Transplant

Jack laid there trying to act cool. The truth is he was excited and scared as hell at the same time. He had been waiting for almost a year for a donor, and had survived long enough to have his number called. As the anesthesia started to transport him into darkness, he thought of the stories he had heard about recipients of transplanted organs. Jack wondered if he too would crave the foods and vices of the donor. He would find out soon enough, he thought, as he drifted into blackness. He would have a new heart when he awakened, if he awakened.

A year after his successful operation, Jack was somewhat disappointed that he wasn't craving some exotic cuisine or experiencing an overwhelming urge to smoke a cigarette, even though he had never been a smoker. His body had accepted the foreign organ, and he could not tell any difference, aside from the massive scar on his chest. Jack finished buttoning his shirt, and headed to the kitchen. He picked up his keys off of the counter, and his backpack from the chair. He was looking forward to getting out of the house for a little exercise. He tucked his wallet into the small pocket on his bag, and headed out the door. He was on his way to the mall to do some indoor walking and window shopping.

As he walked past the food court, he decided to take a break and have a fruit smoothie. He reached in his pack to get his wallet, and noticed that his hunting knife was also there. He did not remember putting it in the pack. He clutched the knife, and felt a warm feeling in his chest. Not another heart attack, was his first thought, but this was a different feeling. "$4.25, please," said the cashier. Jack released the knife and took a $5 bill out of his wallet. He sat at a table and drank the strawberry banana puree. He found himself reaching for the knife again. The feeling in his chest was back.

A voice on the intercom announced that the mall would be closing in 15 minutes. Jack wondered where the time had gone. He threw his empty cup away, and exited the back of the mall. It had been busy when he arrived, so he had to park out by the dumpsters. The parking lot was almost empty now that the sun had gone down. As he got closer to his car, he saw someone emptying trash into a dumpster and having a smoke. It was the clerk from the smoothie place. Jack's chest grew warm again. He reached for the knife, as if it were an instinct. The warm feeling nearly overwhelmed him as he heard the click of the lock-blade. Jack shoved the knife into the clerk's kidney. He felt like pure energy, and swore his chest was glowing. His new heart was racing with excitement. It had a new partner.