We Buried the Monster in Bread / Chapter 3: No Justice, Only Grief
We Buried the Monster in Bread

We Buried the Monster in Bread

Author: Megan James

Chapter 3: No Justice, Only Grief

← Prev
Next →

After Lily’s tragedy made the rounds, neighbors came to me, demanding Caleb’s address, voices sharp with anger. “We’ll teach that brat a lesson—he can’t just get away with this!” Mrs. O’Brien hissed. But the police warned me: “You dox that family, and you’ll be the one with a summons, not them.”

Days later, Natalie showed up at my shop, clutching a wad of tissues, hands shaking so hard she dropped her keys. “They’re saying there’s nothing more they can do,” she choked out, mascara streaking her cheeks. Caleb was under twelve—untouchable by the law. My disbelief was total. Justice seemed like a TV fantasy now, not something for our world.

Natalie’s voice broke mid-sentence. “Even if I sue, the DA won’t take the case. All I can do is file a civil suit… but who can give me justice for my daughter?” She sobbed so hard her nose bled, staining the tissues pink. My wife wrapped her in a side hug, offering what little comfort she could.

What made it worse: Caleb’s parents never apologized. They dodged her calls, even when the police tried to mediate. “They won’t even come out on the porch when we stop by,” one officer told me. “It’s like they hope it’ll just blow over.”

My wife brought Natalie soup, pressing a mug into her trembling hands. “We’re all moms. Sometimes there’s nothing anyone can do. Just… try to remember Lily with love.”

Natalie slumped on our couch, shoulders shaking. “I hear my child crying every night. My heart feels like it’s been stabbed a dozen times…”

We gently encouraged her: “Let’s bring Lily home. One step at a time.”

The memorial was held in Natalie’s bakery. The scent of yeast and lilies mingled as neighbors dropped off casseroles and condolence cards. Someone quietly stacked plastic cups, a kid chased a balloon, and an old man muttered a prayer over his coffee. A neighbor mowed the lawn in silence; someone tied a pink ribbon around a tree for Lily.

During the reception, Mr. Sanders blamed Natalie: “Should’ve watched her better.” He was instantly shouted down. “Let’s see you last a day with a toddler and still run a business, huh?” Mrs. Kim snapped. “Try taking a toddler to the bathroom every hour!”

Big Mike scowled. “If this happened to me, I’d tear that little monster apart, jail or not. Natalie deserves better.”

We stayed to help—stacking chairs, wiping tables, handing out cookies. My daughter played quietly at the door, tracing circles on the linoleum, unusually subdued.

When I called her over, she grinned and showed me chocolate stuck to her teeth—a treat we never let her have. “Did Aunt Natalie give that to you?” I asked.

She shook her head. “The big brother gave it to me.”

A bolt of panic shot through me. “Which big brother?”

“The one who took Lily. He said Lily didn’t finish these chocolates, so he gave them to me.”

My heart pounded. I felt the sudden urge to check her for symptoms, already fumbling for my phone, ready to Google poison control.

This chapter is VIP-only. Activate membership to continue.
← Prev
Next →

You may also like

The Goat Demon Wants My Soul
The Goat Demon Wants My Soul
4.7
When Grandpa butchers the family's beloved goat to feed a mysterious, starving visitor, our mountain home turns into a nightmare. Grandma begs me not to eat a single bite, warning that something evil is coming—and when a feral woman with goat eyes arrives, Grandpa forces me into a deadly bargain. If I speak a word or break the rules, the demon in the guest room will devour me before dawn.
I Became the Witch’s Next Body
I Became the Witch’s Next Body
4.8
Monsters don’t always hide under the bed—sometimes they pass the potatoes. Eden’s family secret was simple: never reveal what you are, not even when they chain you in a cage and slaughter your parents for sport. Trapped in a Southern mansion ruled by a sadistic witch and her monstrous father, Eden becomes a living experiment, a vessel for bloodthirsty bugs and human cruelty. But monsters aren’t always born—they’re made, and vengeance is just another family tradition. As Eden’s body is shattered and remade, she plots the ultimate reversal: a swap that will turn predator into prey. In a world where the dead refuse to rest, and the living feed on each other’s fear, who will claim the next body—and who will burn for the sins of the past? When monsters wear human faces, can you trust your own reflection?
Eaten Alive by Monsters for Immortality
Eaten Alive by Monsters for Immortality
4.8
With only months left to live, a cancer-stricken man leaps to his death—only to wake up in a world of monsters hungry for his flesh. To survive, he must outwit demons who believe eating a 'preacher' brings immortality, using nothing but his chemistry smarts and a desperate will to live. Every lie, every scheme, is a gamble: if he fails, he'll end up roasted on their spit.
Grandma Came Back Hungry
Grandma Came Back Hungry
4.9
Death never scared my family—until the day Grandma died and a stray cat brought her back. In Maple Heights, rumors fly faster than the autumn leaves, and nothing sets tongues wagging like a resurrection in broad daylight. Now, as ghost stories and Appalachian folklore collide on our front porch, my paralyzed grandma is walking, the neighbors are whispering about zombies, and Mom is laying down lines of rice to test the truth. But when Grandma’s hunger returns—and the kids start seeing fangs in the dark—one family dinner might turn into our last. Is blood thicker than superstition, or have we invited something into our home that won’t let us go? How do you save the ones you love when they come back…wrong?
He Came Home With the Black Sack
He Came Home With the Black Sack
4.9
Some secrets won’t stay buried—especially when they come clawing up from the dark. When Eli’s grandfather dies under mysterious, violent circumstances, a tattered notebook reveals the truth: something monstrous was unleashed in the haunted coal mine decades ago, and it’s never stopped hunting. Now Eli is the only one willing to face the curse that shattered his family. As cryptic warnings, ghostly apparitions, and chilling messages begin to invade his life, Eli must decide whether to dig deeper into the mine’s nightmare—or run before he becomes the next to vanish. What really happened underground, and why is the terror following him home? The answers are buried in darkness... but some doors, once opened, can never be closed.
Buried Alive by My Childhood Friends
Buried Alive by My Childhood Friends
4.7
Twenty years ago, Caleb and his friends sealed the mayor’s grandson inside a forgotten well—and swore never to speak of it. Now, as developers threaten to unearth their secret, his old friends turn on him, trapping him in the same well to keep the past buried. Betrayed, tortured, and left for dead, Caleb claws his way back for revenge, ready to make them pay for every scar.
The Dead Tenant in Apartment 7B
The Dead Tenant in Apartment 7B
4.7
Alex thought the worst thing about the seventh-floor duplex was the lack of an elevator—until rumors of ghostly wails, swarming flies, and a hidden breaker hinted at a deadly secret. As a friend weighs moving in, Alex uncovers a chilling mystery: a body concealed somewhere within the apartment’s walls, its presence masked by lies and a landlord desperate to keep the past buried. In a city where secrets fester like summer flies, will the truth finally claw its way out?
Don’t Open the Door: Old Mo Is Here
Don’t Open the Door: Old Mo Is Here
4.7
Trapped in a snowbound house, Natalie and her uncle are hunted by Old Mo—a monster from childhood nightmares who wears the skin of loved ones and mimics their voices. Every knock could be a family reunion… or the end. One wrong move, and Old Mo will devour them all, leaving nothing but empty skins behind.
Buried Beneath Her Bed
Buried Beneath Her Bed
4.9
Derek Foster built a secret bed to hide beneath the woman he’s obsessed with, craving the intimacy she’ll never willingly give. But when her fiancé enters the picture, Derek’s obsession spirals into violence—and a gruesome, claustrophobic nightmare. Now, trapped with a rotting corpse and his sanity slipping, Derek realizes too late that love and madness are only a heartbeat apart.
Trapped in the Golden Bowl: The Odyssey Game
Trapped in the Golden Bowl: The Odyssey Game
4.7
Waking up in a blood-soaked church basement, I’m forced to play priest to three monstrous strangers—each hiding a deadly hunger and a secret agenda. The rules of survival are twisted: obey the wrong command and you’re meat, but refuse and you break the code, risking a fate worse than death. Now, trapped inside a cursed golden bowl, I must outwit the cannibals and the false Redeemer, all while hiding the truth—I’m not the real Father, and one wrong move will expose me to slaughter.
Buried My Daughter Alive for My Son's Future
Buried My Daughter Alive for My Son's Future
4.7
Twenty years ago, I locked my daughter in a cabinet and walked away, haunted by guilt ever since. Now, with my son's high-society wedding on the line, the past claws its way back—my daughter's voice echoing from the grave, demanding to be found. If I can’t face the horror I buried, my family’s future—and my soul—may be lost forever.
Claimed by the Monster Groom
Claimed by the Monster Groom
4.9
Abandoned, scapegoated, and used as bait, Jason Reed is the team’s unwanted outcast—until a fatal leap delivers him into the arms of a monstrous suitor. As betrayal deepens and the poison in his veins spreads, Jason must decide whether to fight for survival or surrender to a love that’s not quite human. In this deadly game, who will save Jason’s soul: the team that never wanted him, or the monster who calls him bride?