post-mortem report 270-26-g
by Rahel Gamma
Filed 07/20 – 9:03PM
Preliminary Cause of Death: Pending
Speculative Note: -
Transcription – Begin Recording.
Alright. Let’s see what we’re working with tonight.
Time of intake: 6:00PM.
Time of report: 9:03PM.
Mortician: Dr. Yves Carter, County Coroner, certified-somewhere.
Note: Still hot outside. Still July. Still Friday. Still haven’t eaten dinner.
Subject was delivered to my slab about three hours ago after being found on the eastbound expressway. Initial report from responding officers used the term “roadkill,” which – while colorful – is usually reserved for something with more splatter. Armadillos. Raccoons. You get the picture.
Subject is a male, likely mid-to-late twenties. No ID name confirmed yet, but we did find a wallet. No cash – shocker – but an organ donor card and a loyalty punch from that Italian place near Fifth. Two more stamps and he’d have had a free lasagna. Shame.
Let’s move on to the physical.
External Examination.
Right. The man looks… good. Unreasonably good.
Golden-blonde hair. Curled a bit at the ends like he’d been sweating, or maybe swimming. Skin’s tan. Even tone. No signs of cyanosis or blanching yet. No sunburn, either, despite being found lying on hundred-degree concrete for what must’ve been hours.
Eyes are closed. No bruising around the sockets. Opening now…
Right eye: blue. Very light. Almost translucent around the iris. No clouding.
Left eye: same. Looking straight through me. I’m closing them again. Don’t like the way he’s staring.
Clothing: white polo shirt, slightly wrinkled. Buttons closed. One sleeve torn at the cuff. Trousers: pale khaki, good material, but worn. Sandals, no socks. Loafers in the transport bag – they came off at the scene.
Looks like someone who had money at some point and then suddenly stopped caring.
Visible injuries: minor abrasions on both forearms. Asphalt scratches. Dirt under the fingernails. Some small scabs on his left temple. A cut on the bottom lip – dried blood, faint, no pooling. No major lacerations. No compound fractures. No bruising around the torso. If this was a hit-and-run, it must’ve been a glancing blow. Maybe he got clipped and fell?
But still, no defensive wounds. No blood soaking through the shirt. And somehow, no sign of lividity. That’s strange.
Internal Examination Pending – Reviewing Scene Notes.
Papers shuffle.
Hold on. Here we go. Scene report from the officer on-site.
Hm.
Well this doesn’t match.
Notes say there were tire tracks across the chest. Obvious trauma. Bone exposure. Broken ribs visible through the shirt. Said they thought the guy had been dragged.
That’s…no. That’s not what I’m seeing.
Did they mix up the body tags again? Christ.
Shuffles more papers. Audible sigh.
No, it’s the same ID number. Tag on the toe matches.
Okay. So then what the hell happened between 4PM on the highway and 6PM when he showed up here looking like he’s late for brunch?
Mouth and Dental Inspection.
Alright moving on. Let’s check the teeth.
Lifting upper lip now…
Hm. Pretty white. Good alignment. But there’s something off.
Tapping one of the upper canines now. It’s got some give. That shouldn’t – ah. Okay.
Click.
Yep. That’s a denture. Top row. And… yeah, bottom’s loose too.
Click.
Full set. Upper and lower plates. Clean. Smooth. Almost elegant. There’s a little gold inlay on the left molar. Someone cared about this smile.
I’m looking at the gums now and there’s… nothing. I mean nothing. No swelling. No open sockets. Just smooth pink skin. Looks more like the teeth were never there at all.
What twenty-something has no natural teeth?
Flagging this for dental. Maybe medical history. Genetic? Trauma?
But again – no records of broken jaws or facial injury. The bones are intact. It’s like the teeth were never part of the picture.
Torso and Limbs.
Flipping the body. One, two-
Grunt.
Okay.
Back’s clean. Skin unbroken. Slight reddening along the shoulder blades from where he was lying. There’s a tiny scratch near the bottom of the neck – just a line.
Wait.
Hold on.
I could swear that scratch was bleeding when I rolled him.
Pause.
It’s gone now.
Another pause. Breathing slows.
No. Not gone. Just… healed.
The skin’s still a little shiny there. Like it finished scabbing over while I blinked.
What the fuck?
Footsteps back. Chair creaks.
Alright. Either I’ve been here too long, or we’ve got a genuine anomaly on the slab.
Sharp inhale.
Looking at the forearm again. Scratch #3 – the deeper one near the elbow. It’s… closing. It’s literally knitting together while I’m watching.
Jesus Christ.
Unexpected Biological Response.
Subject is breathing.
This is not a drill. I repeat: the subject is taking shallow, slow breaths. The back is rising and sinking. Rhythmic. Conscious.
I am moving back. Notifying-
Sudden movement. Rattle of metal tools.
Subject’s right hand just twitched. Flexed. It’s reaching across the table – toward the tray.
Toward the dentures.
Pause. Footsteps halt.
No no no. Come on. This is-
[TRANSCRIPT ENDS]
Additional Report 270-26-F
Subject: Dr. Yves Carter
Recorded by: Dr. Harold Mendez
Date: 07/21, 2:12 PM
Begin recording.
Subject is male, early-to-mid 40s, identified as Yves Carter, longtime colleague and friend. Certified County Coroner. We worked side-by-side for nearly eleven years. Never thought I’d be cutting him open, but here we are.
Body found this morning in Autopsy Suite A. Locked from the inside. No signs of external trauma or struggle.
Blood loss is extreme. Frankly, total. Skin is pale, mottled, and cold. Veins collapsed. No visible bite marks. No wounds at all, expect the one at the neck, in fact. But-
Pause.
A syringe barrel was recovered from the scene. Mouth end clearly gnawed – it looks like it was used to… drink. Like a straw.
Blood drawn out slow and deliberate. No splatter. No haste. Just… siphoned. Like juice from a box.
Dentures are missing from the previous body. Gone. The tray’s been wiped down.
I’ve listened to Yves’ last report. The whole thing. He kept calling the subject beautiful. Said he healed on the table.
I don’t know what he saw. But I believe he saw it.
For the record, I am placing a freezer lock on both cadavers tonight.
And I’m sleeping with the lights on.
End report.
Photo of Rahel Gamma
BIO: Rahel Gamma is a 25-year old Student form Zürich, Switzerland. She is currently finishing her Master in Transdisciplinary Arts at the Zürich University of Arts.