Phoenix Golding's body had been retrieved and washed clean. Her mouth and nose were full of maggots, which Linden's mother had to pick out by hand. The corpse was frozen stiff, making it difficult to even dress her in burial clothes. They had to forcefully break her bones just to manage it before laying her out in the mortuary.
The mortuary was gloomy and eerie; even during the day, children refused to play near it. The father and son duo, Silas Golding and Linden Golding, arranged the funeral with grim faces, busying themselves with the preparations. Linden's mother had already cried herself into a state of collapse. She sat beside Phoenix Golding's corpse, her eyes fixed and unblinking.
