The Tapestry of the End

"— We've arrived, sir.

— Alright, how much do I owe you?

— One silver ducat, sir."

Günter handed the gray banknote to the coachman, then opened the small wooden door of the landau. Stepping out, he glanced around the intersection where he was dropped off.

The fifth district stood in stark contrast to the others. The same houses, but with a faint touch of prosperity. Carved shutters and bright flowers nestled by the windows created an atmosphere of coziness and well-being. The walls, impeccably finished without cracks, chips, or signs of time. The cobblestone, made of granite, lay like a perfect carpet. Streetlights, like guardians of the night, lit the streets every twenty meters, casting light and shadow. The appearance of this district indicated that the residents belonged to a more affluent social stratum.

Each step Günter took was accompanied by the light sound of heels on stone. A gentle, fresh breeze rustled a few strands of his slightly curly hair that fell from under his tricorn hat. He walked slowly, surveying the wide streets. After a few more turns, Günter reached a small arched bridge. Descending and entering the sewer, he headed to another underground settlement.

After ten minutes of wandering, he came upon a nearly identical town. The same makeshift houses, the same residents weary from their struggle for survival. Here, almost complete silence reigned, broken only by the echo of footsteps, rustling, and whispered conversations.

The last time Günter visited these places, the streets buzzed with life: people argued animatedly, laughed, exchanged jokes, or, engrossed in excitement, played cards and dice. Then, despite life's hardships, everything seemed filled with movement and noise. But now, nearly all residents sat in their shacks, trying to make as little noise as possible.

He continued forward, passing houses and winding through narrow streets. Finally, after fifteen minutes, Günter reached a familiar house. He stopped at the entrance, his gaze lingering on the faded handmade sign, barely discernible in the dim light. It was an old but still sturdy structure, with wooden walls tilted with age and a moss-covered roof. He sighed, adjusted his tricorn hat, and knocked on the door.

The silence beyond the threshold momentarily alerted him. A few seconds later, the door creaked open, and an elderly man with gray hair and eyes full of fatigue appeared.

"Günter..." he said, recognizing the visitor, and stepped back, letting him inside.

The house was simple and unpretentious, with dark walls draped in cobwebs and furniture that had seen better days. By the wall stood a single bed, opposite which was a table, cobbled together from old but sturdy boards. On it stood a small, dripping candle, casting a dim, cozy light.

"Sit down."

The man slowly lowered himself onto an old bench by the table, and nodding toward the chair opposite, gestured for Günter to take a seat.

"You're here on business? Or did you just decide to visit an old man?"

"On business."

Taking the offered seat, Günter looked straight into the man's eyes.

"They say people started disappearing a couple of days ago."

"Hmm..." the old man paused for a moment. "That's true."

"How many people disappeared? And when did it start?"

"In total, seven, but it's hard to say for sure. As far as I know, the first incident happened ten or eleven days ago."

Günter paused for a moment, processing the information. Seven people in eleven days... That's much more than a month ago.

"Did you find the bodies?"

"Just a few... at least what was left of them."

"I see. Were there any witnesses?"

"Yes. There was one — a boy about thirteen years old. He says he saw some creature with glowing red eyes drag a man into the depths of the sewer. He was nearby when it happened, even called for help, but according to him, the creature vanished into the darkness in just a few seconds."

"Anything besides the eye color?"

"According to him, it was quite large, clearly larger than an adult man. It looked somewhat human, but hunched, gaunt, and terribly deformed, as if mixed with something."

Günter frowned, processing the information.

"May I see the bodies?"

Upon hearing the last phrase, the man slowly exhaled.

"Of course, you can. Come, I'll show you what we found."

They left the house, and the man led Günter through the narrow tunnels. They walked in silence until they reached a small area with an ordinary, unremarkable house.

He opened the door, and Günter was hit by a heavy metallic smell — the smell of blood. Inside, it was dimly lit by several candles, barely illuminating the old walls. In the center of a large room stood two tables. On them, covered with gray cloth, lay two bodies.

With an impassive expression, Günter approached the tables. He looked at the dirty cloth covering the bodies and slowly pulled it off the right table.

When the cloth fell, two mutilated bodies were revealed before him. They were mangled, and even in the dim candlelight, it was clear that the wounds on their bodies couldn't have been caused by simple knife cuts or other human-made weapons.

"These are the recent victims, well... what's left of them."

Saying this, the man turned away, clearly holding back the urge to vomit.

Nodding quickly, Günter began examining the bodies: the first was a blond man about thirty-five years old. His neck was bent at an unnatural angle, and a horrifying wound gaped at his carotid artery, exposing the spine from which several vertebrae had been torn. The man's right arm was completely torn from the shoulder joint, with several bite marks underneath. The rib cage was shattered, and a gaping hole provided a clear view of the space once filled with lungs and heart, now full of thick, blackened blood. His abdomen bore a large, jagged wound, apparently made by the creature's claws. Inside, there was nothing except a few segments of intestines that hadn't been torn out by the creature. All that remained of his right leg was a mangled stump, while his left leg bore numerous hideous gashes, some exposing the bones.

Günter closely examined the bite marks. The flesh around these horrific wounds had taken on an unnatural, disgusting green hue. Such a color could only be an unmistakable sign of decay.

"Old man, when did you say they were killed?"

"About two days ago, why? Did you find something?"

"The bodies have started to decompose."

"So what? What's unusual about that?"

"Too quickly and too unevenly. For the flesh to decay to this state takes much more time; two days is too short."

"And what does that imply?"

Turning to the second table, Günter replied:

"It means the creature likely has venom."

"Does that help us?"

"Help? Yes, it does. At the very least, it seriously narrows the range of creatures we need to look for."

"I see..."

Averting his gaze from the old man, Günter pulled the cover from the second table, revealing the dead body.

Under the cover lay the body of a boy, no more than 14 years old. His young face was slashed by claws, his eye sockets empty, and his skull was opened. Only a few bloody pieces remained of the brain that had once been there. Günter brought his hand to the boy's face and pulled on his chin, opening the mouth. Several front teeth were broken, and the tongue had been ripped out by the root.

Günter ran his gaze over the boy's entire body, seeing the gruesome, bloody scene horrifyingly similar to the previous one. The same shattered rib cage with the lungs and heart torn out, the opened abdomen, and numerous hideous wounds, the flesh around which had begun to rot.

Examining the wounds on the body several more times, Günter straightened up and turned to the elderly man.

"Bring me a lantern."

"Why? Did you find something?"

"Yes, I did, most likely a ghoul."

"Why do you need a lantern? Are you seriously going to go into the depths of the sewer to hunt this thing?" the man asked with a clearly frightened expression.

"You guessed it."

Smiling slightly at the old man, Günter took out a small case from his coat-cloak, intricately engraved with mysterious symbols forming an elegant design.

Inside were several dozen cartridges, varying in color and size. Running his fingers over the rows of cartridges, Günter chose a large iron-colored one. The bullet had several small incisions. Taking a few cartridges from the case, he reached behind his back and pulled out a long single-shot pistol. The dark metal of the formidable weapon was engraved with a beautiful floral pattern, gleaming in the dim candlelight.

Glancing at Günter, who loaded the pistol with a characteristic click, the man muttered under his breath:

"You're insane..."