Appointment

Chapter 1 - Tick

Tick. Tock. Every single one is different. Tick. Tock. Though you've listened to the same two noises at least a thousand or more times, they're each unique and differ from each other. Tick. Tock. They never seem to stop. Tick. To- What? Silence. Not a sound from the clock, not a sound from anywhere. What happened? A broken clock, now? Perfect. You get up to fix it. Taking the clock down from the nail on the wall, you inspect it to locate the problem.

  "Ah, see? No batteries. Perfect, I don't have time to go to the store before- well, whatever," you say out loud to yourself. You set it on the counter to fix later. As you sit back down, the ticking comes back. Then, the tock. You've listened to them for so long that you can create them in your mind. Listening to hundreds upon thousands of individual ticks and tocks pays off, doesn't it? To anyone else, the room you sat in would seem illy quiet, but to you, the noise never stopped. Of course, that would come as a disservice from time to time. When you sleep, it's there. When you eat, it's there. Reading, writing, performing, working, it has been and always will be there. But, you could keep and pass the time like no other.

  Chapter 2 - Tock

  As you sit in suggestive silence, your eyes start to wander like your mind. From wall to wall your eyes bounce like an old video game. Darting back and forth, back and forth. Tick (one wall), tock (the other), and repeat. Scanning the room you look for any imperfection to eradicate before-

"You," you say as you quickly get up and hastily make your way to an out of place utensil. As you straighten it a wave of relief comes over you, and you sit back down, satisfied. Now, where were we? Oh yes, back to scanning the room. Your eyes surveil the place like a watchful dog. But everything was in place, everything was perfect. The time was 4:28 pm on a sunny California day, and you were waiting patiently for company. You take a final scan around the room. The metal tray was in place, good. The operating table was secure, good. The straps were ready to go. The utensils were disinfected and set in place. The locks on the door were ready to be slid into place behind your company, good. The walls were sound proofed and the neighbours were on vacation. Everything was in place, ready to go. Ready to be used. The phone was off the hook. Nothing could possibly get in the way. You've planned out this moment for years, posted so many ads that you surely have killed a tree or more. You just had to know who to advertise to, and where they were. And luckily it hasn't gotten the wrong attention yet, but the problem with that was it got no attention whatsoever.

"What is taking you so long?" you say exasperatedly. "You should have been here hours ago, our "appointment" was set for 2 o'clock on the dime, and here you are two and a half hours late," You couldn't cancel, especially since they were the first person to talk to you about your offer for the first time in forever. So, against your desire, you continue to wait.

  Chapter 3 - Almost

  DING DONG your bell rang out, much like the ticks and tocks in your mind. Your head whips around so sharply you thought it may have snapped. Hastily getting up, you walk to the door. You take a deep inhale, making a quick scan around the room to make sure everything remained in its place and ready to go. After you confirm that everything is as it should be, you undo the locks and open the door with your widest - and fakest - smile.

  "Hello! You made it after all-" you stop in mid-sentence. Who you thought was your company turned out to be police officers, barging their way into the home before you could object. "Oh sh- I-I thought you were c-coming tom-tomorrow officers!" you say as you remember you agreed to a mandatory home inspection.

  "Yes well, we moved it up to today. We got a call from a neighbour across the street saying they could see through your window you setting up something like an operating table?" Their eyes move from you to the table in the middle of the room. Then, to the metal tray with the utensils on it.

   "It may just be good timing, what's all this?"

  "All this? Well.. it's... it's roleplay! You see, officers, I've been a big fan of the doctor shows they run on the television and I... well, I wanted to recreate one! I have a buddy of mine coming soon and, well... you don't want to be around for all that, you know? It's boring, I assure you."

  "You sure? Those utensils look awfully real, we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, after all... maybe you and your buddy should roleplay a different show, eh?"

  "Oh, I promise officer we'll be incredibly careful! We aren't actually going to end up using them, they're practically for decoration, haha!" You put on your most genuine laugh to seem sincere.

  "Well, if you're sure that you won't get hurt then I suppose we have no problem with it. Mind if we inspect the house further-"

  "Actually, sir, if we could keep the appointment tomorrow that would be great. He should be here any minute, my buddy." You could tell that the officers were suspicious, but they could do nothing to deny your request. So, without further words, they reluctantly head out the door. With a nod and a thank you, you shut it behind them, locking every last bolt and chain. A wave of relief comes over you, and you thank God that you didn't pull an Edgar Allen Poe in "Tell-Tale Heart".

  Chapter 4 - Recall

  As the adrenaline dies down, the tick and tock starts back up again. Meanwhile, you call back to the ad that you made. Getting on to the dark web was harder than you imagined, but if everything worked out, it would be worth it.

 "Are you insecure? Are you tired of being at or below average? Come on, we all want perfection! I can make you beautiful by societal standards! Come on down to 704 Geo St in sunny Burbank, California to become beautiful!" Of course, it sounds cheesy as hell, but what else would get desperate women's attention? "You're beautiful already, but by society's current standards you're very ugly and need my plastic surgery experiments to make you - technically - beautiful!" No, that wouldn't cut it. Not good for business, not good for money. Despite how genuinely beautiful women could be, there will always be someone to say otherwise.

 Chapter 5 - Finally

 After another 30 minutes go by you finally hear a car door slam, putting an end to the loop of tick-tock in your head. You track the steps the company takes to get up the driveway. One... the crunch of the gravel, two... the weight of the steps, three... the sound of the keys, four... the lock of the car, five... the deep inhale and exhale to relieve the anxiety, six... the final breath before ringing the doorbell, and seven...

 DING DONG it rings out. You quickly inspect the room to make sure nothing has been disturbed. Everything is in place. Everything is ready. DING DONG it rings out again, showing the impatience in your company. Putting on your most convincing smile, you open the door once more. At last, they're here. They're here, and the experiments can begin.