Chapter 17

Saturday. Abby's first day as a Goat

Saturday morning came very early. Despite the excitement and relief of stress, Abby and Cindy had finally worn each other out. It took some time. But by midnight both were sound asleep in Cindy's bed.

Abby woke up feeling a little disorientated, a little disconnected, and a lot tired. Phew, she thought to herself, that girl wore me out.

Getting up carefully and walking down the hall to the lavatory, Abby smelled coffee and cooking food. First bathroom. Then food.

Stepping down the stairs, she saw Helen and Candy at the stove, cooking and chatting. "Good Morning" Abby said coming around the corner. "Is that coffee ready?"

"Yes. How do you like it?" Candy asked, reaching for a cup.

"Like my men. Sweet and light." Abby replied. Then blushed as she remembered the age differences.

"I like mine strong and black. But we don't have any of those over the weekend yet." Candy said, bringing a cup to one of the tables.

"Don't mind her. She has fallen into bad company and become totally corrupted," Helen said while stirring the eggs. "Scrambled or do you want omelets?"

"Just coffee for the moment. Food later." Abby said. "So Candy. I guess I am going to be following you this morning?" Abby continued.

"I guess. Unless you want to have Margaret show you what to do." Candy said.

"I don't think so. I looked at your cuts. You work is like a surgeon. Short, clean and no tearing or hesitation marks. No nerve damage. Very precise."

"I studied Grey's a lot. Wanted to do the best I could. People panic when they are in pain. I don't want that for my clients." Candy said with earnestness in her voice.

"Well, I doubt that anyone would notice it. So how do you get them inverted?"

"Easier to show you then to tell you. We have a group coming in this morning to catch up. How about you follow me and I will show you. But you have to promise not to freak out. It's not fair to the ladies to have someone panic them." Candy said with a strange calm.

Looking into Candy's cool grey eyes, Abby realized that this young woman would brook no interference in her job. She was a professional here, and Abby was the student.

"I won't." Abby replied.

David came in at seven thirty, and was followed by Barbara, Chris and Marty Burke. Marty Robinson was taking the day off, and Marty Burke was doing junior duty as butcher and then doing deliveries in the afternoon. Gus was there too as was Carl German.

While everyone was sitting around and sipping coffee, and eating, David asked Candy for the day's production numbers.

"We have twelve scheduled for standard. Three are catch up from Wednesday and three from yesterday. All are due today. And we have four that want specials. Three chop jobs and one gallows. I figure we work them this afternoon. That makes three short strings, one special group and then party time." Candy said in her usual calm voice.

"How are you scheduling operations?" David asked.

"Abby and I will take one string, and Cindy and I the other two."

"You breaking Cindy in?" David asked.

"Might as well. You need a cutter and she needs a job to stay here." Candy said in that same calm monotone.

"Ok. Well, I guess guys that the lady in production has spoken." David said with a laugh. "And you guys thought Margaret was tough."

"David, we are all pussy whipped. They have us outnumbered and we like it like that," Chris said.

"Ok. Let's get this show on the road. Candy, how many drinks and how much coffee do we need in front?" Chris asked.

"Bring a case of mixed and the small pot. And bring the bagels too. Light load should be pretty speedy." Candy said.

David carried the coffee, Abby the bagels and Helen followed Chris who was carrying the drinks. Candy stopped at David's office and picked up a portable terminal for Abby to work with. Cindy already had hers.

At eight thirty, there were already fifteen women waiting. Getting the crowd settled quickly Helen, Abby and Candy sorted out who was who. None of the specials was here yet, but all of the standards were, plus three that wanted to do intakes for next week.

So it was almost an hour before Candy stood up and said to the first group of three, "Well, lets move onto examination. Abby, will you take these ladies through and meet me in processing?"

"Sure. Ladies, let's get our purses and papers and move down to the examination rooms. Casey, Margie and Kate, wait here and we will be back for you in a short time."

Abby lead the string of Barbara, Kathleen and Terri down to the exam rooms and reviewed their papers like Cindy had done with her the previous week. Stepping through the exam then lavatory and into stripping, it was just like it had been when she was in medical school. Gently moving people around. Stripping was where the realization came home to her string. Like Cindy had done before, Abby said to all three that there was time left, and that there would be no pain involved.

She adopted the mantra of just please make sure that everything was in the basket so Janice could box it up for their family. Stepping onto the turnstile, Abby remembered to warn them to hang onto the handle as the turnstile spun pretty quickly.

A moment later Candy's face came into view as well as the very brightly lit slaughter area.

"Now step over there, and when they come around, call out their name and ask them to step toward you. Ok?" Candy said to Abby.

"Ok." Abby said. Moment's later Barbara's body came around the turnstile.

"Barbara, come over here please?" Abby said.

A moment later a sharp crack, and Barbara lay in the bottom of the turnstile. "Help me a second" Candy said.

Pulling the right leg straight, Candy attached the Velcro fastener around Barbara's ankle and set the bar over to the other leg. "Attach it." Candy said to Abby.

Wrapping the Velcro loop around the ankle and snugly binding it, Abby watched as Candy attached the hook of the cable to the center loop of the spreader bar. Touching a button on a control, Barbara was winched up and raised to a hook that was at the end of a Trolley going overhead. With a practiced motion, Candy dropped the inverted Barbara into position on the hook and removed the cable.

Sitting down, Candy talked calmly to Barbara while Abby watched standing up. Suddenly from the side, Candy sliced with a very short knife into the side of Barbara's neck and then moved around to the outer side with the other hand. Abby noticed that the knife never was in front of Barbara's line of sight. All the while Candy was talking to Barbara and holding her head. Gradually the blood stopped gushing and Barbara lapsed into sleep.

Standing up, Candy looked at Abby and said. "Ok. Just like that. I didn't know what tool you wanted to use, so I have these disposable scalpels. David picked them up at the supply shop before you came in Friday. The next one is yours." Candy said as she rolled Barbara down the trolley.

"I'll work the controls. You focus on the hook up and the cut. And remember, to talk the whole time they are awake. Ok?" Candy said as she hit the rotation control.

Seeing Kathleen come into view, Abby said "Kathleen. I am sorry we took so long, but we had some trouble. Could you please walk here for me?"

Part way through her step, Kathleen was shocked and collapsed. Grabbing a left ankle and pulling the leg straight, Abby saw the one end of the spreader bar and the Velcro waiting for her. Attaching that end while Candy did the other and then hoisting Kathleen up took a few seconds. Taking the scalpel from Candy's hand as Kathleen dropped into place on the hook, Abby bent down and looked into Kathleen's eyes.

Talking quietly and calmly and remembering Candy's technique, Abby quickly opened up Kathleen to bleed out. Kathleen came around and was able to talk for a few words, which Abby listened and answered back. Mainly making sure that everything on the checklist was done right. And that it felt cold. "It's alright. It won't be cold long. You are almost there. Just relax." Abby said, as she watched the light go out of Kathleen's eyes.

"She is done." Abby said, standing up.

"Ok. Now you roll her over here next to Barbara so she can finish and we get ready for Terri."

Moments later, Abby was watching the lights go out in Terri's eyes, as she slipped into unconsciousness. Shortly the breathing stopped, and Abby stood up to slide her down the Trolley.

Candy at this time was efficiently opening up Barbara with the Wyoming knife and had most of her internal organs on the table. Chris was sorting and grading liver, kidneys and heart for soup and pet food, and other parts.

Suddenly a light flashed in the turnstile from Red to Blue. "Abby, press the button there next to the door marked "Start". But first pick up the control for the stunner. If the person does not have a orange collar on, press the trigger."

Pressing the Start, Abby watched as Cindy came around on the turnstile. "I have the other string from reception. First one through is Casey. She was a little upset, but I got her calmed down." Cindy said stepping off of the platform.

When the blue light came on again, Abby hit the switch bringing Casey into view. A moment later, Casey was on the floor. Helping Cindy hook Casey up, Abby found the winch controls and raised her up to the location of the hook. It took some time and maneuvering to get the eyelet over the hook on the trolley and Casey was beginning to move and struggle. Cindy moved down next to Casey, and quickly sliced her neck open to bleed her out. It was a messy stroke, but it was successful, partly because of the location of Casey's neck and head. It took a few moments for the loss of blood to dim the fear in Casey's eyes.

"Damn. I didn't want her to get panicked." Cindy said.

"It's my fault. I should have transferred her more rapidly to the hanger hook." Abby said. "If I had moved faster, she would not have come around as quickly."

"Ladies. The light is blue. You have two more to do." Candy said, while opening up Kathleen's body to empty her out.

This time, Abby did not have any problem with dropping the bar onto the trolley because Cindy did it. Abby showed Cindy how to more gently let the knife do her work on the cut for her. So Margie followed Casey who was followed by Kate. Kate was the smoothest. Cindy made short and very precise incisions and was able to hit both veins cleanly. The artery was a tougher thing, but it too finally sliced. I think we need to use a hook style cutter for the arteries, Abby thought. I think I can order those from a surgical supply house directly. What we are really doing is fishing and cutting like doing a vasectomy. Same tools should apply. Or we could use a bone cutting forceps, Abby thought to herself.

Looking around Abby watched as Cindy started to disembowel Casey. Candy had finished with the first three, and Chris was moving the bodies to grading, final wash down and then butchery. Realizing that this was autopsy 101, and seeing that Kate was no longer alive, Abby started the incisions that would open Kate up for her disassembly. Following the others movements, she soon had Kate opened up in the manner that she saw Candy and Cindy doing. Surgery goes a lot faster when you know you aren't putting them all back together, Abby thought to herself.

At nine thirty, after one hour, Cindy, Abby and Candy were passing through the rinse showers to get the blood off of their bodies. And walk back up to reception. Where they were met by a larger group of women than they had left. Carol, Helen, Nancy and Elizabeth were all at different tables taking information and running intakes. Margaret was gathering up her group and starting them down to Exams. Seeing Helen wave her over, Abby walked over to the group of young Hispanic women that Helen was talking with. "Abby dear, do you have any fluency in Spanish?" she asked.

"Si" Abby replied. And other than the language difference, this trip went just like before. Abby found that getting the young women to follow her was almost simplistic. And getting them to strip in a room where there were no men around was much easier then Abby expected. Good little catholic girls going to the showers didn't have any problem getting naked. They talked constantly, though. Had to get them to shut up to go through the door.

A group of East side ladies followed the Hispanic group, and at 11:30, Abby returned to the recreation room to find that there were no more intakes for the processing plant.

Sitting at a table with Candy and Cindy she sat and poured herself a drink. She noticed that Candy was drinking wine. "Alcohol in the morning?" She asked.

"It is after five somewhere, and we are officially closed, except for the specials that are over there with Margaret. We did good for a Saturday. We did twenty-seven this morning. And that is with Margaret out of production. Usually we would have that many but the closure has jacked up our volume. And Elizabeth told me that we have ninety for Monday already. That is the count for processing and not interviews." Candy said

It struck Abby that she had helped do twelve herself. Well, eleven. But still that was enough to make her a serial killer. Well, I am in a good group, she said to herself.

"I think I will join you. What is for lunch?" Abby asked.

At this time, Margaret, David, Helen and Carol were talking with the four "Special" partygoers who wanted to spend their last afternoon fucking and then dying in a specific form.

"Three chops and a drop," Caroline said to David. " I am the drop, and these are the chops. And the more dicks we can get the better." She added.

David replied, "We don't have a large supply of Dicks. If you have some of your own, we can arrange something for them as well, so long as they are stable and won't interfere."

"We'll just have to make do with what you have," Caroline said with a smile.

"Well, I am getting ready to go get some food for us all. What would you ladies like for lunch?" Margaret asked.

"You taking orders? That is great. Here is my card, Get what you want, and some champagne if you can." Caroline said.

"Ok. In the meantime ladies, Helen and Carol will help you with the intake forms, and then we will go next door and show you our facility."

Margaret looked at the list and shook her head. We will be eating leftovers for a month. But it was all good and tomorrow no cooking. The goat guys (Jim, Mark and George) would be over tonight. And Chris and Carl were staying the night as well. Marty Burke's wife was in Cleveland with her relatives, so he would probably stay as well.

Marty had gotten a written hall pass from his wife and had not gripes about blood testing. Cecilia was a sweet person, but she knew she was past prime and that Marty was still interested in younger women. So long as they were goats, she knew she was safe from being traded in.

It took almost two hours to get back to Findlay. The crowds on Saturday were insane. Margaret called at the front door, feeling that it was probably simpler to eat in reception then in the break room. On the fourth ring, Candy answered.

"Hey, Ms. F. We wondered what happened. Well, not too much. " Candy giggled.

"Ok. I am at the front door, want to come let me in and help carry?" Margaret asked.

"Sure. On the way." Candy said as she hung up.

When Candy opened the door, Margaret saw she was flushed, damp and sweaty. "You started without me?" Margaret said accusingly.

"We did, and boy is the party running. Let me help you get the things into the fridge that need to be there and follow me."

Setting the bags in the empty drink fridge, Margaret looked around and saw that there were the remains of a lot of snack foods and drinks scattered around. Following Candy through the warehouse access door from reception and past the unfinished interview rooms, she walked into the main floor and was surprised at what she saw.

Carol and Caroline were on the gallows platform, tugging on the rope from overhead. Cindy was running down the stairs for some reason. The guillotine platform had been rolled across the floor and was locked in place in front of the bleachers. Four mattresses had been placed between the Guillotine and the hanging platform.