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The string of bloody events had already started to numb the young people.
Even Nikki, staring at the dried corpse in the wardrobe, didn't flinch. If anything, she looked almost relieved.
Luke crouched down and swept his flashlight over the body. The flesh had completely shriveled, clinging tight to the bones in a dull, grayish texture.
"Give a hand. Let's get it out."
They tore open an old mattress for padding and carefully tried to lift the corpse from the cramped wardrobe.
A sharp crack echoed. One of the arms snapped clean off and hit the floor.
Brando winced like soone had stepped on his foot.
"Easy! Take it easy. This is a priceless sample—literally one of a kind. We break it and we're never getting another."
Luke picked up the broken arm and examined the fracture. The bone and muscle fibers weren't just dried—they were weathered. A light pinch between his fingers sent powder drifting down. The marrow was long gone.
The whole corpse weighed maybe fifteen pounds at most.
Luke grabbed the torso. It felt hollow in his hands.
His face darkened.
"They sucked every bit of spiritual energy out of her. This thing's just an empty shell now."
Brando pulled on gloves, gave the dried skin a curious squeeze, and started scribbling furiously in his notebook.
"Extracting spiritual energy… fascinating. We need to study how they did this."
"Mr. Luke, what the hell happened to my grandmother?"
Heather's voice shook, close to tears.
Luke stood up and looked toward the open suitcase still sitting on the floor.
"Save the crying for later. Where are those papers and the will you ntioned?"
Heather grabbed the suitcase like it was a lifeline and dumped everything out. Thick property deeds, a letter from the lawyer, and a cream-colored envelope sealed with red wax.
The handwriting on the front was clumsy but clear.
"To my dearest granddaughter, Heather."
"This is… my grandmother's letter."
Luke nodded for her to open it.
Heather broke the seal and unfolded the paper.
"My dearest granddaughter, if you're reading this, it ans I'm already gone.
"I'm entrusting our family's most important mission to you. You might be confused right now, but everything we've done has been for the sake of humanity's great evolution—for spreading the true light of science.
"For decades, our family has followed the doctrine. We've captured lone travelers and backpackers in this town, harvested their souls, and completed the tasks given to us by the Grandmaster."
Heather's voice started trembling. She stared at the letter like it had turned into a nightmare.
Luke gave a short nod, voice flat.
"Yeah. That's the classic cult line. These freaks always convince themselves they're doing it for science."
He motioned for her to keep reading.
Heather took a shaky breath and continued.
"I know it sounds insane, but this is our family's destiny. Unfortunately, about ten years ago one of the lambs escaped. The truth ca out and almost everyone in the family was killed. I was lucky enough to hide here until most people forgot about us. But I'm dying now. Don't grieve for —I spent my whole life preparing for this. Soon I'll transfer all my energy to your cousin. He's locked in the basent. I hope you'll take care of him."
Cousin? Basent?
Everyone suddenly understood. The "cousin" locked downstairs was the chainsaw-wielding monster in the human-skin mask.
"I'm leaving the manor to you because I want you to carry on our great work. The Grandmaster says our scientific progress has been incredible thanks to years of support. We're finally on the verge of achieving everything we've dread of. That's why I called you back.
"Forever loving you, Grandmother."
The letter ended. The room went dead silent.
Heather sat on the floor, staring at nothing. The paper slipped from her fingers.
She hadn't inherited love from blood relatives. She'd inherited a mad, evil curse.
Brando, however, looked excited.
"'For the progress of science'—that's a hell of a slogan. But they clearly figured out so real shit."
Luke agreed.
"Even if they're all insane, those modified freaks are damn strong. And every ti we run into them, they've got new tricks."
He turned to the group.
"Brando, you and Lionel search the rest of the house—especially the basent and this room. Look for anything else. Maps, files, anything that might point to where their lab is."
Then he looked at the younger ones.
"You three get dinner started. If you've got questions, ask later."
Rayne still didn't fully understand what was happening, but he knew the strongest person in the room was the one to follow right now.
He helped the shell-shocked Heather to her feet and led the equally dazed Nikki toward the kitchen.
Brando and Lionel got to work imdiately, practically knocking on every wall.
"Hey, Luke—check this out."
Lionel had found sothing behind the back panel of the wardrobe. He pulled out a thick, heavy ledger from a hidden compartnt.
Luke took it and flipped through the pages quickly. The handwriting matched the letter exactly, but the content was far more detailed.
It recorded decades of the Sawyer family luring lone travelers and backpackers to the manor, then sacrificing them for their "scientific cause." Every page had victim photos, nas, ages, and rough star ratings for how much spiritual energy they'd harvested.
The ritual steps were written out in crude, brutal detail. It was hard to imagine how low the cult's recruitnt standards must be.
There were no contact details for the larger organization—clearly single-line communication only.
Reading between the lines, Heather's grandmother had done a lot of prep work for her successor.
If Luke and his team hadn't shown up when they did, Heather's friends would've been the next photos in this book.
And Heather herself probably wouldn't have fared much better.
Brando snatched the ledger, eyes wide with excitent.
"Holy shit. These people are caven with advanced weapons! Look at this—they're pulling out souls and turning them into energy, but the thod is so goddamn crude."
He flipped pages faster, muttering to himself.
"This is incredible. Their rituals are worth studying. If we crack the technique, even an illiterate could cast spells."
They searched the entire book but found nothing else about the cult's location. Their security was airtight.
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