Page 16 of Private Exhibit
If this boy—Devon—was in his early twenties, he was damned lucky.
But he was also living on borrowed time.
Something else Andy knew all too well.
He eyed what was left of his son. Anderson Gerard Jr. looked just like he had in life, except now there was a slightly translucent quality to his form. And that form never altered one bit. Whereas Andy had watched the subtle changes that came along with growing up—noting from one week to the next how Junior had grown a little bit taller or had started to develop another chin hair—now his son would look exactly the same for all eternity.
The really unsettling part was that Junior had always been the spitting image of Andy himself. They'd even broken out old photographs of Andy and compared them, side-by-side, with pictures of Junior. Sometimes, it was hard to tell which was which.
And both their lives had stopped at right around the same age.
Andy shuddered, hoping he'd kept that particular thought to himself. He tried to come up with something to say when Junior suddenly whirled around, peeking into the morgue.
I hear someone crying, Junior pointed out.
Andy listened, realizing he'd heard it, too. He shook off his dismal thoughts and got up to follow Junior into the morgue, the chilly, pristine space making even the tiniest sounds seem to endlessly echo.
Except this particular sound wasn't truly audible.
Andy stepped around one of the autopsy tables, where a new body had just been left, covered by a sheet, and found a ghost sitting with her back to the table, her knees drawn up, her arms covering her head.
Hello, Andy murmured.
The ghost gasped and jerked back, falling right through the table's base. She shrieked and scrambled away, stopping in the middle of the room and looking around frantically.Oh gods, she said, her eyes wide and wild as she stared at the table in horror.I really am dead.
Andy slowly approached, then lowered himself to a crouch.I'm Doctor Anderson Gerard. You can call me Andy. What's your name?
The girl sniffed and wiped her eyes, but there were no tears there. She let out a pitiful, helpless whine as she stared at her dry hands, then slowly answered,Jess.
It's nice to meet you, Jess.Andy glanced over and saw his son still there, so he added,This is my son, also Andy. We call him Junior.
Hi, Junior squeaked, giving the girl a shy wave.
Jess looked up at Junior and her lips slowly parted.Oh gods. Are you–
Yeah, Junior said, coming closer.I'm dead, too.
Jess trembled and ran her hands back through her hair.I can't be dead. I can't! I was just about to graduate. Had a great job lined up. I was only getting started. Why? Why now?
Andy reached out, meaning to give the girl's shoulder a squeeze, but his hand passed right through her.Shit. She was a new ghost, which meant she hadn't even begun to learn how to replicate something like a solid form. Some ghosts couldn't even make themselves visible this early on. Tangibility was a skill that could take days or even years to develop. Andy winced and muttered an apology.I'm very sorry.
It's not fair!the girl wailed.
It never is, Andy replied gently, but the girl was right. She was young. Far too young for life to be over. Probably around Devon's age.
Andy winced and inwardly cursed. He had to stop thinking about that boy!
He sat with Jess for an hour, trying to console the girl. The poor thing kept eyeing the autopsy table, her lifeless body hidden by the sheet but still so blatantly there. Andy tried to coax her out of the room, but every time Jess tried to stand, she sank right back onto the floor.
Can you tell me what happened?Andy asked.
Jess blinked rapidly, then frowned.I'm not really sure. I was out for a jog, trying to burn off some stress, and then…nothing. I don't remember anything else. Until I woke up like this.She looked down at her hands, slowly turning them over, and shuddered.
The autopsy will tell us more, Andy assured her.
The girl's eyes went wide again.You're gonna cut me open?
Yeah, Andy admitted.You might not want to be here for that part. But it is standard procedure. Our scanners are excellent, but there are some things even they can't see.
