Chapter 11. A hard night

- Honey, wake up! - A gentle flirtatious voice broke into the silence and made you move. He felt the touch of fingers on his unshaven cheek. When the brain finally turned on, the sound of the phone finally reached him - Answer them, they are calling for the second time!

Jumping up and sitting up in bed, he stared blankly at the phone for a few seconds, then grabbed it and pressed it to his ear. A harsh, harsh voice finally forced his sleepy eyelids open.

- Grou? Grou can you hear me? Get your ass up and come to me now! We have a corpse again! 17th Avenue, on the corner, next to a local cafe. Waiting for you. The Sheriff's voice sounded like it came from hell itself. It was understandable, the last few weeks there had been a hell of a lot going on in the area.

Hastily pulling on his usual clothes, which consisted of trousers with a leather belt, a blue long-unwashed shirt, a beige cowboy hat. The image was completed by a shoulder holster with a good old Colt and an old dark blue jacket.

Glancing at the girl sitting on the bed, smiling guiltily, he took out his wallet and counted out several large bills.

- I'm sorry, baby. Service - putting them on the bedside table and leaving the house, he breathed in the morning fresh air. The last 24 hours have been especially difficult, and it seems that this is far from the end.

At the entrance to the diner, it was clear that a whole crowd had already gathered there. Police, doctors, criminologists, photographers and local onlookers who gathered to watch the unusual sight. Murders in such small, quiet towns are extremely rare, but when they happen, they create a real storm among the locals.

The sheriff's car was there, but he wasn't in sight. Only one of his assistants, who took statements from two local homeless people and actively wrote something in his notebook. Noticing him, he waved his hand and left his occupation and headed towards him.

- What do you have here? - Grou held out his hand and looked around the place more closely. The diner was still closed, there were no people on the street, except for the crowd of policemen here.

- Yes, here it is again. No sooner had we returned to the department than these two called us and said they had found a corpse. - He waved his hand in the direction of the stragglers, who were looking warily at the police and stood pressed against the wall.

- Tramps? - the question was rhetorical. By the look of these men, anyone would say that they are clearly from the lower strata of society. Torn, dirty clothes, unwashed hair and faces. It is clear that they do not have the opportunity to monitor hygiene. Coming closer to them, a rather disgusting smell hits the nose, which usually comes from garbage dumps. - Do you guys smoke?

He took out a pack of cigarettes and handed them to them. Taking a couple of pieces each, they came closer with great confidence.

- Tell me what you saw here last night?

One of the homeless, a younger dark guy, in a blue knitted hat, from under which his hair stuck out like tow, took a deep drag and leaned back and let out a thick cloud of cigarette smoke.

- Thank you, Officer. Your cigarettes are great. Well, it's just a plague, I haven't seen such a smoke for a long time. - His face broke into a barely suppressed cheerful smile.

- Smoke to your health, boy. - Grou also took a couple of puffs - so what about my question?

He looked at it carefully and replied :

- We weren't here last night, Officer. We came here in the early morning in search of leftovers that are thrown out of the cafe every evening. They opened the tank, and there was a big bag. We didn't realize what it was at first. And when they opened it... - having said that, he took another deep drag.

Grow nodded at him: - I get you. Have you seen anything else suspicious?

The skein of his head made it clear to him that these guys didn't know anything else. After thanking them and giving them more cigarettes, he walked on to the crowd. Actively pushing his way with his shoulders and periodically shouting at the gaping spectators, he went to the beginning of the alley, where the terribly disfigured body of a young girl lay by an open container. His eyes widened, something he had never seen before. The girl had her hands tied behind her back and her mouth taped shut, and inhuman pain and horror were frozen in her eyes. Looking down, he saw something that more than one normal person would not want to see. The girl's stomach was literally torn apart, as if something had burst out from inside. The lower part of the suit was missing, and there were deep cuts and lacerations on the hips and legs. It's like she's been picked up by a wild grizzly.

A middle-aged man with curly thick wheat-colored hair bent over the body. His thin long neck seemed to have difficulty holding his head. Round glasses with thick lenses made his eyes unnaturally large. Seeing him, the man got up and came closer.

- What kind of devil has settled in this district - the man looked at the church spire in the distance and quickly crossed himself - Lord, save our sinful souls in this terrible time.

- This devil is called a man, Phillips - Grou looked skeptically at the old criminologist - Is there anything in particular?

The latter, distracted from his thoughts, replied with a shrug:

- A more detailed examination is needed. I will be able to give the results only tomorrow. So far, I can say that by the nature of the injuries, sexual and physical violence took place in a particularly gross and perverted form. Also, by the nature of the abdominal wound, there is an assumption that she could be pregnant. But I can only say for sure after an examination in the laboratory. - Phillips shivered, as if he was afraid of his own words - Poor thing!

An inspection of the place yielded absolutely nothing, there were no more traces. Just the body and the bloody garbage bag in which she was brought and dumped here.

The sheriff was already next to the car when Grou approached him. He stood leaning against the door and thoughtfully looked at his feet. His eyes were red from a long lack of sleep and constant work.

- What do you say? It was a fun night, wasn't it? At these words, he forcefully closed the door, causing the car to shake and sway.

Coming closer, Grou clapped his old friend on the shoulder:

- We'll find these bastards!

- When I catch them, I'll beat the shit out of them! Sons of bitches! They're walking around my town, killing my guys! - The Sheriff's face twisted into an animal grin, and he slammed his fist hard on the roof of his car.

He was understandable. The last twenty-four hours have been crazy. It all started with the fact that some crazy man ran into the station, started yelling that a monster attacked him at the gas station and killed his friend. It was a pity to look at the guy, he stank of urine and blood, his hands were shaking, and his eyes were bulging. The guy was tested for illegal substances, but he was clean, just in a state of shock. His testimony was confirmed, and they really found a corpse with a hole in his chest at the gas station. It's like a man got in the way of a howitzer shell. The clerk who was on duty there that night had disappeared. The owner said that he had sent him a message that he was quitting. They did not find anyone at the address where he lived, the guy collected his belongings that night and moved out in an unknown direction. The only clue was the make and number of the car, which the victim miraculously managed to remember. She wasn't listed in the state database, so I had to make a request.

Then a passing car found the bodies of two sheriff's deputies. The guys were literally turned into mincemeat. And not any traces. Only the tracks from the treads of the car, next to their post.

And now this.

- I'll go to the office, I need to settle some business. - Grou didn't know what else to say to the Sheriff in such a situation. All he knew was that they would definitely find those who were doing it, no matter what it cost them.

It was terribly cold in the office, so I had to turn on the heater. The old chair creaked when they sat down on it. His eyes immediately began to close with fatigue, and he almost fell asleep when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

- Come in - a young girl in a gray business suit, with fiery red hair, she entered the office and put a folder of documents in front of him.

- One of the Georgia departments has sent a response to your inquiry about that Jeep. It belongs to a certain Larry Klimford. A drug addict, he was in prison for substance trafficking and harassment. He was recently released, but was on his own recognizance. He disappeared about a week ago, neighbors saw him leave with his friend in an unknown direction. That's all they can say so far.

Grabbing the folder, Grow began to look through the materials. Nothing interesting. The guys are now looking for a car, too. So far, everything is deaf for them too.

- Thank you, Leslie! - He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. His stomach made a soft rumbling sound, making it clear that it would be nice to have some food.

- You're welcome, Grou! If anything, I'm in my room - she winked coquettishly at him and pulled the door handle.

- Leslie, if it's not too much trouble. Order me a couple of sandwiches and a big glass of coffee. He also winked at her cheerfully.

- It will be done!

But sweet dreams of food and a small lunch were not destined to come true. The call made him get up again and pick up the phone. The information he received made him swear obscenely and slam his palm on the table:

- What, again? I'm leaving!

This part of the forest was especially dark and remote. The rain had already stopped, but the ground under your feet turned into a slippery paste, which, with any wrong movement, tried to knock you off your feet and cover you with mud. Pushing through the bushes, they combed meter by meter. Their boots were already covered with a thick layer of mud. Sweat poured out from under the helmet, and the forearm of the rifle became slippery with moisture and sweat. It was early in the morning and now it was possible to see at least something normally.

Ahead, a shack appeared behind the trees. After giving a sign, they stopped and crouched down by the nearest bushes. It looked like some kind of dilapidated, long-abandoned barn. Everything was quiet. Looking at the building through the scope, he did not notice anything suspicious.

- Come on. It is necessary to check - having risen, without removing his finger from the trigger, he moved forward to the building.

Taking up positions at the entrance, he pushed the flimsy door forward. She gave in with a terrible creak and a strong smell of mustiness and dampness hit her nose. There was darkness and desolation inside. It must have been someone's barracks a long time ago. Right now, there was only mold and cobwebs.

His partner walked over to the thick oak hatch that covered the entrance to the basement.:

- Shall we check it out?

- We get paid for it. - Holding the dark square of the opening in his sights, he moved lower. The old rotten steps creaked at his footsteps.

The basement was even darker than the barracks itself. The lantern barely illuminated the space for a couple of steps ahead. Taking out one of glow stick and throwing it in front of him, he saw a large bag hanging from the ceiling. From above, it was attached to the ceiling with thick clumps of some kind of long worms. They went down and wrapped the whole bag. There was another one nearby.

- Hey, come down here. There's some kind of crap here. - He shouted this to his partner, who stayed to cover him upstairs.

Going a little deeper, he saw a dozen more such bags, some of them were larger, some were smaller. Some of them throbbed like a heartbeat. It was as if there was something alive inside them.

- Hey. Where are you? - turning to where the exit from the basement was, he saw nothing. The hatch felt as if it was pressed down by a steel plate. I tried to put all my weight on him, but he didn't even move.

- What the?

An sound from behind made him turn around. As if on command, the leather bags began to vibrate, and their pulsation increased greatly. Some literally swayed from side to side. Grabbing the rifle more conveniently and moving the barrel from one to the other, he saw something start to climb out of one of the bags. There was a howl, then a body covered with a thin and transparent film appeared from it. The creature fell out of the bag and lay motionless on the ground for several seconds. It was hard to see in the dark, but it seemed like it was a girl. "What the fuck is this?"

- Hey you! Get up and put your hands behind your head! It's the FBI!

The girl continued to lie motionless, only shifting her elbows and knees closer to her stomach. It didn't seem to pay attention to the operative's order.

- You're deaf! You got down on your knees and put your fucking hands on the back of your head or I'll sew your head in! - Turning to a shout, he moved closer to her, holding a gun at gunpoint.

But they didn't let him get close, something long and slippery wrapped around his neck and squeezed him hard. The rifle fell out of his hands and clutching his neck, he began to frantically try to free himself from this grip, but in vain. There was not enough air, the pupils began to roll up. A few last jerks and the resistance was suppressed.

It was a mega cool party. He and the guys had a lot of fun. The bar was packed to capacity, she didn't plan to meet anyone, but this guy managed to hook her up. Silent, a little shy with beautiful facial features, manly posture. She definitely liked this handsome guy. He kindly invited her to accompany her home. "Such a suave cutie. Where is he from? I haven't seen him here before."

- Where are you from, by the way? you've been here a long time - holding his hand, she slightly tilted her head and looked at his face with a smile. "Yes, this guy needs to be on the cover of a magazine, not in this godforsaken town."

- I... - he obviously hesitated, not knowing what to answer - I've been here recently

- And I've been here since I was a kid. It's a rotten place, there's nothing interesting here. It's boring. I want to go to college next year and finally get out of here. The ancestors really object. My mother wants me to stay and help her work in the store. But they don't understand that I don't need it, I want something more! Do you understand? She gave him a radiant smile.

- Yes... I ... understand you - it seemed that he actually did not quite understand her, only pretended.

- Okay, here we are. Thanks for seeing me off. She hesitated for a moment, then opened the door and looked at him, biting her lip. There will be no ancestors until tomorrow.

- Yes, I don't mind. He smiled and followed her in.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him up to the second floor, her room was quite spacious. She quickly began to take off her clothes.

- Hey, don't look.

Smiling guiltily, he began to take off his vest.

- Do you have any rubber bands? - There was no response. – I have never had such handsome men. Well... are you ready?

A strong hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.

- Wh... what... happened to... your... l-face? – There was no longer a man standing in the front. Crimson eyes stared at her from the darkness, and the hand turned into a clawed, ugly paw that dug into her shoulder.

– AAAAAAH…I beg…Please…Noooo...AHHH