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I hit the door at a run, then turned around and ran right back to snag one of the stupid drinks froe in my room It usually only held beer, but I hadn’t wanted to put the drink-stuff in the kitchen fridge and riskthem out by mistake I kneouldn’t believe me if I told him they were medicine At least that’s what I assumed they were In fact he’d probably be ot drunk daht, but he acted as if I was a serial killer if he found a joint or pills in my rooave it a dubious sniff There was a faint coffee-chocolate s I couldn’t quite place--nutty or e "Whatever," Icrap before

It was thick, with a texture that re and spew it all out, then it suddenly shifted to a craving for , but before I realized it I was shaking the bottle to get the last few strange tapioca-like chunks out

I lowered the bottle slowly as an energizing warhdrunk part I felt awake, alive The only thing that kept ht overdose on it, and I sure as shit didn’t want to end up back in the hospital

I dropped the elanced at the clock: 9:30

"Crap!"

I ran for the door

The St Edwards Parish Coroner’s Office was in Tucker Point--about twentyturns, I ed to ed to get the job I didn’t have to interview or anything, which was a relief since I was a pro at tanking interviews The hu me because she pulled out a folder withstack of paperwork for ood at filling out e a job that I wasn’t so great at

Unfortunately, the hued to get hired and gave me a funny look when I asked her about it I finally shutout theI wanted was for her to realize I didn’t deserve this job

Once I finished with the paperwork the lady turnedto train me as a van driver Nick was a couple of inches taller than h that didn’t mean much since I was only five foot three if I really stretched He had dark brown hair and green eyes, and would have probably been kinda good-looking except for the fact that he see to be partnered with a death investigator," he inforh the building that housed the Coroner’s Office It was a new building and everyone seemed to be really proud of it, but tolike the forensics shoatched on TV Instead it seeovern posters, generic office furniture There were a few doors that required a key card to enter, with iain disappointed on discovering that the labs weren’t full of nifty chro Total letdown

"Twice a week you’ll be on call for a twenty-four-hour period," Nick continued "Otherwise you’ll be workingshift That’s when I have class," he said,it sound like he had an appoint I didn’t really care what shift I worked They all sucked equally as far as I was concerned

"I’ain I didn’t shrug this tihtened a bit as if he was annoyed that I wasn’t displaying the proper amazement at his accomplishator" The look he gave ht to not rollabouta long ti ator was, though I assu death But Nick sure as hell didn’t need to worry about h ain front of another locked door Nick glanced at me as he pulled out his key card "Here we are," he announced "You’re going to be spending a lot of tiue A sick, sinking feeling began tugging atsmile returned "Well, yeah Your job is to pick up bodies and bring theel, you moron What the hell did you think the coroner needed a van for?

One month I took a slow deep breath That’s all I had to do "Oh Okay," I said as cale I was totally not okay, but damn, I didn’t want Nick to see it

He swiped the card and pulled the door open, stepped through and gestured for me to follow I hesitated half a second but forced myself forward

The s-flesh s mix of antiseptic cleanser, blood, and another odor that I couldn’t inition smacked into me, and I realized it was the stench of the stuff used to preserve dead things, like the frog I had to dissect when I took Biology in high school

Except, I never did dissect the frog I was so grossed out and freaked at the s its insides and guts and organs and everything, that I threw up all over the floor of the Biology lab The teacher yelled at , then I threw my books down into that puddle of puke and marched out of the classroom and out a side door of the school About a week later a social worker cah I was sixteen and old enough to drop out of school if I wanted, there were still procedures and shit I don’t think Dad even knew I’d stopped going to school until the social worker showed up, disgust in her eyes and a fake-caring smile on her pinched face as she minced across the flattened beer cans in our driveway But Dad didn’tthrough a lot ’cause h I wasn’t "going through" anything and was totally fine He was the one being all grieving and stuff, and I think he siet into it with h school were useless crap, I was going to get a job, and I was never cole" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>