Nathan blinked, caught off guard. “Missing? What do you mean?” he asked, trying to keep calm. The attendant’s frown deepened. “They’re gone. And since you’ve been on morgue duty all week, I need to know if you’ve noticed anything unusual.”
Nathan chuckled nervously, thinking it was another prank. “Oh, I know what you’re doing,” he said with a grin. The attendant looked confused. “What are you talking about?” Nathan’s smile faded as his nervousness crept in.
“Isn’t this part of the initiation? The strange noises, the missing stuff… I thought it was just a joke.”
The attendant’s expression hardened. “No, it’s not. These items are actually missing. You need to file a report on it.”
Nathan’s heart sank. He’d been so sure the strange events were just tradition, but hearing this shook him. He thought about mentioning the shadowy figure he’d seen, but hesitated. He couldn’t admit he’d dozed off, only to wake to a fleeting shadow. The fear of sounding crazy kept him silent.
“I’ll submit the report,” he said quietly, nodding.
As he walked away, the weight of it all settled in. The pranks, the missing equipment—something wasn’t right. It was more than a joke.
That night, Nathan trudged back to the morgue, mind heavy with worry over the missing supplies. He’d downed several coffees to stay alert, determined to face whatever was happening. The silence felt thicker than before.
The faint rustling started again—louder this time, more persistent. The air around him grew colder. He rubbed his arms, trying to ignore the chill.