The Preying City

Vincent and Elias walked behind the young lady. She had promised to lead them to the echoing gorge. Vincent had asked her about it but received no concrete answer. All she said was that he would understand it once they reached there.

Vincent was sure that the girl didn't know what was there either. She wouldn't answer how she knew about it either.

No, it was almost as if she couldn't answer.

One thing was for sure. She wasn't normal at the moment. She was being influenced by something.

'Is it the policemen from the salt mine? Or is it Mr. Collector? This could very well be a trap but that wouldn't make much sense either. If they already know so much about me, there is no need to go through all this hassle.

What's bothering me even more is that the first private investigator she came to was Elias. It can't be a simple coincidence. He is the only supernatural who had any actual means of contacting me. There shouldn't be anyone who knows about his relationship with me. This gets fishier the more I think about it.

What does the party influencing Miss Mystique want?'

Vincent felt uneasy because of the unknown party that hadn't made its appearance but that was all the more reason why he had to follow the young woman. Torturing her for information held no merit as she was completely oblivious to her situation and didn't know anything.

The hidden party wanted Vincent to follow her into the echoing gorge and that's what he had to do. Going against their wishes when they knew so much about him wouldn't bode well for him.

Miss Mystique walked ahead casually. She took turns in the least travelled roads and alleys. Looking at her, anyone might think that she had lived her whole life in this neighborhood.

Elias was surprised. He could confidently say that he knew most of the town well. But the area she was taking them to was a decrepit neighborhood where only homeless people sometimes went. It was a part rife with crime and dishonest people. Even he would have a hard time finding his way here and the girl was navigating through the confusing alleys like it was her backyard.

He wanted to ask the doctor where they were heading but the serious look on his face deterred him from doing so. He looked lost in thought and he didn't want to disrupt him. He was curious about the girl as well but he didn't pry into it.

Nearly half an hour later, they had finally reached their destination. The night had settled in and the moon was illuminating the open area an ethereal silver.

It was rare to find such an open area inside the city. Vincent looked around to get a grasp of the area. He had no idea why the area was empty. The land prices inside the city was nothing to scoff at and he couldn't understand why such a vast area was left untouched.

Elias could guess what the doctor was thinking and he took the initiative. "This was a peaceful neighborhood just until three years ago but it burned down in a massive fire. More than three thousand people lost their lives to the fire and thousands more were injured. Lots of people reported sightings of ghosts afterwards. Many people thought of it as just the empty talks and a construction company started rebuilding the settlement.

They had but leveled the area when the workers started catching cold mysteriously and no one could explain why. Despite the repeated attempts, no construction was successful and some workers even died. In the end, the rebuilding project was shut down and this area is still empty."

Vincent nodded in response and turned to Miss Mystique. "Is this the echoing gorge? I don't see any gorges though. In fact I see nothing special here."

"Echoing gorge is just the name. It doesn't refer to the place though. It's a rave." The young woman replied without turning back.

Vincent followed her gaze but still saw no signs of any other humans. He had thought that he might be able to learn the motive of the hidden party after reaching the place but he still didn't receive a single clue. In fact, he was even more confused now. "Where's the rave?"

"It's not time yet. Maybe it will begin a bit later." She shrugged as she answered.

Left with no choice, Vincent decided to probe a little about her situation. "You seem awfully calm. Aren't you scared?"

"Scared of?"

"You know my identity. The best way to ensure my safety is to silence you. And the best way to silence someone is to kill them." His voice was cold. Elias got goose bumps just listening to him.

"You wouldn't."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do."

"How?"

"How? Isn't it obvious? It's because.... b... because..." The girl was confused. She couldn't pinpoint why she thought so at all. Looking back, she had never been to this place but she seemed to know every nook and corner. The name 'echoing gorge' itself was unfamiliar to her until just this morning. In fact, she was sure that she had never even heard of it.

She grew silent and Vincent learned what he wanted to know. For now, he could conclude that the party influencing Miss Mystique wasn't going to harm him. At least not until they had made enough use of him. He didn't mind much as long as this did indeed lead him to a missionary of d.e.s.i.r.e.

Vincent sat there thinking. He was still in his work cloth. He had come straight from Elias's office and the new investigator was dressed in a fashion similar to his. As for the girl, she was lost in thought, very confused and a little scared. The three waited patiently for a good while.

Still no sign of anything.

Vincent grew tired of waiting and asked the girl. "Are you sure we are on the right place?"

"We should be....." She paused momentarily and got up. "Follow me."

The two men got up and followed after her. Vincent didn't complain and Elias walked behind him. They didn't travel for long. The three soon found themselves in front of a half constructed mansion. Two burly men were standing at the entrance.

Miss Mystique stepped aside and gestured Vincent to take the lead. He approached the guard and stopped in front of them.

"Three people. That will be three pounds for the entrance fee." One of the guard spoke as he extended his palm.

Vincent fished for his wallet and paid up. He walked into the mansion followed by his two companions. Contrary to the unfinished outside, the inside was built luxuriously and was polished completely. Different works of art adorned both sides of the hallway and servants could be seen coming out of the kitchen in the far end. They busied themselves with carrying refreshments and snacks to the bas.e.m.e.nt.

The stair that led upstairs was only half complete so he could conclude that the rave was happening downstairs. He took a quick look at the kitchen and headed down.

As soon as he entered the bas.e.m.e.nt, he was surprised by the vast space available. The floor was smooth and sandwiched by walls that were unfinished and resembled jagged hills. Just as he finished taking in the structure's shape, he was hit by an aggressive atmosphere.

It was absolutely crowded. Swathes of people were shouting excitedly as they waved around the money in their hands. A few staffs went around with a betting boxes while scantily dressed waitresses went around serving alcohol.

P.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.es pulled customers inside private booths every once in a while. Each of them were pretty and dressed in enticing manners. Even the waitresses were a cut above the rest in terms of looks. The establishment even had card tables with pretty dealers for people who weren't into bloody sport.