Chapter 30: The Morgue of Mysteries
A few days later, the Academy decided to throw us into the deep end with a field trip to the morgue. Nothing says "settling into a new term" like the prospect of inspecting dead bodies.
Sam, walking beside me, was visibly pale. "This is not how I imagined my morning would go," he mumbled, clutching his bag like it was a lifeline.
"Come on, Sam," I teased. "Think of it as an anatomy lesson with a side of horror."
"Not helping, Kan. Not helping at all."
Professor Ainsley led us through the cold, dimly lit corridors, her voice echoing off the stone walls as she explained the importance of the morgue in our education. Apparently, we needed to "get comfortable" with death since our line of work would involve encountering it more often than not. I wasn't sure if this was meant to be reassuring or just plain morbid.
As we entered the morgue, the stark, sterile environment made me shiver. The air was thick with the scent of disinfectant, and the faint hum of the overhead lights added to the eerie atmosphere. Stainless steel tables lined the room, each with a neatly covered body resting on top.
"Welcome, students," said a voice from behind one of the tables. A woman in her late fifties, dressed in a pristine white lab coat, emerged from the shadows. "I'm Dr. Graves, and I'll be your guide today."
Sam leaned over and whispered, "Of course her name is Graves. What else would it be?"
I stifled a laugh, but before I could respond, Dr. Graves continued. "Today, we'll be conducting inspections on these cadavers. Each group will be assigned a body, and you'll be required to identify the cause of death."
The class collectively winced. This was going to be a long day.
As we split into groups, Sam and I found ourselves paired with an unfamiliar face—a tall, lanky girl with a shock of curly black hair and an air of quiet confidence. She gave us a nod, her expression calm and collected.
"Hey," I said, trying to break the ice. "I'm Kan, and this is Sam."
"Quinn," the girl replied, shaking our hands. "Nice to meet you both."
"So, uh, you ready for this?" Sam asked, eyeing the covered body in front of us with obvious trepidation.
Quinn shrugged. "I've seen worse."
Sam and I exchanged glances. "Worse than a morgue full of dead bodies?" I asked.
"Let's just say my upbringing was… unconventional," Quinn said cryptically, leaving it at that.
Dr. Graves walked over to our table and pulled back the sheet, revealing the body of an elderly man. The sight of the lifeless form was unsettling, but I steeled myself. This was part of our training, after all.
"All right, team," Dr. Graves said, handing us a clipboard with the patient's file. "Based on your observations, determine the cause of death. Use all your senses, except taste, of course." She chuckled at her own joke, though none of us laughed.
As Dr. Graves moved on to the next group, we gathered around the body, each of us trying to look as professional as possible. Sam was doing his best not to gag, while Quinn studied the body with a critical eye.
"Looks like there's some bruising around the neck," Quinn observed, pointing to the discolored skin. "Could be strangulation."
"Or he could've just had a really bad scarf day," Sam suggested weakly.
Quinn raised an eyebrow. "A scarf? Really?"
Sam shrugged. "Hey, you never know. Maybe he had an allergic reaction to wool."
"Let's just focus, okay?" I said, trying to keep us on track. "Dr. Graves said to use all our senses, so maybe we should look closer."
We carefully examined the body, taking note of any irregularities. After a while, Sam leaned in close to the man's face.
"Uh, Sam? What are you doing?" I asked, a little concerned.
"Sniffing for clues," he replied, dead serious.
"You're sniffing a corpse?" Quinn asked, incredulous.
"Hey, Dr. Graves said to use all our senses," Sam said defensively.
"Yeah, but he also said not to taste anything," I pointed out. "I think sniffing falls into that category."
Before Sam could respond, he suddenly reeled back, his nose scrunched up in disgust. "Oh, God! What is that smell?"
Quinn smirked. "That, my friend, is the smell of decomposition. You've just experienced the wonders of cadaveric odor."
Sam gagged and stumbled away from the table, trying to compose himself. "I think I'm gonna be sick."
Quinn patted Sam on the back. "You'll get used to it. Or not. But either way, it's part of the job."
As we continued our inspection, Quinn's sharp eye for detail impressed me. She was able to pick up on things I hadn't even considered, and her calm demeanor made it easier to focus.
After what felt like hours, we finally arrived at a conclusion: the man had indeed been strangled. We presented our findings to Dr. Graves, who nodded in approval.
"Excellent work, team," she said. "You've correctly identified the cause of death. This is an important skill, one that will serve you well in your future investigations."
As we left the morgue, Sam was still looking a little green, but he managed to crack a smile. "Well, that was… something."
"Yeah, but we made it through," I said, clapping him on the back. "And we made a new friend in the process."
Quinn gave us a small smile. "Thanks, guys. I have a feeling we're going to make a great team."
As we walked back to the dormitory, the three of us laughed and joked, the earlier tension slowly dissipating. It was clear that Quinn was going to fit in just fine, and I couldn't help but feel that this was the start of something good.
Little did we know, our time in the morgue was just the beginning of the strange and twisted adventures that awaited us at the Academy. But for now, we were content with the knowledge that we had survived our first test—and that we had a new ally by our side.