Body Horror

After Ryan makes a horrifying discovery near the Red River, he is confronted by an unexpected guest. Was he followed? Unfortunately, the horrors only escalate from there. Perhaps little Tony Peterson's claim about the existence of an "ape-man" wasn't so farfetched after all.

With her acclaimed novels Harvest and Life Support, Tess Gerritsen has injected a powerful dose of adrenaline into the medical thriller. Now, Gerritsen melds page-turning suspense with chilling realism as a small-town doctor races to unravel the roots of a violent outbreak—before it destroys...

Two student anatomists purchase the remains of humanity in the small hours of the morning. The shadowy men who bring the bodies seldom speak, and the suspicions of the students are never spoken aloud. Until one morning when the drapery is lifted from the face of a new acquisition, and one student recognizes it as the face of a dear friend, alive and well only yesterday.

This is a story from the The Body Snatcher and Other Stories collection.

Sam Jackson had over a thousand acres of tobacco that brought in so much money it made him the richest farmer in a town called Painville. Sam never had to worry about money for many years, but Sam's money making machine was about to run dry. Sam's ego and money got the best of him one day. Sam was drinking with some of the local farmer's down at the local tavern. Sam pulled out his wallet and started counting thousand dollar bills on the table in front of them.

A pair of casual paranormal researchers are experimenting with the idea of astral projection. One night, one of them inadvertently succeeds in projecting his spirit from his body, which is then taken possession of by a malevolent entity in his absence.

It's a story that he hasn't told anyone for fifty years. A secret that he's kept ever since he grew tired of the disbelieving faces and doctors' reports advising medication. He's been careful. He hasn't even touched a single drop of booze since that one, fateful evening. This is why his decision on this day - the decision to have three drinks - will change the life of bright young waitress Lisa Willoughby forever. For today, the Man on Table Ten has decided that he wants to share his incredible tale.

Bill and Karen Stevens were so excited to get to spend a weekend away from their children. Bill was the top salesman of his company that year and was awarded a weekend trip to any four-star hotel of his choice, compliments of the company he works for. Bill and Karen packed their belongings and said goodbye to their children and headed to the airport, to their destination. The plane finally landed and they were ready for a fun-filled weekend without their kids. Bill and Karen held hands as they approached the front desk of the beautiful four-star hotel....

The time is the American Civil War. The place is Louisville, Kentucky, where a notable physician and professor at a medical school becomes in need of cadavers for student studies. Offering high wages for acceptable corpses, Doctor Theodore Finch hires an old ignorant and destitute man, Johnathan Brooks, and his young Christian wife, Theda, to remove the enemy dead from local battle fields. Upon the 31st of October, and during a full moon, the body snatchers, the doctor, and his students learn that the dead are not always at peace.

Está todo permitido en la profesión médica, para poder investigar? Unos amigos están una noche bebiendo en una taberna, cuando entra el Dr. MacFarlane, que resulta ser un antiguo compañero de estudios de Medicina de uno de los presentes, Fettes, cuando ambos estaban a las órdens del Dr. Robert Knox.Al mirarse los dos recuerdan las experiancias que vivieron sobre la forma irregular que el Dr. Knox tenía de procurarse el material de investigación.

Um arruinado y borracho Fettes se encuentra en una taberna de mala muerte con un viejo doctor londinense muy reputado de apellido Macfarlane y allí ambos recuerdan las circunstancia en que se conocieron. Fettes fue un alumno destacado del doctor K., instruido para ser su segundo auxiliar de prácticas en cirugías. Como ayudante, tuvo que anfrentarse a la realidad nocturna y a negociar con hombres sin escrúpulos.

Todas las noches cuatro amigos se reúnen en una posada de Debenham. Fettes es el más reservado, poco saben de su vida pasada de la que nunca quiere hablar. Una noche, llega a la posada un reputado médico venido de Londres, el Dr. Macfarlane. El médico y Fettes parecen conocerse, pero éste se muestra arisco con el doctor y rechaza sus amables ofrecimientos.