Judging from its name alone, Fettle Clinic was an unassuming ce.


    As such, Frank was not surprised to find the clinic in a remote corner of the suburbs, just past the fringes of Lake Cove.


    It was evening, but every door and window of the clinic was shut, as if closed for businesses.


    Still, Frank''s sharp hearing could pick up the voices inside.


    He was alone, and it was a familiar face at that it was Hardy Xinder!


    Narrowing his eyes, Frank leapt agilely up to the second floor and slipped inside from a venting window.


    Hardy, whose hair was nowpletely white, was sitting by a desk and asking into the antique rotary phone, "Hey, what''s going on here? You''re saying that there have been problems in Zamri, but what am I doing here?"


    "What? A trap? What the hell are you talking about?!"


    Hardy sounded clearly impatient and was even holding the phone as he paced around. "Damn it, Yaga-so what are you ying at?! Shouldn''t the Lane family be going after Frank Lawrence''s head by now?! And with your rtives in Bralog getting on his case too, he''s not going to get away, is he?!"


    "Wait, he''sing? Are you kidding me?!"


    Even as Hardy snapped furiously over the phone, he felt a chill beneath his neck.


    He looked down and, before he knew it, found a knife held there, pressed against his neck.


    Too petrified to speak or turn to look who it was, he stammered as he said the name on his mind. "F-Frank Lawrence...?"


    "You knew I''d be here?"


    Frank had picked up one of the knives on the table to restrain Hardy, but his heart skipped a beat when Hardy guessed that it was him. "It really is you!"


    Hardy''s face turned pale he was skeptical about Baba Yaga''s words earlier, but he certainly believed her now!


    Frank was truly omnipotent, finding him in a ce like this!


    Nheless, Frank demanded, "Talk! Where''s Baba Yaga, your aplice?!"


    Hardy was left frustrated too, and heMaterial ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    snapped back, "What a


    coincidence-I don''t know, because


    I''m looking for her too! That hag was the one who called me here, but she''s nowhere to be seen!"


    "Wait, this is bad..."


    Frank immediately felt a pang of danger.


    "Kikiki... Hello, Frank Lawrence."


    Even as Frank''s thoughts raced, a bizarreughter rang over Hardy''s phone. "I knew you''d make it as soon as lost contact with Borc.


    Met


    don''t know how you found out who I


    |


    am, but I was right being careful.


    And now, you''ve fallen for my trap!"


    "What-"


    Even before Frank realized it, he heard a soft pop behind him, and green gas started ejecting out of a broken bottle.


    And while Frank was distracted, Hardy pushed him aside and ran straight for the exit... where the green gas was. "Fuck! You used me as bait, Yaga!"


    Hardy hade to a realization right then-Baba Yaga had called him here to lure Frank into this ce! "Wait!"


    Frank could not stop Hardy in time and watched as he ran straight into the green gas... and screamed deafeningly.


    Only Hardy''s palm reached the green gas at


    sizzle like boiling water, and chunks


    2 lik put his flesh began t


    began to peel off. Cer


    A pungent smoke filled the room as Hardy''s fingers rotted off, leaving bare, charred bones.