Harrington's Journal

Chapter 5: December 6th - New Fingers

Ryla unlocked the door of the room I was held prison in. I scrambled back, but he came onto me faster. His long claws of his hound-like feet scrapped against the wooden floorboards as he approached. He grabbed hold of my arms and shackled my wrists together in front of me. Ryla gave me an intimidating stare, telling me that if I tried to run, he would kill me. I clenched my teeth, preventing myself from protesting. His strength was far from what I had imagined, as he forcibly dragged me down multiple staircases until we reached the basement. However, in the basement was another door, but instead it was made out of thick corroded metal, and it opened up to a dark tunnel. It had me questioning, what was this place? It was more than just a prison – it was like living hell.

I squeezed through the narrow tunnel until I reached a large laboratory. In here, they had various cutting tools in many sizes. Some were big enough to easily saw through bones. There were chains that hung from the ceiling, and there were tables in which they strapped their victims. Chained to the wall was the man who I thought was dead. As I walked passed, he lifted up his head quite feebly. Dark, red fluids poured out of the cuts from his bruised lip. When his one eye caught mine, his mouth quivered into a smile. It was the man next door, who barely lived. The being was awfully beaten, his head swollen, and his chest filled with open wounds. There was nothing to do to help him in this state. I gave him a slight nod to note him that everything was going to be okay, and he nodded back. I thankful to see his response. I turned my head away with my lips pressed firmly from the anxiety that was flowing through me. Ryla pushed me forward down a few more steps. Down here, I saw Ayla, who had a hairy beast lying down on the table. Breathing heavily, the beast looked at his tormenter with terrified eyes.

"Stop!" He screamed. Then his  screams turned into frantic whimpers, "Please don't do this, please..."

Ignoring the beast's plea, Ayla slipped his fingers between two rusted silver blades and snipped them off one by one. The room was filled with his loud screams, and the prisoner thrashed under his restraints. After chopping off one finger, she hushed him, gently patting his head and then moved on to the next finger. Ryla pushed me into an armchair and tied my body up with a heavy chain. I, however, was facing at the horrendous scene before me. Watching the creature writhe in pain and the sound of bone severed from his hands, I do not think that I would get over it. Ryla waited for his sister to finish. When she did, she hushed the beast once more whilst caressing his cheek. The creature breathed rapidly and little groans came out from his quaking lips. Her hand slid down to his neck, gently wrapping her slim fingers over the beast's throat.

"Goodbye young one. I will see you when I have you on my plate, all crispy and juicy." Her fingers tensed and pressed into his throat. The beast gagged, tossing his head from side to side. His attempt to throw her off had failed and his life ended. Ayla then placed the creature's fingers into a glass jar. She held it up for Ryla to see.

"Don't you think these fingers will suit me?" she asked him.

"It shall do for now. Get em on before your fingers fall off your hands." Ryla replied. "First we shall see this human."

The two turned to me simultaneously. I was paranoid that they will do the same thing to me as Ayla did to that beast. I swallowed my saliva several times as they walked up to me, Ayla on my left and Ryla on my right. I tried pulling on my restraints in panic but it did not release. The chains rattled furiously. The sound of metal hitting against the metal rails reverberated in the laboratory.

When I looked up to see the two, they both had the same blue eyes. However, comparing the two, Ryla looked more deformed than Ayla. He looked like the beast in the study, as his legs are in the form of a hound's hind legs, leaving me in a complete confusion of how it could even function. None of this makes any sense to me at all. Could it be that I was right? Can Ayla and Ryla be truly immortal?

My thoughts scattered when Ayla began to study me carefully like I was a patient, as she was checking my feet, my ears, nose, mouth, and eyes. I was very afraid. Never in my life did I felt fear to this extent, not ever since I saw the man in the forest, as every touch of her wrinkly hands on my skin caused me to shiver. All I could think of was them pushing me down in one of those mince-making machines and torture me to death.

"This human" Ayla began interrupting my thoughts, "Is one of the finest forms. His eyes, reminds me that of the master's, don't you think Ryla?"

"Indeed, it makes good replacement for master." Ryla responded with a smile.

"What are you going to do to me?" I stuttered in fright.

Ayla smirked, "Oh so he speaks? Why did you not speak earlier? Before getting into the main flesh of our carefully considered intent, may I know your name human?"

With my mind spinning accompanied by a headache, I unconsciously gave her my name, but I did thought that it would help me relax. Only for a second it helped.

"Well, Harrington. After a long chat with my brother, we've decided not to kill you, nor eat you, even though it is tempting." She licked her lips but managed to snap herself out of the idea. "We need a living model, and we have decided to use you as one."

My eyes widened in surprise. Me a model? How do these two even live by stringing on body parts to their own? Still, it does not make any sense. Why does it have to me? Is it because I am human? I am human, and the man who is now hanging to die told me that these two are trying to make themselves look human. I do not truly understand what was going on but I do not wish to be here any longer. If my life ends here, then everything that I had done will be over.

Ryla untied me and forced me out from the chair. I struggled under his tightening grip, flailing my arms, and kicking my legs in the air.

"You can't keep me like this!" I shouted. I scrapped my hands along the cutting tools that we laid on a table, pushing them onto the floor, which caused abnormal rats to jump up in their cages.

"But Harrington, we can." Ayla grinned. "We don't want to displease our master when the work is incomplete."

I was thrown into a different room this time and I did not know that Ryla collected my bag as he threw it in here too.

"You human must not move out, or I will eat human." Ryla spatted, and he slammed the door and locked it.

At least, this place was more hygienic than the first room I stayed in. However, this room was closer to the laboratory. The room contained a neat bed, desk, and bookshelves. The shelves were filled with volumes about anatomy and readings of reincarnation.

I moved over to the desk, which had a framed picture of two children. Standing in between them was a man dressed in formal attire. Then it hit me. I searched through the drawers to find more hints that may relate to what is truly happening. I opened the third drawer and I had found something, which left me frightened. Founding out the truth held me back from opening the diary I had discovered. It was the diary of Dr Brenhin, the master of Ayla and Ryla.

Harrington. H