“My head…”
The words of Jackson Cade come out slurred, disoriented. Arcadia’s Finest slowly stirs awake, eyes peeling open as he finds himself deep within The Mortuary. He instinctively reaches for his sidearm, holding it at the ready as he walks through the decrepit halls, coming to a stop at a rusted iron door bearing but one word.
‘Gallery’.
Cade locks up, yet his body pushes him forwards, compelling him to go inside. He steps over the threshold into the room, examining his surroundings to find himself in a familiar place. Jasper Redgrave’s Gallery. Cade turns to leave but the door is gone, replaced with the visage of a poor woman contorted into makeshift statue.
“Why?” A singular wispy word hangs in the air. Jackson turns around to look for the source, training his pistol at another grizzly ‘art piece’. “Why?” The question echoes out once more, Cade whipping around again to no avail, the words seemingly bouncing off of the walls! “Why didn’t you save us?”
More voices are heard, joining in a growing horde as Cade whips in every direction, the art work beginning to stir around him. He goes to fire a shot, finger trembling on the trigger yet he can’t seem to pull it. “I’m sorry! I tried! I tried my best!” He shouts fruitlessly at Jasper’s victims, the grotesque abominations approaching him from all angles.
“He tormented us. We had lives, families. You let us die!” Their pained voices let out a rapture of screams, wailing at Cade as the officer tries to run! But Jackson merely goes forward a few feet before being cut off by a flayed corpse. Cade backs away, stumbling and landing flat on his ass. The crude replicas of life close in on him, Jackson pointing his pistol shakily before dropping it, his side arm clattering on the ground.
“I… I wish I could’ve helped…” Jackson lowers his head, slowly disappearing amongst the creatures who repeatedly screech in agony.
“Join us! Suffer as we have! Become as we are!”
“STOP!”
The screeches come to an abrupt silence, the abominations backing away, clearing a path. Cade glances up, eyes wide as he spots a familiar face amongst the crowd.
Riggs.
The former APD officer, however, isn’t like the others. He looks… normal. Behind him, his wife and child appear quite the same. Riggs approaches Jackson, offering a hand which Perseus reluctantly takes.
“Riggs.. I’m-“
“Sorry. I know.” The officer nods his head. “But it wasn’t your fault, Cade. You did all you could, and in the end… You can’t save everyone.” Jackson nods his head, tears welling up in his eyes as Riggs embraces him. “I forgive you. But I need you to do something for me, Cade. One last order.”
“What, sir?”
“I need you to move on. You didn’t save us. But there’s still people you can. Don’t let me haunt you. Can you do that for me, Jackson?”
Cade takes a moment, wiping away his tears before standing tall. “Yes sir.”
Flash.
Cade finds himself back in The Mortuary.
A look of determination in his eyes.