Diecinueve
Ernesto feels the putrefaction working deeply inside him, jellifying him from the inside out. It seems to be happening faster now. He presses the twigs of his fingers against his distended abdomen. They pass through the skin as if it’s made of soggy bread. He hears a squelch. It might be his intestines or his appendix; he’s never been very knowledgeable about human anatomy. Curious, he pokes around some more. His bony fingertips pull out something that resembles a child’s toy rubber snake. Its surface is covered in maggots. A piece snaps off in his hand; it sounds like dried-up elastic breaking apart. He lets it drop to the floor. The palmetto bugs converge.
His explorations leave a large hole in his belly. Maggots spill out of it. Ernesto watches impassively as they wriggle a
