A 19-year-old teenage girl with messed-up makeup and wearing shiny short clothes was walking down the alley at midnight; in the DUMP, the region where most of the 'Defecteds' lives.
She looked like she has gone through a hell of a night. Her face was reddish with palm prints and her eyeliner was dissolved and all over on her cheeks - probably because of crying.
"I hope Krithi has eaten and slept already... Seeing me in this condition would break her heart," she muttered to herself as she checked the severity of the wounds in her wrists.
But unknown to her, a hooded stalker was following her from the shadows. His footsteps were light as air, and his movements were stealthy as a cat.
"Bitch! Just a little longer... I will release you from your pathetic sins and cleanse this world by erasing your disgusting presence," he grinned hard, muttering himself an awful monologue.
*Beep* The teenager's phone rang.
"Oh, god. It's 12! I need to rush—" a crowbar struck her neck, as she attempted to run.
"Argh! What? No! No!" she screamed as she realized that her fear came true.
"I'm close! My house... It's just a few walks. No! not me!" she broke down in tears as she crawled on the ground, trying to reach her house; which was just a few steps away.
Her sister Kriti was sleeping in the house, not knowing the cruel fate, her sister was going through.
Small black colored tentacle-like threads appeared on the Stalker's back, stretching out like tentacles of an octopus
"You whore! Seducing men... Selling your flesh... for pleasure! You should be wiped off! Creatures like you! Shouldn't—" the stalker's speech was interrupted by a giant axe striking his back.
He screamed in pain and fell to the ground. He rolled on the ground like a flipped cockroach. The tentacles dissolved into white ash and quickly evaporated.
Out of the shadows came a big old man with a cigar in his mouth, wearing a trench coat and accompanied by five boys wearing white hoodies holding hockey bats.
"Look what and all we have to deal with... because of that busy Devil. Hey! boys take care of him... Be Careful! He might have some Ashes in his system."
He lent his hand to the girl, to stand up.
"Are you okay? Let me see the wound—" the old man got his hands shook off by the girl in fear.
"Hey, don't think of me as a pervert! I have some experience in the medical field... And you've been hit by a crowbar! Just show me! Show the collar bone!"
After a small hesitance, she showed her neck. The wound was nasty; her neck was almost broken, and the wound was still swelling up. The old man immediately called the ambulance. After getting her into the arrived ambulance, Yam instructed three of his boys to accompany her and lent them some cash.
It was Mr. Yama, the most respected ex-gangster, who actually became a gangster to fight for his discriminated people; not for petty reasons like money and fame. He was also a very close frenemy to the Devil/Mr. Priest. Currently, he is running a boxing school for the kids belonging to the oppressed, training them to defend themselves and fight against injustice.
"Hey, you two! Have you informed the cops?" Yam asked at his remaining two students.
"Yes, teach. Do we have to remove the axe, too?" Aki, one of the students asked.
"No, leave it as it is. It is Ash-repellent... Everything is happening exactly like that bastard said. He even gave me a list of potential victims, so we can safeguard them. I don't know why he left the responsibility to us..."
"Who is that teach?"
"Who would that be? The Devil... puny Devil. This guy here... passed out in pain. But if he wakes up, he may kill us in a single sweep. So, be careful. If you saw any moment from him... Run. Don't look back."
Maguire on other hand was in his office, busily analyzing the reports of Casket Prisoners and the instruction manual copy Priest left for him.
"This bastard... It's been one week. No calls and no messages. At least, he managed to convince Mehreen to help us,"
The instruction manual was more of a detailed report on the serial killings that took a slow start in the city, now growing wildly.
"He really did his research. Guess all the nighttime strolls aren't for nothing... Devil in the details... What is the info?"
"Maguire! You have a call," the receptionist barged into the room startling Maguire.
"Divert the call to me. And next time... Knock!"
The receptionist nodded and left the room. And within a few minutes, Maguire's telephone rang.
"Hey, Maguire. It's me Yama. We have a suspect... No! a proven criminal in COSG(alternative name for DUMP, given by its citizens). He has the 'Ash' in him. We have restrained him... with my axe stabbed to his back. We can't do any more than that."
"Oh! wow! I'll be there in a few moments. And... how about other areas? In the city! not his body,"
"Others? Well, I can't protect all these people... All alone. We have arranged enough protection for that. My students and some friends from work—"
"Friends from work? Okay! Hey, I just read the report... manual... I don't know what the hell it is? But I have read it. Left by the Priest."
"Yeah, me too. It was quite an info. He specifically marked this 'Bailey' guy. He seems quite intimidated as he wants all our resources on him. Defense force, thugs, everyone. With my resource, I looked out for him. He has gone off the radar a few weeks ago... Don't you feel anything wrong about it?" Yam puffed out his cigar.
"What? About him disappearing or the Priest already came up with a suspect and the suspect being my Ex-Chief's son? He already has a bunch of names potential to be the next victims... and already three of them happened."
"I can't help it either. Somehow, this guy abducts them and boom! They are dead... How? We don't know? But I'm quite concerned about the Devil's wisdom, here. To the point, it even scares me... And he is missing for days."
"Yeah, we'll talk more of this, when I get there?" Maguire hung up the phone and rushed out with a 'Restrain Unit' and some 'Ash Experts' to retrieve the stalker.
While Maguire rushing towards the 'Dump', somewhere in the Seventh Gate, a portal opened with a mysterious red-colored giant slime came through it. And out of that slime, a hand emerged with no fingers at all. But one by one, bones poked out of the fingerless palm, piercing the molten skin and the bones formed skin around it quickly, giving the fingers to the palm.
And another hand emerged and both of them pierces off the red transparent bubbly slime around its body. And the fallen off transparent red slime quickly releases steam and became a flesh-like component. The man to whom the hand belongs finally removes all the rotten slime-like flesh around his body.
His face and eyes were still molten by his facial skin. With great effort, he pierces off his face, freeing his eyes and mouth, and evoked a giant scream because of the pain that came with it.
On the other end, Maguire reached the spot.
"Hey, Yam! Where is he?"
Yama was perplexed on seeing Maguire.
"Maguire, why did you come again? And why are you asking for him? I just handed over him to you?"
Maguire stood there frozen, still analyzing the situation.
"Wait. Who came? Is he came alone? Or?"
"All of you guys. Hey! I just saw you all. You guys took him from me. Come on, speak up—"
Realization hit both Yama and Maguire at the same time. They just had their leg struck into a deep mess.
"It's Bailey!" both of them cursed.