22 The Abattoir
It was a regular day at the Matsumoto Corporation.
The offices were functioning as usual. The PR team was especially busy with dealing with matters related to the company's image.
It was a pretty thankless job and it could probably be argued that the Matsumoto Corporation was a black corporation in that it tends to overwork its employees without any overtime pay but a living is a living, no matter how dubious it was.
Bradley was slaving away inside his own cubicle. He's been a mid-level manager for over ten years now and his prospects for growth are minimum at best and zero at worst.
He was stuck in a dead-end job working for literally the worst kind of criminals but he's kept at it for this long. It wasn't for any noble reason such as raising his children or taking care of his sick mother at home, he was just unqualified for legitimate work.
Working for the mafia was the best he could do but with his own self-interest in mind, he's worked his way to his level and is comfortable enough to have a hobby or two when he's not stuck in the office.
Despite all of that, Bradley had a huge frown on his face. The broken heater made the room a tad bit colder than usual but his body felt hot. Extremely hot.
"This is a big deal isn't it..?"
Bradley's unkempt beard covered most of this face but his expression was evident to everyone.
He was extremely agitated. His hands shook and sweat formed on his brows.
His voice lowered to a whisper, "Shit. It seems management chose the wrong person to fuck with."
Bradley stood in a hurry and without a word to his coworkers, sped off to the executive elevator while leaving a stack of papers scattered all over the floor.
A woman with heavy makeup stood up and tidied up. "Eh? What's gotten into Bradley?"
Her tired eyes scanned the documents and her expression darkened as she went through each page.
All of her thoughts came into a halt as she stared at the huge note at the end of the last document.
"The subject [Alagarassi] seems to be emotionally unstable due to the unknown factor in her constitution. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT PROVOKE. Currently classified as a Global Threat."
"Kyaaaa!!!"
The woman started screaming. How could she not? This was a report detailing the torture her superiors conducted on her driver. They even sent out a messenger to her place to gloat and extort her. It was the worst possible situation for any one of them.
"What's wrong with you?" One of her coworkers hurriedly tried to calm her down but her eyes refused to leave the words on the paper.
Everyone passed the paper around the room and each of them sported a horrified expression on their faces.
The oldest man in the room who just so happens to be their most senior member nervously cleared his throat. "Let's hope Bradley is somehow able to resolve this before it gets worse."
…
The man in question was just able to catch an elevator headed to the topmost floor of the Matsumoto Corporation.
Going through the executive elevator actually required a lot of approvals from middle-manager to their direct supervisor until it eventually reaches the secretary of the board of executives. Then the process will then repeat but the other way around once the secretary stamps the request with her approval.
After this overly complicated approval procedure, only then will the person in question be granted access to the executive elevator which can directly access the topmost floors.
It just so happens that the elevator was open due to a drunken executive who accidentally left his access card in the slot as he trudged toward the nearest comfort room to relieve himself.
Bradley hurriedly pressed on the button that led to the penthouse where all of the bosses were at for a meeting. The mechanical clicking of the button resounded in the elevator as his finger kept pressing the button.
His legs were shaking and his eyes were darting all over the place. He knew he had to try and stop the operation as fast as possible. They just provoked the worst possible person!
In fact, the report that they intercepted from Dr. Sylvia Lee just arrived today so there was no way they could have known any better but it was better to stop while they were ahead, right?
Bradley couldn't see the irrationality in his thoughts but who could blame him? He took a deep breath to calm himself. He couldn't even see where he was going and his heartbeat was off the charts.
The elevator steadily hummed as it traversed the first few floors. After a while, it stopped and the elevator made a series of heavy metal sounds as its gears clicked with the connecting service platform.
It was an L-shaped elevator shaft – this was to prevent access from unauthorized personnel. In a way, it was a way to secure the entrance to the stronghold of the executives but it was a discreet way to sacrifice the low-level employees in case the Matsumoto Corporation ever went under siege.
Bradley chuckled to himself, "There's no way that would happen, right? Heh."
The steady hum of the elevator served as a gentle and soothing noise for Bradley. His heart steadily slowed its beating and his ragged breaths started normalizing.
He even started feeling good about himself. If he is able to stop this operation from proceeding then the big bosses might even reward him for his good deeds!
As Bradley started fantasizing about his future glory, the elevator came to a halt. The doors slowly opened but immediately closed. It was as if the doors were stuck on something.
There was a small opening in the middle of the elevator and a small source of light peered through.
Bradley, without a care in the world, peeked through the small opening but what he saw caused him to hyperventilate once more and he could barely stop himself from screaming.
It was pure carnage! The long corridor that led from the elevator to the executive chambers was littered with bodies that were sliced apart. Limbs were everywhere and innards were scattered as if they were flowers on a wedding day.
The elevator refused to budge because someone's face was lodged into the elevator shaft. Whatever was left of the man's upper body was crushed as the elevator forced its way through the flesh of the poor fool.
The smell of blood permeated Bradley's nose. His legs shook as he struggled with the age-old adage of 'fight or flight' – the elevator was right behind him but his bosses might kill him if they knew he ran away.
The blood and entrails scattered all over the walls and floor wasn't helping but Bradley inched toward the Executive's room. Each step was taken with extreme caution and Bradley's body was poised to run.
As he neared the room at the end of the corridor, the sound of screams and crying became apparent. It was faint but unmistakable. The stench of blood intensified as he placed his hand on the doorknob.
He debated whether or not to peek. His hands and legs were shaking but he hardened his resolve.
"Shit. Whatever did this is still inside!"
He could hear the faint sound of something fleshy exploding from within the room. He could hear the screams of his bosses as they begged for their lives.
He could feel the intense killing intent and the intensity of the prana from inside the room and he know where it was coming from.
"SHIT! SHIT! They should have never provoked that bitch!"
Bradley debated whether or not to just run but that decision was made for him the moment he stepped onto this floor.
As Bradley turned to run, the door opened slowly and Bradley's body was rooted in place. He was paralyzed with fear.
He could hear light steps coming from behind him, it was as if its owner was taking a stroll but he know who it was.
He could smell a faint scent of flowers but the stronger scent of blood and gore overpowered whatever pleasantry that the initial smell could bring.
A gentle bell-like voice sprang up from behind him but to him it sounded like death calling for him.
"Ara. Why are you leaving so early?"
A pool of liquid started to form by Bradley's leg. The sight of it caused the bloodied woman to chuckle.
"Now how do I take care of you, I wonder?"
A sense of overbearing stillness flooded over Bradley as he closed his eyes in resignation. The woman moved her arm and…
The Abattoir – End.
