Epitaph

Subject 8. This is regional head of surgery Sergei Mikkelson, taking over for Dr. Alex Kelly in the state-ordered investigation into Incident 37-4-B. For previous examination notes, please see Dr. Kelly's autopsy logs for Subjects 1 through 7… assuming they are ever released.

Current Subject is male. Mid-twenties. Caucasian. Height 187 centimeters. Weight 207 pounds. Name… John Doe. Poor bastard. Skin shows limited decomposition around the torso and cranium, but outer limbs appear discolored and are cold to the touch. Well, colder. That may seem pedantic to the layperson, since these bodies are being kept on ice, but I assure you, they are not being kept this cold. Rather, I should say that human tissue is not meant to freeze so solidly, even after rigor mortis sets in. If I didn’t know any better, I would have guessed this man died from exposure. 

There is no sign of frostbite to the tissue, and exploratory incisions into the Subject's arm show… Well, first I have to break the skin… There we go. Yes, as expected. No sign of blood in the Subject's limbs. This is identical to Dr. Kelly's report for Subjects 1 through 6, and presumably Subject 7as well. I will now move on to the chest cavity.

Despite the Subject showing no outward signs of dehydration or malnutrition, a large portion of his organs show signs of atrophy. His kidneys, liver, stomach, intestines, and pancreas all display degrees of tissue degradation on par with late-stage starvation. Only the lungs, heart, and hormonal glands remain unaffected. This is largely consistent with the state of previous Subjects, so I will not reiterate the details. I will, however…

Yes, as I suspected. Despite initial appearances, and Dr. Kelly’s assumptions, the lungs are in fact irregular. There is no fluid buildup, no collapse of respiratory pathways, and no discharge present in the membrane. To put it simply, the lungs are not just intact; they are perfect. This is especially odd, considering that the initial cause of death proposed by the emergency response was inhalation of toxic gas. Even assuming that none of these Subjects were smokers—hell, assuming each was a marathon runner with impeccable lung capacity—there should be some degree of fluid or discharge in their respiratory system. The Subject's heart is another matter. It clearly suffered some form of trauma, but compared to the surrounding organs, it could be rudimentary. I'll have to look into this further in future Subjects.

Oh, and unlike with previous examinations, the skull cavity of Subject 8 is empty. Whether this means the contents were liquefied like Subjects 1 through 6 is difficult to say with any certainty, but I have my suspicions. Log over.

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Subject 9. Once again, this is regional head of surgery Sergei Mikkelson, continuing the state-ordered probe into Incident 37-4-B. So far, eight of the eleven victims of the, uh, gas leak at Sanctum Hills Psychiatric Hospital have been examined. Despite the urging of some others in this case, I have deemed the cause of death undecided at present. Some of my colleagues may disagree, but I would remind them that a diagnosis is useless if we do not fully understand the symptoms. Regardless, I will return to the matter at hand.

Current Subject is male. Middle-aged, African American, and likely in his late forties or early fifties. Height 172 centimeters. Weight 223 pounds. Name is Jefferies Kolln. Just as before, external limbs show no sign of blood, and have undergone rapid freezing. Moving on to the chest cavity, internal organs are likewise atrophied. All except for the—

Apologies for the break, but I've come across something quite interesting. I had to be sure, so I looked into the Subject's previous medical history. Mr. Kolln here, it seems, was an avid smoker. His chart from Sanctum Hills states he was trying to quit at the time of the incident, and he had previously suffered from at least one heart attack. This is noteworthy, as his heart—more specifically his aorta—seems to have burst. An explorative incision reveals immense build-up of plaque in the region. As before, his lungs are in perfect condition, which should be impossible given his history of smoking.

Looking over this Subject, I am reminded of a previous case. Not an incident report, but a criminal investigation some years ago. There were a series of murders in Seattle, and police were unsure if they were connected since, despite similar circumstances, the victims had different kinds of exit wounds, implying two different calibers of bullet. It puzzled me for a time before I realized that it was not the bullet that was different, but how close the gun had been to the different victims. It was the resistance, and how much force built up before contact. The way the aorta in this Subject burst resembles a blood clot. A massive one. If I dare to combine that with the lack of blood in the victim's—I mean, the Subject's—limbs… Perhaps that will be something to investigate further.

Interestingly, there are some cranium contents available in this Subject. However, they are far from the smoking gun I had hoped for. All but the brain stem have liquified. But it’s better than nothing at all. I can say for certain that the burst in the aorta seems to have damaged the carotid artery, but left the vertebral artery relatively intact. The brain stem is… well, I will admit the symptoms resemble poisoning caused by gas or an airborne toxin. One thing bothers me, though. Much like the heart, the arteries have expanded dramatically, despite poisoning usually causing blood flow to contract. I've personally only ever seen arteries behave like this while under heavy sedation. Log over.

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Subject 10. Head of surgery Sergei Mikkelson, continuing the state-ordered autopsies of the victims of the mass casualty event at Sanctum Hills Psychiatric Hospital, also known as Incident 37-4-B. This is the penultimate victim of the reported gas leak, as well as the only victim confirmed as not a patient at the time of the incident. Rather, they seem to have been one of the hospital staff. Regardless, I will treat the Subject no differently.

Current Subject is female. Age thirty four years old. She is of mixed caucasian and southeast Asian descent. Name, Maria Vuong-Miller. Height 167 cm. Weight 142 lbs. After the insights given by Subject 9's medical history, I decided to order the medical history of the last three Subjects. There is not much of note for Mrs. Vuong-Miller, I will admit, though she was a mother at her time of death. She also suffered from cluster headaches.

I will not waste too much time repeating the known symptoms of this incident. Though the lack of blood in the Subjects' limbs has come to sit worse with me following the insights of Subject 9. When I first read that particular symptom in Dr. Kelly's reports, it struck me as odd, but most likely exaggerated. It was another thing to see it up close. I will admit, it was the closest I have ever felt in this profession to a butcher. The way their limbs were just meat and bone. But I digress. I should also mention that I have finally been given approval from the Center of Abnormality Control to view the final two Subjects of this investigation despite their unusual circumstances.

Back to the matter at hand. Up until this point, all of the Subjects in this incident have been male, which is no surprise, given the time and place of the incident. The effects of this… well, whatever it is, on the female body seem to parallel the male. If I had to identify a difference it would be that the fatty tissues on this Subject seem not to have deteriorated quite as rapidly as the others, with the womb also relatively intact compared to the Subject's intestines and surrounding organs. This could parallel how the testes and hormonal glands of the male Subjects were relatively intact, but I would need more female Subjects to say conclusively. With what I have, I can merely state that her condition is consistent with my current hypothesis. It seems as though the body's arteries were relaxed, and blood was rapidly cycled up to the brain. To what end, I do not know.

Moving on to the Subject's neck and head, there is little in the way of cranial contents, but there could still be some benefit to looking over the cervical spine and associated arteries. As I said, this Subject suffered from cluster headaches, and that may have strained the arteries behind her eyes. Looking at them now, however, I can't see any— wait… those shouldn't—fucking god. Log over.

#

Apologies for the end of my last log. This will act as a supplement. Upon investigating the eyes of Subject 10, I found her retinal veins to be infected with parasites. Loa loa, I believe, is the scientific name for the creature. How the parasites found their way into the Incident's corpses, I have no idea. I plan to report this promptly, and with luck the source of the contamination will be identified by the time Subject 12 is ready for examination. Supplement over.

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Subject 11. This is Sergei Mikkelson, continuing the investigation into the unknown deaths of the patients of Sanctum Hills Psychiatric Hospital. I will note again, for the record, that this is a state-ordered investigation, and while all autopsies are being overseen by the Center for Abnormality Control, I will continue following all federal procedures outlined in Executive Order 1455.

Current Subject is male. Height 194 cm. Weight 230 lbs. Of Caucasian descent. Identity… serial killer David Abernathy, otherwise known as the Vancouver Butcher. I will refrain from summarizing the past deeds or reputation of this Subject, but suffice it to say, it is discomfiting to be this close to him, even in death. At the risk of impropriety, I will try to be as swift as I can.

As expected, the Subject's limbs and internal organs are aligned with the other Subjects in terms of their blood loss and atrophy. Of note, however, is the condition of the Subject's liver. David Abernathy was known to be an alcoholic, and his medical records also show immense sedative use, both prior to and after being interned in Sanctum Hills. His liver tells an exceptionally painful story, even with its accelerated atrophy in mind. His aorta is another matter. In fact, his heart is more intact than any Subject I have seen. It may be that whatever trauma these victims underwent was unable to deal the same level of damage to Subject 11 due to his history of substance abuse. Perhaps his arteries were more malleable, or his body was used to being poisoned? For now it is as good an explanation as any. Moving on.

Of course, of all our victims, it was David Abernathy whose brain was left intact. I know there are plenty of colleagues who would relish the opportunity to dissect this man's gray matter, but to any listening, I assure you that I take no pleasure in this. Regardless, I will make the first incision now.

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Supplemental. I am sure that the CAC will not allow the transcript of the cranial autopsy of Subject 11 to be made available, even internally. I have been only permitted to comment that my initial assumption regarding the creature inhabiting Subject 10's eyes was false. My final autopsy is pending clarification of approved information, as per CAC guidelines. Once my guidelines have been set I will proceed with the final exam. Supplement over.

#

Subject 12. This is Sergei Mikkelson, continuing the investigation into Incident 37-4-B and its aftermath. Following the revelations revealed in the autopsy of Subject 11, I will be recording this for internal use only, with all subsequent transcripts to be redacted as needed. Moving forward, all further investigations will be under the purview of the CAC and its corporate agents. However, due to the risk of infection, it has been decided that I should continue my work on the autopsies of the Subjects of the outbreak at Sanctum Hills, if anything, to limit further casualties. Lucky me.

Final Subject is female. Age fifty six. Height 176 cm. Weight 184 lbs. Name is Doctor Alex Kelly, formerly the regional forensic pathologist at Clallam County, Washington. Unlike with previous Subjects, the… foreign body within Alex Kelly has not yet undergone final germination. As such, her limbs are not yet frozen, and despite having no pulse or rapid eye movement, the Subject's blood flow seems to be functional. Initial incisions reveal the Subject's condition as akin to heavy sedation, but I have been assured that no brain activity has been noted following the parasites's introduction. Exactly how it entered the body is under heavy investigation at the moment, but initial comparisons to the Loa loa, as well as transcripts of Subject Log 7, may prove important starting points for further investigation. 

Following exploratory incisions into the Subject's eyes I can confirm a point of entry betrayed by scar tissue hidden by the Subject's tear duct. To the victim this would have likely felt akin to an allergic reaction, albeit a persistent one. At this point it is safe to assume that Subject 7 was the previous carrier of the parasite, but beyond that, I will not attempt to trace the infection at this time.

Upon opening the chest cavity I can confirm that the process of stemming blood flow to non-essential organs has begun. By contrast, the rate of blood flow to the Subject's brain is astounding. Also of note, Despite Dr. Kelly's prior struggles with lymphoma, the tissues of her lungs seem remarkably repaired, even despite the short period of parasitic implantation. Rapid overuse of the heart seems to be wearing away at the organ, as it appears inflamed, but it otherwise shows no lingering effects of chemotherapy. I will now move on to the cranial cavity and attempt to perform an extraction procedure.

#

Log begin. This is Forensic Pathologist Raymond Joseph of the Center of Abnormality Control, recording my initial comparison of the two intact Mikkelson Parasites recovered from the events of Incident 37-4-B. Following the difficulties in containing the specimen removed from Dr. Alex Kelly, the CAC has taken full control of the investigation and placed Dr. Sergei Mikkelson under quarantine until such time as he is confirmed to be free of infection. 

As suspected, the specimen retrieved from Subject 11, David Abernathy, has undergone full germination and survived extraction. The specimen retrieved from Subject 12 was not as fortunate, but it is still fully germinated. As the remains of the specimens retrieved from the brain matter of the other ten subjects did not achieve full germination they have been deemed too unstable to dissect, and thus these are our best samples for future study. Both specimens remain attached to portions of their former hosts' frontal lobe, and both seem to remain docile while fed blood laced with sedatives. The flesh of both specimens share similarities with stem cells, with the specimen retrieved from David Abernathy displaying startling levels of cell regeneration after its initial capture. Future uses for this remarkable discovery are currently under review by corporate executives.

The location of the parasite believed to have germinated within former Corporate Agent Derek Arnold, now positively identified as Subject 8 in Dr. Mikkelson's autopsy report, is currently unknown. I will inform our Corporate Asset Division of this and suggest a- oh blast it. We must get new ventilation in these chambers. As it stands it's making my eyes water. Regardless, I will try and outline a proper retrieval protocol for future incidents. Log over.