Every day, a 70-year-old pensioner bought 40 kilograms of meat from her usual butcher: One day, the butcher decided to follow her — and when he saw where all that meat was going, he called the police 

The elderly woman, small and hunched, came to the same butcher shop every day. She wore an old coat and pulled a worn-out shopping trolley with squeaky wheels.

— As usual, forty kilograms of beef, — she said softly, handing over neatly folded bills.

The butcher — a young man — was astonished every time. Forty kilos! That’s almost half a carcass. At first, he thought maybe she had a large family to feed. But week after week, it kept happening.

The woman barely spoke, never looked anyone in the eye, just took her bags and left. She had a strange, pungent smell — a mix of iron, rotting meat, and something else the butcher couldn’t identify.

Rumors quickly spread around the market. Vendors whispered:
— They say she’s feeding her son’s family.
— Or maybe her dogs.
— Or perhaps she’s running a secret restaurant…

The butcher didn’t believe the gossip, but his curiosity grew every day. One evening, he decided to follow her. He waited until she left the shop and then walked after her, keeping his distance.

The woman walked slowly but steadily, pulling the heavy trolley full of meat along the snowy road. She passed the edge of town, went by some abandoned garages, and headed toward an old factory — the one that had been empty for ten years.

The butcher stopped. She went inside and disappeared with the bags.

Twenty minutes later, the old woman came out again — empty-handed. No sign of the meat.

The next day, the same thing happened. On the third day, the butcher couldn’t resist anymore. He waited for her to go in, then quietly followed her.

Inside, there was a strange smell. He heard dull, eerie noises. When he peeked through a crack in the wall, his heart nearly stopped. Inside there were…  Continuation in the first comment 

Behind large cages sat four enormous lions. Their eyes gleamed in the dim light of a hanging lamp. On the floor lay bones and fresh chunks of beef.

And in the corner, sitting in an old armchair, was the same old lady, whispering tenderly:
— Easy, my darlings… soon you’ll have your fight… people will come to watch you…

The butcher stepped back, shocked, but suddenly one of the lions roared — the sound echoed through the empty hall. The woman turned her head and saw him.

— What are you doing here?! — she hissed.

The man bolted outside and immediately called the police.

When the officers arrived, they were stunned: the old woman turned out to be a former zoologist. After the local zoo had closed, she had taken several animals “to save them,” but soon realized she could make money off them.

In the back of the factory, the police found an arena and claw marks on the walls. The woman had been organizing illegal lion fights, secretly attended by wealthy spectators.