I was walking down the riverbank, not looking at anything in particular. My head felt like it was going to explode any moment, and my brain would scatter all over the busy streets of Brezoville.
I was thinking about many things—many questions from the past left unanswered. But one question kept popping up the most: Maybe it even wasn’t my mother; what if they made a mistake?"
"Theo would think of something smart." I thought to myself, but I couldn’t really go and ask for his help, not when it came to this. I don’t want him or Leigh in this mess; I need to save them, like before.
But then something hit me, Leigh. Of course, why didn’t I think of that sooner? Leigh’s parents work in a mortuary, the only mortuary in the town, where they prepare deceased people for burial or cremation. It is a difficult job, but a very needed one; not many people could work in a place like that. Working in a mortuary is a respectful job, unlike what many people believe, because they have a crucial role in helping families navigate the difficult process of saying goodbye to their loved ones.
I was only once in there, at the front door; I couldn’t wander any further, but it looked like any normal building. If she could help me get the keys to the mortuary, she wouldn’t be involved that much, and it would give me access to the building and my mother’s body, if it’s there.
I got to Leigh’s house and knocked. I could hear her footsteps coming to the door; she opened them. I tried to look okay, like nothing was wrong, but when I saw her, tears started running down my face. She looked surprised to see me, and even more surprised to see me crying. She jumped towards me, repeatedly asking me what was going on, but I couldn’t let myself say it. If I don’t say it out loud, maybe, just maybe, it won’t be true.
She hugged me hard; I didn’t want to leave her embrace. We stood there in silence for a while until she let me go. I wanted to tell her to wait just a little bit longer; she is the only one who can help me with my pain, the only one worth killing for. But I couldn’t. I looked straight into her eyes, her hand wiping a tear on my left cheek.
"Tell me, what happened?"
And I told her the awful truth: my mother is dead.
She was stunned; she didn’t know how to react, and I understood that no one would.
"I need your help," I said.
"What can I do, Adrian? Please tell me anything."
I need to see her, Leigh. I just need to, one last time."
"I don’t think that’s a good idea, Adrian, and you know that too. I saw my fair share of people who passed away. It is not the same when you see a dead person and an alive one; it would be better if you didn’t see her now. Please think about it."
"If she only knew," I thought to myself, not saying anything to her.
"And my father," she continued, wouldn’t let you."
"He doesn’t have to know. Leigh, please."
She looked at me, and for a moment I thought she would say no, but then she said: "Wait here." And went inside.
I stood there for a couple of minutes, waiting for her and thinking of many things. I thought it was the end of this, but now that it continues, the end is yet to come.
"Here you go," she said, handing me the key. "If you think you know what you’re doing, take it. But I still don’t think this is a good idea, and even Theo would not agree with me, and he never does. Anything you decide to do, don’t get caught; I’ll get in trouble too."
I hugged her, and she was surprised; she wasn’t used to me hugging her.
"Thank you, Leigh; I’ll never forget this, and please don’t say anything to Theo," and I left.
On my way home, I was thinking of a plan. I knew that they might move her later to the morgue—later tonight for sure—so I had to wait for night to fall to go out.
At home, Grandma was crying. I felt bad for leaving her alone, but I had to. I hugged her, and we cried.
I always hated seeing people cry, especially people I cared about. You see them hurt, but you can’t really do anything to help them. That night was one of the longest nights of my life. I could hear my grandma cry even late at night; it broke me. When the darkness took over and everything around me was covered in silence, I snuck out and headed towards the morgue. On the way there, everything was silent, like everyone had died. The stars and the moon in the night sky were the biggest sources of light, showing me where to go. No living soul was out there at the time, and I had a weird feeling, like someone was watching me or following me. I turned around many times, and nothing was there. I thought that I was going crazy. I was mad. All the things that happened pushed me off the edge of sanity. For a split second, I thought that it was he who was following me. But that couldn’t be true, right? I made sure that he was dead. He can’t be alive now; dead people don’t rise from their graves.
Before I realized it, I found myself in front of the mortuary. I looked around; no one was there. Just to be sure, I even double checked, and then I unlocked the door. As I stepped inside, I found myself in the reception area. With warm colors and comfortable-looking seats, it didn’t even look like a mortuary. It felt peaceful and calm, probably because it offered a calming space for grieving families.
Behind the reception was a door, and because I didn’t know where anything was, and I didn’t think of that sooner to ask Leigh, I had to snoop around. Behind that door was an area where they "prepared" or took care of the bodies. Stainless steel tables were in the center of the room, equipped with tools and other equipment I couldn’t name, but everything necessary for their line of work. The room was well lit, and the air was filled with roses, trying to mask any harsh odors.
There was nothing to see there, so I left the room and opened the first door on my left. There was a room that served as a chapel. Soft lighting, elegant decor, and many seats.
Entering the other room, I hit the jackpot. As I entered the room, the ambiance was quiet and serene. The walls were painted in neutral tones, with the lighting casting a gentle glow. The floor was covered with a thick carpet that absorbed any noise from my footsteps. The bodies were respectfully placed on individual gurneys, each covered with clean, soft linens. The gurneys were positioned parallel to one another, everything was well organized, and I could see where Leigh got her organization skills. There was even just enough space between each gurney to allow easy access to each one of them. The room was equipped with many special refrigerators that could preserve the bodies until their families made arrangements to carry them out.
Three bodies are outside the refrigerators, meaning that they probably just came in, and if they are left here and not in the fridge, it would mean that someone is coming soon to check them out. I had to be quick.
The first body looked like a man; I didn’t want to check, but it looked too big to be my mother's. So peeking under the first linen, I found blue eyes looking back at me, a woman, not my mother, her skin dry and without any color. It gave me the creeps; it had been a long time since I had seen a dead body. I was afraid.
The last body—this must be it. I uncovered the linen, and at that moment I knew that this was a huge mistake. It will haunt me until the day I die.
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