Janice screeched, touching her face in disbelief. The image in the mirror was undeniably her, yet distorted and horrifying. The woman staring back had faded eyes, red blotches marring her skin, and unrecognizable scars. Her lips were cracked, her face riddled with blackheads, and a fresh scratch marred her chin. Though her body retained its curves, she felt thinner, more gaunt than she remembered.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Hanish shouted. He ran to the door, trying to open it, but she had locked it from the inside. Janice held her face in her hands, her head down, her heart pounding in her throat. Tears welled up. She looked up as Hanish continued to pound on the door. She pulled the shirt down over her head down her body. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she went to open it, but before she could, he forced the door open.

  “What happened in there?” he shouted, his voice softening as he saw the tears welling in her eyes.

  Reminded of Aleaha, he pulled Janice into a tight hug. Surprised by his comforting gesture, she embraced him in return, then pulled away, crossing her arms over her chest. A wave of nausea washed over her as she realized he reeked of rot, blood, sweat, and decay. She stared at him for a moment.

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  “It had been two years since I last saw my reflection, and I hadn’t realized the extent of the damage to my face.” Her hand, trembling slightly, stroked her cheek. He cocked his head, a puzzled expression on his face.

  “I don’t see anything wrong with your face,” he said, his voice sincere. To him, her skin was clear, her eyes sparkled with life, and her lips were full and vibrant, like rose petals. She glanced around at the decaying state of the room.

  “Everything is falling apart,” she murmured, her voice barely audible. He looked at her and smiled, his eyes filled with warmth. He glanced around the room he had kept clean and orderly, the room he had painstakingly restored to the way it was when he and Alesha had slept there.”Do you think Aleaha is still alive?” she asked, turning to face him. He picked up a picture frame from the side table and showed it to her. It was a wedding photo of him and a blonde woman. Janice assumed it must be Aleaha.

  “In my heart, she is,” he stated. “See, when you love someone dearly, you can feel it ripping away when they’re gone.” Janice understood what he meant.

  “My best friend, my lover, Lila,” Janice said, her voice trembling. “I watched her get eaten by them.”

  Hanish glanced down at the picture frame in his hands, his gaze fixed on Aleaha’s face. He stared at the subtle glow of her skin on their wedding day. His eyes narrowed, and he gently placed the frame back on the table.

  “I need to show you around the farm,” he said, standing up.

  “Oh… okay,” she replied, watching him, a growing realization that he was living in a delusion settling over her.