The Rat

The sounds had been there when she moved in with him.

Stella tried asking him about it, but all he replied was that it could be rats. Or cockroaches. Or just really large ants. Just pests sneaking in within those walls.

She accepted that, but the scratching sounds wouldn’t let her sleep at night.

But was what she supposed to think? She would be up once the irritating sounds started, but there was no sign of anyone trying to break into their tiny home.

But Stella didn’t dare ask him anymore. He seemed pretty angry whenever she pestered about it, and he insisted on just ignoring it.

And she did. She didn’t want him to be mad at her. Stella waited a long time for their relationship to upgrade, and she practically forced him to invite her to move in with him.

But then there was that smell.

Some rat probably died in there.

That was what he thought too, but he still insisted she ignore it.

But how could she? She couldn’t even eat with that smell penetrating her nose. Even she could tell he was bothered, despite his insistence of ignoring it.

So when he finally left for work the next day, Stella decided she would take care of the problem. It had been two weeks and two days since she moved in.

She called a pest exterminator. Then the police two hours later.

Stella couldn’t help vomiting when she saw the rotting body trapped within the thick walls of the house.

She couldn’t help but pass out when they told her it was a woman. His missing ex-girlfriend.

They told her she had died two weeks ago. Two days after she moved in.