I have no doubt thatStalking Jack the Ripperwill fulfill that mission.
Getting the preliminary incision correct was imperative.
I took my time eyeing the placement of metal upon skin, ensuring proper angling for the cleanest cut.
Credit: Robert Burleson
My brows raised a fraction before I schooled my face into an unreadable mask.
Human flesh flayed much easier than Id anticipated.
A sickeningly sweet smell wafted from the incision Id made.
This cadaver wasnt as fresh as others.
Foggy wisps of breath escaped my lips, but I refused to give into building shivers.
I stepped back, my slippers lightly crunching sawdust, and examined my work.
Blood barely seeped up from the wound.
It was too thick and dead to flow crimson, and too foreign to be truly frightening.
I wiped the blade on my apron, leaving an inky streak in its wake.
It was a fine incision indeed.
I bit my lip, despising that Id forgotten a step from his lesson so soon.
Proving myself incapable would not help my case, especially if I hoped to attend school the next morning.
One moment, Audrey Rose, he said, plucking the soiled blade from my fingers.
Antiseptic was prevalent in his basement laboratory and amongst his blades.
I shouldve remembered to wipe the other one down.
I would not make the same mistake again.
Given his station, hed probably have a small army out patrolling for me.
Its edge was much sharper than the last blades was.
Uncle hadnt warned me how hard it would be, cutting down to the rib cage.
I stole a glance at him, but his gaze was fixed hungrily on the corpse.
At times the darkness in his eyes terrified me more than the dead we butchered.
Youll need to crack the ribs open before reaching the heart.
I could tell Uncle was having a difficult time restraining from doing the deed himself.
It was the opening Uncle had been waiting for.
After a few slices and tugs, the organ came lose.
Some people already thought him mad enough.
What is your medical deduction on how this man expired, Niece?
The liver was in ghastly shape.
Several scars ran along its length and width, giving the appearance of dried-out rivers and tributaries.
My first guess was this man had been no stranger to his drink.
It appears he died of cirrhosis.
I pointed at the scarring.
His liver has been shutting down for quite some time, I believe.
I walked around to his head and pulled one of his eyelids back.
Id need to label it and add it to the wall of other pickled organs.
It was important to keep meticulous records of every postmortem.
And what of
The door to the laboratory crashed against the wall, revealing a silhouetted male.
Ignoring my presence completely, the male focused only on my uncle.
Its ready, Professor.
His voice was smooth, and hinted at youth.
I arched a brow, intrigued by what a student and my uncle were up to.
Uncle checked the clock on the wall, looking at the body on the table and then at me.
Uncle rubbed his chin.
After what felt like an eternity, he addressed me with a calculating stare.
Are you capable of closing the cadaver up on your own?
I stood taller, and thrust my chin up.
Out of all my tasks this would be the easiest.
Aunt Amelia says my needlework is quite impressive, I added.
Except she didnt have skin stitching in mind while praising my embroidery, Im sure.
This wont be any different.
The dark figure chuckled, a damnably pleasant sound.
I kept my expression calm, though I was quietly seething underneath.
There wasnt anything funny about that statement.
Whether stitching skin or linen, the craft was what counted, not the medium.
Uncle slipped a black overcoat on and removed something I couldnt quite see from a box near his desk.
You may end the body up.
Be sure to lock the basement on your way out.
Uncle paused at the door, his scarred fingers tapping a nervous beat against the frame.
My carriage will take you home when youre through, he said.
Leave the other specimens for tomorrow afternoon.
I ran around the examination table.
What of school tomorrow?
You said youd let me know tonight.
His attention flicked to the gutted cadaver on the table, then back into my expectant face.
Propriety being the least of his worries.
Father would tear him from limb to limb if he discovered my apprenticeship.
Youre to come dressed as a boy.
And if you so much as utteroneword, it will be your first and last time in my classroom.
Ill be as silent as the dead.
Be quieter than even them.
