The Whispering Shadows of Havel

Narrator: Oskar Miller

Dominic came running to me, clutching a crumpled newspaper in his hand. His face was pale, eyes wide with a mix of fear and anger. “Oskar, look at this!” he exclaimed, thrusting the paper towards me. The headline screamed: “Another Body Found in Berlin’s Back Alley!”

The murder cases were bizarre, to say the least. The victims were always male, their bodies dried up like twigs, with two puncture marks on their necks. It was as if a giant snake had bitten them, or worse, the return of the dreaded vampire hysteria.

Dominic’s hands trembled as he read the article aloud. Upon finishing, he threw the newspaper across the room in a fit of rage. “This is insane!” he shouted, pacing back and forth.

I watched him, concerned. “What do you think is really going on?” I asked.

Dominic collapsed onto the sofa, lighting a cigar with shaky hands. “I went to the morgue to confirm my suspicions,” he began, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “I was right. There are things they’re not telling the public. First, the bodies are wrapped in a sticky, cotton-like substance. It’s hard when dry but softens when wet. And second, the bodies are completely hollow inside. No organs, no brain, not even veins. Just bones and skin wrapped in that silky cotton.”

I felt a chill run down my spine. “So, you think this is the work of an underground mafia dealing in organ trafficking?”

Dominic’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Yes, exactly! This isn’t the work of vampires. It’s an organization driven by greed.”

“But why only males?” I asked, trying to make sense of it all.

Dominic shook his head. “I have no idea. That’s what I need to find out.”

I leaned forward, my voice low and serious. “Dominic, I’m warning you. Don’t get involved in this. You’re no detective.”

He looked at me, a defiant glint in his eyes. “Are you scared?”

“Yes,” I admitted. “And you should be too.”

The room fell silent, the only sound the faint crackling of Dominic’s cigar. Outside, the shadows lengthened, whispering secrets that only the night could understand. The mystery was far from over, and I had a sinking feeling that we were just scratching the surface of something far more sinister.

Narrator: Oskar Miller

Later that night, I was jolted awake by a persistent knocking at my door. “Oskar, are you awake?” Dominic’s voice whispered urgently through the darkness. “I’ve learned something interesting, and I need to discuss it with you.”

Groggy and irritated, I opened the door. “Why are you still invested in these things? And why are you shouting in the middle of the night like an idiot?” I snapped, my frustration evident. I didn’t want anything to happen to Dominic because of his reckless behavior, but he seemed determined to ignore my warnings.

Dominic barged in, sat on the sofa, and spread out a collection of newspaper cuttings on the coffee table. “These are the keys to my success,” he declared, eyes gleaming with excitement. “After solving this case, I will become a professional detective. I will be Sherlock, and you will be my Watson.”

I gave him a skeptical look. “What are these?” I asked, pointing to the cuttings.

He stood up, gazing out of the window for a moment before turning back to me. “I’ve made an interesting theory about those murder cases,” he said.

Half-asleep, I muttered, “You’re still on this case? Haven’t I told you not to do this?”

Dominic ignored my protest and continued, “Look at all these newspaper cuttings.” He handed me the bunch, and I reluctantly began to sift through them. “Do you find any similarities?” he asked.

“No, it’s hard to understand anything from these cuttings,” I replied, feeling more confused than ever.

Dominic leaned in, his voice low and intense. “There are things that are most important to the case. Number one: everyone who was murdered was somehow connected to sailing clubs, directly or indirectly. They all had an anchor tattoo on their bodies.”

“How do you know all this?” I asked, bewildered.

“I have sources,” he said cryptically. “And most importantly, everyone who was killed had no family.”

“None?” I asked, incredulous.

“Yes, sir,” he confirmed. “Which makes me the perfect bait for this case.”

The room fell into a tense silence as Dominic’s words hung in the air. The shadows seemed to grow darker, whispering secrets that only the night could reveal. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were diving headfirst into a mystery far more dangerous than we could ever imagine.

Narrator: Oskar Miller

Last night, Dominic talked so much that I could barely sleep. I thought he would leave by morning, but no, he was almost forcing me to go with him. “Remember, without Watson, Sherlock was helpless. Without you, my friend Oskar, I am helpless,” he said, trying to convince me.

I was stubborn, refusing to be swayed by his words. But then he added, “If you come with me to the wood factory at the bay of Havel, I’ll buy you a pint of Macallan 64-year-old whiskey.” He flashed a big smile.

I looked at him skeptically. “Do you have any idea how much that costs?”

He checked his phone and replied, “Oh good lord, then a nip maybe?”

I shook my head in disbelief. “You are dumb. Repeat after me: I am Dominic, and I am dumb.”

He grinned and said, “I am Oskar, and I am surely dumb.”

Despite my reluctance, I went with him anyway. Our destination was the bay of Havel. While driving, I asked, “What’s your plan? What are you thinking of doing?”

“There is a wood factory that makes sailing boats. Our main goal is to search for clues. I’ll talk to the factory manager directly, and your job is to find suspicious people who might be organ dealers,” he explained.

Sometimes I wondered why I was friends with him. I didn’t even know him that well, but somehow he knew everything about me. We were never that close. He came to my home every other day, reading newspapers, eating all my food, and then leaving. But never mind all that; this was not the time to dwell on it.

We reached the bay within 15 to 20 minutes. Dominic decided to park the car far away and walk the rest of the way. “Isn’t keeping our car close a better option in case we need to drive away quickly?” I asked.

He gave me his weird smile again and said, “Don’t worry, bro. Everything is in control.”

The bay of Havel loomed ahead, shrouded in mist and mystery. The wood factory stood like a silent sentinel, its dark silhouette casting eerie shadows. As we approached, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were stepping into something far more dangerous than we had anticipated.

Narrator: Oskar Miller

As Dominic and I entered through the main gate of the boat factory, it was clear to me that it might have been a factory once, but now it was just a junkyard. Upon entering, we saw a vast open ground. To the right, there was a storehouse-like structure, now rusty and broken. To the left, a mansion stood, looking wasted by the cruel forces of nature. Straight ahead lay the bay of Havel.

The factory was almost empty, save for an old man hammering the back end of a boat. Dominic suddenly decided to talk to him. I pulled his hand back and asked if this was a good idea. “Let me talk to the old man. You roam around and see if you find any clues,” he said.

As he approached the old man, I observed him closely. The man was badly skinny, almost malnourished. It felt like his life force had been drained by something. His eyes were sunken into their sockets, and his wide body structure indicated he was once muscular, but now it was all gone.

I had no idea what Dominic and the old man were talking about, but they seemed to be deep in conversation. I took the opportunity to roam around the area. Curious about the mansion’s age, I didn’t notice a woman staring at me from a glass window. When our eyes met, I changed direction, but when I looked back, she was gone.

She appeared on the mansion’s balcony and waved at me. It would be disrespectful not to wave back, so I did. With a hand gesture, she beckoned me to come closer. I walked towards the mansion with small steps.

She opened the door and welcomed me in. Three things struck me immediately. First, I thought the factory might be in financial trouble, but the mansion’s interior was perfect, almost like a movie set. It felt like a hero would come to rescue a princess. Second, she was gorgeous, her moss-green gown with rainbow stripes making her even more beautiful. I had never seen anyone this stunning. After seeing her, I understood why wars could be fought over a woman, like in the story of Troy. Third, the house smelled earthy and musty, which didn’t match its pristine appearance.

As I walked in, she asked, “What’s your business?” Her voice was angelic, almost mesmerizing.

She waved a hand in front of my face, snapping me out of my thoughts. “I was looking for a job with my friend and was just roaming around,” I replied.

“Oh, I thought someone had come for me,” she said.

“For you? What do you mean?” I asked.

“Never mind. By the way, I am Maria Novak. And you are?”

“I am Oskar, Oskar Miller,” I replied.

The mansion’s eerie perfection and Maria’s enigmatic presence added layers of mystery to our investigation. As I stood there, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were stepping deeper into a web of secrets and danger.

Narrator: Oskar Miller

The smell in the room was overwhelming, making me light-headed and dizzy. I was losing my ability to talk, gasping for fresh air but unable to get any.

Maria asked, “What happened to you?” but I couldn’t reply. “Try some tea, it might help,” she suggested.

I wanted to run out of the room and get a breath of fresh air, but my body was not in my control. My hands blindly picked up the cup, and in one go, I drank it all. Whatever it was, it was not tea.

At that moment, Dominic walked into the room. I felt a wave of relief and forced myself to speak. “Take me outside,” I pleaded.

Dominic started laughing. “Why would I do that? Did you not realize by now that you have been under her mind control?”

He bent his knees to Maria and said, “He will be your dinner, my beloved queen Maria.” My body was already at its limit, but I could still see a few things happening in the room.

Maria opened her mouth, her lower jaw splitting apart to reveal spider-like fangs. Her green gown sprouted two more arms. The sight of her was demonic, her gown’s color growing brighter. All I could hear was Dominic’s laughter. I lost my balance and fell backward. She was coming closer. I couldn’t see properly. I couldn’t breathe.

When I fell, I felt my gun in my pocket. Somehow, I managed to pull it out and fired three shots. One bullet probably hit her shoulder. She screamed in a high-frequency sound, almost like the no-signal noise on old TVs.

Her scream was so loud that Dominic’s eardrums burst. In pain, he went close to her. With her slit-jaw fangs, she bit Dominic’s neck.

I was almost out cold. The last thing I heard was a loud noise, and then everything went black.

The room fell silent, the echoes of Maria’s scream lingering in the air. The betrayal cut deep, and as darkness enveloped me, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the end or just the beginning of something far more sinister.

Narrator: Oskar Miller

The next morning, I woke up in a small, old warehouse. As I opened my eyes, I saw the old man standing near me. He looked younger, not as frail as before. He didn’t seem like he was on his deathbed anymore.

He offered me tea, but I declined, my recent experience with tea still fresh in my mind. He sat beside me and said, “You are so lucky to be alive right now. I have seen her manipulate men and eat them one after another.” The old man still shivered, haunted by his memories.

I asked him, “What is your name and what is actually happening? Tell me everything from the start.”

The old man took a brief moment to think, exhaled a long breath, and spoke, “My name is Leon Novak. I am the owner of this old, broken-down factory, and also the unlucky husband of Sofia Novak.”

He continued, "It was more than enough; I have suffered enough. Five years ago, I had a good business selling sailing boats and earning good money. One day, in the middle of summer, my wife and I were sailing in the Havel River. Suddenly, a loud, high-pitched noise pierced my ears. It was so loud that I thought my ears would burst, and then the sound stopped completely. The noise was coming from the middle of the river.

"Sofia pleaded with me to take the boat to the shore, but I was adamant about finding out what made that sound. I took the boat near the area and saw a foot-wide white cotton ball-like structure floating under the water’s surface. I used a metal hook to pull it out and found a baby girl wrapped in the white cotton ball. She was wearing a moss-green gown. I was surprised to see that the girl was still alive.

"We had no children, so we accepted her easily. But as she grew, I realized her features were different. She didn’t grow like other kids; she molted, shedding her exterior and growing bigger. The more she grew, the brighter the colors on her gown became.

“I was okay with hiding her from the world, but somehow, I became possessed by her. I listened and did whatever she wished. Believe me, I tried to resist, but I couldn’t. When she ate my wife, I couldn’t do anything either.”

I asked, “But what is Dominic’s role in all this?”

Leon replied, “He was my replacement. Dominic was a worker at my factory. He was strong and arrogant. Maria liked strong men to control. She needed a strong man to bring her food. When I could, I brought her food, but as she grew, feeding her live men became too much for me. So she replaced me with Dominic so he could bring her food.”

I returned home, my mind racing with thoughts about Maria—a giant spider mimicking a woman, eating humans. The horror of it all was overwhelming. This is where the story ends, but the nightmares it left behind would haunt me forever.

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