Piece Me Together
Piece Me Together
"It's men you should be afraid of, not monsters."
‒ Niccolò Ammaniti
Sebastian was an introverted freshman at the prestigious University of Ingolstadt. He didn't have many friends, as his studies took up most of his time. One of the students that attended this school was Marie Bryner, the brightest pupil at the school and excelled in all of her studies. Despite her youth, she was well respected among the entire student body. Even though she was a friendly person, she always seemed cold and distant. She was never a part of any clubs or sororities, not even a small group of friends. Some thought her reserved personality was completely normal, as one of her majors was forensic pathology, and she spent most of her time surrounded by corpses. Her mysterious nature and renowned mind made her a subject of fascination around the school. Sebastian was no exception, and soon became intrigued by her.
One day, Sebastian’s biochemistry class had just begun a project that required group work. Expecting to be paired with a slacker, he was slightly stunned when Marie approached him. “I guess we’re stuck with each other for the next few days”, she said, a slight accent clipping her words. Too surprised to speak, Sebastian simply nodded and they began their work. After class, Marie offered to meet him after school to discuss the project. As they worked, they started to get to know each other a little bit to ease the tension. Surprisingly, they had a lot in common and had exchanged numbers by the end of the class period.
Their friendship soon flourished long after the project was over. They constantly talked on the phone, some of their conversations going till midnight. He learned from one of their late-night conversations that Marie was passionate about the human form and how it reacted to death. She was especially curious about the soul and what happened to it after death. They talked about everything from their favorite books to what their upbringing was like. The pair became as thick as thieves and soon did everything together. However, as time went on, Sebastian started to notice odd things about Marie. Sometimes he could smell the faint scent of decay and rot lingering around her. Sleep always seemed to evade her, while dark circles and fatigue plagued her eyes. He became increasingly worried about her and the state of her mind. When he would confront Marie about it, she would simply brush it off, saying that she was just busy with work. Despite this reassurance, he couldn’t help but sense that she was hiding something from him.
One night, she invited him over to her house for dinner. For the first time in months, Marie seemed...happy. She was laughing and joking as if everything had been normal. It was the happiest he had ever seen her. After a while, Marie made a sign with her hand and said, “Come, I have something to show you. Come to the basement”. Even though he felt at ease, something inside him was on alert. The tone in her voice had changed, and the atmosphere had suddenly turned cold. He got up and followed her. She opened the door to the basement, and the stink of something rancid filled Sebastian’s nose. While they were going down the stairs, she said, “Sebastian, I have finally found the answer...from now on, life will never be the same!”. Her strange words scared him even more. When they reached the bottom, the young woman flipped on the lights. The young man, completely horrified, saw several dismembered corpses piled in a corner. He couldn’t tell how many there were, but upon closer inspection, he could see that some of them were missing parts. Sebastian panicked. The grotesque image clouded his sight, and he couldn’t articulate a single word. Marie was beside him, waiting patiently for an answer. Sebastian’s first impulse was to turn around and run away, but Marie hit him over the head with a wrench, leaving him dazed on the floor. He could feel her dragging him across the floor and lifting him onto an old and noisy stretcher next to a pile of corpses. She tied his hands and feet to the stretcher, so he couldn’t escape. He suddenly felt the pressure of a needle on his arm, and the effect of whatever she had injected him with was instant. His head started spinning, and he couldn't feel his body anymore. He saw Marie grabbing a huge knife from a drawer. He opened his eyes, panicking, but he couldn’t even scream. She got close to him and put the blade on his chest. “Don’t worry, you won’t feel a thing.” With a fast move, the crazed woman raised the knife and stabbed it into his heart, with all her strength. The last thing Sebastian saw before he passed out was a huge puddle of blood pouring out of his chest.
When the young man woke up, it took him a few minutes to remember what had happened. He was still laying on the stretcher, though he wasn’t tied down anymore. He could feel his body again, but something felt...off. His body didn’t feel familiar anymore. He stood up, and he noticed he was taller now. He had a strange feeling on his face, and when he touched it he realized there was an eye patch on his right eye. Sebastian then looked at his legs and arms. Horrified, he saw many parts stitched to one another, skin that didn’t belong to him. The pile of corpses that were in the corner were no longer there, and it didn’t take long for him to realize his new body was formed by pieces from dead people. He suddenly heard a noise and saw the door of the basement opening. He knew it was her. His body clenched, and his face was burning with rage. Marie slowly approached him with a sinister look. Gazing up at his towering form with a look of admiration, she began to speak. “For over a millennia, the secrets of life and death have evaded humankind. Only gods have had access to these mysterious matters, but now, after months of tedious work, I can claim my place among them. And you, sweet, naïve Sebastian are my first masterpiece!” All of the pieces soon came together. Her strange smell and lack of sleep were most likely brought on by excursions in cemeteries and her own demented desires. Sebastian was enraged. He had trusted her and given her his friendship, and now she had made him into a monster. As Sebastian lunged at her, a surge of electricity racked his body. He collapsed to the ground, a throbbing pain coursed through his veins. With a deranged smile, Marie said, “In addition to your new and approved body, I have implanted an electromagnetic device in your brain. So, whenever you step out of line, all I have to do is press this button and-” Sebastian’s body convulsed with pain as she shocked him once more. “You’re mine now.” Weak and defeated, Sebastian began to lose consciousness. The last thing he saw was Marie standing above him with a satisfied smirk. She was so very pleased about her newest creation and all the exciting experiments they would perform together. After all, live subjects were so hard to find.
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