The Haunted Traveler Vol 1 Issue 2

her head appeared again and the whirring intensified.
A gyrating drill trilled roughly in the corpse’s hand.
Mr Hedges drove his empty hand into Evelyn’s mouth
and wedged it open with his bony knuckles. The drill
moved inside, clattering, clattering against her teeth.
Evelyn awoke, her head was full of the taste
of cloves. For a moment Evelyn had the impression
she was watching herself move, as if her senses were
somehow lagging behind her body. She caught up
with herself on the edge of the dentist’s chair. Leaning
forward, she eased herself up and out of the chair.
She didn’t topple over. Panic pricked her heels and
she jumped across the room and fled through the door
before she’d even taken another breath.
Mrs Briggs sat in the waiting room; an empty
cup and saucer perched on her knee. “Hello dear, all
done?”
Evelyn gasped for breath, her pounding heart
intent on blocking her windpipe.
“Jane asked if you’d mind paying in kind. I
told her that would be fine. She left a shopping list,
just a few groceries really.”
Evelyn stared at her, madly sucking in air.
“There’s no hurry you could drop them off
tomorrow.”
“Dead.” Evelyn panted.
Mrs Briggs nodded perfunctorily.
“Dead!” Evelyn screamed.
“Yes dear. For years now, just before I married
Mr Briggs.”
“You knew!”
“Of course.”
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