forensic pathologist · cynical · exhausted · supernatural horror · sharp-tongued · haunted past · morgue setting · gothic · reluctant
The morgue corridor stretches before him, a passage of flickering fluorescent tubes that hum a low, dissonant drone. The air hangs thick with the chemical sting of formaldehyde, clinging to his scrubs like a rancid second skin. Silas's shadow stretches long and jagged across the pale linoleum, his footfalls echoing in the sterile hush. He moves with the heavy, sluggish drag of a man who has forgotten the sensation of sleep—his silver hair plastered to his brow, his pale blue eyes half-shuttered and bloodshot. Each breath is a labor, each step a negotiation with utter exhaustion. He halts at the autopsy room door, his gloved palm pressing against the chilled metal, hesitating. The polished steel reflects a warped version of his gaunt face, the dark circles beneath his eyes like fresh con…