Chapter 140: Ghouls (1/2)

”Secret base!” Everyone said in astonishment.

”Yes, there is a base under this room, ” Ayaan nodded and opened the small door, revealing stairs that led underground.

”Someone must be hiding inside the chamber...”

”Shh... Don't make any noise, ” Ayaan warned Noor when she tried to say something.

Everyone turned towards the dark passage and contemplated for some time. Ayaan looked at everyone, and said, ”we won't know anything from here, let's go inside and check it out.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and followed Ayaan from behind. As they lowered their feet on the stairs, the darkness descended and obscured their sight. They could barely see their companions.

”I don't think anyone would like to live in such a dark place, ” Isobel whispered.

”Hmm, but there might be something interesting in this house, ” said Ayaan, then asked to Leafwhisk, ” can you lit up this place as well like before?”

”Sure, ” replied Leafwhisk in a low voice, and her hand started to glow with green light, brightening the stairs that extended to even further down below.

The group exchanged glances, and Ayaan stumbled below at a slow pace. The walls at either side of the stairs were covered in dirt and filth. The underneath was cold and damp, reeking with a smell that would make the dead walk out of their graves.

”I can't breathe here, ” Noor complained, and nauseous look appeared on everyone's face.

”It looks as if something has been rotting here for a long time.” Weighed Ayaan when he smelled.

”Oh, shit, ” Noor cursed and vomited.

”I-I also...” The little guy said and Ayaan hurriedly put him down from his shoulders.

And everything fell out of Akash's stomach, he also vomited.

”You two just stay here. We will go check out inside, ” said Ayaan to Noor.

”No, I will follow you inside, ” said Akash with a determined expression. Noor looked at the boy and felt ashamed for being too weak-willed and eventually decided to go down with everyone.

Ayaan smiled and didn't object either of them and let them tag along with him. He was curious about this underground room. Therefore, he continued and ultimately reached the end of the stairs; what revealed shocked everyone. Because it was something no one expected. The sight in front made their heart clench in terror.

In front of them was a group of five people, tied together. Their eyes were dull, faces dried and lips cracked. Everyone's hair was in a mess, filled with dirt and filth. Furthermore, their clothes were tattered, mixed with blood, quite a few wounds could be seen on their bodies.

However, there was something even more awful, every single of these five people were missing an arm or a leg. Addition to this, their wounds hadn't patched, flies gathered all over them. The rotten smell drifted in every corner of the room, making people nauseous.

The five people tied around by the pillar looked at Ayaan's group with dull eyes, not reacting at all. There wasn't even a painful look on their faces, it looked they had lost their will to live any further.

”Can you tell us who did this?” Asked Ayaan with a concerned look when he saw such a sorry sight in front of him. He walked toward those people when no one replied to him. He squatted down in front of the woman who looked around the age of forty.

”Who did this...”

”Grrrr!!!” The woman suddenly opened her mouth and tried to bite him with her teeth.

”Damn!” Ayaan cursed and fell back, not letting that lady have her lovely meal that would cause him much more pain.

She struggled against the ropes, but to no avail. In the end, that lady again became dormant, assuming her pitiful look once more. However, no one dared to look at the lady as they did before.

”This is too peculiar, ” said Leafwhisk, her eyes shining with intelligence, ”they are hungry and for a very long time. Their limbs are missing and they had been tired by someone in this underground room. In this place, where it's hard to get a loaf of bread, someone had been eating meat. Don't you think this situation is bizarre?”

”Well, it is bizarre for sure, but why would someone capture these people?” Asked Ayaan in bewilderment.

”You didn't hear my full sentence, did you? If you had, you will know there is a pattern to every incidence here.” Her eyes gleamed with wisdom.

”I don't understand; what do you mean?” Inquired Ayaan with a confused face.

”From where did someone get the meat if there aren't many edible animals?” Asked Leafwhisk and looked at the tied people on the ground with interest.

As everyone heard her words, they felt as if the room became colder. Only now did they realise what she had been trying to say all this time. What a horrible finding it was.

Noor looked at the people on the ground with disbelief and said with a shivering voice, ”y-you are saying that someone has been eating the people peace by peace all this t-time?”