Page 6 - World of Darkness

alley was a nightmare of dumpsters, garbage cans,
dog shit, broken glass and ripped-up furniture. The guy
quickly picked his way through the debris, giving me
the impression that he’d done it before. He was out the
other end before I got even a quarter of the way through.
I was sure I’d lose him, but when I came to the end of
the alley I saw it led to a kind of courtyard bordered by
a warehouse and some tenements. The only other exit
was closed off by a metal grate.
The butcher stood in the middle of the courtyard.
There was a manhole there, blocked off by cones and
public works barriers. A temporary cover had been
put over it, one of those tent-things that you see when
city workers need access. But there were no workers
that night, no one around except for the butcher and
me.
He moved the cover out of the way. I had to back
out of sight as his movements brought me into his field
of vision. When I looked again he was crouched over
the hole. I watched him hold his parcel over the open-
ing. I heard the paper tear as something fell out. Be-
fore I could move to a better spot, the butcher had turned
and was coming back in my direction. I wouldn’t have
thought a man so big could move so fast. I barely had
time to crouch behind some garbage cans before he
came barreling down the alley. He shot past me like he
was on fire, barely slowing to dodge through the de-
bris. He was gone before I could get back to my feet.
I walked over to the manhole.
There was just a single streetlight in the alley. I hoped
it would be bright enough. I cursed myself for not bring-
ing a flashlight. I leaned over the edge and peered in.
Some light did filter down, but it took a moment for my
eyes to make out the shapes in the darkness.
I noticed the fingers first.
There were hands, severed hands, three or four of
them, scattered on the dirty, wet, concrete floor of the
sewer. There was a leg, a woman’s I think, complete
with a foot. Toenails shining like nickels in the dim light
of the street lamp. A slab of flesh with hair and nipples.
Soft, glistening shapes that oozed something thick and
black. That was all I saw before I had to roll onto my
hands and knees and vomit.
The next time I had a conscious thought, I was back
in my apartment, sitting on the edge of my bed. I had
taken off my sneakers and was staring at them in the
corner of the room. I couldn’t remember leaving the
alley. I couldn’t remember how I got home. I couldn’t
remember why it was important to do anything but crawl
under the covers and pass out, so that’s what I did.
I didn’t go to work the next day.

*** SECTION MISSING ***

5