Kraaack… khssssss…
I froze in place.
I raised my left hand, signaling Eva to stop immediately.
The sound hadn't come from the cages filled with humans.
It was a coarse, wet sound—like steel claws scraping against rusted iron and damp flesh.
And it was coming from everywhere.
From the dark ceiling above us, and from the pipes that twisted like thick serpents between the cages.
"Do you hear that?" Eva whispered, her back instinctively pressing against mine, forgetting her hatred for a single second to cover the blind spot.
"They're the cage wardens…" I whispered, my crimson eyes narrowing to pierce the green darkness.
"The Flayed."
Suddenly, something dropped from the ceiling, cutting through the green light, landing directly in front of us.
It hit the metal grating with a wet, disgusting sound.
It wasn't human.
It was an abomination.
A humanoid body over two meters tall—but completely skinless.
