The Landlady meticulously laid out her taxidermy utensils on a metal cart. Every inch of the cart was filled with things like scalpels, forceps, drills, hooks, pliers, stuffing rods, chisels, chemicals, salts and plasters. Billy laid motionless on a small bed under a linen sheet. She took a knife and began to delicately make an incision down his chest. As she did this she failed to notice his eyes move underneath his lids, or the blood that still faintly pulsed beneath his flesh and through his veins. She had always preformed taxidermy with an air of professionalism, but now she worked with such zealous that she was unaware of these details. She realized she'd made a mistake when as she cut deeper into his flesh, Billy's eyes slowly began open. His eyes widened as he became aware of the throbbing pain in his chest and the Landlady standing over him with knife in hand. He shrieked and struck the landlady's wrist, making her drop the blade. She gasped and remembered he had only had a few small drinks of the tea. Not enough to kill him quickly. His eyes raced from the cart to the landlady, and to the crimson blood that streamed down his chest. The old woman only stared back stunned.
“W-what are you trying to do to me?” He stuttered. He remembered the animals and talk of the other two men and realized what was happening. He pushed passed her to the door and began running down the stairs. I have to find someone sane or I will surely meet my end in this house! He thought as he raced down the steps. The landlady snapped back to reality and shouted after him out the door. “Oh, please dear wait!” Billy kept running. His vision was blurred and he began to feel dizzy. When he got to the second flight of stairs he staggered and tumbled down the entire length of stairs. When he got to the bottomed he laid motionless for a moment. Pain enveloped his body and he let out a anguished moan. He heard swift footsteps racing down the stairs and he jumped back up, ignoring the pain his whole body felt. Instinct to live drove him forward. He saw the door and ran to it but was dismayed to find it locked from both sides.
The footsteps continued and his desperate hunger to live told him to burst through the window and he did. Glass shattered all around him and cut into his skin. He landed in the snow covered street with a hard thud. It was dimly lit but in the light cast by the street lamps he could see the Bell and Dragon not too far down the street. Its windows were bright and welcoming and he ran toward it. But his footsteps were clumsy and he was engulfed by pain. The frigid air stung the many scraps and cuts on his body. He collapsed after only a few paces. A blanket of misery covered him. Curious heads popped out of doorways to catch a glimpse of what had disturbed the quiet night.. All they saw when they peeked out was a poor man who'd surely die within the hour. The landlady did not come out for fear of being caught, though it was inevitable that someone would come and investigate. People came to billy with warm sheets to protected him from the cold but it was in vain. He did not live long enough to see the kindness people tried to give him. When the townsfolk ventured into the boarding house they found it empty and quiet. The Landlady had made a stealth and mysterious escaped and was never seen again by a living soul.
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