At Death's Best

Chapter 3

I step in.

Little Guy forces me into a small, black couch and shoves files into my lap. Trying to be gentle, I open the first one.

Little Guy's voice scares me at first. "The victim is 17 year old Hayden Stratton. Cause of death hasn't been determined, but officials are saying it's a homicide. The FBI's guessing her brother murdered her, but it's not confirmed, but he's in custody."

"You're saying you think her own dear brother caused her demise?" I question playfully.

"It's only a theory at this point. Anyway. The body has arrived. You can check it out anytime, Dr. Kimishima." I give him a look, but he simply smiles at me. The door shuts softly.

"Show me how your life's thread was cut short," I say to myself.

Wow, I'm totally talking to myself... CREEPY. Was that...? Oh, nevermind.

I stare at her picture for a long time.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry," I tell Hayden's picture.

I stiffly stand, feeling heavy, instead if walking on air like before. But then again, those were just the stairs. I turn on the computer and open the I put the stack of file folders on my mother's desk --with Hayden's on top --next to her computer, which she tended to be on frequently since the beginning of the time I lived with her. Computers never really did it for me. Maybe because I spent so much time  in the hospita when I was little, just reading books. It became second nature. And besides, it was good training for my eye. They told me I was lucky I got to keep my eye.The shrapnel that shot at me from all sides just barely managed to dodge any major part of my eye. I still have scars on that side of my face,but they aren't too bad.

Out of boredom, I put my hands on my hips and huff out air.

"Alright..." I say, to no one. Again.

I decide it's time to go check out the body, so I put on gloves and other gear and open the black door. I pace to the autopcy room and sigh before opening the door. Sitting there on the table is the black body bag. It looks exactly how it does in movies or things you see in TV shows. I go to take a step forward, but my body is frozen. My stomach's doing acrobatics and my vision is foggy.

Ignoring what I'm feeling, I shake my head and force myself to walk over to the body. I grab the zipper and yank downwards.

I stop the zipper just before her lips. The smell hits me first, then I see her face. Bruised terribly and bloody, it's one of the most disturbing things I've seen in a while. I take a step back, my hands trembling.

Come on, Alyssa. What are you doing? You've watched Naomi do autopsies. You can't do it by yourself? Idiot, go figure out her cause of death and bring justice to her family!

I step forward and grab the zipper. In a split second, I decide it's too much for me and I go over to personal effects. I'm about to open the bag, when I think back to how she's my age. I can't avoid her forever. I walk back over to her and unzip the back down to the beginning of her chest. It's getting worse. There are multiple stab wounds around her neck and it's bloody everywhere. I force myself to pull the zipper down farther. I don't realize where her hands are until one swings off of the table and hits my arm. Shrieking, I jump back. I make myself trip and I fall onto my back. I take one look at the arm gently swinging off the side of the table

before the world fades to black.

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DUN DUN. Sorry. Bad Apple reference. I apologize for having not updated this in like a year. llD I'm trying to get back into my groove. Hope you enjoy!