Shining Through the Chaos with My Bulldog

Chapter 215 The House of Horrors

Leaving Magnus's place behind, Natalie headed straight for Kelvin's body. With his severed hand and head, she unlocked the third villa and stepped inside. Compared to Magnus's home, Kelvin's looked much more normal. At least there wasn't a disturbing "fun room" hidden inside. But after searching the first and second floors, she realized there wasn't much of value. Just some personal belongings here and there. Kelvin was definitely frugal. All Natalie managed to take was a set of gym equipment from his workout room. As she packed it away, she couldn't help but complain about how selfish Magnus was in her head. Magnus had hoarded so many treasures but never shared a single thing with his buddy. He kept everything tightly in his hands. Lucky for him, Kelvin was strong in body but not in mind. If he'd been sharper, they would've split long ago. When she finished clearing out the fitness gear, Natalie climbed to the third floor. Surprisingly, what she found stopped her cold. The entire level had been remodeled into an interrogation chamber. Every window was boarded shut, leaving the place pitch dark. She flipped on the light and froze. Bloodstains. Absolutely everywhere. The walls, the shelves—streaked and splattered. Strange devices hung in rows: chains, clamps, blades, and things that looked like they belonged in medieval dungeons. In the middle of the room sat a heavy metal chair and a cutting table. Natalie didn't have to guess what had happened here. She could feel it. The terror, the screaming, the suffering.Moments ago she'd thought Kelvin was more normal than Magnus. But this? This torture chamber was worse. Far worse. Judging by the fresh and dried blood, more than a few victims had been dragged through this room. Natalie hesitated. In the end, she went on to collect the torture devices into her storage space. Better to take them than leave them for someone else to use. After circling the rest of the house and finding nothing else worth keeping, she stepped back outside. She had barely walked a few steps when a piercing scream tore through the night. "ARGHHHHHHH!" Natalie whipped her head toward the sound. A woman in a dancer's costume stood frozen in terror. The dancer had slipped back, hoping to find the necklace she'd lost while performing earlier. But instead of the lively party she remembered, she found nothing but blood and bodies piled across the floor. Her heart pounded as fear gripped her. Just then, a pale-faced woman stepped out of the villa—carrying Kelvin's severed head in her hand. The dancer let out a scream so sharp it seemed to tear the air. Terrified beyond reason, she stumbled backward, then bolted, crawling and scrambling as fast as she could to get away. Natalie flinched at the sound. Watching the girl flee in panic, she thought for a moment, then decided not to chase her. The dancers were residents from the outer wall, poor folks who had been pushed around and exploited by Magnus and Kelvin. They posed no threat to her. Natalie dropped Kelvin's head and walked over to the gun maker. She crouched beside him and started searching his body. Soon, she found an ID card. It read: Vernon Bourn, Villa No. 18. So, he lived in Villa 18. But unlike her ID card, which listed both house and floor, this one only had the house number. That probably meant he had the entire villa to himself. It made sense. A job like making guns was too secret to share a home with anyone else. His face looked unfamiliar. She realized she had never seen him at any other events. He must have kept to himself, locked away, working only on weapons. Natalie decided to check his villa. Maybe there were more guns hidden there. Meanwhile, the terrified dancer who had run off didn't make it far. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed on the side of the road. She gave herself time, tried to steady herself, but then heard something behind her. The dancer turned her head, and her heart nearly stopped. That pale-faced woman was walking slowly in her direction, dragging something along the ground. The girl shook with fear. When she finally looked closer, she realized the woman was dragging a corpse. "Arghhh! Arghhhhh!" She screamed, shutting her eyes tight. Her chest pounded like it was about to burst. Then, right by her ear, a cold voice came. "Keep screaming, and I'll eat you alive."She snapped her eyes open. That pale-faced woman was bending over, whispering right against her ear. The girl wanted to scream again but bit it back, choking on her fear. Natalie lowered her head and looked at the trembling girl. Something about her pitiful state almost made her laugh. "What's your name?" she asked. The dancer stammered, "F-Fern." "How old are you?" "S-seventeen." "Why'd you go back to the party?" Fern shrank into herself and whispered, "My mom's necklace ... I dropped it." Natalie studied her. Though the girl was thin as a rail, her cheeks still had a bit of baby fat, making her face look younger. She was an underage child. Natalie reached into Vernon's jacket pocket and pulled out a necklace. "This one?" She had picked it up earlier while searching Vernon's body for the ID card and stuffed it into his pocket without thinking.

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