9 Tales Told in the Dark 8 by 9 Tales Told in the Dark

Author:9 Tales Told in the Dark [Dark, 9 Tales Told in the]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bride of Chaos
Published: 2015-12-20T23:00:00+00:00

THE END

AL DENTE by D. A. D'Amico

"Well, you're right about one thing, Mister Chopra." The dental technician harrumphed as if she'd just found an enormous chunk of toenail tucked beneath Dev's tongue, tossing the magnifier back into the tray beside the chair. "There's definitely something going on in there."

"Do I have a cavity?" Dev's words bubbled through the plastic mouthpiece like the gurgling of a sleepy baby. He smelled lemony antiseptic, and the garlicky stench of the salami sandwich he shouldn't have eaten. "What's it say?"

"It says here you have an... incursion."

The technician's name was Gina. She'd told him twice in the long two hours since he'd arrived, the whole time flipping through a series of schematic screens on her tablet with long polished nails the shade of rotten eggplant. She didn't seem completely familiar with the technology, but she adjusted the sensors until they dug painfully into Dev's cheek like a seasoned professional.

"Is that bad?" Dev grunted, the noise erupting in stringy barks like a loud fart. "It's not going to hurt, is it?"

He'd been foolish to volunteer for the experimental implants. Shooting billions of nanorobots into his teeth was madness, no matter what they'd promised. He'd really needed the dental work, but the constant throbbing pain and weird noises weren't worth the benefits. He hadn't had a moment's peace in weeks.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." Gina smiled with sincerity, but her watery brown eyes said differently. She tapped the button phone behind her right ear, whispering in sharp tight tones.

He'd had enough. Dev yanked the short bundle of electrodes dangling like a forest of crazy straws from his mouth. Blinding pain shot down his throat. He screamed, tasting bile. Gina screamed. He had no idea why, but her panic added to his own, and he screamed again.

She shrieked. He yelled. They howled in unison like a couple of coyotes until she tucked an empty rubber glove into Dev's mouth and shushed him as if he were an unruly toddler.

"But I have something wrong?" Dev blubbered through the glove's limp fingers, causing them to waggle in time with his words.

"Oh, yes." She smiled, revealing tiny yellow teeth, all traces of hysteria gone. She removed the glove from his mouth long enough to slap it onto her slender hand, and then jammed her fingers deep into Dev's throat. "How did you say you were feeling, Mister Chopra?"

Dev gagged. The sticky sweet odor of peppermint antiseptic smothered him, and his heart raced as he squirmed to keep from throwing up. The noises in his head got louder. He felt paranoid, as if someone were chuckling behind his back.

"Good. Good." She nodded as if he'd spoken, the whole time attempting to climb into his mouth. Her painted nails flashed like scimitars as she leaned over him, tightening the already torturously snug cables.

"Is that a list of demands?" Dev had caught sight of the screen. It looked like a shopping list scrolling through the readouts; different fonts, different sizes, like a ransom note from an old movie.

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