Autopsy

      "I really hate the taste of liver. Why does Cat always make it?" The mortician thinks as he slices into a dead man’s liver. It squirts blood all over his apron. "Damnit." He whispers. The man lying on the cold stainless steel slab is about the age of thirty. He got shot with a dart in the chest, which damaged most of the tissue in his heart. "If this guy had just left the dart in, he would have survived. But he was drunk. Really drunk. And took the bloody dart out at an angle. What an idiot. By the looks of this liver, he was a heavy drinker, and has been for some time." He thinks as he places his utensils on the metal table to the left of him.

      "Note, the liver's tissue is badly damaged, looks to be long exposure to alcohol, testing will confirm." He tells the voice recorder lying on the table with the utensils. "You done here, Will?" An older man with a graying beard asks. "Yeah, Tom, just need to take care of these." Will gestures to the knife and other utensils that are slightly bloody. "I'll do that. Go and see your girl." Tom laughs and claps Will on the back. "Or should I say, soon to be fiancé?" Tom’s smile gets larger, crinkling up the lines around his eyes. "Thanks, Tom. See you in a few days." Will replies while taking off the blood stained latex gloves and throwing them in the trash can.

      It was a rainy afternoon. Will skirted around a puddle, whistling a little tune to himself. All he could think of was how the night was going to play out. A romantic dinner. Roses of deep red scattered on the table and floor. It was going to be perfect. Luckily his girlfriend was working late tonight so she would be home around eight. Thanks to Tom, Will got out three hours early as well. Wills cell phone started to ring. It read Mitch.

      "Hey, Mitch. What's up?" "Oh hey man, how's it going?" Mitch replies. "Great! Just great! I got out of work three hours early. I'm going home to set up." Will bursts out. His face lighting up with excitement. "Man... I don't think you should go home right now. I don't know. Maybe you should just go and visit Cat at work?" Mitch replies slowly. "Why? No. I need tonight to go smoothly. It's the night! Ah, look man; I'm almost at the apartment. I'll talk to you later, okay?" Will replies, slightly confused but clearly too excited to pay attention. "Wait, Will! No-" Will hangs up the phone as he punches in his number for the lock.

      Will climbs the stairs quickly, the noise of his feet echoing off the walls. He's back to whistling that happy little tune. He fits his key in the lock when the door opens a little. "Huh... that's odd. I always lock it." He thinks. Will steps in the doorway. His rather normal looking living room awaits him. The bathroom door is open and light is shining out. Will takes two more steps and stops. A pair of pants is lying in a heap on the floor near the bedroom door. They are not Cat's. "Hey babe, you got any Aspirin? I have a headache." An unknown voice says from the bathroom. "Yeah, hold on." A female voice replies.

      Wills mind goes blank. His heart lays mangled at his feet. He slowly walks backwards towards the door. As he is leaving he can see Cat walk out of the bedroom naked. She see's Will, her face is a mask of shock. "Will!" She yells. But it's too late. Will is down the stairs in a flash. Will doesn't know how long he has been running. All he is aware of is the feeling that he must escape. He can't feel the pavement below his feet or the pounding in his chest.

      The rain has stopped; no moon is shining in the charcoaled sky. Will has slowed to a walk. Train tracks stretch out beyond him with decaying box carts and cars. All Will thinks about is emptiness, the lacking of anything. "Emptiness... that's exactly how I feel." Will thinks. “I think… Cat should be as empty as I feel.” Will decides. His pace quickens. “But where should I… the morgue.” It begins to rain again.

      It’s dark. Too dark. No light can be seen. It’s the dark everyone fears. Breathing can be heard. Shallow and quick. The fluorescent lights flicker on. Will is looking at the cabinet that holds the dead bodies, he’s holding a scalpel.”Will? Will? Is that you?” A young woman says, her voice is shaking. Will begins to whistle. He opens one of the doors and pulls out the tray. It squeaks. “Will. I know it’s you, let me explain!” Cat yells. She’s shaking and soaked from the rain. Her wrists and ankles are bound with some string.


      Will begins whistling louder. He pulls out the tray and wheels pop out of the bottom. A pale man is on another table. His wrists and legs are bound; blood is dripping off the table onto the floor. Incisions are made all over his body, like he has already gone through an autopsy. Except the man is alive, and breathing. The wounds are bleeding and his breathing is shallow. “DAN!” Cat yells. She starts screaming. “You fucking bastard! Why did you do that?! Why?! Let me go!” She starts thrashing about. Will just continues to whistle and begins to get his utensils out.


      “Oh please, oh God no. Please.” Will picks up a scalpel and his voice recorder. “Starting incision below the ribcage and down to the navel.” Will tells the voice recorder. Then he resumes whistling. Cat screams and then faints. Will slices her open, ruby droplets of blood spill down her waist and pool on the table. He slips his hands in her stomach and starts pulling out organs. He plops her liver on the table. Will leans down to Cats side. She’s growing pale and clearly dying of blood loss. “For the last time Cat. I hate liver.” He gently moves forward and kisses her cheek.