Chapter 20

Standing in front of Becker, Gustav had so many questions. However, there was only one at the forefront of his mind.

"Where's my dau.... where's the girl?"

Since the day they sent him to the hospital, everything he could dream of was rescuing Natalya from the clutches of this cult, and now he had the chance to do so. His capture was just a slight setback.

"Why are you so concerned about her?" Becker asked. "She's nothing to you, right?"

Becker was right. Gustav had only known Natalya for a couple of days. In the grand scheme of things, she was nothing to him. However, there was a connection between them that he couldn't fully explain.

"I'm still going to take her back," replied Gustav.

A faint smile drew itself on Becker's lips and then burst out laughing.

"You're a funny one, detective. To think that someone like you would care about the girl. Do you even know that she is?"

Ansem had explained to him what the true nature of Natalya was.

"A homunculus, or so I'm told."

Becker smirked. "Full marks, detective. Though that falls short of what she truly is. She's something much grander, of great significance."

"What are you planning to do with her?"

"Richard, come over here." Becker ordered.

Richard obeyed the order and stood at Becker's left side.

"Show me your arm. We're going to show the detective a miracle of modern medicine."

Gustav watched as Richard lifted his severed arm. It was clear that a bullet had torn Richard's arm.. That must've been Ansem's handiwork. He also observed that Richard did some modifications to his own body. No ordinary man would've endured having a limb torn off without going into a state of shock from blood loss and pain.

Becker drew out a syringe and injected the blood-red substance into the stump. Gustav wanted to look away, but the sight before him was so grotesque it was like they placed him in a trance. Muscle and bone began to regenerate at an alarming rate until a new arm reformed. Richard tried his best to remain still. The accelerated healing was sending waves of intense pain throughout his entire body. But when the pain was over, he showed his new arm to Gustav.

"This is the result of just a little of her blood." Becker said proudly.

Richard showed his newly formed arm to Gustav. His face contorted into a twisted fusion of pain and pleasure. However, despite how Richard and Becker were proud of their 'miracle,' to Gustav, they only grafted the severed arm of a corpse into the arm of a living person. It was pale, the muscle and bone and sinew visible under the sheen skin. This wasn't a miracle. But an insult to God and nature.

Becker placed his hand on Richard's shoulder. "Now, go and fulfill your duties. The hour of the banquet is at hand and the guests will be arriving soon."

Richard bowed and left the two men alone. Leaving Gustav with a sickly sensation in his stomach.

"Banquet?" What Gustav heard appalled him.. "What the hell is going to happen?"

**

In the deep darkness. The sounds of scraping metal could be echoed in the darkness. The sound went on as the darkness began to fade from Rosya's eyes. Her arms and legs felt tight. There was an odor in the air that she failed to recognize at first, but as her vision cleared, the source of the smell became clear to her. It was the smell of raw meat. Hanging from the ceiling were cuts of meat. However, these would be too small to come from any animal. Then she came to a horrible realization.

"No... no... it can't be," Rosya muttered.

The sound of scraping metal continued, and she finally recognized it. The sound of sharpening knives. She wasn't alone in this horrible room. Wriggling her body to break herself free was pointless. While there was no visible rope or chain, some invisible force fastened her to the chair.

"This magic thing is getting annoying," Rosya struggled to break free.

After trying for a while, Rosya stopped struggling and began to think of ways to break free. But couldn't think of anything. Her training as a detective didn't prepare her for her current predicament.

She heard footsteps approaching, and her heart began to beat faster. If the cuts of meat were what she thought they were, she had to think of a way to escape, and fast.

But how did she get into this predicament? The last thing she saw was a masked man before blacking out. And where was Gustav? She hoped that he was still alive.

But the footsteps weren't drawing closer to her. From what she could tell, several people had walked into the room. They were talking and Rosya strained her ear to listen closely.

"Are the meals ready?" Said one of the voices.

The sound of scraping metal stopped. "They're ready. They're over there, ready to be set for the guests."

"Wait. There's a scent in the air. A live one."

Rosya's heart skipped. They knew she was here. But from the tone of the voice, that was a surprise even for them.

"Oh, that one is for me alone. The rest are for the banquet."

"Very well. As long as it doesn't interfere with your duties," the voice warned.

The sound of shuffling plates reached Rosya and the footsteps moving farther away. What banquet they were talking about? What was the meat for? Anyhow, it all made her sick to her stomach.

Richard appeared before Rosya. He was wearing a black ceremonial robe with golden symbols traced across the fabric. It took her a moment to recognize him, and if he was showing his face to her meant that he was planning to kill or something worse.

"Richar Aimes," she whispered.

"Oh, you know me?" Richard replied, amused.

"I saw at the precinct that day," Rosya replied. "You're the one that identified the name of the victim in Gustav's case."

"That's right." His lips twisted into a smile.

"So you were involved in this from the beginning?" Rosya glared at him.

Richard was part of the group responsible for sending Gustav to the hospital and putting that horrible creature inside him. But why did he visit the precinct that day? Were they confident enough that no one would trace the murder of Abbey Dodson back to them??

"I went to the precinct that day to find out how much the detective had uncovered. I wasn't able to get much out of him. He was playing things too close to the chest." Richard sighed. "I also went there to retrieve the tissue sample that I left behind, but since he didn't ask me about it. I guessed he didn't find it."

The tissue sample. The one that got stolen the night of the murder from the morgue, and the one that Gustav was looking for.

"Why did you kill her?" Rosya asked.

Richard slumped his shoulders and let out a heavy sigh.

"It wasn't supposed to end like that, but Abbey decided to renege on her deal with the master." Richard stroked Rosya's cheek and enjoyed watching her flinch at his touch. "So, they ordered me to retrieve the product we placed inside of her. However, did I enjoy ripping it out of her?"

Rosya recalled some details of Abbey's murder case. They had torn her belly open.

"You're the one that did that? You're a monster."

Richard's face turned dark with a scowl and hit Rosya in the face with his fist. It had been years since someone had called him a 'monster.' He hated that word. They all misunderstood his intentions, his intelligence, when they called him that. Only Becker had seen his true potential. Hence, they gave him a task of great importance because they recognized his true potential.. A task that would elevate all of creation to a new level.

"A lowly detective like you would never understand what's at work here."

Rosya spit out some blood and glared at Richard.

"What work are you doing here?"

A grin drew itself on Richard's lips and grabbed Rosya's face. The more she looked at him, the more inhuman he looked. Detective work faced her against the underbelly of human society. But this was the first time she had encountered someone she could clearly call a monster. An irredeemable, evil monster.

"Where's Gustav?" She asked was the only question she had left.

"Your friend?" Richard replied. "Don't worry, he's in good care, too."

Richard gazed at a far away clock on the wall.

"Time to go, and I've talked enough. But rest assured that after the banquet is over, I'm coming back for you, and then we'll have some fun together."

Rosya glanced again at the cuts of meat hanging from the hooks on the ceiling and her face went pale.

Richard left behind Rosya to wallow in the information she had received and her future.. With everything that happened, the urge to cry was overwhelming. She was overflowing with emotions. But she couldn't allow herself to be weak. She had to find a way to get out.

Then she heard footsteps again. Her stomach sank to think it was Richard coming back for her.

"You've got yourself in quite the mess, detective."