The man sat motionless on the worn couch, his rubber wolf mask cold against his skin. Flickering flames cast twisted shadows across the room, dancing on the lifeless form sprawled before him. The victim's head was lodged deep in the fireplace, smoke curling from the scorched strands of hair. Minutes ago, he had forced it there—kicking relentlessly until the body crumpled, the face pressed against the roaring fire, a cruel gamble with flame and flesh.
Slowly, he rose, the silence broken only by the crackle of burning wood. With deliberate care, he grasped the corpse and pulled it free from the hearth. Ashes drifted lazily in the air, settling on pale skin. Without hesitation, he brought his boot down, stomping firmly on the victim's head, extinguishing the dying embers clinging to hair and flesh.
The room fell quiet again. Only the soft hiss of fading fire remained.
Step One: Dismember the Corpse and Seal the Pieces
The man's knife gleamed in the dim light as he worked with clinical precision, slicing the body into manageable parts. Each cut was deliberate, a practiced motion to reduce the corpse's size for easier transport. He placed each piece into tightly sealed bags, ensuring no scent could slip free to betray him. Silence filled the room, broken only by the soft rustle of plastic against flesh.
Step Two: Choose the Right Disposal Location
He loaded the bags into his van, the heavy cargo pressing cold against the floor. He drove far from civilization, deeper into the forest where the air was thick with moss and old trees. The ground had to be just right—not too wet to rot quickly and attract animals, but not too dry to leave traces. He found a quiet clearing, untouched and forgotten by time.
Step Three: Dig a Deep Grave
The man grabbed his shovel and began to dig. The earth resisted, clinging stubbornly to the blade, but he did not relent. Six feet deep—deep enough to keep animals from reaching the remains, deep enough to delay discovery by days, weeks, even months. The hole grew larger, a dark mouth waiting silently in the undergrowth.
Step Four: Conceal the Remains
Carefully, he lowered the sealed bags into the grave, one by one. Each placement was done with care, avoiding unnecessary movement that might tear the bags. He knew the importance of not disturbing the earth more than necessary—freshly turned soil was a signal to any curious eyes or noses.
Step Five: Mask the Burial Site
Once the grave was filled, he pressed the soil firmly down, compacting it to erase any sign of disturbance. Fallen leaves, twigs, and moss were scattered across the mound, blending it seamlessly with the forest floor. The ground looked as it always had—as if nothing had been disturbed.
Step Six: Eliminate Traces of Evidence
Before leaving, the man wiped down his tools and van meticulously, removing any trace of blood or tissue. He burned his gloves and any cloth used during the dismemberment, reducing them to ash and smoke. The forest would keep its secrets—but only if he left nothing behind.
Step Seven: Erase Your Own Tracks
The final step was to erase his path. He walked back slowly, stepping where natural debris had already crushed, covering his footprints with dirt and leaves. The van was parked a few hundred meters away, hidden among thick bushes. He never returned to the spot—never risked retracing steps that might expose the secret buried beneath the earth.
The man stood over the dirt-covered grave, the forest swallowing the last traces of his crime. The moonlight filtered through the branches above, casting long, crooked shadows across the freshly turned soil. Smoke clung faintly to his clothes—the final reminder of what had burned hours ago.
He knelt for a moment, gloved fingers pressing into the earth as if to feel the weight of it.
The silence didn't bother him. It never had. But something tugged at him—
a low, restless itch behind the eyes.
He stood again, letting the silence stretch long, like a final breath. Then he turned away from the grave, stepping carefully through the undergrowth.
A wolf mask dangled from his hand.
Before he vanished into the darkness, he paused. Just for a moment.
Head tilted. Listening.
And then he spoke.
"Someone out there is like me."
A faint smile curled beneath his breath.
"Broken… angry… starving."
He looked up at the full moon, voice nearly a whisper now.
"I'll find him."
"I'll teach him."
The forest swallowed his figure whole, but the sound of his footsteps lingered—
steadily fading like a heartbeat under dirt.