You decide to investigate the other door in the bathroom, the only other way out that you suspect Claire used along the other women “Maybe I will discover where everyone disappeared too”
Ignoring the warning to the visitors indicating a reserved area you open cautiously the gate to find yourself in a shady side alley lined with various gate similar to the one you just passed thought all closed, with no one in sight. The sounds of the main street are now muffled, compounding the feeling of isolation in the alley, creping you out.
‘It’s not too late to turn back…’ But Claire needs your help more than ever!
In a circumspect manner you crouch to find some tracks and luckily find recent drag marks on the floor pointing to the darker sections, only barely lit up. As you follow the trails you notice the various doors leading to the business in the island, there are gates to the theater and bakery, for the brothel and even for landmarks like the park and forest.
‘This is a network of shortcuts that cover most of pleasure island. Is this some kind of supply line?’
You continue the self-appointed mission and finally reach the end of the alley, stepping into the light to a strange sight, before you a truly massive underground room stretched in every direction filled with countless corrals and crates ready to be shipped in a moment’s notice. Many workers inspect the teeth and physique of the beasts and direct them to various crates, that under the alert gaze of another group of attendants are loaded in a nearby anchored ship.
The sounds of brays, whinnies and bellows catch your attention as various barnyard animals are loaded in the crates with efficiency, in the still occupied corrals you notice a truly wide array of beasts, such as horses, zebras, deer, pigs, goats and the most common among the animals, the donkey.
‘Where did they find all those animals?’
You duck behind a nearby crate as a pair of attendants pass near your position talking to each other and laughing among themselves, fortunately too distracted to notice the man hiding behind a crate.
The two employees didn’t notice as you follow them silently and you overheard their conversation “ … -re you assigned this afternoon? I will comb the forest with group 12 for some escapees. Manny told me that after the shift the best with the lasso will have free drinks tonight”
“Lucky you, I am at processing today so my shift will be over late, until all the animal in the corrals 7 and 8 are ready to be shipped to the farms. I will join you tomorrow may- …”
You slipped unnoticed inside the other warehouse thanks to the two opening the door and decided to leave them to their inane conversation when you noticed the difference in the area, the space was occupied exclusively by a large corral with a mix of every animal witnessed in the previous room, with a large mound of clothes and accessories near a group of workers.
‘Guess I found the clothes, but where are the people?’ As you continue to observe your jaw drop as the next jackass is inspected by the attendants, it would be a normal occurrence if not for the pair of socks and the tattered remain of a shirt clinging to his back hooves and neck respectively. The donkey kicks and bray when a burly man remove the torn clothes and throw them uncaringly into the existing pile, after a quick inspection he is herded naked to a suitable enclosure .
‘W-What is the meaning of this?’ A mare now stand before the employee in the same position as the previous donkey in a demure manner, unlike the previous animal she stand still as the foreign accessories are removed and join the horse enclosure without rebelling.
‘No way…’ A horrifying hypothesis worm it’s way inside your head as the next beast pass the inspection, you concentrate on the corral and notice the strange behavior and the garments worn by almost every one of them: various mares are wearing what are undoubtedly pair of earrings, some others still have socks and necklaces, without mentioning the torn clothes around the necks of almost everyone.
‘Every one of them was human once upon a time and now are simply sorted like common beasts! All those people were visitors like me and my friends. My friends! I must warn the others… Claire is probably among them now. Sitting still inside this warehouse is risky at best, what should I do now?’
From behind a person suddenly speak, startling you “What do we have here? A meddlesome kind of guy no doubt!”