Forbidden Delicacies

         The tall man slid the blade along the length of her spine, and watched the flesh part cleanly in its wake. He slipped his fingers into the opening, and under the tenderloin. This was the prize at the end of a long work day.

         It had not been easy to coax her near the van. Telling her that a woman was injured inside had done the job though. When he finally had her close enough to the van door, it was simply a matter of whipping the chloroformed rag out of his pocket, and covering her face with it. She was fully unconscious within seconds. He then tossed her in the van and brought her here, to the rundown apartment he kept in town. He laid her out on the kitchen table and prepared to begin his grisly task.

         That is where things really went off the wire. She had started to regain consciousness. She was groggy at first, but she became very alert very fast. Damn she was strong, much stronger than she looked. She had fought like a wildcat. The tall man had needed to use the chloroform again. That had not been the plan, but he couldn’t risk letting her escape, so he had let her continue to breathe the chloroform until she quit breathing completely.

         In his mind, he knew that she had deserved this, but in his heart, he would miss her too. She had taken his best friend from him, and this was her punishment. He knew that eating her flesh would not bring back his lost friend, but it was a hunger that lived within his most primal depths. He thought of his dear lost friend as he lifted the blade to his tongue. The blade, still coated with blood, slid easily along his tongue. The taste was electric, metallic, and creamy, all at the same time, and a small shiver of excitement crept down his spine.

         This was partly revenge for her taking David from him, but he knew that was only an excuse. It was mostly to feed that animal hunger. This would be his first experience tasting human flesh, but he had imagined it many times. The tall man did not know where this hunger came from, and he didn’t care. He only knew it existed, and the only recourse was to sate it.

         He sliced off a small steak about an inch thick from the long strip of tenderloin in front of him, and gently laid it in the lightly oiled pan. The meat began to sizzle softly, and he caught his first whiff of the aroma. It smelled a lot like pork tenderloin, and this delighted him. If she smelled like a pig cooking, she was probably a pig in life, he reasoned.

         Small droplets of blood had appeared on the top of the steak, and the tall man slid the spatula under it and flipped it gently. This caused renewed sizzling, and he found the sizzling to be satisfying in its own way. He added a touch of salt, and twice as much pepper, and gently poked the top to check for doneness. He decided that it was still a bit too rare, but he did not squeeze it with the spatula. He didn’t want to waste any of the precious juices.

         He removed the steak from the pan a little earlier than he would have liked, but he was too excited to wait any longer. He melted a dollop of garlic butter on the piece of meat, and sliced off a bite sized chunk. He stabbed the piece with his fork, and slipped it into his mouth. It was tender and juicy, and he chewed the piece slowly. There was a definite similarity to pork, but there was also a slight fruity taste. He wondered absently if she might have been a vegetarian.

         After the tall man finished his steak, he removed the tenderloin from the other side of her spine. This one was a bit more stubborn, and he had needed to use the blade more. When he had both loins removed, he began slicing them into steaks. These he would vacuum seal and freeze for future meals. Then he did something he had not planned to do. He flipped the body over, sliced open her belly, and removed the liver. He had always been particularly fond of liver, and he suspected this one would be especially succulent.

         He sliced a thin slab from the liver, and slipped it into the pan. The meat sizzled gently while he took an onion from the refrigerator. He sliced two slabs from the onion, and tossed them into the pan. The aroma was like that of beef liver, and his mouth began to water in anticipation. When the blood droplets on the liver turned into small pools, he flipped the piece over and stirred the onions. The tang in the air was driving him wild, and once again, he removed the piece a bit early.

         The liver was delicious, and the onions had not really been necessary. He could have happily eaten the meat straight up. The thin red line through the center had not made the piece any less appetizing. He would however try cooking it a bit longer the next time, provided of course that he could be patient enough.

         After the tall man finished his liver, he went to work slicing the rest of it into thin pieces. When he had both loins, and the entire liver sliced in front of him, he began vacuum sealing the steaks individually, and placing them in the freezer. He’d had trouble deciding whether to package them individually and possibly waste bags, or package them in twos thinking he might want to eat more than one at a time. In the end he decided to indulge himself and package them individually.

         With the meat packing done, the tall man sat in his recliner to ponder the day's events. He knew David was gone, and would never be coming back. What confused him was how she had done it. David had been strong, and would have defended himself to the death. He couldn’t figure out how this petite woman had killed such a powerful man. She had been strong when she regained consciousness sure, but not strong enough to have overpowered him.

         With both David and his psychiatrist dead, the tall man had no one to talk to now. She had claimed that David had never existed. “Multiple personality disorder,” she had said. The tall man knew she had been lying. She had taken his best friend from him, and this was her punishment.