The System - Chapter 1: Sheriff Hollis
Sheriff Hollis had already learned not to touch the stuff.
The dark goo coated the deceased man's hands, clinging to the creases of his knuckles. The goo didn't bead or soak the way blood did. It just clung and smeared when anything touched it. It clung to the upholstery and clumped in the cup holders. By the time the EMTs rolled him onto the gurney, it had smeared across the stretcher straps and their blue nitrile gloves.
Hollis stood back by the guardrail and watched the Blue Ridge drop away into the trees. The Parkway was quiet at this hour.
"What do you think, Sheriff?" asked the wildlife officer who found the body.
Hollis didn't answer right away. He had learned over the years that the first explanation people reached for was often wrong.
"I think," he finally said, "that he didn't die the way people usually die."
The wildlife officer nodded, relief reflected in his face, not at the words, but at the certainty. People liked it when the sheriff sounded certain.
Sheriff H. R. Hollis, age 57, long past proving himself and close enough to retirement that he knew which battles to lose. Slightly above average height, solid without being bulky. Hair graying, with a salt-and-pepper beard. But his face told the real story.
Fine lines fanned from his eyes from years of squinting into the sun and headlights, and a deep crease between his brows. If you looked close enough, you could tell his nose had been broken once.
The victim was a man Hollis didn't know personally, which counted as luck in a town this size. Early forties. No visible injuries. No smell of alcohol. No sign of a struggle. The inside of the truck looked untouched, like the driver had parked and died.
Except for that gross, awful black goo.
___
Back at the station, Hollis sat at his desk and filled out the report. Time. Location. Condition of remains. He chose his words carefully.
~*~*~
Laurel Gap Sheriff's Office — Incident Report
Laurel Gap, North Carolina
Procedural / Human / Possible Misclassification
Case #: 26-0502
Reporting Officer: Sheriff H. R. Hollis
Location: Blue Ridge Parkway
Victim: Ronald Mint, Male, age 41
_____
Narrative:
The victim was found in the driver's seat. No visible injuries. No smell of alcohol. No sign of a struggle. The body was contaminated with an unknown black substance. Autopsy results are pending.
Observations:
—Victim's body mass appears significantly reduced and is inconsistent with reported height and weight.
—No container or source of contaminant located in the vehicle or the surrounding area.
~*~*~
Hollis leaned back and thought about the dead man's hands, and the way the black goo had clung.
Hollis opened a new file and labeled it Unusual Incident. He stared at the title and then decided to add an "s" to the end of it.
His intercom clicked. "Sheriff, coroner on line 3."
"Thank you, deputy. Let it through."
His phone rang a few seconds later. "Sheriff Hollis here."
"Sheriff, I have a preliminary finding on that Ronald Mint you found today. His internal organs were desiccated."
"You mean like dehydrated?" Hollis asked.
The coroner paused. "No, I mean like dried, shriveled, withered, and scorched."
Hollis said nothing.
"Yeah. I've never seen anything like it," the coroner continued.
"Which organs?" Hollis asked.
"All of them."
"Anything else?"
"I'll let you know."
Hollis added the information to the report under 'Observations'.
—Coroner's preliminary findings indicate internal organs desiccated.
The intercom clicked again. "Sheriff, when are you headed out?" the dispatcher asked.
"Soon," Hollis replied.
_____
Late afternoon settled into the valleys like something familiar.
Deep in the ecosystem, something unfamiliar was learning.
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