PROJECT MORTUUS: Killer In Silence

Chapter 14: A Family Fixed*

As Mortuus walked down the road and turned off West Hadley Spur and onto Hudson Drive, he puffed his pen. "Where are you, Jack?" Mortuus coughed out. He was determined to find Jackson.

He kept walking until the statue in the town square was now visible, and a hazy outline of a figure could be seen. He got closer and realized who it was. Jackson had simply gone to a place he was familiar with.

Mortuus sat down beside Jackson, "You had me worried, Jack." He said as he took a long drag. Jackson nodded and signed an apology. Part of Mortuus felt bad that Jackson felt the need to apologize for seeking safety when he felt unsafe.

"You have nothing to apologize for, my friend," Mortuus said and patted Jackson's back.

They sat at the statue for a minute before Jackson signed something to Mortuus again. "home?" He signed in a questioning manner. His eyebrows raised inquisitively as he looked into Mortuus's bandaged face.

Mortuus took a quick puff before turning to Jackson, his hand resting on his knee for support. "You want to go home? To your wife?" He asked with an understanding tone. Jackson nodded with more certainty than Mortuus was expecting. "To your children?" Mortuus added, even though he knew the answer.

Mortuus thought for a moment before pushing his hands on his knees and standing up. "You should know that things won't be the same, Jack. As far as your family knows, you died in 1993." He said as Jackson stood, too.

Jackson nodded; he hadn't realized he died nearly six years ago. His twins were in their teens now. He didn't really care about how long it had been. He just wanted to see the ones he loved.

Mortuus walked with him, guiding the poor man back to the place he left behind all those years ago. A part of him was scared to bring him to his family. How would they react to their dead family member returning to them six years after their supposed murder?

As he walked, Mortuus could tell that Jackson was excited to see them. He obviously hadn't experienced the same amount of hatred for his condition. He had a hopeful outlook, whereas Mortuus had a grim and dark outlook on confronting the past and those from it.

The two turned the corner onto Hadley Spur Street. This time, Mortuus knew precisely where he was going-the white brick house with the ocean-blue front door and gold lion knocker. Jackson's eyes seemed to light up as he recognized the mailbox of his home.

Mortuus closed his eyes and held back tears as they walked up to the door. There was no telling how Mrs. Knight might react to this situation. And given how small and somewhat isolated the town was, she most definitely would have a shotgun handy.

Mortuus was having second thoughts as they stepped onto the porch. If she did have a shotgun, there was a chance it would miss one of them and hit someone who could die. He wanted to turn around and leave, but Jackson had already knocked on the door.

To Mortuus's horror and delight, Mrs. Knight opened the door. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes went wide as she saw Jackson standing beside Mortuus. "J-Jack... son... Jackson?" She stammered in disbelief and a little bit of horror.

Jackson nodded, his soft eyes fixated on her eyes. She was just as beautiful to him as the night he lost her, or rather the night she lost him. "I'm sorry." Jackson signed and hugged her.

She was too shocked to say anything or do anything besides stand there and let him hug her. "Y-you're dead, though." She stammered through tears. She didn't want to believe it, but at the same time, she knew this was real.

Mortuus finally spoke up, "He can't speak anymore... But he's still Jack." He knew she was expecting him to speak to her. She nodded and finally embraced him.

"I know it's hard to believe and even harder to understand, but this really is your husband, Mrs. Knight," Mortuus said as he noticed Mrs. Knight's confusion.

She pulled away from the hug and asked Jackson a question, "I... I saw your corpse... H-How long have you been alive again?" She questioned. Jackson shrugged; he wasn't sure when Dr. Mallard had brought him back to life.

It very well could have been just last week, and Jackson wouldn't know. Given that he was living such a completely new life, Mortuus had figured he woke up a few months after his death.

Mrs. Knight nodded and then called for her sons. "Gabe! Jones! Get out here!" She shouted for them, her voice cracking slightly.

Both boys' eyes went wide as they saw their father standing in the doorway. "D-dad??" They spoke in confused and shocked unison. He looked almost identical to the night he died, which was the last memory of their father they had.

The boys embraced their father, all three of them crying. Mrs. Knight turned to Mortuus, "Thank you. I don't really know how you did this, nor do I want to, but thank you." To Mortuus's surprise, she hugged him tightly. It felt wrong to receive affection, but at the same time, it felt warm.

They closed the door, and Mortuus knew that he'd done the right thing by bringing him back to his family. At last, a subject with a happy ending, he thought to himself. Death appeared beside Mortuus.

"You did the right thing, Mortuus." He said as he walked beside Mortuus, "It is not perfect, but it is happy."

As they walked, Death added another statement, "Dr. Mallard was right. You are the one who will end the project's pain." Mortuus looked at Death with a weird expression.

"And who will end my pain?" Mortuus asked, his voice cracking. He already knew the answer. Death simply stayed silent as he walked. Seeing how happy Jackson was with his family only reminded Mortuus of how alone he really was.