— As usual, forty kilos of beef, — she whispered, handing over neatly folded bills.

The young butcher was astonished every time. Forty kilos! That was nearly half a carcass. At first, he assumed she might be feeding a large family, but week after week, it was always the same.

The woman spoke very little and hardly ever looked anyone in the eye. She simply took her bags and left. A strange, sharp smell emanated from her — a mix of iron, old meat, and something else the butcher couldn’t identify.

Rumors quickly spread across the market:
— Apparently, she feeds her son.
— Or maybe her dogs.
— Or she runs a secret restaurant…

The butcher didn’t believe the gossip, but his curiosity grew. One evening, he decided to follow her. He waited until she left the shop and then quietly trailed behind.

She walked slowly but steadily, pulling her heavy cart across the snowy street. She passed the outskirts of town, abandoned garages, and headed toward an old factory that had been empty for ten years.

The butcher froze. She disappeared inside with her bags.

Twenty minutes later, she emerged — her hands empty. No sign of the meat.

The next day, the scene repeated itself. On the third day, the butcher could no longer resist. He waited until she vanished inside and then stealthily followed.

Inside the factory, a strange, heavy metallic smell hung in the air. Odd, muffled sounds echoed from deep within. When he peeked through a crack in the wall, his heart nearly stopped.

Rows of metal tables were lined up, each covered with pieces of meat arranged with surgical precision. But this was no ordinary meat — it was alive. The elderly woman stood in the center holding a massive knife. Around her ran strange creatures, half-animal, half-human: dogs with human eyes, as if they understood every word, yet still wild.

The woman noticed the butcher. For a moment, a cold, merciless glint flashed in her eyes. Then she turned back to her “wards,” who ran toward her as if she were their mother.

The butcher could not believe his eyes. All that meat was being transformed into food for these creatures — they grew and developed at an incredible speed, their eyes glowing strangely, their movements swift and coordinated.

When the butcher accidentally kicked an old metal crate, a dull clang echoed. The woman turned instantly. She didn’t yell or become angry. Her gaze was empty, like a predator who had chosen its prey. The butcher realized that the slightest wrong move could cost him his life.

He ran, stumbling over the icy ground, gasping for breath, heart pounding. At home, drenched in sweat and terrified, he knew he could never work in that butcher shop again. Yet curiosity and fear would not let him go.

The next day, he returned to the shop, pretending to be an ordinary customer. The woman whispered to him:
— You saw. Now you know. But if you tell anyone, you will pay the price.

The butcher remained silent. Animals began disappearing around town, and shadows seemed to move on their own in the abandoned factory. Yet the woman continued to buy her forty kilos of meat each day, transforming it into something terrifying, alive, horrifying, and yet almost magical.

This secret remained hidden, and perhaps it should never have been revealed… but the butcher knew the truth — and his life had changed forever.