“Interesting,” Gill said, scratching his chin.
“What’s interesting is the cell makeup of the skin and muscle surrounding the area. We took a sample of her flesh and found that it had an elasticity not common to rigor mortis. She’s been injected with a localized, unknown muscle relaxant that enabled the area to function while simultaneously performing movement beyond the capabilities of a normal human jaw.”
“How could she breathe with that in her throat?”
“Breathing would’ve been difficult. Only a small portion of air could get to the lungs while the dog was in her mouth. The process would involve a lot of time and discomfort and very minimal movement.”
“Like a snake.”
“Funny you should say that.”
Forrest led Gil over to the dog.
“This is where it gets really weird.”
“How so?”
“Well. As you can see, the dog’s head is almost gone, eroded away like it’s been placed head first into an insinkerator. This happened once the dog was already inside her mouth. We took samples off the dog and found that the erosion was caused by a rather acidic saliva, or a combination of that and general stomach acids. She has digestive qualities similar to that of a reptile such as a crocodile or a snake.”
“What does this mean?” Gill asked.
“The dog was already being consumed before it was entirely swallowed.”
“How can a human body withstand that kind of acid?”
“That’s what’s so amazing about it,” Forrest said. “The same toxin inside her face and neck also lines the entirety of her digestive system. Through its ability to strengthen human flesh and make it withstand enormous amounts of pressure, the acid has no corrosive effects on her organs.”
“That is amazing. This is big. There’s a lot of work gone into this girl. We’re after people who a very organized.”
“It seems that way, doesn’t it?”
“What was the cause of death?”
“It’s funny, because it could have been any number of things, considering, but this girl died from a combination of shock and malnutrition.”
“She died of hunger?”
“Perhaps that’s why she attempted to eat the dog, sir.”
“Perhaps. I can’t imagine it just crawling up there.”
“Not many people can, sir.”
Gill paced the room, shaking his head. Forrest stood and watched him, feeling the Detective’s anxiety.
“I can’t help but think this has something to do with my missing girl.”
“The Vanessa girl, sir?”
“Yeah. I think somebody out there is turning her into one of these… these Snake Girls.”
Chapter 15
Gill arrived at the house of Adam Hellier, a small flat near the river docks. He knocked on the door and heard footsteps in the house. Adam answered and made eye contact with Gill and immediately shut the door again. Gill went for the handle and then stood back and kicked it open. Adam was already running to the back of the house and Gill pursued. Adam cornered himself in the bathroom and Gill pulled his gun out and pointed it right at Adam’s face.
“Now I know you know something. Where’s Vanessa?”
“The girl had it coming to her. She was wasting her life away. She had nothing to live for.”
“She had a baby girl.”
“She didn’t give a fuck about her kid.”
“Well I do. I’m going to put my gun down and you’re going to tell me where she is.”
“Am I under arrest?”
“At the moment you are, yes. But if you help me, maybe that can change.”
“Alright. I’ll show you where she is. But this can’t get back to me. If they know I led you to them they’ll kill me.”
Gill put his gun down and grabbed Adam by the arm. “Come with me, we’re going to my car. If you try to run, I’ll shoot your knees out.”
They left the house and went to the car. Adam sweated in the passenger seat. He tried the door when Gill wasn’t looking. He was locked in.
“Is she alive?”
“I don’t know!”
“Where is she?”
“At the factories off the highway. Freemont Rd.”
Gill started the engine and they drove off.
“What’s there?”
“There’s a group stationed out there, doing experiments on people. They were offering top dollar for participants.”
“How did you get involved?”
“They approached me at work.”
“They wanted you to take part?”
“Not exactly.”
“What then?”
Adam broke down crying. He hid his face in his hands and shook his head. “They wanted Vanessa.”
“They paid you to get her for them?”
“Yes.”
“You’re a pretty low dog, Adam. Some friend you are. How much did they pay you?”
“Ten thousand dollars.”
“Do you have any idea what might be happening to her right now?”
“I have no idea.”
“Well, I have some idea, and let me tell you, it ain’t pretty.”
Gill pulled the car off the freeway and they came out an underpass. Large empty fields were on either side of the road, fenced off to intruders. Scraps of highway debris littered the area like abstract sculptures in an enormous wasteland. Adam wanted to vomit just remembering the place.
They travelled a few kilometers down the empty road where it met the beginning of the forest. It started to rain. At the end of the road there was a t-intersection that led to two separate groups of factories. Adam pointed to the right. “It’s down there.”
They passed a line of abandoned factories. On the other side of the road stood a wall of forest, dauntingly black and seemingly endless — no escape.
“It’s here, it’s this one,” Adam said, pointing to the place where he’d left Vanessa. The same roller door, the log she sat on when he abandoned her. “Her car’s gone.”
“Probably at the bottom of a lake by now.”
“Oh, god, what have I done?”
They got out of the car and approached the building. Gill pressed on the bell.
“I can’t be seen here,” Adam said.
“You know what I’ll do if you run.”
“They’ll kill me anyway.”
“Don’t worry, you’re with police now.”
“That’s the problem.”
There was no answer at the door and Gill motioned Adam to follow him around to the side. Gill held his gun before him, cautious as he passed empty dumpsters and burnt out oil drums. “Smells like death.”
Gill saw a small window high up at the top of the wall. “I need to take a look. Wheel that bin over here and I’ll climb up.”
Adam pushed the bin under the window and Gill stacked some boxes on top of the lid and made his way up to the window. He looked inside the filthy glass and saw nothing but a dark, wet and empty factory floor. “There’s nothing here,” he said, and turned to Adam who’d by then vanished. “Shit!”
Gill climbed down the boxes and jumped off the bin and ran to the front of the factory. The car was still there, the keys safe in his pocket. No sign of Adam. “That little rat.”
Gill looked far down the road but couldn’t see him. He turned to the thick forest and thought he could be anywhere. He didn’t have the energy to search for him.
“Looks like you’re walking, kid.”
Then something caught his eye in the thick shrubs. He made his way through the trees and came to the strange colorful thing draped over a branch, so very out of place.
“A beach ball?”
