for holding up the last few workers preparing to close for the day.

"Would this be all?" The register attendant tried their very best to be engaging, but Hevecta could tell that they were definitely exhausted.

"Yes, that's all. Thank you."

"I can help you with these to your car. That tool kit can be a bit awkward to carry with a cake in your hand."

"No worries, I'll be fine. I'm only a block away, so it should be fine. If anything, I can have my boyfriend meet me halfway to help," Hevecta explains as she gracefully grabs the tool set.

It looked as if she was the last person to leave the store aside from the remaining worker. The parking lot was empty except for two beat-up Suzuki Esteems.

As Hevecta walked through the quiet lot, she noticed that the street lamp that would usually be flickering had now finally blown out.

I'll definitely be calling the city about this.

"Can I help you with those?" A voice from behind Hevecta spoke.

Turning around, she made eye contact with the person. A man about a foot or so taller than her appeared. From his attire, he looked like he had just got off from working a construction job. He made her recall that there was a new home being built at the end of her cul-de-sac just that week.

He must be one of the workers from there.

"He's a lucky fellow, that boyfriend of yours," the man went on.

"Oh, so you were listening in on my conversation when I was in the store? I was sure I was the last customer."

"Guess you weren't," he shrugged. "Please, I insist, if your boyfriend isn't going to meet you, at least let me help you home. It would be terrible if something happened to you out here and I could have done something to help."

"Wow, that's so sweet of you. I think you and my boyfriend would get along well," Hevecta smiled as she handed over the cake and one of her grocery bags.

It was surprisingly heavier than it appeared. There was wrapping paper peeking out the top alluding to a lighter load, but the stranger thought nothing of it.

"And you said you don't live too far, right?"

"That's right," Hevecta assured.

"That's good. I am actually doing work at one of the houses around here. We can take that route; it's not as lit as most areas, but it's more lit than that parking lot we were just in."

"Okay, that's fine with me. I'm sure no one would try anything with us since I'm walking with you," Hevecta went on.

As they made their way to the house under construction, Hevecta noticed that she never got the stranger's name. She was walking ahead of him, and as she turned to ask him finally for it, she noticed that he was no longer following her.

"Did he... just steal my boyfriend's birthday cake?" she pondered.

As she turned around, the stranger lunged at her in an effort to scare her as he shouted, "BOO!"

Hevecta burst out into laughter. She was appreciative that this stranger was acting so warmly towards her.

"I was sure that would at least get a small squeal out of you."

"It'll take more than that to scare me, I'm afraid," she went on.

"Is that a challenge?" the stranger asked.

Puzzled by his tone, Hevecta proceeded to walk past the few houses that littered her block. After a few houses and one sharp turn, they made it to her home.

"Thank you so much for your help. I would invite you in, but my boyfriend is the jealous type," Hevecta said.

"No worries. If it isn't weird or too much, could I wish him a happy birthday?"

"No, like I said, he's more of the jealous type, and one look at you would send him into a fury that I am not mentally nor physically prepared for."

"No, it's okay. I understand… but if it isn't too much trouble, could I use your bathroom? The walk was short, I know, but I didn't expect to have to go so badly," the stranger asked eagerly.

"Ah, what the hell, sure! He'll probably be mad at me because I got him a regular cake instead of an ice cream cake anyway." Hevecta shrugged as she opened her back door.

Hevecta's home looked like a typical suburban home. The downstairs had cheesy '70s striped white and yellow wallpaper that looked newly installed. The furniture consisted of all dark mahogany-stained dressers and chairs. The sofa was covered in the plastic that furniture is usually covered in when it is first received, and an abstract white rug ran across the entirety of the living room floor.

The home smelled of freshly perfumed upholstery. The stranger was amazed at how particularly clean the space looked.

"You have a lovely home."

"Thank you. The downstairs bathroom is down the hall; last door to the left," Hevecta directed.

As the stranger made his way to the bathroom, Hevecta began unpacking all of her groceries and the cake.

Once in the bathroom, the stranger stood a while, flushed the toilet, and ran the sink water to allude that he had used the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet, he honed in on his plan.

Okay, I didn't see the boyfriend, so he must be upstairs or something. If I'm quick, I can duct tape her mouth and zip-tie her hands and feet without risk of her making too much noise. From the sound of it, I think she's already being abused here, so it should be relatively easy. Good thing I was able to buy all this stuff from that supermarket earlier—it will come in very handy.

The stranger rose, ready to enact his plan on Hevecta. He tried the bathroom door and was met with unknown resistance. Confused, he pushed at the door with his shoulder with all his might, to no avail.

"Hey, I think I need a little help back here," the stranger yelled.

"Oh sorry, I forgot to mention that the door sometimes gets jammed. Let me see if I can help," Hevecta said from a distance, her voice growing louder as she walked closer.

With one swift motion, she opened the door. As the stranger raised his hand to either incapacitate Hevecta or startle her again, he looked down and saw that he was met with the end of a very sharp hunting knife.

One piercing to the appendix, and one quick slice under the armpit of the stranger's raised arm, and he plopped to the floor.

Blood sputtered and drained from him in the matter of a minute. Hevecta dragged him into the bathroom with inhuman strength. She then reached for the bone saw she had stowed away in the shower as she dismembered the stranger's body.

"Hey, I'm home! Sorry I'm so late. You know how late they try to have us out on some of these construction sites," Hevecta's boyfriend stated as he entered the house.

"Happy Birthday!" she yelled gleefully. "I made dinner and got you cake!"

Hevecta served up a red stew that smelled heavily of tomato and garlic. Large chunks of meat floated to the top as she ladled it into a bowl of steamed rice.

After serving them both, Hevecta looked longingly into her boyfriend's eyes as he enjoyed his meal.

"I got you a present too!" she said as she presented him with the poorly wrapped tool kit she had purchased from the store earlier that day.

He ripped into it, unaware of the missing hunting knife.

Recipe for "A Stranger": A Chilling Tale

Ingredients:

• 1 cunning protagonist (Hevecta)
• 1/2 pound of tomatoes, diced
• 1 bag of rice
• 30 cloves of garlic, minced (Helps with the smell)
• 1 birthday cake (best served on birthdays)
• 1 set of tools (including a hunting knife and bone saw)
• A pinch of deception
• A dash of dark humor
• A stranger

Instructions:

1. Begin by luring the unsuspecting stranger with a mix of kindness and vulnerability. Stir in some late-night grocery shopping for authenticity.
2. Carefully blend in the stranger's misguided attempt at chivalry. Let simmer as you walk home together.
3. Once home, add a splash of hospitality by inviting the stranger inside. This will “tenderize” the meat.
4. Swiftly kill the stranger using the hunting knife. For best results, aim for vital organs like the appendix and arteries like the axillary one located under the armpit.
5. Using the bone saw, finely chop the remaining “ingredients” until they reach a consistency suitable for stew.
6. In a large pot, combine the “meat” with diced tomatoes, minced garlic, and any other seasonings to taste. Simmer until tender.
7. Serve the resulting "red stew" over a bed of steamed rice to your unsuspecting boyfriend.
8. Garnish with a side of birthday cake and a poorly wrapped tool kit for that extra touch of irony.

Enjoy your perfectly crafted tale of domestic horror, guaranteed to leave you with a lasting chill!

Warning: This recipe is purely fictional. Attempting to recreate it would be highly illegal and morally reprehensible. Please enjoy responsibly as a work of dark fiction only.