Halfway Gone

Going to a place surrounded by dead bodies completely frightened Kim. She certainly didn’t like the feeling or thought of being in a morgue which made shivers run down her spine. So when Kim arrived at the morgue after school the next day, she refrained herself to run out of the freezing cold room and to stay there.

The police needed someone to confirm her body anyway, and Rosie’s parents were not back from their trip overseas yet. What was taking them so long though?

“M’am, are you alright?” one policeman asked as he saw the expressionless face on Kim.

Kim slowly nodded, keeping her eyes fixed on the plain white sheet over the dead body – Rosie’s body, which only sent shivers down her spine as she waited for the coroner to take the white sheet off the limp body. And finally, he did.

At first, Kim thought she was going to be sick. It suddenly felt like something was swimming on the insides of her stomach only making her want to puke her insides out. But she stopped herself and forced herself to swallow and looked down at the limp body on the autopsy table.

The young woman’s body was lying down on her back, eyes shut tight and mouth closed. She made death look so peaceful. Her body had not been cut through yet, and there were towels over her body that only covered the private parts. Kim sighed to herself and scrunched her eyes together, wishing that it wasn’t who she thought it was on the table in front of her, but when she opened her eyes again, the same body was still there.

The dark blonde haired girl was sure. The limp body on the table in front of her was Rosie’s.

When Kim looked down at the body again, she carefully examined it again, without touching the body. She still didn’t believe that Rosie had died from a drug overdose. That was nothing like Rosie at all. Suddenly, Kim was surprised as she found a couple of bruise marks on her best friend’s dead body – on the neck. Three circular bruises, next to each other but sprawled out so the outside of the bruises weren’t touching each other.

“So is this Rosie Fowler’s body?” the policeman finally asked.

Kim nodded. “Yes,” she answered. “It is.” She could feel tears forming around her eyes, but she fought them back, trying her best to stay strong.

“Thank you for your help, m’am,” he said as he led her out of the autopsy room.

Kim followed the policeman through the doors, and as they neared the exit of the police station, the young, dark blonde haired girl gently tapped the policeman on his shoulder and waited for him to turn around.

“Yes?” he said politely.

“I don’t believe R-Ro… Rosie died of a drug overdose,” she revealed to the policeman, struggling to say her best friend’s name.

He raised an eyebrow skeptically, as if he was talking to dim-witted teenager. “I’m sorry, but results have confirmed that her body did in fact die of a drug overdose.”

“What about the bruises on her body?” Kim questioned. “Did that have something to do with her death?”

The police officer laughed lightly. “This case is not closed just yet,” he said. “Miss Fowler’s parents have yet to come, but when they do, the case will be closed as a death from drug overdose.”

As she walked out of the police station, her head felt as though it was spinning with what had just happened. If the police didn’t believe her story she was going to have to tell someone who would believe her instead. She needed someone to believe her. To tell her that she wasn’t going insane.

The dark haired blonde reached into the pocket of her denim jeans and pulled out her silver coloured phone, and opened her contact book. She scrolled down the list of names and stopped on a particular name, and soon enough, and pressed the ‘call’ button on that certain contact.

“Hello,” a low voice came through the over side of the phone.

“Hey, it’s Kim,” she said.

“Oh hey, what’s up?” he said, this time more casually.

“Nick I need to talk to you about something,” Kim explained. She bit the bottom of the lip, wondering if she should go on. “It’s about her death.” She was referring to Rosie.

“I know, she passed away with a drug overdose,” he said.

“That’s what the police are saying though,” she pointed out.

“What do you mean?” Nick asked cautiously, yet completely confused.

Kim took in a deep breath before speaking again. “I mean, what if Rosie didn’t die of a drug overdose?” Kim said. “Nick, what if Rosie was murdered?”