The latest "customer" was a young man named Leo. The police report was tidy: a sudden collapse in a high-end restaurant, likely a congenital heart defect or a freak aneurysm. A "natural" tragedy.
Elias stepped back from the table. The boy’s family would be told the truth now. The "natural" cause was gone, replaced by a cold, calculated intent.
As he turned off the lights and locked the morgue door, Elias felt the weight of the day. His job wasn't just to find out how people died; it was to give them back their voices for one last, honest moment. In a world full of noise, the dead were the only ones who never lied. Real-World Inspiration
The prompt "Unnatural Causes" refers to several well-known works, most notably the memoir of forensic pathologist Dr. Richard Shepherd. The following story is inspired by the themes of his life's work—uncovering the hidden truths left behind by the dead. The Last Witness
But as Elias made the first Y-incision, he felt the familiar prickle at the back of his neck. He had performed over twenty thousand autopsies, and he knew that "natural" was often just a mask worn by something far more sinister.