Helix

How did it turn out like this? Christy wanted them all to be gone. The first day was supposed to be easy. Just unpack and enjoy the evening. Christy was clear about that to her partner. But here they were. Where did all of these freaks come from? She shook her head.

It didn’t matter. They had to go. She cleared her throat and rose to her feet.

“Okay, it was nice meeting you!” the woman said, clapping her hands. “We have to get back to packing. Thank you for stopping by.” Christy fought to sound as polite as possible. Maybe they would get the hint.

But then she froze.

What’s going on? Why aren’t they leaving? Lily tilted her head with a smile on her face.

“We can help you if you want,” she said. The other old biddies and Crusher gave her confused look. Christy tried to wave her off.

“It’s fine,” she said. “We can do this on our own.”

“You sure about th--” Phillip was about to ask. Christy gave him a sharp kick to the feet under the table.

“Ow,” he mumbled.

“That’s not a problem,” Lily said. “We’ll be happy to help you.” The other old biddies quickly shook their heads. Annie stood up from the table.

“Actually, we can’t stay,” she said. “My nephew and I have to get back to the café.” Crusher breathed out in relief. His aunt pretended not to see.

“It was nice meeting you,” she said.

“Yes, yes,” Christy said. She resisted the urge to yell at her to get out. Annie nodded and turned to leave.

“Come, Dustin!” she said in a booming voice. The boy didn’t think twice. He followed her out of the mostly empty house. Christy shook her head. That was two gone. She turned back to her remaining guests. The woman frowned to herself.

What was she going to do with them?

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This mess was getting out of hand. William just wanted it all to stop. Liz had already called the police. Liz was trying to keep the peace. Bretha looked like she was ready to attack. The old man just wanted to run. Well, it was too late for that.

Might as well see where this is going to end up.

“I’m sorry, guys,” William said again.

“The police are on their way,” Liz said. The old man rubbed his forehead. When was this going to end?

He turned and walked out of the room. His older niece put her hands on her hips.

“And where do you think you’re going?” she asked. William waved her off.

“I’m going back to bed,” she said. Liz snorted.

“The devil you say,” she said.

“But you just got up,” Clover said. The old man was further down the hall.

“I’m just tired!” Liz’s face started to get redder.

“Oh no! Get back here! You’re not leaving us with that… that… tart!”

“Hey!”

The door slammed shut behind him. He sank down to the floor as the women started shouting at each other. William dropped his head on his knees. When was this going to be over?

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Christy and Phillip still sat at the table. The old biddies still hadn’t left. Three of them looked like they were ready to turn and run out the door. The fancy-looking one sat in front of the couple, smiling.

“No, seriously,” Christy said. “We can unpack by ourselves. We don’t need any help.” Meanwhile, Muriel, Clyde, and Lewis hung around near the doorway of the kitchen. Lewis covered her mouth as she tried not to laugh.

“What are we doing?” Muriel whispered. Lewis shrugged. Clyde snickered. It was like they were waiting for something to happen.

Lily didn’t seem to take the hint. Christy’s patience was breaking on thin ice by this point. Something had to give.

And luckily for the three old biddies by the door, they were about to see that happen.

End