My name is not important and where I am from in not important but what is important is that I worked in a morgue. I was not a surgeon or what ever you call them. I had the most boring job there. The receptionist. I would sit at a desk behind a thin layer of glass with an opening the size of a letter box for hours. Checking in people and taking unimportant calls. I did not really enjoy this job and I was hoping to find my ‘true passion’ at some point soon. But the reason why I quit was completely different to what I expected.
It was a Friday, I had Saturdays and Sundays off so I was naturally eager to get my day done. I remember it was storming that evening. The bullets of rain attacking the window next to my desk was oddly calming. But there was a sinking feeling inside of me. I was alone. The only alive soul in a liberty of corpses. Every evening I worked there I felt like I was being watched. Typical. The little area I was in was more of an office. I sat behind a wooden desk and a layer of glass that went to the ceiling with a small gap so that I could pass through documents and things like that. similar to a small bank teller. Separating me from the rest of the building was a door. Obviously. But that door would save my life.
I remember trying my best to finish my work. I had to print documents, reply to emails and answer calls, the same nonsense that I had been doing for almost 2 years now. I remember moving over to the printer to grab a spreadsheet. That was when I heard it. A shatter of glass. It was not large like a window braking but as if you dropped a shot glass. I turned my head quickly to the ceiling. What could that have been? Maybe a vial or something fell over? But how… the wind? No they close all windows and lock all the doors. I considered leaving my area and ‘investigating’ but I decided that was stupid and tried to carry on with my work.
About 30 minuets later I had started to forget the noise and began to get drowsy. There was another noise. A loud metal scream. Like knife scraping a plate. But this was loud, so loud I jumped out of my seat. I swung around and looked at the door. There was a small but tall window in the door, allowing me to see just outside my area. My heart was pounding and I found myself stuck to my seat. I kept replaying that sound in my head. I have heard it before. I knew I had. But where? I kept staring at the door and glancing at the lock. “Its locked, I’m safe” I kept telling myself. But what was that sound? Then it clicked. I have heard that sound before. I heard it everyday. That was the sound of a draw containing cadavers opening.
The realization of what this sound was hit me like a sack of bricks. I felt ill and weak. Like I had been struck with food poisoning. I couldn’t move. My feet where being gripped by the floor and pulled into the ground. “That’s not possible” I mumbled to myself. The force that was keeping me glued to the ground suddenly gave up and I fell back into my chair. The temporary trance of confusion broke and I fell back into reality. I pulled my self up and leaped towards the door, I tried to lock the door again out of fear until I realized my foolishness.
I found myself staring out of the door’s window and quickly jumping out of the way, Not wanting to see whatever the hell was roaming out there. I slid down the wall and tried to hide behind my knees. A few minuets passed. Or they might have been seconds. Every moment next to that door felt like hours. The next thing I heard almost made me vomit. I covered my mouth and started to cry. Feet. Walking. Someone was walking towards my room, barefoot.
I looked up, extracting my head from my knees. the glare of the lights and my computer monitor would be a beacon to where I was. The lights were on in the lobby and hallway behind me but the rest of the building was in pitch black. Thankfully the switches for theses lights were inside my office, they where on the other side of the door about a metre away. I managed to find a small amount of courage somewhere within my thick entails of fear.
I stood up and took a small step to my left, I was facing the light switch and slowly and quietly pushed down on the 3 buttons and like clockwork darkness invaded my eyes, apart from a small light behind me. I spun around to see my monitor illuminating the the office like a torch. I carefully hurried to my desk and dove underneath. I felt for power cables and ripped out every single one I could find. After pulling out a thick cable I was thrown into a void. Must of been the computer. I couldn’t see anything now. Not in front, not through the door and not behind me. I sat rock still for what must of been a minute or two before I noticed I made a fatal mistake. I needed my phone.
How else will I call for help? It was on my desk but I was surrounded by darkness I wouldn’t be able a grab my phone or even find it. All I could do was try and feel for it. I crawled out of under the table and stood up. I manged to grasp the edge of my desk and moved my hand gradually up the table until I felt my keyboard. I move my hand to the right and felt various bits of paper and pens. I moved my hand to the left and felt a firm piece of leather. That had to be it!. I wrenched it from the dark wood and SMASH. In my haste to secure my phone I had knocked into a small empty glass and sent it flying of the desk. I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes. Pat, pat, pat, pat, pat. A sound of skin colliding with a smooth stone floor and it was getting louder.
I jumped back under my desk and switched on my phone. The light from the screen forced my eyes shut, I heard its feet pounding against the floor. I felt my heart trying to eat its way out of my chest. My eyes got used to the light of the phone and I hammered the emergency call button on the lock screen and dialled 911. The dial tone couldn’t go any slower.
“911, What’s your emergency?” asked the operator.
“Someone has broken into the morgue” I whispered. I could not say what was actually outside.
“Ok sir, can you give me the location?”
“12th Washington Street” I replied.
“Ok first responders will be on scene within 5 mins.
Nothing takes five minutes.
I was lucky the station was so close to the Morgue. If not that dust filled space under my desk would be my grave. I heard the pats of flesh getting closer and louder until they stopped very suddenly. There was a few seconds of silence. A hand crashed through the window of my door and stretched through like a long blade. Its fist was bloody and looked rotten. Missing pieces of flesh and nails. Its fingers had small glass shards protruding out along with various cuts and bruises all along the arm. It must of punched its way through the glass.
I didn’t know how, considering the frailness of the hand and strength of the glass. I screamed at first sight of it and dropped my phone. The things arm began to fish around and search for the lock. I was paralyzed with fear unable to react or pick up my phone. I heard the 911 operator taking from out of the phone but in my current state I didn’t respond to any of it.
“Sir?, are you sill there?” “Hello?”
The hand had found the lock. It twisted and turned the small metal circle but seemed to have some trouble in turning it the right way. Suddenly I got off my feet and and ran the few paces to the door almost tripping over. I don’t know where I got that rush of adrenalin. Maybe the small logical side of my mind had taken control in order to save my life. I grabbed the door handle and waited for the arm to unlock it. When it did I thrust the door into the creature catching it off guard. The door flung into the thing and slammed in to its head, the creature let of a gut wrenching yell that shivered my spine.
I ran down the thin hallway and through into the main lobby. I head the fleshy noise of feet behind me as I opened the main doors and fell into the blackout night. The rain was still falling like bullets. I felt the heat and light of the building behind me, I came back to my senses and kept running down the street oblivious to what direction. I ran through the storm for a few seconds when I was greeted by 3 police cars. About time.
They stopped in front of me and I directed them to the general diretion of the place I just escaped from. One of the officers gestured to a small building with lights on with a sign that said “open 24 hours”. I took this hint and briskly walked over to the shop and stepped inside. The teenager behind the till didn’t question my sopping wet and terrified appearance. He seemed to know that that my reason for being in such a state was between me and the police. A few minutes past and a police officer walked into the shop and scanned the small row of shelves. He found me and walked over.
“We found the intruder, and just in case you where wondering it is not a reanimated corpse, he is an inmate of a psychiatric ward that escaped a few months ago.”
I stared at the floor for a few moments.
” you have nothing to worry about anymore” he continued. “But do be aware, you will need to make a small statement to the police on Tuesday”.
I nodded.
“You are free to go” said the officer as he walked out of the store.
I followed shortly after and walked in the diretion of my car. I got in and went home. My mind seemed to be blank after what had just happened. I made my statement that Tuesday and the story of the mans capture was in the following days newspapers. Thankfully my account was left out as I requested, meaning this is that first time I am revealing this story. But one thing I did not want to see was that the mans face.
However on the front page in large print was exactly that. I felt ill when I saw it. Peeling and dead skin painted his face. His eyes where so bloodshot they were completely red. He had a at most 5 teeth and only a few strands of hair. That face sill comes back to me. Every night I sleep. Maybe sharing it might help. But after 2 years I think that face will be burned into my mind forever.