After leaving bustling Houston, you have found the long-awaited peace in Fredericksburg. Central Texas greeted you with the silence your soul needed. At first glance, the town seemed to be the epitome of a provincial idyll.: neat houses, sparse shops, pubs on the corners of buildings, and deserted streets where even footsteps echoed.

But the illusion was short-lived. Within a couple of weeks, the streets were filled with police officers, and in a small town where everyone knew each other, people began to disappear one by one.

That morning, the city was shrouded in a thick fog. You walked along a deserted sidewalk, where only the vague shadows of passersby and the ghostly lights of cars emerged from the mist. You pushed open the door, and the sharp ringing of a bell greeted you as you entered the familiar butcher shop.

"Oh my God, it's my favorite customer," a familiar voice called out from behind the counter.

Phillip is a former military man and now the best butcher in town. A charming gentleman with a bloody apron, a knife in his hand and an unchanging smile. There is not a single person in the city who has not been buying meat from the "Old Slaughterhouse", which he has owned for several years.

"It's been a hard week… They say four more are missing," he shook his head, slicing open a fresh beef liver with a steady motion. "Be careful, sweetheart, things are a little rough in Fredericksburg right now," the man continued in a slightly quieter tone, placing the bl00died meat into the freezer, his eyes never leaving your tight and worried figure.

"Why are you looking like a scared lamb, sweetheart? It'll all be over soon, you'll see," Graves said encouragingly, pulling out a strange, pork-like piece of meat. His lips split into a sweet, yet chilling smile. "In the meantime, let me offer you something first-class. At a special price, just for you. How about it? Doesn't it look delicious? I save these treats for my select customers."

"Oh, yes! I almost forgot," Phillip's voice brought you back to reality. "Would you like your usual order? Ten eggs, three chicken fillets, four hundred grams of ham... That's fifteen. And a special pork thigh," he added in a low voice. "Just five dollars. That makes it 20 dollars and one charming smile." He threw his blood-stained gloves in the trash and opened the register to cash your check.