Chapter IV

Rendark: Has been described as a beast who hunts and eats people who enter inside the Ravenwood manor. It is said to be the lord of the manor Christian Ravenwood who was cursed by his wife Jolene. Not many people have seen what he really looks like.

Soren left out early that morning to go gather supplies for weapon repair that he had put off for a while. You could find just about anything in Blackburn’s hardware store. However, there were times when he would have to specialty order parts, and that he did online. Now that Axl wanted to learn how to build and repair weapons, he wanted to teach him a simple build that was beginner-friendly. Grabbing a buggy, he strolled the aisles, looking at various metals and bolts.

Stopping to compare some prices, he overheard a conversation from the aisle next to his. The voice was distinguishable and carried an accent along with it. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Mike Lawson, a waste collector who worked for the town. He spoke about the Ravenwood Manor and the rumor about people going missing when going into the property. When collecting the cans and pulling them over to the truck and flipping open the lid, he had found body parts and lots of them.

Soren remembered stories about the manor having a foul smell coming out of it. The manor was considered condemned even with it being behind a heavy metal gate wrapped in razor wire. Mike continued explaining what he and his co-worker, the route driver Frank Turner, had spotted in the window of the manor. A tall, gaunt figure with pale, translucent skin covered in dark patches. Its face was distorted and skeletal, with hollow eyes and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, wispy hair shadowed around its head in small patches.

Frank had told Mike that he believed that the Rendark was hunting them. Soren had thought that it was only a rumor that this creature lured people into the manor and then would rip them apart piece by piece. Parts of the body would be missing, such as the blood and organs, but everything else was tossed away. Taking out his phone, Soren sent Axl a quick message summarizing what he had heard. Axl responded in no time, telling him that tonight would be a good time to learn about what and who the Rendark was.

In the darkness of Ravenwood Manor, a figure is crouched over a body as it rips into flesh. It holds a dismembered limb over its mouth, wringing out the blood and smacking its lips together happily. The head of Frank Turner sits nearby, his eyes wide open in horror, with a silent scream etched on his face. After squeezing out all of the blood from the limb, it tosses the shriveled appendage over its shoulder into a garbage bin close to the door. It dips its clawed hand into the open cavity of the cadaver, pulling out another organ, eyes squinted in glee, swallowing the thing whole.

As Axl met Soren outside to help him unload the boot, he asked if Axl could tell him a bit more about the Rendark, who agreed. In the 1940s, Christian Ravenwood poured his money into building a home for himself and his bride-to-be. Jolene was the love of Christian’s life, and they seemed inseparable on the outside, but when they were out of the public’s eye, they constantly fought. When he found out that her family lied about being gypsy’s he was furious. Which ended in him laying a hand upon her, and in retaliation, she cursed him, leaving him in the manor alone.

Christian thought it was a hoax and that her words meant nothing until the changes had begun. His tan skin became pale and translucent, any bump or touch caused dark bruise patches causing immense pain. Whenever he looked at his reflection, his face was always distorted along with his cheeks and eyes becoming sunken in. Christian’s teeth fell out and were replaced with thin, razor-sharp teeth; his hair turned white and fell out, leaving bald patches. He became a monster with an insatiable hunger for human flesh.

The first killings began in the 40s. At first, the missing people were just the homeless who wandered in seeking shelter. Then it was joggers, people who were waiting at the bus stop, and those who were curious about the abandoned Ravenwood manor. All of them were the Rendark’s victims. Axl explained as he watched Soren repair the shotgun that they would later use. As Soren took his time with the repairs so Axl could follow, Soren questioned what type of ammunition they would be using.

“Speciality made bullets with a liquid compound that will break his curse and…well let him finally rest.”

Soren made a face but believed that was for the best. After what Christian Ravenwood did, he deserved the curse he received. The killings that he had committed had gone on far too long, and they needed to be stopped. Then maybe the manor could be demolished, leaving behind nothing but stories, and Jolene could inherit what is rightfully hers. With the repairs done and the ammo loaded inside and extra ones set aside in a pouch just in case it was time to head to the manor.

They made the walk to the manor since it wasn’t too far from the compound. It was the dead of night, and as Axl and Soren got closer to Ravenwood, the sounds around them quietened. Hairs stood on the back of their necks as they cleared the gate and approached the front stairs to enter inside. Pushing open the door, Soren was the first to discover what was left of Frank Turner. He turned his gaze away, holding in the urge to lose his dinner. Axl gave him a sympathetic smile as he guided them away from the gruesome scene.

Axl led further into the manor using a flashlight to light the way. Its beam lit the darkness ahead of them. Ahead of them, the Rendark stood to its full height, its head turning towards Axl and Soren. It roared and began to sprint towards him. Both of them dove out of the way in time, the Rendark smashing into the wall and growling in frustration. Soren steadied the shotgun, raising it and looking through the sight. He exhaled, taking the first shot. The bullet hit the Rendark in the shoulder, causing it to yelp at the sudden shock of pain.

Soren reloaded the gun, getting ready to take another shot this time, aiming at the Rendark’s head. This time he wouldn’t miss, determined to put Christian Ravenwood out of his misery for good. It readied itself once more to lunge at Soren but was stopped short when a shot rang out through the manor. The Rendark fell to its knees, collapsing over as blood began to pool under it. Its breathing came out in short puffs as its body began to revert back to human.

Christian Ravenwood was an old man now, no longer the young, youthful man he used to be. He looked up at both Axl and Soren, giving them a knowing look. He knew he was dying and that soon he would no longer be of this world. Christian hoped that no matter where it was he ended up, Jolene could forgive him. Even though he knew it was something that he was undeserving of.

What remained of the Rendark closed his eyes, succumbing to his end. Soren let out a shaky breath as his hands shook, still holding the shotgun in the same position. Axl slowly walked over and gently lowered the barrel of the gun. He suggested to his partner that they should go home and give Jolene or her relatives a call. Along with giving a call to the clean-up unit so that the family didn’t walk in on such a mess.

Soon they were in the car and on their way back to base, where both of them needed some well-deserved rest. The clean-up unit was on their way before Jolene would arrive. She would be informed that her ex-husband’s body had been cremated. Due to the state the body had been left in, but something told Axl that she knew exactly what had happened. Since Jolene had sent them gifts as a thank you for what they had done to set Christian free.

They didn’t know what would happen to Ravenwood Manor, but whatever Jolene chose, it was her choice. The place rightfully belonged to her now since her husband was gone. Soren was sure that there were a lot of horrible memories left there. Things that Jolene would rather not speak about.