So I'm now officially halfway through nursing school. I did well this last semester but didn't work on this story because school was hectic and time consuming. I sincerely appreciate the kind reviews and favorites for this story as well as others. I can't devote as much time as I would like to to my fanfics but I truly thank everyone for reading and giving a hoot about this work. Thank you!


I rolled the window down as I was driving. The cool air, salty from the ocean, blew my hair in a million different directions. I pulled the white strands into a knot at the base of my skull to keep it out of my face. The trip to La Push seemed to fly by, with the wind in my truck, and humming along to the songs on the radio. Before I knew it I was pulling into Billy's driveway. I sighed as I killed the engine. What exactly I was going to say, I had no idea. Something had to be done about this, whatever this was.

I walked to the door, and before I even knocked Billy had opened it. He probably heard me coming. "Jake's sleeping," he informed me.

Well that wasn't something I had planned for. Darn. I sighed and shrugged. "Can you tell him that I'll be on the beach? He can come and find me or I could come back here and kick his ass, it's up to him."

Billy gave me a wry smile at that and promised to relay the message. Based upon his recent behavior, I wasn't 100% sure that I believed him, but he was the best chance I had. I sighed and headed down to the beach. It wasn't raining, surprisingly, and there was a slight breeze that ruffled my hair. Not too long had passed before a wad of wet and squishy plant of some sort was thrown at my back. I turned around to see Jake grinning sheepishly behind me, a new wad of seaweed in his hand, ready to fly at any moment.

"Is that how we greet each other now?" I asked blandly.

The smile fell from his face abruptly. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Just wanted to break the tension a little."

"Well, Jake, maybe this conversation should be tense," I snapped. "I was pretty tense when you scaled the tree and jumped into my room talking about what you saw yesterday, okay? So yeah, let's keep this tense."

He seemed slightly taken aback. "So, you're telling me that what happened yesterday was real," he said cautiously.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course it was real you idiot. You saw it, I'm assuming others saw it too. You're talking about killing vampires so obviously you believe what Billy was saying about… whatever. So lets just get on the same page, okay?"

I gave him a moment to respond and he nodded vigorously and said "yeah."

"You're a werewolf."

He agreed.

"You know how to kill vampires?"

"Yes I do," he said. He kept it short. Ugh, this was going to be like pulling teeth.

"And how do you know that?"

He seemed surprised. "Didn't you remember the story I told you?"

"No, Jake, I forgot, because I've been dealing with some tough shit for a while. So why don't you give me a break and actually answer the questions I ask instead of asking a few of your own?"

He sighed. "It was passed down from our ancestors on how to kill them. We work in a pack and our teeth are strong enough to break through their skin. It's one of the few things that actually make sense right now. But, doing the killing is actually pretty fun," he finished with a snort.

"And when people bring up the missing hikers…" I gave a moment for him to interject anything but he didn't. "Do you have anything to do with them? Have you and the others ever killed anyone?"

His expression changed from dumfounded to horrified in an instant. "Are you hearing yourself right now? You actually think I'm going around killing people?

"Well it's not like you haven't given too much to suggest otherwise! And you're telling-bragging, even, about how easy it is for you to kill a vampire. Humans would be nothing to you then. Humans would be easy!" I shouted at him.

"Bella, we don't kill humans we protect them! Every time we caught the scent of a vampire we got there too late. And yeah, it really sucks. But we never would kill a human. Maybe that's more than what I can say for you," he said.

My jaw dropped. "Excuse me? And just what the HELL is that supposed to mean?"

"Look, Bella, I don't know what you are, but you killed that vampire quicker than maybe I could. It would be easy for you to kill a human with the strength you have."

"Okay, first off, wow. Really, Jake. Wow. Secondly, I don't kill people. Third, I'm a zombie, so I just eat their brains."

Jake laughed at that. "Really, you expect me to believe you're a zombie? That's the choice you're going with?"

I was so angry I could almost physically feel my temper rise. "Yeah, I am a zombie. I work in a morgue, eating human brains and wondering when the next meal is coming from. Come on, you saw me before I went to that boat party. I'm not human anymore, look at me! Do you seriously think this hair was a personal style choice?"

"No," Jake said, smiling at me like one would smile at a child who was talking to their imaginary friend. "No, that just not possible."

"No, Jake, what's not possible is the fact that you're so goddamn thick-headed that you don't believe me even when I'm telling you the truth. That's what's impossible to understand right now! I'm telling you I'm a zombie, I'm telling you I eat human brains, and you saw me! You saw with your own eyes what I'm capable of, and you just don't want to believe it? Why not?"

He shook his head. "If you're telling the truth that means you're a monster. You're a monster that eats human brains and I don't think you're capable of that sort of thing."

I gasped. "If me, eating brains to survive, makes me a monster, what does that make you, huh? You turn into a wolf, Jake! You turn into a wolf the size of a horse and hunt vampires! But no, I'm the monster, because I do what I need to do in order to survive. I'm the disgusting freak of nature, right?" I stopped abruptly, disgusted with myself. Why bother? He had already made up his mind, there was nothing I could do to change it.

"It's no use," I said. My eyes stung but I refused to cry. Not again, not anymore. "You're going to believe what you want to believe, and nothing will ever convince you otherwise. Go to hell, Jake."

So I left. I walked away without turning back. I was done. Done having to feel like a beggar. Done having to ask for forgiveness for doing nothing more than existing. When I was human I was sorry I was human. Constantly feeling like garbage for doing nothing more than existing with a beating heart and blood. Now that I was dead, I wouldn't make the same mistake. I may be a freak, but I sure as hell wasn't a monster. And I swore to myself I never would be. Anyone who thought differently could stick it where the sun don't shine. I was finished.

It was Friday before I was called back to the morgue after another torturous day of class. There had been an incident in Ozette. Some idiot working on his car didn't secure the jack. His huge pickup truck had slammed down on him, killing him instantly. I sighed as I helped Ravi collapse the gurney's wheels so it could fit in the ambulance that would transport him to the morgue. The wife had been crying uncontrollably, insisting that this was murder and that her husband always secured the jack when he was working on his car. So, a full autopsy had to be done. That was alright with me, I was getting hungry anyway. It wasn't quite unbearable but it was better safe than sorry.

It was getting late by the time all the proper paperwork had been done. I called Charlie and told him that I would be late, he understood because he had to stay late as well. Because Ozette was so tiny, there were only about four part time beat cops, and as chief of police of Forks, Charlie would be taking care of the majority of the investigation.

Night had already fallen by the time the actual autopsy started. Urine, saliva, and hair samples were taken. Ravi swabbed the inside of the mouth, the skin, and put everything in the proper bags and petri dishes. By looking at his liver, Ravi concluded that the victim was a chronic alcoholic. We decided that we would take a break after the abdominal examination. Ravi taught me to stich up the skin, and I actually helped finish up the examination. More forms had arrived by the ancient fax machine in the office and I highlighted where Ravi needed to sign in order to make sure everything was taken care of.

"You continuously give me gifts, Isabella," he said in a grand manner after I pushed the five forms to him.

"And you are not going to get anything for your birthday or Christmas, I've done more than enough here," I said back at him.

He let out a protest that I studiously ignored in favor of setting up the materials I would need in order to get to the brain of the victim. The phone rang suddenly, making me jump. "Forks General Hospital Morgue, this is Isabella, how may I help you?" I asked while shuffling through the papers. Had I forgotten something?

"Hi Miss Swan, its David," David, a sweet older gentleman who worked part time directing calls on weekend nights.

"Hi David, is something wrong? It wasn't me, I swear. It was probably Ravi," I said.

That earned a chuckle out of him. "I believe you Miss Swan," he said. "I'm at the front desk right now and there's someone who is asking for you."

I straightened up. Could someone have known?

"Did they give a name?" I asked.

"Yes, his name is Jacob Black," David said. "Do you want me to call security?"

Huh. This could be interesting. "Uh, no, that's really not necessary, point him my way. Thanks David, have a good night."

"You too, Miss Swan," David said and ended the call.

I jogged back to Ravi's office.

"I hope you've changed your mind about my birthday presents," Ravi started before I had grabbed his coat and hauled him up. I grabbed his umbrella before dragging him to the door. He let me hustle him halfway to the door before abruptly sitting down on the floor in protest.

"You have to go, right now," I said. "Get up." I lightly tapped my toe over his kidney area. He flinched dramatically but his behind did not start moving out the door.

"Not until you tell me what's going on," he said.

"Jacob is on his way here."

He stared at me blankly.

"He's a werewolf, one of the ones that was there when I killed Laurent. And his temper is unpredictable, and so is mine, and I don't want a fragile human getting in the way if I need to get into a fistfight with a giant dog, so please leave," I said with a smile.

He was out within five seconds.

I busied myself with organizing the files that needed to be sent to the police station. Charlie said he'd be working late tonight so I debated calling him up to make sure everything was in order. Eventually I decided against it. Jake could be here and if we did end up getting into a fist… or were-zombie fight, I wouldn't want him to hear it. The minutes ticked by and I wondered if Jake had gotten lost on his way here. Although the hospital was small, it could be confusing to get down to the morgue. I shrugged and decided to get ready for my dinner.

I was recording the weight of the brain when Jake walked in.

"Uh," he said.

I turned to look at him. He was looking between me, the brain, and the partially covered corpse in front of me. "Hello," I said back. Just over three pounds. Normal weight for a brain. "Anything I can help you with?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to, um, apologize if I made you feel like you were… not a good person. I didn't mean to make you feel like you're not a good person, because you-"

I picked up the brain and took a bite.

Jake gaped at me, his eyes widening. He became two shades paler.

I swallowed and dabbed at my lip. "You were talking about me being a good person?" I asked.

Jake crumpled into a heap.

I took another bite, chewing slowly. It was a bit tough, but it could've been worse. Then again, beggar zombies can't be chooser zombies. A brain is a brain and it will have to do. I swallowed and took another bite.