Detective James was scared. This man, Gabriel Susej, had murdered seventeen people, including Officer Daniel Cooper. All of this he did with his bare hands, and his teeth. Except now he was missing a hand. When they had chased him down to Nilats Forrest, they had found his left hand wrapped around a cross.

It was a surprise when Father Susej went off the deep end. He was a part of the Melasurej Catholic church, and was a well renowned member of the community. It all changed when he kidnapped Teddy Natas. The seven year old boy disappeared the night of the first murder. James remembered when the evidence from the kidnapping led to the first body. The body was missing its left hand, and the throat had been ripped out. The same thing happened to the second body, and the third body, and on and on.

Detective James met up with Detective Morir at the door to Reltih Manor, Susej’s final hiding spot. The door was rotted, and a sick grey fungus grew on the doorknob. The manor was spooky. It had been abandoned when the woman who lived there was murdered by the young boy who lived down the road. They carefully entered the building.

“Do you want to take the stairs up, or search the ground floor?” asked Morir, who looked calm and collected, standing under a large glass chandelier.

“I’ll search the ground floor, and meet you back at the front door. Call out if you find something,” James responded. Sweat dripped down his dark forehead and onto the scar left behind from when his seven year old son bit him.

James was shaking in his boots. He was so glad that he was carrying his Colt 1911 with him. It was the only thing that even resembled safety. That was all that mattered at this point. Getting home to see his wife and his two kids was all that counted.

James checked his corners as he entered the first room. Nothing except a grand piano that was missing a few keys, and a sofa that was missing a cushion and had the word “help” burnt into the side. A shiver went down his spine. He checked to make sure the safety was off on his Colt. It was. He was glad that it was. The room didn’t have any sign that anyone had lived there since the last owner was murdered after the Civil War. He slowly stepped through the door way at the other end of the room.

James didn’t see the rotting chair on the ground. He tripped, and the gun slipped out of his hands. He watched in horror as it slid across the room and under a wardrobe. He panicked. He swung his arms around, knocking an old gas lamp onto the ground. It shattered and a shard of glass cut down his cheek. This brought him back to reality. He slowly stood up and wiped the glass and rotten wood off his back. As he picked up his gun, he saw a blood splotch.

The next room was bathed in a sickly green light from the fungus covered windows. The fine china was still on the long dining room table, and most of the chairs were still standing. James, now more confident, adrenaline pulsing through his body stepped inside. He felt something slippery under his feet. Pools of blood lead to the other end of the room. All of his own blood drained from his face. He started shaking again, and he checked his safety. It was off. Before he reached for the gnarled door knob, he looked into one of the stained silver glass. It was filled with blood, and a silver chain that matched Susej’s cross was hanging out.

Barely able to contain himself, he twisted the door knob open and pulled. A high pitched creak let out as the rusty hinges moved. James moved the cobwebs aside, and stepped inside. The room was a short stair case that led down into a stair case. Candles were on either side of the stair case, and they looked very out of place. He slowly realized why. They were lit, and they were new. He checked his safety again. It was off. He slowly stepped down the stairs and noticed the blood that was trickling down the stairs. He followed it until he came into the basement.

Three of the walls were stone, and the last was a dark wood, stained with years of decay. In the middle was a table surrounded by candles and had a saw balanced on the left corner. Sprawled across the top was Gabriel Susej.

James vomited. Susej’s throat had been torn out. The entire room smelled like sulfur, and James’s vision turned green. When he gathered his wits about him James checked the safety on his Colt. It was off. He reached inside Susej’s pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper. On it was a list of names. Each one was crossed out except for the one at the bottom. That name was Teddy Natas.

James’s mind was racing. If Susej was dead, killed the same way as the others, could he really be the perpetrator? If he wasn’t, then who was? He couldn’t think, and he was gripped with panic. He checked his safety again. It was off. Then he heard a scream penetrate the ceiling.

James dropped his weapon in surprise. Morir! He quickly picked up his Colt and ran up the staircase, momentarily forgetting his own safety. At the top of the stairs he realized that his safety could be on. It wasn’t.

James turned each corner with care, worried about the scream. When he stepped into the main hall where the entrance was he heard a sound. Metal grinding on metal. Then he heard a snap. He stepped back quickly as the glass chandelier fell and landed right where he had been standing. Glass shards stuck into his pant legs, leaving little drops of blood running down his leg.

James crept forward, his heart beating so loud and so fast that he thought the whole house could hear him. When he reached the top of the stairs, he checked his safety. It was off. He stepped over a pile of moldy books and moved silently down the hall. Finally he reached the door. On it was the word NATAS. He turned around and saw himself in a mirror. Then he saw the word in the mirror.

All of the blood left his face. He was starting to piece the puzzle together. But that came second. First he had to find Morir. Checking his safety one last time, and finding it off, he kicked in the door.

The rotten wood shattered when it hit the wall. After checking the corner, James turned his attention to the center of the room. There lied Morir, dead in a pool of blood. Facing away from him was Teddy Natas, crying. James switched his Colt to safe and holstered it.

Then the boy stopped crying, and then started laughing and clapping his hands. James realized the mistake he had made. Teddy turned around. Blood was dripping from his mouth and fingers. James could clearly see the throat, or lack thereof, on Morir.

James realized where he had gone wrong. Susej wasn’t a killer he was trying to stop one. But he was too late, and so was Morir. He reached for his weapon when he saw Teddy Natas stand up and stop clapping. But it was too late for him too.