Welcome to a spine-chilling tale that will take you on a gripping journey into the realm of cadaver surgery. Prepare to experience the adrenaline rush as you step into the dimly lit and enigmatic operating room.
Get ready to be immersed in this soul-shaking narrative, where the line between life and death blurs, and fear lurks around every corner.
In this fictional story, we present a captivating account of the intense and suspenseful cadaver surgery practice. Caught in a perplexing situation, you will witness the protagonist's struggle against their deepest fears and confront the terrifying consequences of their decisions. Uncover the hidden mysteries behind this cadaver surgery and delve into the engrossing storyline that will keep you glued to the pages.
This story made by D'yanz Angga Permana.
The Terrifying Story of Cadaver Surgery
I gripped the handle of the teacup tightly, perhaps a bit excessively. As a result, my fingertips throbbed in pain from the foolish act. To add to that, a waft of smoke from the still-hot leftover tea filled my face, causing me to close my eyes for a moment and savor the liquid trickling down my throat. On the bright side, I could savor the last few drops of the otherwise ordinary tea infusion better.
I placed the empty cup in its usual spot among the stack of dirty glasses. Despite it being a mere lightweight empty cup, my hand continued to tremble. Tremor? No. I was anxious to the point of feeling nauseous.
This excessive anxiety and nervousness didn't come without reason. It was all because today was the first day of my cadaver surgery practice. It would be my first time ever to touch, let alone dissect, a human corpse.
I wasn't someone brave when it came to operations or anything related to surgery. If it weren't for my parents' desire for me to become a skilled surgeon, I would have chosen mechanical engineering as my field of study. But I didn't want to be labeled as a disobedient child for defying their wishes.
Huh! I let out a heavy breath, trying to alleviate some of this anxiety.
After finishing my preparations, I headed to a hospital where the practice would take place. My scooter zoomed through the bustling streets of the capital city. Occasionally, I had to stop at red lights, but it wouldn't make me late since I had calculated the travel distance from the departure time.
Upon reaching the hospital, my friends who had arrived earlier welcomed me. We gathered in the hospital waiting room, awaiting the arrival of our instructor, Dr. Ray.
"Hey, Dixon."
"Good morning, Del," I greeted my friend, Delia, in return.
Besides Delia, there was Fauzi and nine other friends. Out of the eleven people here, I was only familiar with Delia and Fauzi. The rest were merely acquaintances from campus whom I met during classes. Outside of studies, I wasn't particularly close to them.
"How are the preparations?" Fauzi asked.
"Hmm, mentally draining," I explained, ending it with a slight laugh. "And you, Del?"
"To be honest, I couldn't sleep all night," she said.
The three of us laughed.
Twelve students gathered here, consisting of four women and eight men. They appeared enthusiastic about this practice, but I didn't see any relaxed faces among them. It was truly an extraordinary sensation that we were about to experience. This practice was the first step that would determine who could endure and who would give up.
After waiting for twenty minutes, Dr. Ray finally arrived. The middle-aged man whom we usually referred to as Dr. Ray greeted us. Without much conversation, he immediately directed us to the room where we would perform the cadaver surgery practice, or as we commonly called it, "cadaver."
Upon reaching the designated room, we entered in single file. I was at the very back, and the feeling of anxiety started to surge within me once again.
"Bismillah," I whispered.
With my right hand, I opened the door and stepped inside. Instantly, I felt a temperature difference. The room felt colder than the outside.
The room was approximately 10x10 feet in size. There was a giant silver refrigerator, which I was certain contained the cadavers. An unpleasant odor filled my nostrils—something resembling the smell of corpses, along with a mixture of musk and fragrances, presumably meant to neutralize the stench.
However, it only resulted in a disorienting scent. In the middle of the room, there was a metal patient bed where the corpse would lie. Near the door in the right corner, there was a sink for washing instruments or hands, with a mirror attached to the wall above it.
According to one of my friends, the refrigerator contained ten cadavers, one of which would be used for our practice.
From what I heard, these bodies were unidentified, without any known identities. For months, no one had claimed or acknowledged them. No one knew their names, where their families were, or their addresses. Hence, they were called "Mr. X."
These Mr. X cadavers were bought and sold for medical practice, in accordance with the prevailing laws. The price could reach tens of millions, although the exact amount was unknown to me, as the university authorities managed this aspect.
That was why the cost of medical school was high compared to other fields of study. It cost a fortune just for one practice session. Due to the high cost, one cadaver would be used for twelve people, with each person assigned to different sections.
After a brief briefing, we were instructed to put on special attire, as if we were going to perform an operation. Two hospital staff members were ready to remove the cadaver from the refrigerator. The refrigerator drawer was pulled out like a drawer, gradually revealing a lifeless body lying inside.
Whether it was my imagination or something else, I felt a gust of wind on the back of my neck. Suddenly, a shiver ran down my spine, even though the cadaver hadn't been removed from the refrigerator yet. I tried to regain control, although there were some things I couldn't manage, such as my trembling legs.
Huh! I let out a deep breath to relieve some tension.
The cadaver was lowered from the refrigerator drawer onto the patient bed and placed in the center of the room.
"Offer your greetings first, so you can get to know him and befriend him," Dr. Ray said.
Out of the twelve of us, there was a student of Chinese descent named Jonathan. He stood out as he performed a different form of greeting than the rest of us. He lit two sticks of incense he had prepared earlier, held them in front of his face, and bowed twice.
I didn't know what he was doing; perhaps it was a way for Chinese people to show respect to the dead? Who knows. Dr. Ray didn't object to it. Jonathan then placed the incense underneath, still burning.
As for me, I simply brought my palms together in front of my face, closing my eyes and saying, "Assalamualaikum ya ahlul ghaib" (Peace be upon you, oh unseen beings) silently, as per my belief.
After offering our greetings, Dr. Ray instructed us to approach the cadaver. It was at this moment that fear, anxiety, and nervousness resurfaced. I continued to try and maintain composure, ensuring that these emotions wouldn't show on my face or be noticed by Dr. Ray.
One of us uncovered the shroud covering the cadaver, and that's when a rather gruesome sight unfolded. The cadaver was that of a man, approximately 50 to 55 years old, in a state of partial decomposition.
Although cadavers used for practice were usually injected with formalin beforehand, I didn't know why this one was already in such a condition. Or perhaps the man was found in this state.
His skin was slightly wrinkled, his eyes completely closed, but his mouth slightly agape. It sent chills down my spine.
I had no idea what had happened to this man.
To be continued...
