cHApTEr 9. ouT of HAnD (1 of 3)

This was surreal.

Going after the Dismantler wasn’t on Mioray’s agenda for the day. And of course, it had to happen during his date with Erinel. As they hurried toward the abandoned furniture factory, Mioray was still trying to process everything that had happened. They had talked about art and its meaning. Then, somehow, they’d ended up discussing the person, a greanrip, who had given Erinel her ring, which quickly morphed into a conversation about greanrip reproductive biology.

Mioray had been caught off guard. It was more than what he was prepared for. He never went on a date before, but he was fairly certain sex wasn’t typically a first-date topic.

But that didn’t apply with Erinel. She wasn’t human. She didn’t follow human customs, so everything could be different with her. Once his head cooled, Mioray realized she’d only been educating him, sharing facts about her species and beliefs. There was no deeper meaning behind it.

And that was that. Their time together was cut short by Kevin’s call. Erinel surged through the crowd in her blouse and skirt, her focus singular. Catching the Dismantler. Mioray watched her expression shift, tenderness fading into cold eagerness, even triumph. Like she was finally about to get what she’d been chasing. It puzzled Mioray. Why was she so invested in this killer?

She believed the Dismantler and Impact Corpse were the same person. If that were true, he was undead, like Mioray and the others. But unlike them, Impact Corpse was out killing people, spreading terror across the city. It violated the natural order, something Erinel fiercely protected. She wanted to stop him from breaking that balance.

The problem was, they had few options. There wasn’t much they could realistically do to apprehend him. In theory, they could sever his brain from his spinal cord – if they managed that – but then what? The monster regenerated faster than any of them. Would they have to keep his brain disconnected forever?

That was a disaster waiting to happen. It wouldn’t solve the problem, just delay its return.

The day was turning into evening. The others were already at the factory, waiting in Terry’s white car, not where the parking lot used to be, but deeper in the complex’s maze of paths. Mioray and Erinel met them there.

“Oh, look who finally deigned to show up,” Farah said, stepping out of the car. The others followed. “I was starting to think you were going to make us do the dirty work again, Erinel. Just like with the Soul Collective.”

She was even more caustic than usual. Matt had messaged Mioray earlier, saying Farah had canceled plans with her friends because of Erinel’s request.

“So, what now? We just walk through the front doors and introduce ourselves?”

While Farah complained, Terry elbowed Mioray with a smirk.

“Well? How’d the date with Erinel go? First base?”

Mioray hissed and raised a fist, ready to thump the racer on the head, but Kevin cut in before anything could escalate.

“Focus, people.” He adjusted his suit. “This isn’t the time for foolishness. We’re on a tight schedule. The police are already preparing to raid this place, so we need to find the Dismantler and bring him with us before they arrive.”

“I’m sorry, bring him with us?” Farah raised an eyebrow, glancing around. “Am I the only one who thinks this is insane?”

Mia touched her temple, then pointed fingers on both hands at Farah.

“Thank you,” Farah replied aloud and in sign. “You think he’s Impact Corpse, right? The guy who blew up half of Mioray’s university? You do realize he can do the same here?”

He hadn’t blown up half the university, but Mioray didn’t correct her. It would only make her angrier, and the exact scale of destruction didn’t matter. The devastation Impact Corpse had left behind was horrific. Mioray wanted to bury the memory, but it was too vivid: the cafeteria collapsing, the madman appearing, his eyes like black voids with glowing red irises. “I found you!” he’d yelled that day, eyes fixed on Mioray. “I found you!”

Almost a month had passed. If Mioray could sleep, that monster would haunt his dreams until the day he died. Which, ironically, might have already happened at the hands of that very person.

“You don’t have to face him,” Erinel joined the discussion. “In fact, I’d advise against it. Ideally, we find him without him seeing us. We notify everyone, and then ambush him together. If he notices you, try to keep your distance. He’s deadly up close. Fortunately, most of your powers are long-range.”

“Notify everyone?” Farah put her fist on her hips. “You don’t mean–”

“Yes, we’re splitting up,” Kevin interrupted. “The factory is huge, with multiple entrances. We’ll cover more ground that way.”

Matt, who had been silently listening to the adults, was trembling. The idea terrified him. Honestly, Mioray didn’t understand why the boy was even here. The Dismantler inspired fear. Impact Corpse, even more so. This was no place for someone like Matt. Terry had said the boy volunteered, but it still felt wrong to bring him.

“I’ll go with Matt,” Mioray said. “We can’t let him wander around alone while the Dismantler is on the loose.”

“I was going to take him, but suit yourself,” Kevin replied, brushing it off. “Farah, you go with Erinel. Will that stop your whining?”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” she said sarcastically. “So let’s say we find him and ambush him like Erinel said. Then what? How do we catch him?”

“Honestly?” Kevin approached a fire escape ladder, grabbed the handle, and placed a foot on the rung. “I’ll be surprised if we even get that far. This is ridiculously risky, but we don’t have another choice. We’ve never been this close to the Dismantler. We might never get this close again.”

It was a harsh way to crush any fighting spirit, though there wasn’t much to begin with. No one knew how to respond. Even Terry, usually the first to lighten the mood, said nothing.

Kevin began climbing. There was no hesitation in his movements. Mioray didn’t want to admit it, but the lawyer was admirable. He’d faced Impact Corpse at the university, and even managed to fight him. Although he’d been forced to retreat because Impact Corpse was resistant to his paralyzing fingernails, his voice remained calm and firm. Kevin didn’t have illusions. He knew this mission was likely to end in disaster.

But he kept his face steady.

The evening was surprisingly quiet, considering what it could have in store. The city – and the whole world, really – couldn’t have cared less about the raid unfolding at the abandoned furniture factory. First by the undead, and soon, by the police.

Eventually, the group dispersed into different entrances, leaving Mioray and Matt behind. Wandering a little farther, they found a steel staircase with a door at the top. They ascended and tried the handle. It wasn’t locked.

Inside was a narrow, straight corridor engulfed in darkness. Mioray and Matt turned on the flashlights on their phones. It risked warning the Dismantler of their presence, but the alternative was walking blindly into the unknown and, holy Mirabelle forbid, bumping into the killer from behind.

Each of them had the same chance of running into him somewhere in the factory. Hopefully, they knew what they were doing. If the Dismantler was an ordinary human, capturing him wouldn’t be particularly difficult. They might even leave him for the police to arrest. But if he was really Impact Corpse... Like Erinel said, he wasn’t strong at long range. Kevin could paralyze him temporarily from a distance, Mia could blast him with sound, Matt could trap him with his glue-like slime. Even Mioray had the ability to shoot his arms and legs. Terry? Well, Terry was fast. Getting away wouldn’t be a problem for him.

Mioray wasn’t sure what Farah’s ability was, but she was with Erinel. That made sense, as Erinel didn’t have a phone and couldn’t be contacted if someone else found the Dismantler first. Mioray wasn’t worried for her. She’d been there during the university attack. She knew what Impact Corpse was capable of.

He frowned. Erinel had been at the university, right? He remembered seeing her just before passing out, but he’d never actually asked if she had really been there. Maybe he imagined it. Erinel could command living things. Maybe she could use that against Impact Corpse. But was that really an advantage against someone like him?

Turns out, he was worried after all.

“Something wrong?” Matt asked from behind, taking a wary glance down the corridor.

“Nothing,” Mioray said, stepping forward. “Let’s do this.”

Grass sprouted through cracks in the floor. Wooden boards lay scattered down the corridor. Both sides were lined with doorways into other rooms. The Dismantler could be hiding in any of them. Mioray and Matt moved slowly, watching their steps, careful not to make noise. The floor was a mess. There could easily be a hidden bottle in the grass, or a board ready to squeak. Time mattered, but they couldn’t sacrifice stealth.

The factory complex was huge. Odd, then, that no homeless people had taken shelter here. Perhaps the Dismantler had scared them off. The lifeless corridor seemed to stretch on forever, ending only in black nothingness. What if the Dismantler already knew they were here? Occasionally, they heard sirens in the distance. Could be a random patrol car on a call, or the police task force closing in. On second thought, a task force probably wouldn’t be making any noise if it wanted to keep the raid a surprise.

“We should’ve brought walkie-talkies,” Matt whispered. “Way better than phones. We could all talk to each other at once. Why didn’t we think of that?”

“What if someone talked at the wrong moment? They’d give away someone else’s position,” Mioray said.

“As if a phone ringing wouldn’t do the same.”

“Not if it’s on silent mode.”

“Vibrations can be heard in total silence too,” Matt insisted. “And if it’s off, then you’ve gotta keep checking the phone for messages. Anything could give us away.”

“Whispering could too,” Mioray said impatiently. “So could the flashlights, for that matter.”

Matt stopped, looking like a scolded puppy. Mioray sighed. That wasn’t fair. Matt was just a kid. Dead or not, he was nervous. So was Mioray, but he was the adult here. He needed to protect Matt, or at least pretend he could.

He crouched down so their faces were level. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you,” he said. “We’ll make do with phones this time, but after this? We’ll hit a store and get those headset walkie-talkies, you know, the ones with earbuds? That way, no one around hears anything.”

That seemed to calm Matt a bit. He nodded and grabbed the hem of Mioray’s shirt. Like that, they continued forward. Mioray doubted they could find the Dismantler unnoticed. This was his territory. But there was no need to tell Matt that. Best to hope that if they did find him, they’d have time to alert the others and keep their distance. With Matt’s abilities, they might even slow him down, though Mioray wasn’t counting on it. The kid might freeze at the sight of the killer.

The rooms they passed were mostly empty. A desk here, a broken cabinet there. Nothing useful. No matter how far they went, the corridor continued like a tunnel into nowhere. Eventually, they got used to it. With each room, their tension eased. The idea that they’d be the ones to find the Dismantler felt less and less likely. Matt even speculated that the Dismantler had been here, but wasn’t anymore. The others were silent. Either they had no luck in finding him, or they were lucky enough not to run into him.

By the time they reached the corridor’s end, their guard was mostly down. They talked normally now. Mioray was telling Matt how he and some classmates, including Juju, used to explore old buildings, until one of them broke a leg, and all of them got yelled at by their parents. He briefly shone his flashlight into the last room, not expecting anything, and turned away. Some rooms they passed earlier connected to unexplored ones. They could continue from there.

He took a few steps, then suddenly stopped, gasping. Matt, caught off guard, bumped into his back.

“Why’d you stop?” Matt asked, rubbing his nose. The fear returned to his voice.

Mioray didn’t answer. He turned back to the last room he’d checked, walking in to take a closer look. He’d been so sure it was just like the others, he hadn’t really looked. He’d ignored the smell. That rusty, sickening stench.

And he ignored the calling from inside the room. A calling meant specifically for him.

“What is this place?” Matt looked inside and recoiled as if stung. “I don’t like it, Mioray. Let’s get out of here.”

“I can’t,” Mioray shook his head. Yes. He couldn’t just leave. He had to enter this room. “Wait here, Matt. Make sure nobody wanders in. I’ll be quick.”

Matt tried to object, but Mioray had already stepped inside. The overpowering smell invaded his nostrils, urging him to retch, but he held his composure. Not because he wasn’t disturbed by what he saw, but because he was already dead. Otherwise, he would’ve definitely puked.

The entire room was soaked through with dried blood. In the middle stood a steel table with a handsaw lying atop it, both rusted from the blood that had once drenched them. Chains hung across the far wall. Seventeen of them were occupied.

Severed arms were bound in them.

Some were fully mummified, others still in the process. All were severed left arms. The arms of the Dismantler’s victims.

But one arm was different. It wasn’t darkened or dried up. No, it still had a healthy color, as if blood had never left it, or had returned. One could easily mistake it for freshly cut, perhaps just a few hours ago. It bore no distinguishing marks.

But Mioray didn’t need any. He knew it was his. His missing left arm.

It called out to him, pulsing in his mind. It longed to return to its master, after being apart for so long. The chain was fastened tightly around the wrist. Mioray rushed toward it and grabbed it. It was… warm?

He tried to pull it free, but it wouldn’t budge. He had to break it loose somehow. His eyes landed on the handsaw.

What if I cut it off at the wrist?

A thought he never imagined having. Under any other circumstances, Mioray would call it disturbing. But did ethical or moral dilemmas apply here? It was his arm. The one that would regenerate once reattached. Nothing bad would happen if he cut it more. Maybe a little blood would spill, but it would come back eventually. There was no key for the chain lock in sight, and he didn’t have much time.

“Matt, come in here!” Mioray called, grabbing the handsaw. “I need your help. Just… be ready. It’s not a pleasant sight.”

What he was planning to do was even less pleasant.

Matt entered the room, hunched like a startled mouse. He looked pale. The boy tried not to look at the blood and the wall of severed arms, but of course, he understood that all the Dismantler’s butchery had happened here.

“What are you doing, Mioray?!” Matt gasped, seeing the blood-caked handsaw in Mioray’s hands.

“It’s my arm, Matt,” Mioray gestured to the only healthy-looking one. “Look, we found it! I can finally take it back. I just need your help to cut it loose. Can you hold it while I saw through the wrist?”

“Umm…” Matt pulled his head into his shoulders. “You’re really serious?”

“I am.” Mioray pressed the handsaw’s blade against the forearm of the severed limb. “What do you think, how long would it take to regenerate fully?”

“A few hours, usually,” Matt replied, still in shock.

“I can wait a few hours. Let’s do this, quickly. This is definitely the Dismantler’s workshop. I’d rather be out of here before he comes back.”

Matt hesitated, then carefully took Mioray’s severed arm into his hands. He gulped as Mioray readied the saw to cut at the wrist. A few hours. Just a few, and I will have my second arm back.

“Put your hands in the air where I can see them!”

Both Mioray and Matt jumped in surprise, instinctively raising their hands. Matt was still holding Mioray’s severed arm, while Mioray held the bloody saw. If Farah could see them now, she’d laugh her heart out.

At the door stood a woman, pointing a gun at them. She wasn’t alone. Behind her, more officers in blue uniforms filled the entrance. The woman at the front was Natalie Lance. She was the one who had shouted the command.

“Well, well, well, who do we have here?” Detective Chad Haytham stepped into the room beside Natalie. “Our very own John Doe, caught at the crime scene. What’s with all the blood and severed arms? Is this the latest trend in interior design? See, Natalie, he’s not just a victim. Why else would he be here? This is where the Dismantler worked. You were right about it, Natalie. Great call, partner.”

“Mioray, who is this boy with you?” Natalie’s voice was steel, her brows furrowed in stern suspicion.

“It’s not what it looks like!” Mioray said quickly. A cliché, sure, but he had nothing else. “He’s with me. We’re looking for the Dismantler!”

“Of course you are,” Haytham scoffed, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. “You can tell us all about it at the station. Step away from the kid.”

They had the wrong idea, completely. The timing couldn’t have been worse. Out of all the factory’s routes, the police had taken the one that led straight to Mioray. They intended to arrest him under suspicion of being the Dismantler. There was no escape. They had him cornered, together with Matt. Was it possible to avoid any consequences without exposing Erinel and the others?

Detective Haytham took only a few steps forward.

Then, suddenly, a massive, muscular arm swung around the doorway. It collided with the nearest officer.

In the next moment, Mioray witnessed a familiar, horrifying sight. The arm swelled grotesquely, and then it exploded, blasting the officer’s upper body to pieces. The shockwave sent the others flying down the corridor. Only Natalie Lance and Chad Haytham remained inside the room both thrown to the floor, covered in their colleague’s blood and flesh. Detective Haytham struck his head on the table and fell unconscious. Detective Lance, on her back, turned and pointed her gun toward the doorway.

One step. A giant’s leg appeared. Another. A towering man entered the room, his disfigured arm already regenerating. His black eyes scanned the space, twin red embers glowing at their center. With his healthy arm, he dragged a decapitated corpse, blood pulsing from the neck hollow and soaking into a metallic-blue suit. Mioray knew only one person who’d be wearing that suit in the abandoned factory today.