Chapter 31 - Happy Meal!

“What is the reason for your visit?” He repeated himself, his tone still steady and calm, his eyes darting around looking for a volunteer to respond. A long silence ensued while the tension rose. The corridor itself seemed to hold its breath, anticipating the next move.

“We are here for a routine checkup,” a scientist finally voiced, shaking from terror. There were no words but it was very clear the others did not approve of his cooperation by their exchanged morbid expressions. The fluorescent lights overhead emphasized every twitch of their faces, rendering their fear in stark detail.

“A checkup on what exactly?” Hound asked, but before he could get a response Vorn interrupted, “A checkup on something above your clearance.” He spoke with absolute confidence, and no fear in his eyes. The tension crackled like electricity between them, distant machinery humming somewhere deeper in the building.

A seer emerged from behind him, the sound of an unsheathing blade screeching filling the empty silence. “That’s not necessary,” Hound instructed, “don’t dirty my living space, let’s take this downstairs.” His voice was measured, revealing neither impatience nor mercy, as though he were simply instructing guests to another part of his home.

The walk to the basement was a long one. Hound remained calm while the scientists whispered amongst themselves with anticipation building up with every step as they were bound by cuffs and chains with guards behind them. The view was pleasant considering an apocalypse was right outside the building. The walls painted red, paintings littering the hallways, and the lights a bright shade of red. Yet each painting, if one dared to look closely, depicted scenes of violence or desperation—fitting echoes for the hellish world beyond.

The stairs creaked; a reminder of rivermirror's prior poverty. Each staircase was a step closer to the heavily guarded basement door with inscribed symbols, tiny cores powering them lighting up in a crimson red. The path was a bloody one, assumingly, the trail of the blood of the scientist. It ran in a straight line through the metallic door that was in no shortage of locking mechanisms. One by one, the locks were removed while they waited, unable to remain still; their bodies shivering with anticipation. A thick, stale air drifted up each time a lock was undone, carrying an undercurrent of coppery decay.

As the last lock came undone, Vorn spoke up, “Erlin, would not stand by while you kill us one after the other. He will find us and bring you to justice.” Hound paused, the door slowly opened allowing light to fill the otherwise blacked out room. He turned ever so slightly in his direction as a devilish light flickered in his eyes before he proceeded through the door, the scientist being shoved towards it by the guards in a short jerking motion. A low groan of metal hinges cut through the silence, as though the darkness itself recoiled at being disturbed.

The scene inside was breathtaking. There Binge was, all four limbs chained with reinforced steel. A long ropelike chain extended into the depths of the wall behind him. Hound gave him a long stare before he looked down in shame, “I was hungry… You know I can’t help it. I need to–” The words echoed, almost drowned out by Binge’s labored breathing as he tugged against the restraints.

“Yeah, yeah we get it!” Hound dismissed, as he dropped what seemed like the heart of the scientist from his guilty hands, revealing the body-part-filled floor, a gruesome scene that caused even Hound to gag. Severed flesh and gore sprawled across the room, each piece glistening under the pulsing red glow of the basement’s lighting.

He collected himself, as Binge eagerly violently scratched himself, his body lined the texture of tree bark, a branch ending from the side of his head like that of a horn had bore fruit of an unidentifiable nature. His sanity degraded into that of an animal, yet his ability to speak remained. Flakes of bark-like skin dropped with each frantic motion, creating a twisted mosaic on the blood-slick tiles.

“I’ve brought you more treats… dog!” Hound repeated a joke that was used against him mocking his situation, “Go fetch!” The mocking command rang out like a twisted echo of normalcy in this horrific place.

It was not long after Hound said did everyone realize the chain’s length spanned the entire room long enough to be reached from any angle in the blood stained room. Binge sprinted with supernatural speed past Hound, the chains rattling against bones and blood, not daring to even let the thought of consuming him cross his mind. The scientists scattered in panic, their terrified screams echoing off the walls.

“Enjoy your meal but make sure they stay alive,” he said as he exited the room with guards behind him, “I’ll be back same time everyday and ask for your cooperation.” With that, the door slammed shut, darkness filling the room as the locks were placed one by one. All that could be made out was Binge’s roars and the scientists’ screams of excruciating pain, merging into a cacophony that pounded against the unyielding metal door.