Page 36 of Dark Goodbye

While the machine does its work, I flip open the files, skimming through to determine sex. Once those are separated between male and female, look between the two stacks, noting a vast difference. For every five females, there’s one male. Looking through the men’s files, all of them died of actual reasons — trauma, illness, or injury that was too far gone to heal.

The women, however, most of them died from the same thing… ‘natural causes.’ From there, I put them into their own categories, separating out Malus’s prognosis from the other healers, myself included. Out of Malus’s stack, all of the women that died were from Sector One.

Again, that wouldn’t be too far of a stretch, but the charts are nearly bare, with just enough information to identify the victim and ‘cause of death.’ Unfortunately, all the bodies were incinerated, so there’s no way I can do an autopsy. Slipping a small camera from my desk, I go through all the files that look similar to this and take a snapshot, holding onto my proof for when the time comes.

A soft beep from the side of the room alerts me that the scan is done, bringing a soft smile to my face. Pulling the thumb away, I peel off the created layer, studying it in the light. Only one thing left to do. It rolls onto my own thumb with ease, looking nearly invisible to the naked eye.

As I press my thumb into the ink pad, I look over at Malus’s signature, comparing the two as I press the sleeve onto a blank page. The prints are identical. Before I dispose of the thumb, however, I need to make sure it passes a far more scrutinizing test. Pocketing the thumb, I wipe off the surface of the sleeve and head toward the incinerator.

The front desk is abuzz as the nurses shuffle through the files, each of them, whispering amongst themselves. My gut clenches as I stare at the growing stacks, dreading what I’m sure I’ll find. How long has he been doing this, and why has no one noticed?

More than that, how did I never notice? I can be forgiven for the times that I wasn’t in charge, but the moment the regime change happened, I should have taken a closer look at things. Guilt and recrimination beat at me, slamming into my chest. If I’ve learned anything from all of this, it’s to not be so bold, so arrogant as to assume that people do the right thing simply because they bare the title, Healer Alpha.

Shaking my head, I stop a few doors down from the crematorium center and place Malus’s print on the scanner. Only a few areas are restricted, allowing just Healer Alphas inside. This medication room will be a perfect chance to test it out. I hold my breath, pressing my thumb down.

Within a moment or two, it beeps, and the door opens, allowing me access. Now, not only is there ‘proof’ that Malus has been in the office, but I also now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I can use this thumb sleeve as a proxy. Stepping out, I lock the door behind me with another swipe of his print and head over to the furnace.

A heavy weight lifts as I chuck his digit into the flames, knowing that nothing else of him remains to poison this world. With careful movements, I roll the sleeve off of my thumb and slide it into my pocket before heading back to the front desk.

“Umm. Alpha Healer? We have the rest of the files you requested. Shall we bring them to your office?” I stare at the three, noting their piles look much smaller.

Frowning, I gesture for them to walk in front of me, mulling over the implications. Perhaps Malus just got a late start? The three nurses set down the piles and gather up the other folders and bow before heading to the door.

“Just a moment. I want to discuss something with you.” All three turn around, their eyes wide as they clutch the folders to their chests. “I’m sure you’re wondering what all this is about. Yes?” They nod, neither of them saying a word. “As head Healer, I’m trying to wrap my head around the situation in which I find myself. I need to make sure no one is suffering needlessly from this revolution.”

The lie slips easily from my lips, and all three glance among themselves before relaxing. “Permission to speak freely?”

“Always.” Stepping back toward my desk, I lean against the wooden edge and cross my arms.

The smaller blond nurse steps forward, tucking an errant strand behind her ear. “We were worried there had maybe been a mistake. That not all these deaths were filed correctly or documented right.”

That explains their nervous behavior. “You’re worried you didn’t do your job correctly?” All three nod, their eyes shining for a moment. “To my knowledge, you’ve done everything you should do. The only complaint I have…” Pausing, I smile to let them know it’s not as serious as they might dread. “Is that you’ve been letting these folders pile up instead of filing them away.”

The brunette steps up next to the blond. “We’ll work on that. I promise.” The relief is palpable in the air as they huddle together to walk out of my office.

Sitting down, I begin to sift through the folders, separating them as I did before. Only this time, the stacks seem to weigh more heavily toward the males. Interesting. However, just like with Malus’s alleged kills, the men’s charts have similar markings.

All the men were from Sector One, and all the men died of ‘natural causes.’ Looking at the signature, my blood runs cold. Alpha Healer Morrison. He was the head of the hospital before the revolution happened. It’s his shoes I now fill.

More than that, he was the one that oversaw Annora’s treatment, the one that forced me to harm her without the aid of drugs. Skimming through the pages, I try to find something, anything to prove that this is different. That this is nothing like what Malus did. However, everything looks the same.

In fact, the attending doctor was Malus himself. Pulling up the images that I scanned earlier, I flipped through them, noting Morrison's signature on Malus’s death proclamations. Once the revolution came to a head, and Morrison was no more, it was only Malus’s signature on the documents. There were no other attending physicians.

This is also what makes everything so suspicious. Whenever a death is notated, there is usually an attending doctor to sign off. Perhaps Morrison was the initial killer, and Malus was his apprentice. It would also make sense as to why the number of deaths skyrocketed After the revolution. There was no one here to hold the man in check.

To think, I was so close to losing Ladria. But then, perhaps it was her dynamic that would be her saving grace. Taking snapshots of these files, I tuck my camera back into my desk and restack everything. When the door opens, I expect it to be one of the nurses, perhaps bringing me some files they overlooked, but the apprehension on her face tells a different story.

“Alpha Healer…” She pauses, looking down at the ground for a moment. “There’s a situation…”

Pushing away from the desk, I stride over to her, my heart in my throat. Did something happen to Ladria? Has Mogen tried to get a hold of me? Glancing down at my communicator, I frown at the black screen before looking back up at the nurse.

“What seems to be the issue?”

“Well…” The pregnant pause stretches out between us. As much as I want to hurry her along, I don’t want to draw any undue suspicion on me. “There’s this omega…”

Without waiting for her to say another word, I tear out of the room, walking toward the curtained-off areas with firm, swift strides. Nurses and other Healers part, like waters receding in my wake. If only I didn’t have the respirators in, I could sense what was going on. As is, this handicap is sure to bite me in the ass.

Flinging open the nearest enclosed area, I stare down at an omega, writhing on the table. Nurses and Healers gather around me, all of them looking between the lurid display and my face. I turn toward the nurse and shove her outside, pulling the curtain closed.