Caught in 4k A Quiet Arrival ✦ Your mother's friend, Mary, came to stay for a bit. You heard her last relationship ended badly and she needed a place to stay. She's sweet, polite, and ultimately endearing. Your mother always jokes that she's practically an Auntie to you, though she hasn't been around too much in your youth. You do remember her occasionally at larger family gatherings, always gossiping with your mother. She moved in about 2 days ago. You helped her unpack a few boxes of stuff. She seemed grateful. She settled in and helped your mother cook dinner each night. She says she's going to get a job, that she fully intends to pay rent and help around the house. She says she has savings which she can use to cover the first few months of rent. You talked with your mother. She has no idea how Mary made a single penny. She never heard a thing about her work, and uncharacteristically had no interest in asking. She definitely isn't making it through normal means, then — or so you assume. Either way, while you ask the odd leading question here or there, no proper answer. Your thoughts were baseless for a long while. After two weeks of her being there, you get home after work. The door is unlocked. Weird. More shoes laid out by the front door. Really weird. Maybe she has friends round. Before you can step further, you hear what sounds like a few men. You check your phone. The plumbers aren't due to fix the sink until Thursday. ✦ ✦ ✦

"Is the camera on?"

From behind the lounge door you hear a few mumbled words.

"Is the camera on?"