PROJECT MORTUUS: Killer In Silence

Chapter 2: Crime Must Suffer *

Mortuus didn't make it far before; once again, he was investigating the deaths of several individuals in the town. It seemed that the town of Crater Hollow was a hotbed for evil bred in the cesspool of its citizens' trauma-ridden minds.

This time, however, was different from the evils' usual victims; it was neither a mother nor a child or father. In fact, the victim wasn't even innocent. "Peyton Corll." An officer with a thick chevron mustache said as he walked up behind Mortuus, who was looking curiously at the police tape.

Mortuus looked at the officer, who had some rainbow donut sprinkles in his mustache, deeply confused. "But he was locked up just last week." He mumbled to himself, unaware that the officer was listening.

The officer nodded in agreement. It was confirmed that the criminal who was murdered had been locked up in the local jail since last week when he was detained, "Yes, well... It doesn't make much sense to me either." He paused a moment, sipping his coffee with an expression of deep concentration. "Corll, here, was still in his cell up until we found his body earlier today."

Peyton Corll was just a petty thief. He wasn't anyone that would have gained enough attention for someone to want him dead. It wasn't that part of his story that was of interest to Mortuus. It was the fact that he was alive and locked in the jail just that morning.

Mortuus stepped closer and peered at the body that lay on the ground just beyond the tape. Whoever had killed Mr. Corll certainly had skill with a knife, possibly a skilled hunter or even butcher. They had perfectly sliced an 'X' into his throat without compromising his facial features or even leaving bruises.

As the officer knelt beside him, Mortuus asked a question without taking his eyes off the body as if he expected it to sit up and talk to him. "Do you have any records of individuals who have committed a violent crime with a knife?"

The officer lifted a talkie from his shirt and put it to his mouth as he spoke into it with authority, "This is Officer Lamb requesting a 10-29. Over."

Officer Lamb stood momentarily, holding the talkie while waiting for a response. "10-4. What kind?" It beeped back after a minute of static.

Officer Lamb clicked the button and spoke again. "Knives, please." The officer on the other end responded much quicker this time. "Files are on your desk, Sir."

Mortuus looked back at the 'X' on Mr. Corll's throat. He recognized the cutting pattern and its precise slicing. This was the work of a 1970s Pocket Jack Knife and, based on the depth, most likely a 3" stainless steel blade-a fairly lovely knife known for its use in hunting to strip off the skin of an animal. How he managed to know the exact type of knife used was a mystery to everyone.

He looked back at Officer Lamb, who was already waiting for him in the police cruiser. "Ain't got all day, Mortuus." He called with a hearty, full-bellied laugh, a bit of coffee staining his mustache. Officer Lamb was a somewhat tubby man with thick dirty-blond hair and piercing brown eyes. His hands looked like they belonged to that of a silverback gorilla than to a man in his late thirties.

Mortuus pulled on the handle and popped the door open. He had to use more strength than he expected, as it seemed to stick. If he had to guess, it was a relatively old and dented cruiser, probably a 1983 Chevy Caprice model cruiser by the look of it. He climbed in and clicked his belt. It was more of a want than a need since car crashes wouldn't be a problem for him.

As they drove, Officer Lamb spoke up, breaking the silence. "Must be weird for you, the whole coming back to life thing?" He asked, with a tad bit of curiosity in his voice. Officer Lamb was one of the individuals in Crater Hollow who was aware of Mortuus being a 'zombie' of sorts.

Mortuus nodded, "It's definitely not easy to come to terms with it."

"Nothing worth living is ever easy, Mortuus." Officer Lamb said with a hearty laugh, his eyes on the road and focused on making a turn. The cruiser's steering wheel stuck a little and made it difficult.

"This isn't living, Sir. Life ends. That's what makes it beautiful. You only have it once. But this..." Mortuus sighed and stared out the window, knowing that Officer Lamb wouldn't understand the true scope of how lousy immortality truly is. "This is dying without death." He said with a heavy and soft-spoken tone as he stared out the window.

Officer Lamb nodded, not entirely understanding what Mortuus meant, "I see. If you don't value what you have, Mortuus, what stops you from becoming one of them?"

Mortuus knew that he was talking about Micheal and Willem, both of whom had become victims of their immortal curse. It didn't have to be said for Mortuus to know that the officer thought he would become like them. "They were scared too. And I guess that's why I'm like this. I'm scared of something else,"

Officer Lamb pulled the car into the parking lot, then turned and looked at Mortuus. "Oh yeah. What's that?" He asked, curious as to what could possibly scare a dead man.

Mortuus began trembling with fear and stuttering, "C-c-cats... I'm deathly afraid of cats!" Officer Lamb noticed the cat on the hood of his car and shooed it away. Definitely not the fear he was expecting Mortuus to have.

He opened the door and stepped out of the cruiser, Mortuus doing the same. "You're full of surprises, Mort." He laughed as he slammed the car door shut, making sure it stayed shut. The two walked in and collected the folders from Officer Lamb's desk. Mortuus locked himself in a conference room and began researching the files for anything of use.