The Corpse Collector's Last Rites

The rain lashed against the windows of the old, decrepit hospital, its echo bouncing off the empty corridors. Dr. Eliza Carter had been here for a week, ever since the previous Corpse Collector had vanished without a trace. Now, she was the new guardian of the dead, and the town was her latest victim.

Eliza had arrived in the town of Shadow's End under mysterious circumstances. She had no memory of her past, only a vague sense of dread that something was amiss. The townsfolk spoke of the Corpse Collector with a mix of fear and reverence, whispering tales of bodies found in strange positions, their eyes wide with terror.

Eliza's first day had been surreal. She had taken over the morgue, a cold, sterile room that seemed to breathe with its own malevolent life. The shelves were lined with row upon row of bodies, each wrapped in a white cloth, their faces hidden from the world.

As she worked through the night, she noticed something peculiar: the bodies seemed to change positions, as if they were moving of their own accord. It was a chilling discovery, but one she had to push aside. The hospital was understaffed, and there was no time for the supernatural.

The next day, Eliza was called to the emergency room. A young woman had been brought in, her body riddled with stab wounds. The police were baffled; there were no signs of a struggle, and the knife had vanished. The woman's eyes were wide with fear, her voice barely a whisper when she spoke.

"I saw him," she said, gasping. "He was in the mirror. He had a face like a mask, and his eyes... they were hollow. I... I can't explain it, but he was there, and he's coming for me."

Eliza tried to comfort the woman, but she could feel the chill of death seeping into her bones. She knew that the Corpse Collector was not just a myth; he was real, and he was watching.

The days turned into weeks, and the bodies kept piling up. Eliza worked tirelessly, but the hospital was a sieve, and the Corpse Collector was slipping through the cracks. She began to notice patterns: the bodies were always found in the same places, and they were always in the same positions.

One night, as she was reviewing the case files, she stumbled upon a clue that would change everything. The Corpse Collector had been a doctor once, a man named Dr. Thomas Blackwood. He had disappeared years ago, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions and unsolved murders.

Eliza realized that she was next. The Corpse Collector had chosen her, and she was to become his final sacrifice. She knew she had to act, but she was alone. The hospital was surrounded by darkness, and the Corpse Collector was everywhere.

One evening, as she was making her rounds, she heard a faint whisper. It was coming from the morgue, the same place where she had first felt the chill of death. She followed the sound, her heart pounding in her chest.

When she pushed open the door, she was greeted by a sight that made her blood run cold. The Corpse Collector was there, standing in the center of the room, surrounded by the bodies he had claimed. His eyes were hollow, his face a mask of malevolence.

"Eliza," he said, his voice like ice. "You have become like me. You have chosen the darkness."

Eliza backed away, her mind racing. She knew she had to find a way to stop him, but she was out of options. The Corpse Collector was everywhere, and he was unstoppable.

Then, she remembered the woman in the emergency room, the one who had seen him in the mirror. Eliza had dismissed her story as delusion, but now she realized that the woman had seen the truth.

Eliza took a deep breath and stepped forward. "I know who you are, Dr. Blackwood. I know what you've done. And I won't let you do it anymore."

The Corpse Collector lunged at her, his hand reaching out to grasp her throat. But Eliza was no longer the naive doctor she had been. She had seen the darkness, and she was ready to face it.

With a swift motion, she grabbed a scalpel from the nearest drawer and held it up to Dr. Blackwood's face. "This is for all the lives you've taken," she said, her voice steady. "This is for the town of Shadow's End."

The Corpse Collector paused, his eyes widening in shock. Eliza drove the scalpel into his chest, and he collapsed to the ground. The bodies around him stirred, and then, one by one, they began to move toward the exit.

Eliza watched as the Corpse Collector's legacy was undone. She knew that the darkness would never truly be gone, but she had done what she could. The town of Shadow's End would never be the same, but it would be safe.

As the sun rose the next morning, Eliza stood in the empty morgue, her heart heavy but clear. She had faced the darkness, and she had won. But she knew that the Corpse Collector would never truly be defeated, and she would always be haunted by the shadow that had once walked among the living.