Chapter 24

The sight before him chills him to the bone. If before his hands had been shaking, he was now trembling all over, rivulets of sweat running down his back. He tries to turn away, to close his eyes, anything to get rid of the scene before him, but he finds his body isn't answering; he is completely paralyzed.

Baz turns to look in the direction of Kit's gaze. "What–" he stops when his eyes land on the sight a few metres in front of them. He sucks in a sharp breath. "This… This can't– It can't be real…!" his voice comes out hoarse.

The ghosts, if they even can be called ghosts, are everywhere, walking (more like floating) back and forth from one end of the room to the other. There's dozens of them, too many to make out. Just like Aster had said, their bodies are completely deformed; it would be impossible to try and decipher who they were in life. The skin looks like it's been shredded off, hanging off in parts and exposing the muscle and bone underneath. Some of them are missing limbs, the place where it cuts off looking as if it had been sawed off instead of detached in one motion. Others have gaping holes where the surrounding flesh has become a raw, bloody mess. One of them has a hole in their side, from where his guts are spilling out on the floor and trailing behind them like some sort of grotesque tail. They are desperately clutching their side, to try and keep their insides from spilling out completely or simply in pain is anyone's guess. Others have holes in their heads or faces, the blood coming down in torrents across their whole bodies. But all of them, even those whose features have been so disfigured it is impossible to tell if they still have mouths, are screaming, crying out in pain and clutching and tearing at their bodies, as if somehow, that will lessen their suffering.

It's like a scene pulled directly from Hell, the poor, tortured souls writhing and howling in pain, thei bodies maimed and their blood tainting the ground red. If he tries, he can imagine the flames dancing around them.

"What the hell…? What is this?!" Baz takes a shaky step backwards. "Kit… Kit, say it can't be real!"

Kit feels like the words have died in his throat. Like they're suffocating him, yet it's also like he's looking at himself from outside his body, helpless to do anything. He opens his mouth, but no sound will come out. Finally, after what feels like an eternity (but it's probably just a few seconds) "...It-" his voice is barely above a whisper. That is all he manages to get out before he feels his throat closing off. He tries again, managing to do so through sheer force of will, "It… It's real."

The atmosphere immediately turns heavy. Kit's words have made the reality of the situation finally sink in.

"You– This– I–" Baz stumbles over his own words. "How?!" He clutches his head. "How can it be real?!"

"I… I don't know." Kit feels like he's trapped in a daze.

"These… people… How did they– What happened to them?"

"I don't know."

"Are they dead? They must be, no? They couldn't possibly be alive in that state. But then… How can they still feel pain? They're screaming, they're obviously in agony. But their bodies are gone, there's nothing for them to feel pain with. This– This is too…"

Baz doesn't need to say the rest of that sentence for Kit to understand. It's unnatural. There's no way this should be possible. Who could possibly be responsible for this? What kind of person must they be? There is absolutely no way they could be human.

"What are we going to do?! Damn those two for leaving us to deal with this! " Baz is close to starting to pull his hair out. "More importantly, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

"Stop saying I don't know! Can't you say something else?"

"I don't–"

Baz slaps him again. "Shut up! If you won't say anything other than 'I don't know' just shut your mouth!"

A few steps behind them, Dog barks, its ears perked up, as if it had sensed something just now. Kit had frankly forgotten it was here.

"Aster?" Baz whips his head around. He kneels in front of Dog, forcing it to look into his eyes. "Aster! You have to do something! Come back! You need– Ack!" Dog licks his face, and Baz quickly lets go of it.

Dog barks again and starts walking towards the ghosts.

"Dog! Dog, don't leave!" Baz sprints after it, leaving Kit with no option but to do the same.

Kit mentally braces himself to dive headfirst into the throng of deceased souls. But instead, Dog seems to be opening a path amidst all the chaos. The golden glow around Dog has transformed into a halo, which seems to repel the ghosts. It is walking among the souls with its head held high, showing absolutely no fear.

When they notice this, both Baz and him draw closer to Dog, flanking him on each side.

Kit still feels somewhat dazed, his legs barely holding him up from how much they're shaking; each step feels like an impossibly difficult task. The surface underneath his feet feels wet with half-dried blood, making his shoes stick to the floor with each step. He gags internally, thinking about where the blood came from. He has no idea what Dog is trying to do or where it is taking them, all he knows is if he sticks close to it, the ghosts won't come close. But being between all of them, he can now see their appearance up close, the details he hadn't been able to notice before coming into full focus. All the carnage and blood somehow become even more gruesome; he can see the exact places where the skin has been lacerated, the exact way it bled and was torn off the bodies.

Kit shuts his eyes. It's too much. If he were to continue looking, he doubts he could find the courage to keep going. He doubts he might even be able to stay sane. He draws even closer to Dog, so its fur is brushing against his pant leg as they walk. In all the mayhem, he has left the crutches discarded at the entrance of the building, and is simply walking normally. (Some part of him, way in the back of his mind, he hopes this won't affect the recovery period.)

Maybe it's his imagination, but he feels like the smell of dead meat is growing stronger. It might also be because they are deeper into the slaughterhouse.

"What–" he can hear Baz start asking. "Where are you going?" The question must obviously be directed at Dog because Kit is only letting himself be guided; he's not going anywhere.

Kit opens his eyes a small fraction, to see what it is Dog's doing that made Baz question it.

They are headed towards an industrial curtain at the back of the room, which must surely lead to another room. He hadn't noticed it before, his mind too preoccupied with the ghosts to take note of the fact there must be other areas of the slaughterhouse.

Why are they going in this direction? Kit has to also wonder. He thought Dog was simply going to lead them to the centre of the room they're currently in so he could draw the purification array. But it doesn't seem to be the case. Perhaps there's even more ghosts in the rest of the place and Dog is leading them to the middle of the whole building.

But as they draw closer to the curtain, even Dog starts looking uneasy. Its hackles are slightly raised, and it's baring its teeth just the most minimal amount. If even Dog, who had been unfazed at the sight of the ghosts, is anxious of whatever lies behind this curtain, it probably isn't ghosts what is awaiting them.

It's probably something worse.

When they've reached the curtains, Dog stops in front of them, refusing to continue.

"D-dog?" Baz's voice is shaking with fear, and he keeps glancing around in all directions frantically. "What are you–"

At that moment, Dog growls, baring all its teeth. It shakes its head, barks a few times, before it goes back to growling.

"Do you want us to go in there?!" Baz sounds like he's getting strangled.

Kit's entire body starts shaking uncontrollably, his knees knocking together and his teeth chattering. "You- YOU CAN'T!" he shouts. Baz seems shocked at his outburst. So far he has been like a walking corpse, not uttering a single sound. But the sheer terror at the thought of facing whatever is behind has made him react. "You can't expect us to–" he chokes on the last part of the sentence.

Dog just shakes its head again, pawing at the ground, as if it too were hesitant to go in. It sneezes once, and then, in the blink of an eye, it disappears behind the curtain.

Baz yelps. "Dog!" He grinds his teeth, not wanting to follow it, yet not wanting to be left alone behind.

Now that Dog is gone, the ghosts start drawing closer. Their presence makes the temperature around them drop. Kit feels chills running down his spine. From either terror or the cold, he can't tell.

He pulls at Baz's sleeve. "Baz."

"What is it?"

Kit opens his mouth, his lips form the letters, but no sounds come out. It feels like his tongue has turned to lead. He had barely managed to form that one single word before. Still, he must make an effort. The ghosts are getting closer every minute, threatening to overrun them. He must do something; he must speak. His hands grow clammy with sweat the more effort he exerts. "We…" he croaks out, "should… follow…it."

"Follow Dog?" It's a miracle how Baz manages to hear him.

Kit nods.

"Are you for real?!"

Kit nods again.

"You can't be serious! Have you lost your mind?!" Baz shakes him by the shoulders. "How do you know that whatever is behind those curtains won't kill us?!"

"Baz."It's all he can manage to say, but he knows Baz can understand the message beneath that simple word.

"You've gone crazy if you think I'll go in there just like that! You can go in there by yourself!"

Kit can see, and feel, the ghosts getting closer. He can't… He can't just stay here. He can't bear it. To have those gruesome spectres go through him… He will die before he allows that to happen. "Baz." His tone is more desperate this time.

He grabs Kit by the front of his shirt, the fabric bunching together in his fist. "No! No, I won't! I refuse to go to my death!"

The ghosts are so close Kit can feel the cold air directly down his neck, and he knows Baz can feel it too. He shuts his eyes so tightly it hurts. He tries again, one last time. "Baz." He's practically begging.

"You…" Baz tightens his grip on Kit's shirt, bringing them closer. Their faces are mere inches apart now. They're so close, that if Kit were to open his eyes, he would be able to count the number of eyelashes on Baz's face. He can feel the warm air from Baz's exhales hitting his face, and judging from their frequency, his breathing sounds as if it has grown laboured.

Kit is probably in no better state. He can feel his own breathing coming in shallow gasps, his jaw clenched shut to stop his teeth from clacking against each other. At this rate, his teeth are going to be ground into fine dust. He doesn't know if the wild thumping is his own heart or Baz's. Perhaps it is a mix of both.

A few tense seconds pass before Kit hears Baz sigh. "...Fine," Baz relents, letting go of him.

Kit almost cries in relief. Still, he remains paralyzed, unable to open his eyes. Fear has gotten too strong a grip on him, and his body can no longer respond.

Baz sighs again. He grabs Kit's arm and pulls him behind himself through the curtain. The plastic brushes past their faces as they step through, dropping limply behind afterwards.

As soon as they're through, the relief Kit feels is all encompassing. He drops to his knees, his legs finally giving out. Gone is the cold, gripping terror of ghostly hands reaching towards him. The screams can still be heard, but they have become more muffled.

He can feel Baz also collapsing next to him. Baz makes a gagging noise. "Oh god…" Instead of sounding relieved, his tone sounds horrified. "What the fuck is this…?"

Kit's eyes fly open. In front of him, there are several machines and conveyor lines. The metal rails overhead stretch all the way into this room, but there are no animals hanging from these hooks. Most of the machines are obviously meant for cutting. (Who would have imagined so many cutting tools were needed? In here, there's at least five different machines solely for this purpose.) This must be the packaging area of the slaughterhouse.

The place is empty; there are no animals, but the sight in front of him makes him retch.

He can't– It's too much–

He throws up, not stopping until his abdomen hurts and tears have sprung in his eyes. And even then, he can't stop. He keeps dry-heaving; there is nothing left in his stomach but his body won't snap out of the shock.

There is blood smeared over every inch of the place, even having splattered to the ceiling and the floor seems to have been watered with it. But what makes him sick are the corpses. (If they can even be called corpses.) On the floor, on the conveyor belts, even on the work tables, they're strewn all across the room. They have been completely mutilated, to the point where they are unrecognisable as having been human once. Instead, they look more like piles of goo, the flesh looking as if it had been cut over and over again, with only the bones still remaining in their original state. From the carnage, a finger sticking out can be seen. Farther away, there's an eyeball with the veins still attached, as if it had been forcibly pulled out of the skull. Other body parts, which have avoided complete deformation, are scattered around.

Now Kit knows why Dog was so reluctant to come in here. It wasn't that there was something that would kill them, no, whatever would have posed the danger had already done its harm. Dog had probably sensed the lingering smell of death, and that's what put it on guard.

Kit mentally berates himself. How did he not notice as soon as they came in? So great was his relief, the putrid smell permeating this room had only hit him until seconds too late.

Baz has gone completely still next to him. Not even the sound of his breathing can be heard, his entire body clamming up. Large beads of sweat roll down his face, so much, in fact, it looks more like a bucket of water has been dumped over his head.

Dog appears before them then. Its presence seems to snap Baz out of his shell-shocked state. "Dog?" his voice is barely a whisper.

Dog nuzzles Kit's side, and he manages to stop heaving.

Its halo grows brighter, and it seems to have some sort of calming effect, because after a few minutes, Kit has finally calmed down enough. But when he raises his head again, his eye catches on something. There, hidden underneath a table, is a flash of white.

Baz notices it too, because he lets out a surprised gasp. "Dog!" He points at the place where the piece of cloth peeks out.

Dog seems to get the message, and it glides over the floor to retrieve it. When it brings it over, there are two words embroidered on it: Integral Meats.

Kit's brain short-circuits.

"How–" Baz gapes at the piece of cloth in his hands. "This–"

Kit feels the horrible realisation dawning on him. "The people who are missing…" He doesn't need to finish the sentence, they both know what it is.

The ghosts- No. They're not ghosts. The people who had gone missing, the company's employees, the customers, all the people who were in the surrounding area, the souls outside belong to them. And they were all killed by the demon, right here, in this very room.