The Ones Below

As Kate (Kate) and Justin's lives were transformed by the impending arrival of their first child, they found themselves at a crossroads with their new neighbors, Jon and Theresa. The two couples forged an initial connection over dinner, but beneath the surface, a complex web of emotions was beginning to unravel. Kate and Justin had longed for parenthood for ten years before deciding to take the leap, while Jon and Theresa had been struggling in vain for seven years to bring their own child into the world.

As the evening wore on, it became apparent that Jon and Theresa were not just dealing with the disappointment of yet another failed attempt at conception, but also grappling with a deep sense of longing and loss. The tension in the air was palpable as Theresa, who had been sipping wine under the guise of abstinence, felt an overwhelming sense of unease and made a hasty exit down the stairs. Her sudden departure would prove to be a turning point in their relationship, marked by a devastating loss that would leave an indelible mark on all involved.

As Kate and Justin welcomed their new arrival, Billy, into the world, they were met with a mixture of well-wishes and thinly veiled resentment from Jon and Theresa. The latter's absence was explained away by a cryptic note, hinting at a need for emotional healing before they could return to the fold. As Kate navigated motherhood with her partner, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease in the face of Jon and Theresa's continued involvement in their lives.

Theresa's motherly instincts seemed to be on high alert as she offered to babysit, allowing Kate to steal away for some much-needed me-time. But beneath the surface, Theresa was quietly nurturing her own maternal desires, taking steps that would ultimately blur the lines between reality and fantasy. As Kate began to notice a series of strange occurrences, including an adult's breathing emanating from the baby monitor and the discovery of an overflowing bathtub, she couldn't shake the feeling that Jon and Theresa were hiding something.

Kate's growing unease culminated in a clandestine mission to observe her neighbors, whereupon she stumbled upon Theresa's secret stash of photos featuring Billy. The evidence was damning: a camera filled with images of the infant, as well as a nursery meticulously prepared for the little one. As Kate brought Justin up to speed on her findings, it became clear that Jon and Theresa had been playing a long game, one that would ultimately lead to a devastating confrontation that would leave all parties involved forever changed.

As Justin toiled away in his home office, the monotony of his daily routine was suddenly disrupted by an unexpected summons from the corporate headquarters. Obliged to respond to the alleged crisis, he hastily departed, leaving behind a small but significant reminder for Kate - a container of milk that would soon take on a profound significance. Unbeknownst to him, this seemingly innocuous gesture would serve as a harbinger of the devastating events that were about to unfold.

Upon arriving at the office, Justin was met with an unsettling surprise: there was no emergency to speak of. The only notification he received was a curt email from Kate, her apologetic tone piercingly evident in its brevity - "so sorry." Inexplicably jolted by this enigmatic message, Justin hastened his return home, where the unthinkable awaited him. Upon entering their flat, he discovered Kate's lifeless body submerged in the bathwater, a tragic conclusion that seemed to be the direct result of her desperate attempt to cope with the darkness that had consumed her.

The full extent of the tragedy was only gradually revealed through the fragments of memory that emerged like shards of shattered glass. Theresa and Jon, once seemingly ordinary individuals, had conspired against Kate, their malevolent intent hidden behind a veil of milk and manipulation. The email that Justin received, sent from Kate's laptop by none other than Jon himself, served as a chilling reminder of the depths to which his friends would stoop.

As the truth slowly came to light, it became clear that Theresa, now dressed in Kate's own attire, had callously discarded a bundle - not a baby, but rather their own feline companion - into the nearby canal. The gravity of this discovery was tempered only by the realization that Kate and Justin's cat had shared a fate eerily reminiscent of their own.

In the aftermath of this devastating revelation, Justin became consumed by grief, his sense of security shattered beyond repair. His friends, Jon and Theresa, had long since vanished from his life, leaving behind only the faintest whisper of their existence - the baby, Peter, now a constant reminder of the darkness that lurked beneath their seemingly idyllic façade.