In memory of J.B. Spence. He was my best friend, first fan, and lover of Mardi Gras. Laissez les bonnes temps rouler, mon ami.
Security Camera: Autopsy Room 2, University Hospital, 11:24 p.m.
Two technicians wheel a gurney into the room. A sheet-draped body rests on it. One of the technicians stands taller than the other. His curly hair springs out in all directions like he hasn’t bothered to comb it before coming to work. The other technician is bald and muscle-bound.
They pull the gurney next to the autopsy table. The bald technician uncovers the cadaver’s face. He shakes his head and points to it. The tall, curly-haired technician nods and tugs the sheet farther down to reveal the cadaver’s B-cup sized breasts. He points to them and shakes his head. The bald technician says something, and the tall technician covers the cadaver’s breasts back up but leaves her face visible.
They hoist her onto the table. Her head rests so that it is cocked up as if looking down her body. The technicians talk back and forth to each other. The bald one slaps the back of his hand against the tall one’s chest. They laugh and wheel the empty gurney out.
The cadaver stares at the door. The eyes glare wide open as if in shock.
Security Camera: Autopsy Room 2, University Hospital, 12:03 a.m. CST
A man wearing a complete surgical kit walks into the room. A canvas bag dangles from his shoulder. He pats the cadaver’s shoulder as if sympathizing with her. Then he takes the bag and lays it on the cadaver’s stomach. He opens the bag and takes out a series of electrode pads similar to those used with an EKG machine. Two are stuck to the cadaver’s forehead. Two more are placed on her shoulders.
The man slides a boxy-looking machine from the bag. He takes a thumb drive from his pocket and jacks it into the back. A light on top of the mechanism flashes. He pushes a button. Static snows down the video image. When it clears away, the man packs the machine and electrodes back into the bag. He lifts it onto his shoulder and pats the cadaver again.
She sits up. The sheet bunches up around her waist. The man helps her to stand. He hands her the sheet. She winds it around her naked body like a sari. Once dressed, they walk out of the room, flicking the light off as they do. The room falls into blackness.