Chapter 04

Donovan

After sometime of dwelling in a ghoulish nightmare, you will eventually become desensitized to it. This type of numbing can come in many kind of situation. From being a rookie soldier out in the middle of a heated battle, or being an underwater welder with the thought of Delta P frequently crossing your mind, the knowledge of knowing your life can swiftly be taken away is a haunting one. Although, you will become numb to it at some point. Even the sighting of death’s face after a while can make the most timid of creatures unwary of what’s to come. But this is different. Whatever kind of situation I’m in is the kind where your life is already taken. I’m still alive, but now I wish I wasn’t. That’s not the first time that kind of thought crossed my mind.

I walked out from the bathroom and attempted to close the door gently behind me but forgot how heavy the damn thing was. It made a noticeable loud clank sound that made everyone turn and look at me. It was one of those awkward moments where you didn’t want to spark any attention towards yourself. I failed tremendously.

“Oh Donovan, I presume everything is okay with you now,” Said Mr. Plague. “I hope Samantha eased your mind well enough. She is exceptionally good at that.”

Braxton quickly interjected. “Yeah she’s a hoot. A little cynical from what I hear but definitely has good intentions.”

“Listen…I appreciate everyone’s…hospitality, but I need to get the hell out of here. I won’t tell anyone about this.” That was a shitty thing for me to do. Bargaining with these freaks seems to put me on a similar level as them, if not lower. But it’s the only thing a decently intelligent person would do if their back was pushed up against the wall. Anyone would do it.

Mr. Plague gave me a creepy yet sounding response. “Oh, no one would believe you anyways.”

“What makes you say that? I’ve told people plenty of unbelievable stories in my work place before.”

“Now Donovan, do you think anyone would believe your story of meeting me and my subordinates in a cabin in the middle of the woods? Your story has no bases and frankly, you would sound crazy to them for even mentioning it. How would that effect your professional relations with your co-workers? You would be committing to an act of suicide if acted upon. This isn't the first time my clients did such an act.”

He was right. If I even were to go out to my office bring attention to this, I would only bring attention to my mental state. For someone dressed up like a sadistic butcher, he’s quite intelligent. Maybe his clients before me tried to do the same thing but didn’t get anywhere. I could only wonder if their even alive to this day. I don’t want to be another statistic.

“Your clients before me…where are they now?”

He paused before answering to most likely think on it. Needless to say, it made me uncomfortable. “Hmm, some of them are still alive but a majority of them are dead now.”

“I wonder why.” Fuck, that wasn’t the best choice of words right now. I’m already walking on thin ice as it is.

“Oh my, you think I was the reasoning for their passing now don’t you?”

“From what I can tell, it all seems to point to you.”

“No, I’ve merely done away with the useless and more rebellious bunch. The rest seem to have died by themselves on their own accords.”

“That’s an unsettling way for a conclusion. Where are the rest right now? Are they just wondering around or something?

He gave me yet another brief pause. I’ve notice one thing with this guy; he is hyper analytical. I don’t know what he could possibly be thinking about when he blankly stares at me but it all seems to be carefully selected words he picks. Shit, maybe it’s my occupation that causes him to tread lightly. But I would say he’s in a better situation than I am right now. He has nothing to fear from what I’ve gathered.

He finally spoke. “Yes, some are in your city as we speak. They seem to have caused quite a commotion from what I have read from the newspapers.”

I already have a slew of questions to ask him now. For one, who the hell delivers this guy the newspaper? But the most important one that struck a chord in me was when he said they’re roaming around in my city. I have no idea as to what these experiments are and what they’re currently doing, but if it has ties to him I could possibly find a way to scout them out. Now that I think about it, these things could be tied to those grotesque sightings of mutilated people. I know I can put an end to the rampant devoured bodies found all over and the suburban families’ homes being broken into and being beaten to death. All of these tie back to this piece of shit.

“Would you care to elaborate more on that topic?” I said.

“No.”

“What? Well why the hell not? Seems like important information.”

“I know what you are after detective.” Shit, he’s addressing me by my job title now. Now he’s trying to make a point. “My clients you oh-so want to seek after are not the ones you would want to meet face to face. You see, they are a…murderous bunch.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly why you should tell me where they are! I need to stop these freaks from walking around my city.” He slowly tilted his head down and shook it in disappointment.

“Oh you mortals and your misguided morals. What means do you know that will apprehend them? They are beyond your understanding and they dwell between this world and the other world. Any form of tactic you devise will quickly be rendered useless. I would advise against pursuing as of now.”

“So what, I just sit here and let all of this shit happen around me?”

“As of now…yes.”

I can’t believe this condescending asshole. There is no way in hell I’ll just sit here and let all of this madness blow up around me. I don’t care what he says; I’ll find a way of getting rid of these serial killers. But finding a way to get out of here is probably the first thing I need to solve.

I steadily located the entrance door I came in through earlier. Weirdly, it appears farther than before. I don’t know if that’s just my anxiousness getting the better of me, but it sure as hell will make the walk towards the door that much more irritating. I can’t just stand and walk out though. I need to tread lightly with this guy. After being around him for this period of time, I would normally be able to decipher his motives and natural habits. Yet...I can’t. His posture has remained the same since he opened that door. Upright, hands in a nonthreatening cuffed position, and a slight forward tilt of the head looking down towards you because of his abnormal large stature. A mix-match of emotions comes off from him but I can’t let him know I’m fazed. I just got to get out of here safely.

“You wish to leave?” Well that caught me off-guard. It was as if he was already reading my mind. No. I’m sure my posture is screaming all kinds of uncomfortable signals right now.

“Yeah…I want out.”

“Your request is granted. Now, I’m not sure when I will need you again but I’ll be sure to call whenever the time is right.”

“Call? What do you mean call? You’re saying you want me to come back to this place?” In no fucking way am I coming back. I don’t care how many times he calls for me. How the hell would he even call for me anyways? I don’t see anything here that remotely resembles a phone.

“Yes. Whenever I need you, I’ll summon you back. Now, don’t move too much. I’ll send you back home now.”

“Wait! What the hell are you going on about?! I don’t wa-.” He then raised his hands, in a hasty manner, and proceeded with two thunderous claps that pierced my ears to ringing.

                   *CLAP CLAP*

Darkness quickly enveloped my vision before I could understand what happened. My body feels as though it has melted, disintegrated, and then evaporated over a thousand times within seconds. It was the most unpleasant, yet satisfying feeling that I ever experienced. Nothing in the world could describe the amount of flowing energy coming in and out of my body; although, it didn’t last forever. I’ve started to come to and retain my fleeting eyesight moments before. It was still dark but I could make out more of what was around me. A ceiling? Yeah, it’s a ceiling, but most notably it resembles mine. The crackled beige paint heavily highlighted with the strong midnight blue tint from outside the window. I’m back in my apartment. How I got here was clear as day for me. That…person somehow sent me back here. I can’t even think of what the hell to call him. I can’t even think of what to call the experience I just had. All I know is that I need answers before I somehow go back. But who would possibly know anymore about this guy?

“......…Sebastian…”