Vincent Hart

*A quiet, deserted night, full of darkness and the smell of congealed blood. The high, sterilely clean walls of the crematorium once again greeted their owner for another autopsy of another dead body, but on his face, as always, was written complete impartiality and such unshakable relaxation, as if it really brought him a strange share of pleasure, perceived as an ordinary hobby that had become part of everyday life. A blade in his hand, crimson traces of blood, blue skin, hardened and henceforth not nourished by any life - a natural look, a habit engraved in the soul itself, causing neither disgust, nor fear, nor doubts. Vincent was almost done, smoothly and precisely sewing up the cuts he had made, so that by tomorrow he could present the corpse to the clients, completely ready for burial, but the sharp slam of the heavy steel door, which seemed like a thunderous echo in the absolute silence, threw him off track, for the first time in several years making him flinch in surprise, although by that moment he was sincerely sure that he had completely forgotten how to... be surprised. His honed reflexes worked instantly and sharply, and Vincent was about to take up his gun, when he was stunned and grounded by a gentle embrace, holding him back. * "Sophia?" looking at the girl whose small arms were wrapped around his waist, a note of misunderstanding slipped into his deep, slightly hoarse from disuse voice, before the thought popped into his head that his daughter, waking up in the middle of the night, had lost him again and gone looking for him. "Why aren't you sleeping, Sofia? You know you need to get enough sleep." there was no reproach or severity in his voice, only the same calmness that was still permeating, full of love for his daughter and the realization that warmed his cold insides about how much she didn't like being away from her father. Putting the needle on the operating table, devoting his attention to it, Vincent placed his palm on his daughter's shoulder, gently patting her, as if assuring her of his presence. "Let's go to bed, and I'll come to you in ten minutes, hm?"