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But my stomach screamed at me the second I entered the cooler I didn’t even have to look at the other body bag already in there That guy had been autopsied on Friday and aiting to be picked up by the funeral hos, and there was brain in there I could sh all the other stenches and odors of the h the in the clear plastic bag I didn’t even fully re the body bag A weird cal to do this I was probably coht it anyh Hell, that was the reason I was in this situation--I had no daht Too much work and too ood at is fucking up? So much easier not to think about it--wipe the worry aith a Percocet or a Xanax Go nu and pulled it open I didn’t look at any of the other organs I wasn’t grossed out by thements of brain that held my attention Most of the brain had been sliced into neat half-inch slices during the autopsy It looked like pieces of bread pudding that had been soaked in raspberry syrup

Not that I needed the comparison I didn’t have to psych er took over and the next thing I kneas on the second slice--and I felt good I closed ood that sos--except that it was somehowcleaner

So what if I was nuts? This was fantastic The hunger was gone More than gone I felt sharp and clear and alive and completely sated I felt awesome

My eyes snapped open I could feel the puzzle pieces fall into place as the last bite of brain slid downThe coffee-drinksthose gooey chunks with the saiven to ive in tobrains for teeks And loving it

I couldn’t ure out what that meant I didn’t want to knohat it ht? Ielse would be crazy

"Oh, man," I whispered "I am way beyond crazy"

There was still nearly half a brain in the bag I grabbed a towel, quickly wiped ed a clean and empty plastic container from the room where the tissue samples were kept My pulse hammered as I returned to the cooler and stuffed as left of the brain into the container Whether I was crazy or diseased, I obviously needed to keep eating brains unless I wanted to feel like I was dying of hunger If ht? Couldn’t possibly be anything else

So what if I’d seen enough horror movies to knohat kind of creature eats brains That wasn’t possible There was no way I wasthat

I shoved the container into a paper bag, then didup so that no one could possibly knohat insanity I’d been up to

Am I insane? Or am I a monster?

I had no idea which was the better option

Chapter 8

My stress levels were so high that whenI let out a shriek and da the tub of brains into the air Yeah, that would have been an impressive alloping heart, then yanked el It’s Derrel You okay? You sound out of breath"

Thank god I sounded out of breath and notco breath Insane ry anyain, the fact that I felt so good after what I’d just done was so fucked up I al it This rong all over "Um, yeah, sorry," I said "My phone was in the other rooirl, you could have called me back," he said with a s to see if you were finished up there, ’cause I’ured I’d see if you wanted to join me"