Open Wide! by Samantha LaCroix

Open Wide!
    By Samantha LaCroix
     
    "Catherine? Doctor Patterson will see you now."
    Catherine looked up from the magazine she was
reading. She put it down on the table beside her and got up, taking
her purse in with her. There weren't very many people in the
waiting room -- she supposed it was a slow day for the dentist's
office. Catherine walked down the hallway to the examination room
and saw someone unfamiliar standing in a white coat, looking over a
chart in his hand.
    "Oh," she said. "I'm sorry ... I thought I was seeing
Doctor Patterson in here."
    The man lifted his head and smiled at her. There was
something not right about that smile. It seemed innocent enough on
the surface, but she could tell there was something else
underneath. Something ... sinister.
    "I'm afraid Doctor Patterson is away," the man said.
"I'm Doctor Thorn, I'll be filling in for him while he's gone."
    "Oh, all right," Catherine said. She put down her
purse and sat down in the chair. Doctor Thorn turned to look down
at her as she got herself comfortable.
    "I was just looking over your charts here," he said,
his eyes burning bright in his head. "It says that you've had some
trouble with your teeth hurting while you brush."
    "Yes, they feel more sensitive than usual," Catherine
replied. "I think I might be getting a cavity."
    "Well, let's see what we can't find, shall we?" he
said. He reached up and turned on the overhead light, shining it
down into Catherine's face, blinding her momentarily.
    "Open wide please," he said, and she did as she was
told. Doctor Thorn took a metal instrument from the table beside
her and poked around in Catherine's mouth. She heard him muttering
to himself as he did, making tsk-tsk noises.
    "Well Catherine, I'm afraid this doesn't look very
good," he said, pulling back and allowing her to close her mouth.
"You've got quite a nasty cavity in there, and I think you're going
to need some serious work done on it."
    "Oh no," Catherine said.
    "If you're not busy, of course, I can do the work
right now. It's fairly quiet, as I'm sure you saw outside."
    "Oh, well," Catherine began, thinking of the errands
that she had to do. Her thoughts were interrupted by the doctor's
voice, though.
    "It's very important that you get the work done," he
said, his eyes burrowing into hers.
    Catherine reasoned that her errands could be done
another day and she nodded.
    "Yes, today would work out fine," she said. "Thank
you so much doctor."
    Doctor Thorn smiled that smile of his again.
    "It's my pleasure," he said, and his voice sent
chills down Catherine's spine.
    "Now, for this procedure," he continued, turning
around, "I'm going to have to put you under. It'll just be a little
gas, and you won't feel a thing. How does that sound?"
    "Oh, gas?" Catherine responded.
    "Everything will go by much easier if you were
asleep," Doctor Thorn said. "And I promise you, you won't feel a
thing."
    "Well, if you say so," Catherine obliged, and the
doctor smiled again.
    "Excellent," he said, and he wheeled over a tank of
gas with a nose mask attached. He turned the valve on the tank and
placed the mask over Catherine's face.
    "Now breathe in deeply," he said, which she did. As
Catherine's head began to swim, the last thing she saw before
passing out was Doctor Thorn looking down at her, that wicked smile
plastered onto his face.
     
    ~~~
     
    Catherine was lying down on a white bed in a white
room surrounded by misty white light. She tried to look around but
was finding it very difficult to move her head. She felt as though
she were glued to the bed and couldn't lift any part of her body,
no matter how hard she tried.
    A man dressed all in black stood beside her, looking
down at her. His face was masked in shadows but she could tell he
was smiling. His smile was wicked, the smile of the Devil. She
tried to open her mouth to yell but her lips wouldn't part. She
tried to move away from him but her limbs wouldn't budge. She was
helpless to get away from him,