I walked into the restaurant, a fancy Italian place with a unpronounceable name , owned by some guy with a fetish for red as everything except the cashier's desk and the dinner tables were red. It was shadowy as the light setting was low, but I looked at the floor and could see it, that brown dirt stain that was messing with the carpet. The same one that was in my home. Could this be Mathias or just someone joshing me? I wonder as I follow it to its destination. You could smell the fluids they used in preserving the corpse from a few feet away. My mind was in revolt against what my eyes were peering at, a figure hidden by shadow, his suit was grayish green the same suit they buried him in, but there was no way in hell Matt Markovich could be alive no way he could be sitting right in front of me, enjoying a ....

“Miss Me, Old Boy?” Matt, smiling that crooked smile, his face covered in the hideous scars that were made in the wreck . That nickname we call each other .

“ Your dead dude , so you should I don't know be dead ?” I say in reply

“ Maybe,” His smile terrified me as a piece of cheeks was missing, exposing a row of teeth that had spaces in between , (knocked out in the accident). He was enjoying himself some spaghetti , not the cheap shit people think of , but the straight deal. He ate it, though later he would tell me that he couldn't taste it, but just ate it out of convenience.

“Care to explain?” I say as I take the chair and study him further, grabbing my phone and taking a picture, well for maybe future references.

“ Like you say, when life is good, why question it ?” He grabs his glass of red wine and swallows it in one gulp, with some spilling out of the hole. “ It was all of a sudden you know , I was fixing to be buried, the grave keeper burying me but then I woke, and I started banging on the casket door and he stopped to see what was the fuss was about. He opened it up and I knocked him out and took his keys.”

“I just want to know that's all” Have you dabbled any in the dark arts or some weird shit like it?”

“No, none of that shit , that I know of maybe God or Satan or the dark lord Cthulhu didn't wanna see my ugly mug yet and said Mr . Markovich you shall live to fight another day “ He snaps his fingers at that , to suggest it was the work of gods. Then he gestures to a skinny waitress to fill up his glass and gestured for another glass for me. She was fairly pretty, something you don't look at twice, but she asked me meekly and with a smile that showed no teeth, even as she spoke if I wanted something to eat . I said no thanks but thanks for asking, she bent her head down holding that invisible smile till she thought I couldn't see her and the smile went to a frown

I wondered though, he must not be telling me the truth, but chose not to push further on him (not yet my sweet) but lets just hear what he wants “ Why did you contact me ? Why not your family I'm sure Steve ( His father ) would be jumping for joy to see his son alive and, well, not exactly, in a picture of health.”

“Not yet old boy , I need to do one thing, well exactly several things, which if you play your cards right old boy , you will benefit greatly from”

“ Financially?”

“Better “

“of a Sexual Nature ?”

“Better “

“Are you gonna tell or are you gonna leave me here with my dick in my hand ?”

“Until I know for sure , I will be silent” . He laughs at that , but its not like his laugh when he was among the living but dryer. He forks a meatball and chews on it , still giggling a bit, not at my words but at something, something I would not find till later.

“Aren't you a vegetarian? “

“Was but since I'm dead eating meat don't bother me as much you know like the rules hardly apply once your ticker goes out” He continuesto eat until he gestures to the waitress for the check. She handed it to him and opened and looked at it. He asks to be taken to the manager. The waitress returns with her fake smile check in hand handing it to Matt, who asks to see their manager , which Matt to the kitchen door, leaving me alone at the table for close to five minutes till a scream comes form the behind the in-out door. Matt walks back out in a quick walk, blood dripping from his hand, holding what looks to be the size of a pomegranate.

“Lets Go” he says still walking towards the exit,I follow but turn to see the waitress walks out of the doors and convulse and vomit on the red carpet , tears falling down her face. That is the last I see of her before I walk out of the restaurant into the small parking lot to Matt , still clenching the bloody item in his hand tightly.

“What the fuck was that about and what in the hell” I point my finger at his hand “is that ...wait don't tell me show me “ I give him a stern stare to do as I say.

He releases and a heart drops from within its grasp making a scrape noise on the rocky grounds. He looks up and down and around trying to come up with some response to justify why that thing was in his hand

“I didn't have any money” he giggles a bit , thinking this is some juvenile game.

“Who's was it ? “

“Who do you think , Sherlock?” He thinks he can change my mind but I'm not

“We should get out of here “I say and I lead him to my truck, a white dodge ram . I get in the driver's seat and take out a cigarette, needing it to calm my nerves , which from these past five minutes seem shot. He shoots a scornful look at me , saying nothing but the face says Really ? But I ignore as I light it and take a long drag, seemingly burning half of the thing to ash with that one hit.

I rev up the engine looking as I back up and turn right heading into the outlet that goes out the lot. why rip the managers heart out why didn't you just make a run for it ?”

Just felt right I guess, the plan was to knock him out but I thought no he'll get up and call the cops , and he looked like he needed a good heart rippin' done to him, so hey why the hell not ?

“What about that waitress? “

“Her well, she'll keep quiet, if she knows whats good for her “That bit sent shivers down my sides, terrified of what else this long night will bear as I drive further on , leaving the town in the rearview mirror …......