Casket Room Adjacent

A narrow secondary chamber directly adjoining the funeral parlour’s main viewing area, its air thick with the scent of polished mahogany, embalming fluid, and the faint metallic tang of the Doctor’s casket. The space presses close around Martin as he retreats, the windowless walls draped in subdued velvet that swallows the morning light from the main hall. A single brass floor drain glints underfoot, its purpose disguised beneath moth-eaten carpet squares. Wooden folding chairs line one wall, their hinges stiff from disuse, while the far wall holds a narrow worktable bearing a brass candlestick and a leather-bound ledger. The door clicks shut behind Martin with finality, sealing him away from the Doctor’s scrutiny as the casket’s lid trembles under the Doctor’s quiet command.