"About a week,” I answered. “Is
that a problem?"
"That's going to make this autopsy a bit more difficult,” Yaz placed his fingers on Luke's face and started to examine the holes in his neck. “A Vampire's body breaks down very rapidly after death. We're lucky he's still in one piece."
"I can't see,” Karl complained as he climbed up onto a plastic chair then onto a nearby countertop. Rolling onto his tippy toes, the Goblin tried to get a good look at Luke. “That's disgusting. Better start moisturizing, honey,” he said to me, “or you'll look like that soon." Putting my hand behind my back, I gave Karl the one finger salute. "Hey!” the little Goblin yapped in protest. “That's not very polite." With a giggle, I returned my attention to Luke's body on the exam table. With the bag fully removed, Yaz started to cut away the dead Vampire's clothes with a heavy pair of shears. Sometimes I wished Vampire deaths were more like in the movies where they burst into flames or turned into dust when staked. It would be a lot easier to clean up than a pile of bodies. "I can tell you already this isn't a normal Vampire,” Yaz said as he pulled Luke's shirt away. “Look here,” he said, pointing to a decaying hole in the abdomen. The edges of the hole were blackened and peeling back revealing bone where there shouldn't have been any. Yaz tapped on the bone with his knuckle. “Seems this Vamp has internal armor." "What?” I asked, stepping closer, trying to ignore the terrible stench of death. "It's an exoskeleton.” Yaz pulled the flesh back slightly to reveal more of the bone. “It's hinged to allow full range of motion. My Gods,” he breathed, peering deeper inside, “the musculature has been completely transformed to accommodate the plates. He has new muscles and ligaments to control them. Incredible."
"This suckhead is more of a freak than you are, Rose,” Karl said as he poked me in the back with a tongue depressor he had discovered.
Snatching the Goblin's new toy, I snapped it in two and tossed it in the corner. He stuck out his bottom lip sullenly and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Toby pulled his hand away from his nose and mouth for a moment. “Is it possible this is a natural mutation?"
Yaz considered the question for a moment. “No, I don't think so. Vampirism takes hold in organisms a bit differently in each case, so no two Vampires are exactly alike,” he explained, “but there has never been a documented case of a mutation this dramatic. Doesn't seem to offer much more protection though.” He noted the stake I had driven into Luke's heart. “So I'm not certain what purpose the plates serve. They seem almost too thin to do any good.” He pulled a penlight out of his breast pocket and clicked it on.
"What could cause this, Yaz?” I asked, staring at the exposed bony plate. "I have no idea,” he answered as he peered into the Vampire's mouth. “Fangs seem normal, I don't—”
"That's going to make this autopsy a bit more difficult,” Yaz placed his fingers on Luke's face and started to examine the holes in his neck. “A Vampire's body breaks down very rapidly after death. We're lucky he's still in one piece."
"I can't see,” Karl complained as he climbed up onto a plastic chair then onto a nearby countertop. Rolling onto his tippy toes, the Goblin tried to get a good look at Luke. “That's disgusting. Better start moisturizing, honey,” he said to me, “or you'll look like that soon." Putting my hand behind my back, I gave Karl the one finger salute. "Hey!” the little Goblin yapped in protest. “That's not very polite." With a giggle, I returned my attention to Luke's body on the exam table. With the bag fully removed, Yaz started to cut away the dead Vampire's clothes with a heavy pair of shears. Sometimes I wished Vampire deaths were more like in the movies where they burst into flames or turned into dust when staked. It would be a lot easier to clean up than a pile of bodies. "I can tell you already this isn't a normal Vampire,” Yaz said as he pulled Luke's shirt away. “Look here,” he said, pointing to a decaying hole in the abdomen. The edges of the hole were blackened and peeling back revealing bone where there shouldn't have been any. Yaz tapped on the bone with his knuckle. “Seems this Vamp has internal armor." "What?” I asked, stepping closer, trying to ignore the terrible stench of death. "It's an exoskeleton.” Yaz pulled the flesh back slightly to reveal more of the bone. “It's hinged to allow full range of motion. My Gods,” he breathed, peering deeper inside, “the musculature has been completely transformed to accommodate the plates. He has new muscles and ligaments to control them. Incredible."
"This suckhead is more of a freak than you are, Rose,” Karl said as he poked me in the back with a tongue depressor he had discovered.
Snatching the Goblin's new toy, I snapped it in two and tossed it in the corner. He stuck out his bottom lip sullenly and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Toby pulled his hand away from his nose and mouth for a moment. “Is it possible this is a natural mutation?"
Yaz considered the question for a moment. “No, I don't think so. Vampirism takes hold in organisms a bit differently in each case, so no two Vampires are exactly alike,” he explained, “but there has never been a documented case of a mutation this dramatic. Doesn't seem to offer much more protection though.” He noted the stake I had driven into Luke's heart. “So I'm not certain what purpose the plates serve. They seem almost too thin to do any good.” He pulled a penlight out of his breast pocket and clicked it on.
"What could cause this, Yaz?” I asked, staring at the exposed bony plate. "I have no idea,” he answered as he peered into the Vampire's mouth. “Fangs seem normal, I don't—”