41 #2
The worst part is that I couldn’t even be angry at the lot of them.
It was deemed dangerous to be near me. Silas deserved his space away after what I had done.
Luka was kind enough to even entertain my wild idea.
Mary may have her reservations, but Rebecca had lost her faith in me long ago, that much was clear.
I had no desire to sleep. Too much rest lately, my body and mind were too awake.
I pulled the chain as far as I could, but still couldn’t reach the window.
I brought a pillow to sit on the floor. The moon shone bright in the sky.
I was close enough that I was bathed in the light, for a couple hours at the least. The wind teased my skin, knowing I couldn’t even reach the windowsill.
That great big pearl in the sky would soon disappear behind the neighboring buildings, and I would be alone again once more.
Footsteps rustled down the hall. More than one pair, if I was hearing correctly. There was a series of harsh whispers outside my door. At first my heart fluttered, but a small skip reminded me that there are more people in this home, not all of them friends.
Shadows moved from behind the door, shifting as the whispers continued back and forth. Deals being struck on my life that I had no say in.
The verdict came with an open door, and Luka stepped through.
The relief escaped me as I stood from the floor.
Mary appeared behind him, with the watchful eyes of Sidney outside the door.
I could weep. There weren’t many good reasons to trust me at this moment, I barely trusted myself. But my gut was screaming that something was wrong, I wondered if they felt it too.
Luka came to me, the keys chiming in his hand as he knelt down to unlock the chain. To my surprise, he unlocked the shackles on my wrists, ankles, and neck too, placing them silently on the floor.
The only rules of the night were to be silent, be quick, and be smart.
The covered body on the slab was like a ghost under the moon from the skylight. The room smelled entirely of alcohol.
“She’s been thawing for an hour,” Luka said, as he closed the door, Sidney standing guard outside, and Mary acting as my assistant. “Luckily she wasn’t completely frozen.”
I immediately went to the cabinets, pulling a flask, a burner, tubes, and stoppers. I had to remember how I did it before, back when I was apprenticing under Henry. The metal bowl of ice sat on the edge of the workbench. I stuck five clean glass microscope slides into the ice as I built my test.
I placed the burner on an elevated stand and shoved the tube through the stopper, making joints and bends before clipping it to a retort stand, the end of the tube positioned above what would be the flame.
With the mechanisms ready, I was prepared for the most difficult step.
I took a scalpel from the drawer and some clamps.
“What are you doing?” Mary whined in horror.
“I will need you to clamp the skin layers as I open them.” I handed her the clamps.
I stepped over to the form, the ghostly sheet only alluding to the body below.
Luka stood at the end, sending me a look. It was as if he was asking are you sure about this? I shook my head. Nothing was promised. But if I didn’t try, I would never forgive myself.
After a moment of meditative breath and strengthening of will, we pulled the sheet from her body.
The skin did not look real. Without much blood in her body it was like staring at marble, small black veins faint, the tips of her fingers blackening.
They’d cleaned her thoroughly. Not much evidence would be on her skin or under her nails.
All of which had been wiped clean. Even her neck, what was left of it.
If I didn’t look further, maybe it would preserve her memory of when she was alive. But doing so would be selfish. I would rather sacrifice my living memory of her than let her story go untold.
Her green eyes were so pale. The lids were half open from the tightening of the skin, a slow dehydration was the cost of preserving her. Only until they could embalm her.
Which is why I needed to do this now.
They may have pumped my stomach in search of evidence, but they didn’t search hers.
I lifted the shift, its only use for symbolic decency or for those who must witness her.
Her body was unmarked, still concealing the secrets inside. I pressed down on her abdomen, feeling for the stomach, pressing my fingers into her sternum then sliding them slightly below.
I recessed the scalpel vertically down her abdomen from there, about twelve inches long.
Mary whimpered as I pulled the first layer of skin, placing her fingers inside the cold flesh to hold it open. I kept cutting down that line, through each layer, before I reached the outer parietal layer. One more cut and her chest was exposed.
Mary shook as she held the clamp, fingers covered in black.
“Luka, fifty-milliliter syringe,” I said.
I didn’t have to look, he only took a moment to place it in my hand.
With the long needle, I pierced through the stomach, drawing back the plunger before the cylinder began to fill. Stomach fluid bubbled as it was siphoned. I took enough to fill completely in case I needed multiple tests. I made sure to change angles during extraction to get as much as I could.
When I pulled the needle, I quickly placed it down on a tray so I could clean up.
Mary made a gagging noise in the background before I heard the metal waste bin open hastily.
I emptied some of the stomach contents into the flask, careful to watch how much. I went through the cabinets to grab the reagents. Sulfuric acid and pure zinc oxide.
With quick calculations on a pad of paper, I measured out the proper quantities. The cold sweat was already catching up to me. This test was my last hope, I had no more time for guesswork.
I added them to the flask with the sample, giving a small agitation before securing the plug. The scrape of a match quickly set the wick aflame on the small burner. The wisp was small at first, then climbed when the gas from the flask came out from the tube.
I took one of the glass slides from the ice, tapping it of any moisture before holding it over the flame.
It turned from clear to black. I made sure to coat it well before the reaction ran its course.
Luka hovered, I didn’t realize how close until I felt his breath on my shoulder.
When tilting the blackened glass—I sighed such a breath of relief, it would be satisfactory if it were my last.
A black metallic surface shone back at me.
The mirrored surface was so clear, you could even see the tears in my eyes.
“Can you confirm what I’m seeing, Doctor Novikov?” I breathed.
“Only you could climb down from the gallows like this.”
If my ears were working correctly, I thought I heard equal parts awe and annoyance.
I laughed out loud, the widest smile I’ve had in years.
The most difficult task would be hiding my findings until morning.