I'VE GOT IT! You have no idea how unrealistically beautiful you are, you look like a frozen doll in a painting. Eternal beauty among butterflies and moons, night and magic. Yes, you can't deny that I have exquisite taste.
The plastic artist took the painting and placed it next to the others. In an hour, family, friends, acquaintances and admirers of his work would begin to arrive. He was ready for his new exhibition at the Centro de Arte los Galpones.
In the city of Caracas a series of disappearances spread fear among its inhabitants. The victims, all beautiful young women of different types, seemed to have nothing in common, except for one macabre detail: when their bodies were found, their faces were missing. The local press had dubbed the killer “The Face Collector”.
Detective Sandra Mendoza was assigned to the case. Every night, as the rain pounded on her office windows, she reviewed the reports and photographs of the victims, looking for a pattern, some clue that would lead her to the killer.
Every time she thought she was close, he would beat her to it, leaving behind a trail of horror and despair for the victims' families.
Daily, he rummaged through the underworld of the Deep Web, where he managed to find key elements for the investigation. But again it came to nothing, he was frustrated because it was the case he had had the hardest time solving so far.
One night, while going through the files, Sandra received an anonymous call. The voice on the other end of the line was cold and calculating.
-Detective Mendoza, I know you're looking for the Face Collector. If you want valuable information, go to the old abandoned theater on C Street. You'll find an office-sized envelope with the identity of the perpetrator. You have to come alone. -He said, locking the phone.
Sandra, sensing that this was her only chance, despite her boss's instructions not to go alone, decided to disobey the order and follow the trail. Armed with her gun and a flashlight, she headed for the abandoned theater.
The building, which had once been a place of merriment and entertainment, was now in ruins, with broken windows and graffiti-covered walls.
As she entered, the air was thick with dust and the echo of her footsteps echoed in the darkness. Sandra advanced cautiously, illuminating every corner with her flashlight. Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her. Turning around, she saw a hooded figure fading into the shadows.
-Stop! -shouted the detective, chasing the figure through the labyrinthine corridors of the theater.
Finally, she reached a hidden room lit by a light bulb. The scene she found there was more terrifying than she had ever imagined. The walls were covered with human faces, carefully preserved and mounted like macabre works of art. In the center of the room, a makeshift operating table was stained with blood.
The murderer took off his hood, revealing a face that Sandra recognized immediately: it was the famous Tachira artist Victor Guillen, who had also studied medicine, specializing in plastic surgery. The detective was stunned, she did not expect it. She had been set up and now she did not know how to get out of there... she feared the worst.
-Welcome, Sandra,” said Guillén with a sinister smile. You've found my new collection. Do you like it? Officially, you are the first to have the privilege of seeing it... and likewise, you will be the first to see the whole creative process. How about it!
Mendoza pointed his gun at him, but he didn't flinch.
-I have to admit that you are very astute, Miss, but I am more so. As you may have noticed, all these months you have been talking to me. I've given you the clues myself. -He said, standing in front of the operating table. He leaned against it, quietly, as if they were two friends having a conversation. He was wearing his old doctor's coat.
-At this point, you may wonder, detective, why I didn't summon you sooner? Well... I like a challenge and I didn't want this to be so easy....
He sat up and took a step toward her.
-Why are you doing this? -Sandra asked, trying to keep calm and distract him. He realized it had been a lousy idea to face the killer without backup. He was trying to buy time.
-Perfection, detective. Perfection is what I seek. Every beautiful face is a work of art, a unique piece that deserves to be preserved. Beauty is ephemeral and I am the only one who can eternalize it. I have the best of two worlds: medicine and art, don't you think that's wonderful?
Before Sandra could react, Victor pulled out a gun and shot her in the knee. Mendoza fell to the ground screaming and fired two shots at him as well, to no avail. Suddenly, everything went dark, the only light bulb illuminating the scene went out.
-As I kept telling you, Miss, I love challenges and with you I have something very special planned. -She said, emphasizing the last two words.
Victor appeared out of nowhere in front of her, kicked her in the ribs and threw his gun away. Without giving her a chance to breathe, he stuck her with a syringe filled with a substance she didn't know.
The detective felt a sharp pain in her neck and everything became a blur, she perceived how she lost control of her body except for her consciousness. Unable to move, she saw the killer approaching with a triumphant smile.
-Don't worry, Sandra. Soon you will be part of my collection... did I tell you that you will be the first to be conscious? Normally, all my other victims are killed on the spot and I practice necrophilia... only with you it will be different.
The detective, with no chance of escape, watched in horror as the monster pounced on her and stripped off her clothes, abusing her until all his sexual appetites were satiated.
Tears streamed down her face and the cynic tenderly wiped them away. Sandra felt very cold from being naked against the theater floor. She just wished it would all be over at once.
-I know what you are thinking and no, I will not kill you yet, remember that I have decided that you will experience everything... I want to see how far you are able to endure.
The detective ended up dying of a hemorrhage, she did not resist the terrible tortures of the artist doctor. Before going into shock and losing consciousness, the last image she had left was that of Victor's face with an expression of pleasure and sick satisfaction.
Two days later, Sandra Mendoza's body was found in the abandoned theater without her face. Her companions could not believe it and many left the scene of the crime, both because of the esteem they once held for her and because of the chilling nature of her injuries. In his genitals was a bottle with some flowers inside.
--♥--
Shandra
🌜 Magical night: beauty is eternal among butterflies and moons 🦋✨
