Lennox Estate — 5:45 AM, Near the Incinerator Room
Leo and Dash stepped inside, the heavy metal door creaking open. A thick, choking heat pressed against them, almost suffocating in the cool dawn air.
Their nostrils were assaulted by the acrid stench, a sickly-sweet, metallic smell laced with the unmistakable sharpness of burning flesh. It was a harsh, chemical bite that turned their stomachs, twisting the air with a suffocating, nauseating weight. Beneath it all, the faint, bitter trace of singed hair and scorched fabric lingered like a ghost refusing to fade.
Dash swallowed hard, trying to steady his breath. "God… what happened here?" He choked, almost puking. He covered his mouth and nose.
Leo's eyes darted around the shadowed corners, heart hammering. "Someone's body is burning..."
They realized the incinerator wasn't just for old files or broken equipment. It had been used for something far more sinister.
Leo brushed a dusty lever beside the incinerator's mouth. He hesitated, fingers tightening. "If someone wanted to erase evidence, this is the perfect place. It's old and abandoned, but the fact that the gas line and incinerator are still on is suspicious."
Dash scanned the shadowed room, his eyes searching. "Burning a body... that's calculated. Whoever did this didn't want any trace left behind."
The furnace's belly crackled, and the acrid, metallic scent of burning flesh filled the air.
Leo grimaced. "That smell… It's unmistakable."
Dash's voice was low, tense. "You think Igor did this?"
Leo swallowed hard. "If he did… that changes everything."
Dash noticed the ashes near the grate. "It means he's no longer just a shadow. He's a force."
Who had reduced the body to ash? And what had been erased along with it?
Dash approached the incinerator's mouth, the heat radiating faintly despite the early hour. He crouched and peered inside, the dim orange glow flickering against twisted metal and ash.
Leo scanned the edges of the incinerator, eyes narrowing. "Look, there's a trail," he said.
A fresh smear of blood, sticky and glistening, led away from the furnace and snaked toward a narrow service corridor.
Dash followed the path, careful not to disturb any evidence. "Someone dragged the body out after it started burning... or maybe dumped parts here before finishing the job."
Leo's voice was rough. "This wasn't just about getting rid of a body.."
The corridor was silent except for their careful footsteps and the distant creak of the old mansion settling.
Dash pulled out a small flashlight, its beam slicing through the gloom. "We need to find where this trail leads. Whoever's behind this, Igor or not, they want us to know."
Leo swallowed, then nodded. "Let's keep moving."
They followed the trail of blood through a twisting corridor as faint sounds began to stir from the servants' quarters. Doors creaked open, low murmurs whispered, and footsteps echoed softly on worn stone.
Dash glanced at his watch. "It's nearly six. The staff will be waking soon. We don't have much time."
Leo's jaw tightened. "If someone finds the incinerator still warm, or worse, the remains, they'll call the police. That means questions. And we're still in the dark."
Dash swallowed hard, eyes scanning the shadowed hallway. "And if Igor is still out there… what if this turns into a massacre? We don't know what he's capable of now."
Leo's voice dropped to a harsh whisper. "That's what scares me the most. If he's lost control… nobody's safe."
The pressure, heavy in the quiet hallway, threatened to unravel their fragile plan as daylight approached.
"We need to get out, regroup, figure this out," Dash said, voice low but urgent.
Leo hesitated, eyes flicking back toward the incinerator. "But what if Igor is still out there? If he's watching, waiting?"
Dash's hand tightened into a fist. "Then we need to be faster. Before it's too late."
The mansion around them began to hum with life, servants starting their day unaware of the dark storm gathering in its heart.
Time was slipping away.