Code of Dishonor

3

          The next morning, Trelia was up very early and driving to the morgue at the hospital. She hadn't slept very long and her eyes burned. She pulled into the hospital parking lot, which was a miracle.

She tramped around in the waiting room before she was called back to see the body. A white man with dark brown hair and green eyes approached her, he was very tall, Trelia stood 5'7, she had to look up, but she only noticed his straight yellow teeth. His hair was shaved all the way off and his skin was sun burnt. She didn't notice anything but the teeth however. The morgue guy was very quiet as she walked down the hall. He opened the door for her and she walked in, hoping to get it over with. She observed all the silver drawers surrounding her. "Marshall Dark Prey," he muttered and went over to the 3rd row, he reached for the metal handle and pulled out the slider drawer. There was a foul odor to the body as he uncovered it, "I don't know if you can tell-"

"The-" Trelia viewed the charred piece of human, the skin matched her brother's, it was dark brown with a hint of red, she looked at his hands, it had been five years, he'd only sent pictures, but she couldn't see his hands or face, she couldn't see the little details people notice in real life. "I- I don't know."

The morgue guy glared at her when she wasn't looking, "We found his dog tags inside, doesn't that mean it's him?"

"I haven't seen him in five years, since he was twenty, his hair's black, his skin's brown, how tall is this guy?" the Indian girl touched the dead man's skin, it was cold and hard, only the head was burned.

"About 6'0."

"Yeah, Marshall was tall, dental records, what if his dog tags got blasted into some other guy?"

"Dental record's confirmed, DNA test, Native American blood, the hair, even the wrist injury, a re-healed bone." The morgue guy read off the clipboard. He dropped the papers and they fell back into place, he tilted his head impatiently, "It's Marshall Dark Prey."

"Then why would they ask me to identify his body if they know?" Trelia yelled out, her low wise voice echoing in the room, "How did he die?"

The white man sighed and flipped the pages back up, "Mobile unit bombed by air missiles, thirty people were killed in the 115th infantry, he's burned, he died, he was killed in war, killed in action, I'm sorry but I have several other family members of this infantry here coming to see their loved ones."

"Fine!" Trelia snapped, she shook her black hair back and put her arms tight against her sides, "You said he had the wrist injury and he matches, the DNA and everything, it's him, it's him, I identify this guy as Marshall Dark Prey," she dragged the heel of her boot on the slick gray tile.

"It's him," the morgue guy nodded his head slowly and signed the papers, "We have his dog tags and there were a few personal effects from his foot locker, everything else was burned."

Trelia stared at the smoldered face, "Was he shot in the face?"

"Ma'am, I told you what happened, will you come over here and take his effects?"

"You didn't say he was shot, but there's a bullet hole right here," she pointed at a small hole in the forehead, "Maybe he was already dead before they bombed the place."

"Ma'am," the white man scoffed strolled to the other cabinets.

"Don't call me 'Ma'am!' My name is Trelia, Trelia Short Cloud, and he always used to say it," sobs caught in her throat. "He always," she was broken, "he always used to say it before Tall Eyes came, he used to-" She wailed and wandered over to the cabinet, she took the box and headed out the door as the morgue guy held open for her. Her shoulders bobbed up and down as she cried.