The Abattoir's Last Scream

In the heart of the industrial town of Coldstream, the Abattoir had long been a place of whispered fear and forgotten tales. Once a bustling hub of meat processing, the building had been abandoned for decades, its iron gates rusted shut and its windows boarded over. The townsfolk spoke of the place with a mix of dread and curiosity, but no one dared to venture inside.

Evelyn Harper, a young and ambitious journalist, had always been drawn to the unusual. Her latest assignment was to delve into the legend of the Haunted Abattoir, a story that had been passed down through generations. She had heard the tales of workers who had gone missing, of strange noises echoing through the empty halls, and of the occasional ghostly apparition seen in the dimly lit corridors.

Evelyn arrived at the Abattoir on a cold, misty morning. The air was thick with the scent of decay, and the overgrown grass around the building was a testament to its neglect. She stepped inside, her flashlight cutting through the darkness. The first thing she noticed was the smell—it was overpowering, a mix of decay and something else, something more sinister.

She moved cautiously through the cavernous halls, her footsteps echoing in the emptiness. The walls were covered in dust and cobwebs, and the floors were littered with the remnants of a bygone era. Evelyn's flashlight flickered as she passed a row of old meat hooks, now empty except for the occasional spiderweb.

As she ventured deeper into the building, the temperature dropped, and the air grew colder. She could hear faint, distant noises, like the distant rumble of thunder, but there was no storm in the sky. Evelyn's heart began to race as she realized she was not alone.

Suddenly, a cold breeze swept through the room, causing the dust particles to dance in the air. Evelyn spun around, her flashlight beam piercing the darkness. There, standing in the corner, was a figure. It was a man, but his face was twisted and contorted in a way that made him unrecognizable. Evelyn's scream echoed through the halls as she turned to flee, but the figure was gone.

The rest of the day was a blur of fear and confusion. Evelyn tried to piece together the events, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that what she had seen was not human. It was something else, something more sinister and malevolent.

The following days were a whirlwind of investigation. Evelyn spoke to the townsfolk, searching for any clues that might explain the haunting. She discovered that the Abattoir had been the site of a series of unsolved murders years ago, and that the man she had seen was the last person to have disappeared from the building.

As the investigation deepened, Evelyn began to feel the full weight of the terror that had been unleashed upon her. She started seeing the man's twisted face in her sleep, and the noises in the Abattoir grew louder and more frequent. She knew she had to get to the bottom of this, but she was running out of time.

On the night of her final visit to the Abattoir, Evelyn prepared herself for what she knew would be her most dangerous confrontation yet. She had brought with her a tape recorder, hoping to capture the haunting on audio. As she stepped into the building, the air was thick with anticipation.

The figure appeared almost immediately, this time standing in the middle of the room. Evelyn's flashlight beam caught his eyes, and she could see the madness in them. She knew that she had to end this, for herself and for the townsfolk who had been haunted for so long.

With a deep breath, Evelyn reached for the tape recorder, pressing the record button. She stepped closer to the figure, her heart pounding in her chest. The figure lunged at her, and in the struggle, Evelyn's flashlight was knocked to the ground.

In the darkness, Evelyn felt the figure's hands on her, and she could smell the stench of decay. She fought back with everything she had, her nails scratching at the creature's flesh. The struggle was intense, and Evelyn was exhausted, but she refused to give up.

Finally, as the creature grew weak, Evelyn managed to push it away. She stumbled backwards, falling to her knees. The creature fell to the ground, its eyes rolling back in its head. Evelyn looked down at it, her heart racing. She had done it. She had faced the horror and survived.

Evelyn stood up, her legs trembling. She reached for the flashlight, turning it on to see the creature for the last time. It was no longer recognizable as a human being. It was a monster, a creature of darkness and despair.

With a look of determination, Evelyn turned and left the Abattoir, the door shutting behind her with a heavy thud. She knew that the haunting was over, but she also knew that the Abattoir's last scream would echo in her mind for a long time to come.