Lena found herself in the passenger seat of what could only be described as a meat wagon, and from the putrid smell wafting from the back, she didn't even have to ask what was back there. The smell of blood and urine was too thick for anyone to be unable to work it out.

Humans. Lots of humans.

If it was the old Lena, she would've lost all of her senses and gone crazy for even a taste of some meat. But now it just made her nauseous.

Why was she even allowing herself to be dragged along like this?

She didn't even want to be anywhere near the ghoul beside her. But no matter how much she disliked it, there was just something about him that enticed her in. Possibly it was those black eyes of his...

Although, this is just how it's inevitably been for them. It didn't matter the distance between them, they would always instinctively find each other.

Lena felt like her brain would explode from all the overthinking she was doing: despite this however, she felt her eyes slowly close as she drifted off into sleep.

What seemed like only a minute later, she felt herself being roused awake and was pulled out off the van by Uta; who kept a tight hold on her hand as he directed her towards the building that rose up before them.

"What are we doing here?" She questioned, raising a delicate eyebrow and eyeing the building, suspiciously.

"You'll find out soon enough." Uta winked and put on his mask: it was wooden and had a long, pointy nose, it reminded Lena of a certain one-eyed ghoul. Maybe that was what he was going for?

Uta stopped before the door that Lena assumed was the back entrance, and turning back he took the mask out of her hands and gently placed it on her face.

"Let's go."

Uta took hold of her hand again and opened the door, revealing a long hallway: loud cheering and the sounds of thousands of hungry ghouls made their way to them, mingling with the wind outside.

Lena gulped, discerning exactly what it was Uta was planning.

Human auction.

It used to be a favourite hobby of both Lenas and Utas. Hosting such auctions and making bids, was a past time that they both took part in.

Fun times. Old times. Long-forgotten times.

Why, why had he brought her here?

She hadn't been to one of these since her mother and siblings had been alive.

Just thinking about it made her blackened heart squeeze painfully in her scarred chest. She had half a mind to hightail it out of there, but the voice in the back of her head urged her forward.

They continued down the hallway and came to a stop when they reached the heavy, Victorian double doors. Uta pushed on them and they swung open revealing an auditorium that was packed with ghouls of all statuses, even some that Lena recognised from her hunting days.

How many years had it been? It was all so nostalgic.

But all so frightening.

Uta led Lena to an area behind the stage and lifted his mask, so he could lightly kiss her on the forehead, before disappearing, only so he could make his appearance on stage.

The curtains were lifting, and the show was just about to begin.

Lena shivered inwardly as she held her arms close to her chest. And that was when she felt the feathery touch of a hand on her shoulder and heard the even softer whispers in her ear.

"Isn't this captivating Lena." A dark silhouette could be seen behind her and a darker smile graced their shadowed face.