Amongst the papers on the floor, Michael comes across a letter Maggie had written for him. It's her goodbye letter. Repeating Maggie's words "but now it's too late" he scrunches up the note and throws it at her motionless torso. Laughing as he stands up and starts talking to Maggie's unconscious body. "You were never going to leave me, you know you will never do that." He looks out the window and sees the pigs out in the muddy backyard grunting, hungry for food. He drags Maggie by the feet to the patio doors that lead to the pig pen. He rolls her body towards the gates and unlocks the bolt. Shooing the pigs from him and pulls her from under her arms letting her head crash back to the ground again; he leaves her there and runs out of the pen locking it as he hears all sixteen pigs begin feasting.
Like returning from the dead, Maggie wakes up as the pigs chew threw her clothes to her flesh, screaming "Michael help me!!" She struggles to get away as she continues to wail, unable to move quickly enough from these seven-hundred-pound hogs. She loses her fight. In her final moments, she watches Michael's face in the kitchen window, stare emotionless.
Within under ten minutes, Maggie's soul slowly drifts from her existence to no longer on the Earth side. Malicious, callous Micheal sits in the living room, he had no words. He sat in silence shaking his legs as he reimagines his now deceased wife being eaten by pigs while still breathing, hearing her shout his name starts to haunt him. Feeling tormented he heads upstairs and packs up her clothes in a suitcase. Packing up her toiletries he makes it look as though she was on her way out but leaves her belongings behind, throwing bags down one by one and soon the suitcase slid down too hitting the wooden floorboards. He follows them down and picks her phone up from the kitchen seeing her last conversation with Anne was from earlier but the message had only just been delivered, he is now on a countdown to her arrival. He throws the phone on the couch and lifts the laptop from under the coffee table. He types, trying his best to impersonate his once living Maggie.
Dear Mike,
I am leaving you. I have booked a plane ticket to get away from you for good.
Maggie.
A short note, with little time he pretends to worry, as though he has no idea where she could be, and rings Anne. Knowing she is already on her way. "What do you want?" Anne asks in a nasty tone. "Maggie has left me, she's got a plane ticket but I don't know where she has gone, she left her bags," he says out of breath. Anne doesn't believe him and she replies "would you blame her, it's about time she got out of there away from you" unhelpful as deserved she throws a few more hurtful and sly digs at him. Michael snaps "I get it Anne, my wife is now fucking gone. I don't know where and I don't know the duration of this last-minute runaway she's decided to just take off on so will you come here and tell me where the hell she is!" He puts an act on to manipulate his sister-in-law. "I will be over in fifthteen minutes, but my god Michael, if you have hurt her I will make sure you regret it! She says sternly ending the call. He smiles putting the phone down. His plan worked perfectly up to now he just needs to tidy everywhere. He gets towels to collect the glass, and bin bags for the cans, a cloth of disinfectant for the puddle of Maggie's blood from when he hit her over the head. He unscrews the broken cupboards and throws them in the bags too once everywhere was cleaned up he disposed of them in the boot of the car in the garage. so no suspicion where Anne is concerned.
Anne appears walking through the gates and approaching the front door. "It's open!' " Michael calls. She steps in to see not a thing out of place in the living room. "I don't know what you're planning on here Michael but I don't think she's left" Anne states. He shows her the note that had been typed up on the laptop. "What is this?" She asks bluntly. She reads it, playing bluff to catch Michael in his act of the caring husband he will never be, she acts on shaking in worry and watches Michael pasting back and forth like he had a secret to tell. "When did she leave?'"She asks "this morning, she didn't tell me where she was going she just left in a rush. All her belongings were left behind including her phone," he says offering Anne her sister's phone. "She changed her mind on the shopping trip. I figured she was just going to you" he gulps loudly.
In the kitchen, Anne inspects, the strong smell of disinfectant, the washing machine on with forty minutes left, the smashed window, he clearly forgot about sent shivers down her spine and then finally she refocusses her eyes to see the pigs out in the drenched pen. The rain stopped but everywhere is sludge. Trying to come to terms with the fact her sister is now missing, and her brother-in-law is acting strange everything is tidy but something, obviously happened with the giant hole in the glass window of the kitchen. "Did she get the hogs' food from the farmers' market?" She asks curiously with her arms foldeded. Michael clears his throat as he walks through to the kitchen to answer her. "Er no, she didn't. She must have forgotten". He ends the conversation fast as he puts his shoes and coat on. "Where are you going?" She asks concerned, "just nipping outside to the shed to see if there's any in there and if not I'll go out and grab some". He acts as though everything is fine. Anne raises incredulity and pursues l behind him. She heads past the pigs and looks to see what they are sniffing around. What can only be strands of blonde hair, as they move away she gestures with her hands towards her face as she stands in pure dread.
Paranoid when he sees Anne staring at the pigs he shouts her name to get her attention, but she remains spineless. He gets closer and taps her on the shoulder, she spins in a rapid sharp movement, her face pale and shaking, as she looks Michael dead in the face "you friggin killed her didn't you" she says as tears race down her face one after another "what?!" Acting as if she was being absurd in her accusations. Getting louder she repeats herself again making him turn edgy. She knows he isn't denying it. He underestimated her. He says walking back towards the shed "now that is just crazy talk Anne, why would I do that she's my wife" he tries to reason but Anne stands her ground " all it takes is three numbers in my phone Michael and you are gone for good" he openly admits the horror he put his wife through watching her be left for the pigs he threatens "you will be next if you don't shut up Anne!"
He pulls out a mallet and wacks her from behind. Dropping the heavy weapon he pulls her body into the shed. Apologizing for having no other option he says "I couldn't just let you run your mouth, Anne!" Bolting the shed door locked. He races past the pig pen and looks over to see Maggie's teeth half chewed scattered over the muddy pen. He mumbled "no proof is no proof she's got nothing on me" he enters the pig pen fast and collects the teeth and hair. Gripping them tight, he takes a moment to think what if Anne broke out of the shed she will still remember what happened, and she will go to the police. It doesn't take him long to convince himself letting the pigs lose wouldn't be such a bad thing. Out loud he tells himself " If anyone was to come up to the house they would see what looks like a freak accident. Anne was in the shed and the gate was not on the hatch properly and they broke loose. Starving hogs feast on anything meaty". Fully conceded in his plan. He knows he now needs to elude and disguise. He grabs Anne's car key and leaves the house as it is.
A Half drank cup of tea. Handbag on the couch with two mobile phones Anne's and the other being Maggie's. The suitcases were ready to go and the letter on the laptop was left on.
Leaving late in the evening, Michael keeps driving and doesn't stop.