Smile Back

Amber tugged at the hem of her jacket and took another step. The alley enveloped her in its shadow and the wind howled eerily in her ears as she limped toward the lights. The thing on her ankle continued oozing upward. She tried again to kick it off, but in vain. Her foot turned to cement and she gasped as the thing lurched upward. It now covered her knee as well. It seemed to grow with every step she took. She shuffled forward again in an attempt to free herself from the events of the hour. The faster she moved, the faster it grew, until suddenly, a layer of slop covered her body entirely. She took a breath to scream, but the ooze coated her lungs and her cries died on her lips. Dizziness overtook her. Blackness claimed her.

Amber’s eyes fluttered open. Sunbeams danced through the window and licked her face. “Time to wake up,” they whispered. She sighed contentedly and sat up. Her bedroom smiled on her and she smiled back. She kicked a blanket onto the floor and dropped a leg over the edge of the bed. The clock on her nightstand flashed 12:00. She stood and made her bed before drifting to her closet. The door opened noiselessly. She pulled a shirt off its hangar without unbuttoning it. She turned to the mirror on her left and examined herself closely. Perfection! She donned the blouse and chose shoes. As an afterthought, she went to her drawer and removed a pair of slacks.

She bounced down the hall to her kitchen. Dishes filled the sink. Amber looked at them, and a hint of dissatisfaction crossed her features momentarily. She shrugged, then picked them up as a group and dropped them into the trashcan. The smile returned to her face and she opened the refrigerator. She drew out a carton of eggs, then peppers, tomatoes, and a block of cheese, and set them on the counter. She carefully cut up the vegetables and put them into a bowl with the eggs. She beat everything together and poured the mixture into a pan to cook. She removed the omelet from the pan, and served it on a plate. She winked at her breakfast masterpiece and it winked back at her. Then, with her fork she slid the meal into the trashcan and dropped her plate on top. She turned off the burner and carefully rinsed the pan before letting it, too, drop into the garbage.

She hurried out the door, not wanting to arrive at work late. She entered Madeline Bradbury Inc. and stepped onto the elevator. Her finger pressed the button for number four and she waited.

The parasite paused a moment before continuing to suckle its host feverishly.

Amber’s knees buckled and she fell to the floor inside the elevator. She stood and shook herself. She glanced around uncomfortably. Nothing changed. She shrugged and stepped off the elevator onto the fourth floor. She spotted Andrew ahead of her. He held a sandwich in one hand and a glass of juice in the other. She approached him eagerly.

“Oh, Amber!” he said with energy, “You need this file.” He set down his juice and picked up a file from his desk. “It seems Luther disappeared yesterday, and you need to take over his project. Did you hear anything about that? I bet he ran off with that girl in accounting. What do you think? Amber?”

Amber smiled dreamily at the folder before taking it from Andrew’s hand and gliding to her desk. She hummed softly as she walked around to her chair and sat down. She lovingly placed her folder on the desk. The smell of plastic engulfed her. She closed her eyes, bringing her head nearer to the desk. Her hand ran smoothly across its surface. The emptiness there delighted her. Her fingers met the folder and she jerked to attention. She patted the desk, and it patted her back. Then her fingers pressed against the folder. It easily slid towards the edge. She pressed again. This time the movement elicited a giggle from her. Her fingers played this game with the folder until it dropped to the floor, spilling its contents.

She bent down and busied herself with gathering the papers. “Come back,” her desk called. She looked up at her desk, then down at the papers in her hands. She continued to gather the papers, more quickly, but still with all the meticulousness required. Soon she held the stack of papers and sat in her chair again. She brought her paper shredder near and flipped the switch with her free hand. Then she took the first page and gently lowered it into the slot. The machine whirred to life and greedily took the paper into its mouth. She watched the process intently, allowing only a second to mourn the first page before feeding the machine the second. She passed the morning shredding the project folder, page by page.

“How about lunch?” Andrew asked.

Amber looked at him. “Ok.” She looked at her desk. It nodded its assent and she rose to join him. They walked towards the elevator and entered.

It paused again, uncertainly. But the hosts faded quickly, so it resumed its consumption.

Andrew caught her as her legs gave out. “What happened?” he asked. Amber looked at him in confusion. Something happened? She shrugged again and straightened herself. She watched excitedly as lights flashed behind the numbers over her head. The lights loved her, and she loved them back. The doors opened and they walked out. The restaurant was just around the corner, so Andrew opted not to hail a cab. Within a minute, the waitress showed them to a table and handed them menus. Amber opened her menu and closed it. She sighed happily. The menu knew how to open beautifully. Andrew ordered something for both of them.

A spot on the table caught Amber’s attention. She bent down to look closely at it. It did nothing. She sat up straight, but her gaze kept shifting to the spot.

“Let me get that for you,” the waitress said, and she wiped the spot into oblivion. Something inside Amber twitched. She looked at Andrew and a tear made its way down her cheek.

Andrew did not know how to respond. "Can I do something for you?" he asked finally. Amber lifted her eyes to him. A tooth peered at her from inside his mouth. She giggled at it and it giggled back at her. She pointed at Andrew's drink. He tipped his coffee slightly, allowing a drop of liquid to slide down the mug and onto the table. Amber resumed her watch.

The food came then, to Andrew’s relief. Amber looked over her soup. She whistled at it and it whistled back. She dipped a spoon into the broth and brought it to her lips. She cooled the spoonful with her breath. Then she lowered the spoon and let the soup drip back into the bowl. She fished in her soup until her spoon captured a bean. She lifted the bean carefully, stopping it on a level with her eyes. She examined it with interest. Steam rose from the spoon into the air around her and disappeared. She held the bean between her thumb and forefinger. She squeezed it until its insides poured fourth, then she put it back in its bowl. Andrew gave up trying to start a conversation.

They walked back to the office in silence. As Andrew left Amber at her desk he glanced at the folder. “Geez, Amber, what did you do?” he exclaimed, “where did you put the rest of the file?” Amber pointed carelessly at the shredder, and stroked her desk affectionately. Andrew rushed to the shredder trying futilely to salvage the file. “Do you even know what the file said?” Anger filled him. “Show me what you two found.” Amber shrugged and pointed Andrew to a door. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him.

The door opened on emptiness. A bucket stood in the middle of the floor. Amber pushed past nothing and knelt before the bucket. The contents gurgled playfully. She dipped a finger in and pulled it out. Andrew inched nearer to the spectacle. She stretched her finger towards him.

“What…?” Andrew stopped his question.

“Luther!” Amber exclaimed and scooped the liquid from the bucket. “I stepped in him yesterday.” Memories flooded her mind and her skin started to dry out. No one knew where the slime came from. She needed to study it.

Andrew watched horrified as Amber’s skin began to flake off and land on the floor. Her face darkened and she grabbed his hand, dipping it into the bucket.

It drank its fill and let go.

Amber disappeared in a puddle. Andrew tried to wipe the slop from his arm, but could not. He moved to leave the room, but his foot slipped in the puddle that lay where Amber stood moments ago. The substance crept over the side of the bucket and onto Andrew. He struggled against it, but it defeated him. He stood only to crash to the floor again. Dizziness overcame him. Blackness claimed him.

Andrew’s eyes fluttered open. Sunbeams danced through the window and licked his face. “Time to wake up,” they whispered. He sighed contentedly and sat up. His bedroom smiled on him and he smiled back.