Dr. NoSleep (host)

The humanoid cop inclines his head at me and lets me through.

In the basement, Sipes glances at me before addressing the plainclothes woman in the living room.

Hello, nice to meet you.

I'm Detective Sipes, and this is Officer-in-Training Ackley.

The woman reluctantly shakes our hands and introduces herself.

Her name is Garmin, and when I look close, I see slits in the side of her neck that look like gills.

They flutter as she breathes.

You know the master?

Garmin asks as she leads us to the bedroom of the small, sparsely furnished apartment.

Yes, of course, Sipes says.

The musician and artist.

I raise an eyebrow.

Never heard of them.

Well, Garmin says, gesturing at the body on the bedroom floor.

That's him.

Jesus, really?

Sipes asks, staring at the mutilated corpse.

Someone has torn not only the skin, but large portions of the man's facial features away.

I can see deep into the nasal cavity, and the eyes are gone, leaving only delicate optical nerves that sit in the bloody sockets like nestling worms.

What's left of the skin is in tatters around where the face once was,