Caroline gave a slight wave, wanting to end the conversation with the man and leave with Denton and Tyler. Something felt off about him, wrong in a way that set her instincts screaming. Her hand drifted subtly to her waist, fingers brushing the cool metal of her handgun. Seeing them prepare to leave, the man grew agitated. "Wait, don't go! I told you I'd give you the pelts! A-and food! Just come inside. Take whatever you want. I'm all alone here; I can't possibly use all this stuff. Come on." His invitation was overly enthusiastic, which only made the whole situation feel more unnatural. Caroline, Denton, and Tyler exchanged glances. None of them had any intention of stepping into that building. They were far from cowards and each was highly capable, but a man who seemed unhinged could have any number of traps waiting inside. Without a word, they turned their backs on him and began to walk away. Every one of them remained hyper-aware of the man at their backs. "No! Don't leave! I'll give you everything, I'll give you it all!" he screamed, his voice fraying into madness. But no one acknowledged him. Thwip! The distinct sound of a projectile cut through the air, aimed squarely at Denton, who was walking on the flank. "Heh ... teen boys ... are the juiciest—" The man's grotesque murmur was cut short as three gunshots rang out in near-perfect unison. The window shattered, followed immediately by the heavy thud of a body hitting the floor inside. Caroline moved forward, covering her nose and mouth with her collar as she stepped through the broken doorway. She found the man lying in a rapidly expanding pool of his own blood. The three rounds had struck his neck, chest, and collarbone. Blood pumped out in gruesome pulses, especially from the wound in his neck—a direct hit to the artery.Yet, with his final ounce of strength, Luke's hand twitched and stretched toward Caroline, fingers curling as if to grab her. "Women ... women ... taste ... good ... too ..." A final, savage glint flashed in his eyes before they clouded over, fixed and empty. He was dead. Alongside the blood soaking his neck, a thin, shiny trail of saliva gleamed on his chin. "This guy ... he's been surviving on human flesh." Tyler said, stepping into the room behind her. His name was Luke Gaffner. Before the apocalypse, he'd been an unremarkable, slight-framed employee at this very tannery, a man who faded into the background. When the world ended, he and five other coworkers found themselves sealed inside the factory. At first, they had some food to survive on. They held onto hope for rescue. Then the food ran out, and no rescue came. They tried boiling the leather hides. It was so incredibly inedible. But it was all they had. Not long after, one of them died. Staring at the corpse on the floor, then at the disgusting, bubbling pot of leather, someone—no one remembered who first voiced it—suggested it. "Maybe ... we should eat him." And that was the point of no return. Luke was the weakest among them, even weaker than one of the large, sturdy women. He was timid by nature. But after the first bite of human flesh, he was hooked. It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted, better than beef or mutton. He saw the same dark revelation ignite in the others' eyes. The way they looked at each other shifted fundamentally.It was the gaze of a hunter sizing up prey. Terrified that he would be the next target, Luke decided to strike first. Under the cover of night, he killed them all. He hung their bodies outside in the freezing cold, his personal larder. Later, using a hand-crafted crossbow, he ambushed and killed several more people who came to the tannery scavenging for supplies. He survived by consuming their flesh. Recently, the bitter cold and heavy snows had buried the factory. He'd modified a chimney for ventilation, living inside like a bug in a rotten log. But he was hungry. Ravenous. For human flesh. When Caroline and the others arrived, his whole body trembled with anticipation. Humans! His mind screamed with glee. My favourite! Luke had it all planned out: After feasting on them and regaining his strength, he would head for the shelter. It's crowded over there. Surely no one would miss one or two, right? They could spare them for his meals. He never imagined it would end like this. His final, consuming thought was of meat. He wanted to eat. If he had another chance, he would be more careful. He'd set proper traps, like he did for the rats in the warehouse, and catch them all! But his regrets will forever remain unheard and unknown. "Fuck, it reeks in here," Denton complained, wrinkling his nose. "Tyler, how about I have my mutant rat army haul everything out? Let's not go inside."