THE AUTOPSY OF SAMUEL M. HARKER

Content Warning: Autopsy/body horror, graphic injury, chemical burns, psychological distress, and violence.

[00:00] [Recording begins.]

This is Dr. Carlotta Lavelle, medical examiner for Old Mercy County. Dictating the autopsy findings in Case ME-28-006.

The subject is identified as one Samuel Mason Harker. A white male. Approximately 5’9”. One hundred seventy pounds. Age 37, according to his driver’s license.

Mr. Harker’s body was recovered from Room 13 at the Enoch Institute, where he was committed voluntarily for what appears to be extreme mental distress. [Yawn.]

I am now beginning the external examination.

There is no visible damage to the head. No lacerations on the scalp. No cuts or bruises. There appears to be no external trauma anywhere on the body.

Time of death is somewhere between 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. this morning. [Yawn.] Though I cannot determine the cause of death from the external examination.

The body is clothed in a hospital gown and socks. There are no scars.

There is, however, a tattoo approximately half a centimeter from the heart. The tattoo is a horizontal oval with a circle in the middle and a vertical jagged line through it.

[Distant thud.]

The tattoo… [Clears throat.] appears to be some sort of symbol. It is approximately one inch wide and one inch tall.

There is bruising around the tattoo, though the skin is intact. I am going to photograph the area before continuing. The color itself appears abnormally dark. Black but with reddish discoloration around the edges. I don’t recognize the symbol. I’ll have to do more research into what it means.

[Four-second pause]

The skin surrounding the tattoo is also unusually warm. I initially assumed this was due to the room temperature, but the rest of the chest is noticeably cooler. I’ve taken another measurement with the thermometer. The difference is nearly two degrees.

Now beginning the internal examination. I am starting with a Y-incision. There is no abnormal fluid accumulation in the body cavities.

The heart weighs 375 grams. There is no sign of coronary artery disease. The right lung weighs 400 grams, and the left lung weighs 450 grams. The liver weighs 1,650 grams and is also unremarkable. The spleen, pancreas, and kidneys show no abnormalities.

Everything is… unusually normal for the subject’s age. The organs are perfectly healthy. Better than healthy. It’s almost as if the body has been preserved somehow, though I see no evidence of embalming or chemical preservation. Huh…

[Four-second pause]

There is also an absence of the usual signs of decomposition. No discoloration of the internal organs. No odor. No softening of the tissues. Given the estimated time of death, I would expect at least some early changes to be present. Instead, the tissues appear almost freshly harvested.

Now examining… the brain. There’s an unidentified fluid coming from… from the frontal… lobe-

[Spurting sound.]

OH, GOD!

[Spurting stops.]

A, uh, high-volume ejection of the substance occurred immediately after incision. Luckily, it missed me. [Uncomfortable laugh.]

The unidentified substance is gelatinous in consistency. [Cough.] It is burnt red in color. A strong… [Cough.] chemical odor is present. [Wheeze.] It’s definitely not blood. [Hard coughing.]

The… liquid seems to be collecting, um, pooling in the skull cavity just beneath the brain stem. However, I can’t determine the origin of the substance. The brain tissue surrounding the amygdala is strangely pale. There’s no signs of inflammation or hemorrhaging. Whatever the fluid is, it’s somehow contained inside the skull without causing damage to any of the tissue.

I can see no rupture in the surrounding blood vessels, either. The fluid appears to have displaced some of the tissue without actually penetrating it. It’s almost as though the brain has been growing around the substance rather than reacting to it.

Collecting a sample for testing. [Clears throat.]

[Five-second pause.]

Now I am beginning… to examine the fluid under a microscope. [Clears throat.]

[Eight-second pause.]

Huh, that’s odd. The substance appears to be acidic…

OW! FUCK!

[Quick footsteps.]

[Sink turns on.]

[Twenty-seven-second pause.]

[Sink turns off.]

[Recording ends.]

[07:41] [Recording resumes.]

The… [Winces.] substance is acidic. My attempt to examine the fluid under a microscope has led to a second-degree burn. The wound is small, but painful.

The microscope received the worst damage. The chemical has eaten through the slide all the way to the base of the tool. I’ve placed the whole thing in a polypropylene basin to contain the damage.

I’ve sealed the sample container. Or, at least, tried to. Some of the liquid has begun to seep beneath the lid causing discoloration. I’m moving it away from other equipment for disposal later.

It’s so strange…

The substance destroys skin tissue, glass, and metal…

[Distant thud.]

But, uh… it has done no damage to the subject’s brain. I’ve never seen anything like it.

[Three-second pause.]

Another unusual finding. The brain tissue is warmer than expected. Much warmer. I’ve checked the temperature twice and while the body temperature is consistent with time of death, the amygdala is three degrees warmer.

I have repeated the measurement with a second thermometer to rule out equipment failure. The result is the same. The temperature is not dropping.

I’m going to record that as an observation and move on.

There is something else I should mention. The subject’s fingernails have developed a faint reddish tint that was not visible during the initial examination. I’m not sure whether this is related to the substance. I’ll collect another sample if I have time.

I apologize. I, uh… I thought I heard something in the hall. Must be sleep deprivation. [Nervous laugh.] I’ve had so many cases lately. I think I probably need a vacation—

[Loud thud.]

[Seven-second pause.]

[Lab door opens.]

Hello? Officer Briar? Is that you?

[Distant, indistinguishable sound.]

Wait.

[Hurried footsteps.]

There’s someone outside the lab door. I can hear breathing.

[Thud.]

[Medical instruments crash.]

[10:03] [Recording ends.]

[11:26] [Recording resumes.]

[Heavy breathing.] [Whisper.] I’m hiding in the closet near the main office. I’m not sure where Officer Briar is—

[Loud creak.]

[Ten-second pause.]

[Distant thud.]

I can hear something moving in the hallway. It stopped directly outside the office a moment ago. I don’t know if it can see me, but I’m trying not to make a sound.

I think I’m going to have to run for it.

[Closet door creaks open.]

[Faint footsteps.]

[Footsteps quicken.]

[Loud crash.]

No… No… STAY BACK!

[Clatter.]

OH GOD! NO! NO, PLEASE—

[Squelching sound.]

[12:31] [Static.]

[Recording ends.]