Parked in the garage, Patricia popped open the trunk of her car after arriving home in the early evening. She had gone grocery shopping after work, as she usually did most Mondays. To limit the number of shopping trips she had to make, she stocked up on enough groceries to last an entire week. As a result, her trunk was packed full of bags. Thankfully, having two children meant she didn’t have to haul the groceries inside herself.

Leaving the trunk open, Patricia entered the interior garage door leading to her kitchen. She was greeted by the faint sound of the television, indicating at least one of her daughters was in the living room. Perfect, she thought to herself. Usually, they would be in their bedrooms with their doors closed, and she would have to go upstairs to get their attention.

She set her bulky purse down on the kitchen table before stepping into the foyer, where the noise of the television gradually got more audible. Amidst the messy hallway were her daughters' shoes, dumped lazily in the middle of the floor, and their school backpacks, which leaned against the wall with their respective coats tossed over them.

Shaking her head in annoyance, Patricia peeked into the living room where both her daughters were lounging around. On the couch, Avery was spread out, playing on her tablet. At the same time, Abbey was sprawled out in the recliner, watching one of her mindless teen dramas on the television. Both of them hadn't seemed to acknowledge her presence.

“Girls! Come get the groceries!” Patricia shouted out in the doorway, getting their attention. Groaning, the two girls paused their activities and reluctantly got up, passing by their mother as they made their way to the garage. 

“Thank you.” Patricia said sarcastically at the two unenthusiastic girls. Considering she did all the cooking and cleaning around the household, the least they could do was carry in groceries every now and then.

While her two daughters went into the garage, Patricia cleaned up the mess they left in the hall, first starting with their jackets. In the hallway closet, she grabbed two separate coat hangers and nicely hung both of their jackets before hanging up her own.

With her coat put away, Patricia slipped her feet out of her flats and set the pair of shoes neatly on the floor mat. Bending over, she picked up both of her daughters' discarded sneakers, the soles of which were sported with dirt and mud, and promptly arranged them tidily next to her flats. She made a mental note to mop the hallway later.

When Patricia returned to the kitchen, she noticed a few grocery bags already placed on the kitchen table. Before she could put them away, however, she needed to wash her hands. She preferred being sanitary whenever handling her family's food.

At the sink, she thoroughly scrubbed her hands, washing away any germs she might have picked up at the store. Meanwhile, Abbey and Avery continued to carry groceries inside, often dumping them recklessly on the kitchen table before making another tedious trip to the car.

With her hands now clean, Patricia started going through each bag to put away groceries. Most of the bags were filled to the top, with everything packed tightly together. Gradually, she took items out and stored them in their proper place. Perishables went into the fridge, boxes and bags of snacks went into the pantry, and cans of food went into the cabinets.

Eventually, the kitchen door slammed shut as Abbey and Avery entered, having brought in all the groceries. The two girls sluggishly walked back to the living room to resume their normal activities. Within a few seconds, the distant sound of the television returned as Abbey unpaused her show.

"Thanks girls." Patricia chuckled at her daughters' exaggerated demeanors. They acted as if bringing in groceries was a horrible burden, even though it took less than five minutes of their time. 

Little by little, the kitchen table cleared as more and more bags were sorted. Patricia prioritized the larger bags first, opting to sort the smaller bags last. The smaller bags contained more delicate items such as bread, eggs, and other fragile produce. 

Among the fragile goods was a lone container. It held a dozen men, fresh for the picking. Each one was shaken up from the rough journey they had experienced since Patricia first picked them up at the grocery store. Little did they know that their rocky adventure was only the beginning of the cruel fate she had in store for them.

Patricia reached into the small grocery bag, grasping her fingers around the clear cylindrical container before pulling it out. The frightened men were welcomed by predatory eyes as she held them close to her face. She smiled, knowing there would be no escape for these men, unlike the debacle that happened last week. 

At the same time, the men looked on, some sitting, others standing. All of them quivered in fear as the woman eyed them like meat. They were nearly half her age and only a fraction of her size. They didn't know what she planned on doing to them, but anxiousness filled the atmosphere of their small container.

The few men standing were knocked on their feet as she moved. After a short ride of only a few seconds, they were set down again. They had no concept of a kitchen, so they were completely unaware of the implication of being set down on a countertop next to a stove. 

Behind them were several canisters and jars situated along the tiled wall. Close by was a wooden knife holder containing several knives, the blades of which were concealed in the holder. In the distance was the refrigerator. From their perspective, though, they could only see the side where various pictures and cards hung.

The men were left to observe the enormous woman as she freely walked around the massive room. It was all they could do. The walls of their container were impossible to climb, as they learned from their countless previous attempts.

Patricia carried on, putting all the groceries away while paying no mind to the live ingredients she had set down on the counter. She didn't bother stowing them away like the other food, considering she had plans for them later. Ever since the middle of the day, she knew what she wanted to cook for dinner.

Dinner plans were always tough to decide because her daughters were picky, limiting her choices. Still, she liked to mix things up every now and then. Because it had been a while since she made spaghetti, she figured that would be a good choice for dinner. Her daughters liked it, meaning she wouldn't have to hear any of their complaints. 

Once all of the groceries were put away, Patricia started preparing dinner. In the storage cabinet, she grabbed a pot for the pasta and a saucepan for the sauce. She set the empty saucepan down on the stove, leaving the burner off, and carried the pot to the sink. 

With a turn of the faucet, the pot slowly filled with water. Patricia waited patiently until it was about half full, before lugging it over to the stove. She set it on one of the burners and turned the knob of the stove all the way, setting it to the highest setting.

While the pot of water boiled, she looked around in the upper cabinets until she found a can of tomato sauce. She placed it on the counter and looked through the kitchen drawers for a can opener. Her kitchen was noticeably organized, so she found it relatively quick.

With the can opener, she struck the top edge of the tomato sauce can and proceeded to open it. The top of the can slowly peeled off, revealing the red sauce inside. When it was nearly off, she poured the sauce into the saucepan, tapping the bottom of the can to ensure everything poured out. 

Before heating the sauce, though, she needed to add some meat. Her family generally didn't have a preference between meatballs or meat sauce. Though, she liked using meat sauce because it was easier to prepare. Typically, she would use ground beef, but she wanted to spice things up.

Bending over, she opened one of the bottom cabinets. She browsed through the various kitchen utensils and tools until she found what she wanted. It was a hand-pressed food chopper, typically used to slice up fruits or vegetables. She had more creative uses for it, though. 

She pulled out the small kitchen tool and placed it on the countertop. Initially, she reached for her wooden cutting board but ultimately decided against it. Her wooden cutting board was relatively new, and she didn't want it stained with blood. Instead, she looked around for her plastic cutting board.

When she found it, she placed it on the counter. Considering it was plastic, it was easier to clean compared to wood. On the other hand, it was more susceptible to damage, as evident by the notable knife marks leftover from her previous uses.

Once everything was in place, she reached for the nearby container of men. With a slight twist of her hand, the top of the container opened. She tossed the lid to the side before reaching in and grabbing a man at random. 

The unlucky man didn't have time to react as he was plucked up between her finger and thumb. She placed him down on the plastic cutting board and then quickly positioned the hand-pressed food chopper over him. The man stood in the center, trying to process his situation, looking at the transparent walls surrounding him. Suddenly, with a simple push from Patricia's palm-

THWACK

The sharp blades of the food chopper struck the plastic cutting board, slicing the man in half in the process. Both halves of him fell in opposite directions as Patricia released her hand from the top of the device, sending the blades ascending. Drops of blood dripped down while the man lay mutilated in two separate halves. With another push from Patricia’s hand-

THWACK

The blades descended again, chopping the man into multiple pieces. The other men could only gaze at the carnage, with an uneasy feeling running through each of them. Their anxiousness grew tremendously as her hand reached into their container once again.

Apathetically, Patricia picked up another man at random. Unlike the first one, however, this man squirmed excessively, knowing what was about to potentially transpire for him. She set him down on the cutting board, inches away from the hacked corpse of the previous man. Before he knew it, the food chopper was repositioned over him. He stood shakingly, trying to think of a way to escape before-

THWACK

In an instant, the second man was sliced into two pieces, similar to the first. With a brief release of her hand, both halves of his body fell moments before-

THWACK

With another press from her hand, the man was further sliced into bits. By now, the others in the container frantically panicked after witnessing the brutal butchery committed by the woman above. Her hand loomed over them once again as she reached into their container.

With the men now running around, it made it a bit harder for Patricia to pick them up. Nevertheless, they didn't have much space to run around in. She snagged up another man with ease. He thrashed excessively in her careless grasp, much more than the previous ones. As a result, she accidentally dropped him, and he fell back into the container, landing on top of another male.

“Uh. Stay still!” Patricia whined, frustrated. She picked him up again, holding him much tighter, and placed him on the cutting board before resetting the food chopper over him.

Unlike the two previous men, the third man didn't wait around. He immediately bolted to find a way to escape. With the walls of the food chopper blocking him, he tried desperately to push and pound his way through before suddenly-

THWACK

The previously energetic man lay lifeless after having been shredded in two. One half of his body fell against the transparent walls of the food chopper, while his other half fell in the opposite direction towards the center. To ensure she had a thorough chop, Patricia slightly repositioned the device to spread out his two halves so the blades would chop him evenly.

THWACK

Like the two others, the third man was chopped into bits. Blood slowly dripped down from the blades that were now becoming more and more stained with blood. Patricia was unconcerned, knowing she'll wash it later, anyway. 

“Mom!” a voice called out. Patricia glanced briefly behind her and saw Avery enter the kitchen holding a piece of paper.

“Yes, sweetie?” Patricia asked while turning around to continue with her dinner preparation. She snatched another man from the container and placed him on the cutting board, quickly setting the food chopper over him afterward.

“Can you sign my progress report?” Avery asked, showing her mom the paper she held in her hand.

Before Patricia pushed down on the food chopper, she paused to grab the paper Avery presented her. Meanwhile, the terrified man under the device pounded hard against the walls, attempting to break free. Looking onward, he spotted the dismembered limbs of his fellow men as they were scattered across the cutting board. He knew that would be his fate if he didn't find a way out of there.

Slightly annoyed, Patricia skimmed over her daughter’s progress report. After spotting a few C's, she raised her eyebrow before deciding she would have to deal with it later. Not having the time, she handed the paper back to Avery.

“We’ll discuss this after dinner." Patricia stated with an irritable tone before resuming her previous task. "Now shoo, I’m busy cooking.” 

THWACK

The angry push from Patricia's hand cut the man in two, but the extra force she applied didn't make much difference. The blades were sharp enough to slice the man no matter how hard she pushed. Rather than taking her rage out on the man, she was only damaging her cutting board more.

"What's for dinner?" Avery asked curiously, noticing the boiling water on the stove, as well as the chopped men in front of her mother.

"Spaghetti." Patricia responded in a calmer tone before pressing down on the device again. 

THWACK

"Yes!" Avery said excitedly, unconcerned that a tiny man was just diced into pieces by her mother, before running out of the room.

With a third of the dozen done, Patricia looked at her handiwork in front of her. Numerous male limbs and appendages were scattered throughout the cutting board. With limited space to chop, she would need to sort them into a pile before continuing with the rest.

She figured a knife would be the easiest method and reached for one of the knives in the convenient holder near her. She ran the edge of the knife along the cutting board, pushing the assorted remains of the different men into one contained pile. A few splotches of blood were still smeared on the board, but she didn't care since she planned on washing it afterward.

Before chopping up the remaining men, she decided to start the burner for the tomato sauce. Turning the knob, she set the burner at a low-medium temperature and let the saucepan simmer. While the sauce warmed up, she returned to dicing up her live meat.

THWACK

Meanwhile, Claire arrived home from work, entering the front door of the house. 

THWACK

After settling in, taking off her coat...

THWACK

...removing her shoes...

THWACK

...and greeting her two daughters that were in the living room...

THWACK

...she headed to the kitchen, where she heard Patricia cooking dinner.

THWACK

When Claire entered the kitchen, she spotted Patricia in front of the counter, presumably chopping vegetables, judging from the noises she heard. Sneaking up behind her, she gave her a gentle pinch on her butt.

"Stop." Patricia smirked after being startled. Still, it wasn't enough to interrupt her dicing routine.

THWACK

"You know I can't." Claire teased as she wrapped her arms around Patricia, looking down over her shoulder to see what she was chopping. "What's for dinner?"

THWACK

"Spaghetti." Patricia answered as she grabbed another live male from the container, placing him on the cutting board before setting the food chopper over him.

THWACK

“Mmm, with your special meat sauce.” Claire grinned, spotting the chopped men on the cutting board. “Save me a few live ones.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Patricia acknowledged as Claire unwrapped her arms around her, letting her finish her task. 

THWACK

Patricia continued on...

THWACK

...nearly done with preparing the meat sauce.

THWACK

With two live men left, she figured she should save them for Claire. She had plenty of meat for the meat sauce anyway, as evident by the clump of butchered males in front of her. 

Lifting the cutting board, she dumped the gory meat into the now simmering tomato sauce, using the knife to scrape off any remains that had stuck. The slew of male limbs and appendages slowly disappeared in the thick sauce as they landed.

After setting the board back down, she grabbed a large spoon. In a counterclockwise motion, she twirled her hand to stir the pan. The remains of the men blended in with the sauce as she mixed it around, thoroughly spreading everything out.

When she was content with the mixture, she left to get the pasta. In the meantime, the two surviving men looked on from their container as she ignored them. Worry still came over them, considering what they had already witnessed. 

The two men watched as she dumped the pasta into the pot of boiling water. She didn't speak. The only sound they heard was the boiling from the water and the sizzling from the sauce. Despite being neglected by the woman for some time, they were still filled with dread.

Patricia let the sauce and pasta cook, occasionally walking away every once in a while before returning to stir one of the pots. The spaghetti noodles finished first, and she drained the pot using a colander while the meat sauce continued to simmer. 

When the meat sauce appeared fully cooked, she turned off the burner, letting it cool for a while before remembering the two live men she had set aside earlier. Wickedly, she grabbed the container and tilted it over the sauce, dumping the two men in. 

The two men landed with a splash in the thick sauce, where they quickly submerged. Frantically, they swam through the burning sauce to the surface, gasping for air as they emerged. They wailed out in distress as their skin was scorched, and they struggled to breathe while the sauce still bubbled. 

Using the spoon, Patricia mixed the sauce one final time. The men started wading around as if they were in a whirlpool. They were forced to go along with the current as she stirred the sauce, occasionally drowning them in the process. 

Indifferently, Patricia swirled the sauce around, mixing the two live males with the ten minced-up ones. Once the meat sauce seemed thoroughly mixed, she was satisfied. After letting go of the spoon, she went to grab some plates from the dinnerware cabinet.

She pulled out a stack of four plates and set them down on the countertop next to the stove. While grabbing some silverware, she shouted out to her family. “Dinner’s ready!” 

In an eager rush, Abbey and Avery raced into the kitchen, fighting to be the first one to eat. The two waited impatiently by the stove while their mother served them.

Patricia held a plate of plain spaghetti over the saucepan to ensure she wouldn't accidentally spill anything on the stove. Using a spoon, she scooped up a spoonful of meat sauce, skipping the two live males drifting around, and poured it over the spaghetti. The noodles were now covered in tomato sauce, with bits of mutilated men sprinkled about.

She prepared medium-sized servings on two separate plates and handed them off to her awaiting daughters. Hungrily, the two girls hurried to the table to eat. Meanwhile, Claire entered the kitchen, taking her time, unlike the two impatient girls chowing down at the table.

Inside the saucepan, the two males struggled to stay afloat. Gradually, they fell closer and closer to the bottom of the saucepan as Patricia kept scooping up more and more sauce. Eventually, one of the floundering men was scooped up with the spoon. 

The man rested against the silverware, buried in sauce. Moments later, he was free-falling as Patricia poured him over the plate of spaghetti. He landed in a daze on the warm pasta, and he was shortly joined by the other man as another spoonful streamed down. When the two men recomposed themselves, they immediately noticed a different woman above them who was gazing at them with preying eyes. 

Claire examined the dinner plate in front of her containing spaghetti topped with tomato sauce, bits of several men, and two whole men. Even though she enjoyed meatballs, she was just as fond of Patricia's special meat sauce. Feeling hungry, she immediately dug in.

Using her fork, she stabbed at the center of the plate. She twirled her hand, mixing the spaghetti and spreading around the meat sauce. The two men were soon engulfed by spaghetti as she twisted them around. When she finished, they were both entangled in noodles, unable to break free.

Before eating, though, Claire reached for the shaker of parmesan cheese on the table. With a few shakes of her hand, the grated cheese sprinkled over her dish. The two men were soon showered with flakes of cheese, which ended up covering most of their bodies. Gleefully, Claire began eating her delicious meal.

The dinner table soon became lively as the family chatted about their day, with occasional laughter filling the air. Little by little, their plates emptied as they consumed their dinner, making sure to catch as much meat off their plate as they could.

Claire dug her fork into her meal near one of the men. With a twirl of her hand, the entangled man was wrapped around her fork alongside some spaghetti. She brought it to her mouth and sucked the meaty pasta off the silverware, chowing down on the noodles before swallowing it. The man was sent down her throat to be digested whole.

Clairie much preferred whole men compared to the tiny pieces of the chopped-up ones. They offered more kick to the taste, and she would definitely have to tell Patricia that the next time she cooked spaghetti. Using her hand, she wiped off any sauce that had ended up on her lips before digging her fork near the other man. 

When the family finished eating, they tossed their empty dishes in the sink and then dispersed throughout the house, except for Patricia. She was left to clean up.

Patricia turned on the sink faucet and rinsed off the plates and silverware before tossing them in the dishwasher. Then, she looked at the leftovers her family hadn't eaten. There were some noodles left, as well as a few scoops of meat sauce. 

She grabbed the colander of spaghetti noodles and walked over to the garbage before tossing the noodles into the trash. Then, she grabbed the saucepan and headed to the sink, where she washed the meat sauce down the drain, observing the few bits of mutilated men left over as it flowed in the sink.

Last on her list was to clean off the cutting board and food chopper. She grabbed both of them and made her way over to the sink. Using soap and water, she cleaned off the blood from her kitchen tools, erasing any evidence of the massacre that took place that night.