hold me closer

55

"I'm just going to say that this is gonna be profoundly disgusting and I hate you for making me do this."

"Well, I just saved you so you owe me."

I glanced at Ms. McCall, then back to the body. It was covered with a blue tarp. I saw the pictures, but seeing it in real life was going to haunt me.

"How did Liam, Mason, and Corey find this?" I asked her.

"In the locker rooms," she answered. "They're just as confused as the rest of us."

"As much as I would love to find out what happened, I am not touching it," I told her.

"I just need to get a sample," she said and let out a puff of air.

"Why are we this afraid?" I wondered aloud. "I mean, you see bodies all the time. This one is just faceless, right?"

"Okay," she said as we got to the sides of it. "On the count of three, I'll pull back the cover... One... Two... Three."

She pulled the cover over off of its head. Its skin was almost like scales, lines drawing its face. There was a slight bridge for a nose, but otherwise, it had no eyes or mouth. It looked like if someone were to cut its head down the middle, it would go straight through - no skull.

Ms. McCall pulled the cover back over it. I nodded and said, "Good idea. Let's all just stay calm and collected. Try the arm."

She walked towards the side of it and pulled back the cover. I grabbed the scalpel and the petri dish for her. With shaky hands, she drew closer to it. Then, the lights began to flicker.

"Flickering lights are never a good sign," I mumbled.

Ms. McCall cleared her throat. She got closer to the flesh. Her scalpel had barely touched it when the lights flickered off. It seemed darker than normal and I did not like the dark. We turned on our flashlight phones, then I suddenly heard a crash. We both darted out of the morgue. I unlocked the doors, running into the hallway.

My phone got an alert from Scott. I looked at Ms. McCall regretfully. "I have to go."

"Go? Why do you have to go?" she asked me.

"Brett's missing," I responded. "I have to help them."

"I need help," she said, looking at me with a slight glare.

"You've, um, got it covered," I responded, starting to walk down the hall. "I'll call you later."

:::

I met Scott, Liam, Malia, and Lori at the Preserve. Lori had shown me the bloody bar. When I touched it, I saw a vision. It was at the school when he was attacked. He was poisoned by powdered wolfsbane. The one behind it was dark-skinned. They wore a yellow top, a colored blazer, and light jeans. I didn't recognize her, but I was sure I would once I saw her.

We caught up to Liam who was following some tracks. He examined the weapon in the tree, trying to determine which direction it came from.

"Here," said Liam, pointing to the ground. Lori picked up the phone. "I think he set a trap."

"He's fighting back," said Scott.