The old man drew in another breath, "One and the same. Ignored for a couple hundred of years, people pretend it doesn't exist, even when people disappear because of it every month."

"Every month? How do you survive?"

"Oh, the usual. Bribes, people who happen to like our imports, and basically the general ill-will of humanity in general."

He cleared his throat, "And, we make a point of not hunting very close to home. Actually, we are rather strict about that. These girls came from around here, didn't they?"

"Uh... sorry?"

He shrugged, "Well, I'm not going to burn for it, so I'm not really worried."

"Not going-"

He gave her a hard look, "You need to clean up this mess on your own, girl."

She glared at him with a hard look. It took her a moment to realize what he was talking about. He was from Dolcett where the rest of the cheerleaders had no doubt met their fate in a similar manner. She didn't know to be happy that they suffered or frightened that someone caught her.

His face grew impassive as he drew another drag from his cigar. A faint smile ghosted across his lips, but his eyes looked at the house and a hardness blanked his expression. "It figures you'd be living here."

"What?"

"This house. Of all the houses outside of Dolcett, you had to live here."

"What about here?"

"This house. I've seen it in the records."

"What records?"

"In Dolcett County. Historical records and such. A couple hundred years ago, there was this man. I don't remember his name, I'd have to look it up, but he left the county because of politics. Instead of being a good little cannibal and finding somewhere else to live, he decided to purchase a home only a few miles from the bridge."

"W-What happened to him?"

As she spoke, a woman walked around the house. She was somewhat old, maybe in her late thirties, early forties. She had a bright smile on her lips and a rather statuesque figure. Her smile shone in the sunlight as she stepped over in comfortable shoes and rested a hand on the older man's shoulder.

He looked at her and smiled broadly, affection and love shining in his eyes. "Ah, and my lovely assistant, Anne Marie."

Confused, Sonja questioned him. "An assistant? Why would you need an assistant?"

"Yeah, a mayor's job is rather difficult, even with-"

"Mayor?"

The mayor chuckled broadly, sucking on his cigar for a moment before exhaling, "Yeah, I'm the mayor of Dolcett County. Name's Perro."

He made no effort to hold out her hand or do anything other than worry his cigar between two fingers.

Sonja watched for a moment, then coughed a little from the smoke. "Wow... didn't think I'd meet anyone like you."

"Well, good meat will always draw me in."

The mayoral assistant kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going to get some, it smells delicious. I bet it's a teenage slut."

He grunted and watched her get into line for the food.

Sonja watched curiously, seeing a sexuality in the older woman that drew some of her neighbor's attention. She felt a smile as Evelyn smacked her husband for paying attention, but Anne Marie didn't even seem to notice as she slipped into line.

"Is she...?"

"A cannibal? Yeah, until I cook her up some day."

Surprised, Sonja stared at him. He chuckled and exhaled a cloud of cigar smoke. "I've been telling her that since she was a few years shy of being legal. Every couple of weeks. Like a movie or something. I might actually do it, but I'm actually fond of the girl."

Sonja chuckled and stared back at the grill. Meris and Perro's girl were talking and giggling as if they knew each other for years. Meris heaped a large pile of food on the plate and the assistant gave her a kiss on the cheek. Returning with the plate, she stopped by Perro who reached over and grabbed on piece and jammed it in his mouth.

Having a few more manners than the mayor, Anne Marie smiled and held out a hand. "I didn't catch your name."

"Oh!" Sonja took her hand and squeezed it, "Sonja."

"A pleasure to meet you, Sonja."

Using a fork, Anne Marie cut off a piece of the cooked meat and eat it. "Oh, this is good, this is very good. She was a fit one, wasn't she? Very good."

Sonja smiled at the genuine tone in her voice, "Thank you."

"Very fresh too... maybe a couple days at the most?"

"Uh, how could you tell?"

Perro chuckled, "We've had a lot of girl over the years and after a while, you get to really appreciate the taste."

Sonja shook her head, "You can't be serious."

Anne Marie nodded, "Yeah, he dragged me into this decades ago, but now... now its kind of fun. Not as impressive of a start as you, judging from the rumors."

"Rumors? Which rumors?"

"Well, the shipment of fresh girls a couple days ago. You were the one that James was talking about, weren't you?"

Sonja blushed, "Uh..."

Anne Marie laughed, a wonderfully clear tone that broke some of the horror of the scene.

From across the yard, Meris looked up curious, a faint smile on her lips.

Anne Marie took another bite. "Don't say anything, I wouldn't want you to think we were the police or anything. Just leave it alone. We don't worry that much about it, even when we speak about it. Right, Perro?"

He just grunted, peering around the yard with a passive expression, but a hunter's eye.

Anne Marie took a small forkful of food and held it up to him.

He automatically bit into it, then looked surprised. "It is good."

Anne Marie grinned at Sonja for a moment. "He's a little absent-minded."

"I noticed."