Eva Atelier stepped out of the shower, looking resplendent. She wore only a white bathrobe and smelled of lavender and honey. The beauty just had a long, warm, and luxurious shower. However, the timing could have been better since it was past midnight.Victor had gone out after an hour-long lovemaking session, leaving her yearning for a thorough cleansing. Perhaps he would return soon, and they could go at it again. She was already horny thinking about her man.Victor usually disappeared every night and returned before dawn. Eva never asked him about his whereabouts. She assumed he was meeting important people and hatching plans for Springfield's betterment. The girl equated herself with a superhero's girlfriend, never disturbing his high-stakes, clandestine nightlife.It had been a month since Eva started living with Victor at the Mayor's mansion. It was now public knowledge that the two were dating. The media picked up the news on the first day and played it until the entire city kn

Clearly unsettled, Eva tried to get up from the bed. But she failed because her legs and arms were bound. The young woman had been stripped and made to wear a hospital gown.What was going on? Didn’t she lose consciousness in the restaurant? Where the hell did they bring her? Or was she asleep, having a nightmare?Eva heard a few voices talking but couldn’t recognize them.“The fresh specimen has a bun in the oven, sir…”“What? Is the woman pregnant? Now, that sounds like good news. We can have both her grey matter and her uterus. Jackpot!”Eva’s heart froze in horror. What nonsense were the strangers blabbering? Then, the realization hit her. She had been abducted!“Where am I?” Eva called out to the voices. “What’s going on here? Answer me! I am the Mayor’s executive assistant! You guys are in a lot of trouble! The military police will barge in at any moment and gun you down!”Eva heard footsteps. Moments later, three smiling faces loomed over her. “Ah, the specimen is awake,” a mid

Kate's grip loosened a bit on her knives. Did the stranger say he was Roadkill? Why was the name so familiar? A moment's reflection brought back her doubts and anxiety.Of course! The poster vigilante, Roadkill! He was so popular among the youth that cosplayers dressed up as him in comic-con. Teen girls loved him so much they got the tattoo 'R' over objectionable parts of their bodies. There were steaks and drinks named after him!Kate ground her teeth in disgust. The Raven used to be Springfield citizens' poster heroine and sole protectress. That ended when Roadkill arrived. However, the female vigilante wasn't really upset that he stole the limelight from her. She was more disturbed by how he did it.Kate went through the newspaper articles, online blogs, and witness reports of cases in which Roadkill was involved. Even though the police department publicly denounced him, they made no attempts to curb his vigilante activities. On the other hand, the Raven was painted as a hobbyist a

"What the hell are these changelings?" Kate raged. "Why are the Damonists so desperate to create them with these infernal methods?"Disgust and anger overwhelmed the girl, and her voice changed to the regular low-pitch. Normally, Kate thickened her tone to sound older to throw off any witnesses. Now, with her defenses lowered, she sounded much like a University girl."Does mutilating and killing innocents come easily to them?! They ripped out unborn babies and fetuses from pregnant women! And don't get me started on the brains!"Kate trailed off, unable to handle her own graphic imagination. She had not imagined in her worst dreams that the night would take such a dark turn.Victor nodded. "All I know is that changelings are composed of uterus and brain tissue. I am not sure why they are collecting fetuses. I haven't found the purpose or application yet."Kate fidgeted with and adjusted her mask. It had loosened a bit after her brief struggle with Roadkill. "But why make such horrible

By the end, over fifty bodies littered the floor—mangled heaps of broken bones, torn skin, and pooling blood. He stood in the middle, his clothes drenched in red. “The hall is clear,” he told no one in particular. At the end of a corridor ahead, a basement door loomed. It sat there, silent and dark, like it was daring him to come closer.***Kate’s POVKate bent herself into a ball and swooped through the broken window. She landed on her feet, rolled, and kept running, her boots light against the dusty concrete.The place was a wreck—crumbling walls, rusted machines, and cobwebs hanging like curtains. The silence was eerie, broken only by distant city sounds. But she could also hear something else—hushed voices, frightened whimpers.She moved quickly, sticking to the shadows, her senses heightened to catch any threat. A few Damonists patrolled the halls, their eyes wide in alertness. She took them out quickly—a fist to one’s throat, a slap at the back of the neck. They crumpled withou