4 - Down in Flames

Upon arriving at the mansion, Maia regretted accepting Madeline’s invitation.

Charlie Ray headed straight to the bar for a drink, and Finnegan tried flirting with Maia right in front of Madeline.  It was awkward and embarrassing.  Maia went into to the kitchen to help Madeline prepare dinner.

Finnegan followed them, claiming he was going to help.  Instead, he kept interrupting Maia to brag about his career as a singer and sneak some of the food they were preparing.

Just then, in came a stumbling Charlie Ray.

He took one look at Finnegan next to Maia and completely lost his temper.  He shouted at Finnegan, “You rotten, thieving little punk! I wish I’d never laid eyes on you! I take you in as a protégé, and what do you do?  Steal my agent, my wife, my house, my food, and now you’re trying to ruin my plans to...” Charlie Ray trailed off as his gaze flicked briefly to Maia.

Maia was dumbfounded.  She had never seen her husband so violently angry, even when he had spoken about the divorce with Madeline. His ex-wife looked uncertain, while Finnegan just smirked at Charlie Ray.

“You! Get. Out. Of. My. House.” Charlie Ray jabbed a trembling finger at Finnegan.  He was breathing hard, red-faced and shaking with rage.

Finnegan sneered. “Haven’t you realized anything yet? This is my house now, old man.  Everything that was once yours is now mine, and what isn’t, will be very soon.”

With that, Charlie Ray punched Finnegan in the face, and suddenly, the two men were brawling in the kitchen.

Madeline tried to stop the fistfight, but while they were distracted, no one noticed the burning meal in the oven.

Before anyone realized what was happening, the stove caught fire, and the dried wood of the old kitchen cabinets burst into flame.

Everyone panicked.

The kitchen quickly filled with clouds of roiling smoke. Maia dropped to the floor, choking and unable to see as she tried to feel her way towards the door.

But she swore she saw a darker shadow shaped like a hooded figure moving in and out of the smoke before she passed out.

When Maia awoke, she was alone in an empty, burned out kitchen. Wondering about the fate of the others, Maia got up and went to open the kitchen door, but her hand passed right through it. She walked through the door without opening it.

“Am I... a ghost?” Maia wondered aloud, looking down at herself.

A deep voice answered her. “Yes, Maia. And I have come for you.”

Maia looked up.  It was the cloaked figure she remembered from the smoke-filled kitchen. In his right arm he held a scythe.

Maia was dead, and now stood face-to-face with the Grim Reaper.