Agent Ez

Chapter 10 - Things just get weirder and weirder ...

Painstakingly slowly, I turn to face the voice, which belonged to none other than Ralph, his face a picture of extreme anger.

He repeats his question.

Mustering my best innocent look, I look into his eyes and mutter: ‘I’m really sorry Sir, Drake wrote a note to tell me to come here and whenIdidtherewasnoonehere. And I was lost.’  I look to the floor in a bid to look truly sorry.

As inconspicuously as I could, I pulled my phone out of my pocket, ensuring he can’t see it. As he glares at me, I check the battery 59%.

This could work.

Ralph walks to the front of the desk glaring at me, ‘I’d like to show you something Esmeralda. Follow me.’ He orders as if I’m a dog, here to follow orders. Intrigued I follow him anyway – leaving my phone on his desk.

He leads me through countless hallways and takes so many turns I give up on my attempt of trying to find my way back again. Eventually we arrive at what seems like a long corridor. It’s really dark in here – I can barely see what’s in front of me.

Ralph flicks a switch somewhere and the whole place lights up, the corridor is longer than I thought it seems to go on for miles. It seems like a normal corridor at first richly decorated with burgundy carpet and blood red walls, still slightly dimly lit but better than before, but then another switch is flicked and the walls light up.

What I previously thought was simply lack of lighting turned out to be hundreds of stuffed animal furs. I fight to hide the disgust off my face, of their own accord my legs push me further. I see animals of all kinds with their skin displayed on the walls. There are not only animals but guns too.

Guns on the wall and in cabinets, old, new, big, small. He had so many, I’d never seen this many before in one place ever. I could name a few sure – but his collection was impressive.

Walking further into a corridor things get more disturbing, I see stuffed insects grotesquely placed on a mannequin, wearing nothing but The Joker’s smile crudely painted on it’s face. This was creepy stuff. I supress a shudder and as nonchalantly as I can I slowly begin to walk back to were Ralph is standing.

He notices my arrival and announces, ‘Come, let’s go to dinner.’

Dinner after everything I’ve just seen?

I probably won’t be able to eat a thing.

We walk in silence towards the dining room, with me sending pleas to God that I am not eating alone with him. That would be majorly awkward.

Where the hell are his children anyway?

To my utter dismay I find that we are. We start with roasted peppers stuffed with rice, I pick at my food, unable to get the images of all those creatures out of my head.

Innocent creatures.

The silence continues through the fish course and the main course. I pick my way through each, taking tiny morsels of food, chewing them into liquid.  The desert I cannot resist, freshly baked Apple Crumble with hot, steamy custard.

Just my luck that Ralph decides now is the perfect time to start a conversation.

‘What did you think of my little collection Esmeralda?’

Ha. Little?

‘It’s quite impressive,’ I reply as demurely as I can while stuffing my face.

‘I’m a hunter. I enjoy the thrill of the chase, the exhilaration of adding another animal to my collection. Just that feeling. Have you ever hunted?’ He sounds like a sadist.