She clutched her gun in one hand, flashlight in the other, guiding her way through the eerie space. The whole place made her skin crawl. Every sound and step reverberated strangely off the old walls and stainless steel of the work surfaces.

The place smelled of tangy blood, raw meat, and antiseptic. The mixture of it threatened to curdle her stomach. This was apparently what bacon smelled like before it got into the pan.

It made for an awful investigation. Every darkened smear on the floor was likely blood, but there was no way to tell if it was human or porcine. Everywhere she pointed her light, a reflection bounced back at her off the blade of a knife. Where was she supposed to focus when everything felt like a clue?

“I might be eating salad the rest of the week,” Gabe said in a low voice, his own flashlight beam panning around the room. It crossed over a half-open door, the beam of light cutting into another room.

“Stop, there’s something over there,” Ruby said, directing his attention back to the heavy metal door. It was suspicious, but also almost appeared as though it were left to guide them straight into it.

She nodded her head, a silent direction for him to remain quiet. She angled her body away from the door as she pulled it open another few feet. She stepped in, steeled for whatever lay beyond. There was the distinct possibility it was a trap, but at least she was tensed to be surprised.

The chill hit her instantly, raising goosebumps along her arms.

It was the meat locker. Pigs hung from heavy hooks. Muscle and bone was out on display.

A shiver crept up her spine, but she shook it off. She didn’t have time for an arctic front, not when there was a violent murderer at large. Every muscle in her body felt taut, ready for someone to jump out from behind a slab of meat.

No one did.

She shone her light around, taking in the details of the room. She grimaced. She was not a farm girl, and the rows of hanging livestock was a kind of gristle she wasn't used to. Funny that she could handle blood and crime scenes, but the sight of raw flesh unsettled her.

“There’s nothing here,” she said, lowering her gun just a little.

Just as she did, a clatter echoed through the locker. She spun. There was a second door at the other end of the freezer and it sounded like that was the source of the noise.

Gabe was next to her, his flashlight casting long, fast-moving shadows as he moved.

“What the hell?” He looked at Ruby, a similar look of suspicion in his eyes. “Who’s there?”

There was silence, the kind of silence that made Ruby’s hair stand on end. She turned her flashlight up, following the length of a hanging pig.