Clean

Genre: Horror
Prompt: Clean
Time: 60 min

Dr. Vander always kept a clean shop. His office was maintained with the kind of loving care that one might have spent on a child, or a lover. The walls were white, the ceiling was white, the floor was white and speckled with a gray so light that it served to merely confuse the eyes. His dentistry chair was a pale, minty green and coated in a layer of thick, clear plastic so that it was easy to sanitize. The pull-down lamp used to investigate mouths never saw any dust, for it was cleaned thoroughly, and often. Such was his pride with his work, that he took the lightbulbs down each night, one at a time, to be dusted and replaced.


His patients often complimented him on the flawlessness of his office and in his diligence in maintaining it. "Professional standards," he always responded, accompanied by a casual nod.

Only once every few months did the immaculate surfaces get well and truly soiled. His patient, stripped naked and anesthetized, would stare with uncomprehending eyes at the ceiling as he spread his tools out on the tray at their side. His blade would cut into the skin very smoothly, for he maintained his tools with the same obsessive control that he did his office, and blood would well up at the point of incision. Slowly, he would run the knife under the patient's clavicle, pushing just hard enough to cut through skin and muscle without skimming the bone. He could not stand the thought of his knife growing dull nor the blade chipping. Crimson would run in uneven rivulets down the patient's breasts and begin to drip onto the floor.

Repeating the process on the other side brought about the illusion of the patient wearing a shirt made of blood. Sometimes, their lips would move just a bit.

Dr. Vander would slit their nipples and cut along their ribs and belly buttons. He would do this for as long as their struggling hearts could maintain the dance and when they had expired, he would set his tools aside and paint himself in the blood.

The next morning, patients would compliment him on the cleanliness of his office.