Free Red Sand by Ronan Cray Page A

paused, wheezing. His putrid breath filled the tiny room. It smelled like his core had already died while the surface fought on. “I could have just told people, ‘You need braces.’ Life… would have been comfortable, but, no, I was too smart for that. Graduated… with honors.” His swollen tongue licked his lips. It was a grotesque movement in one so dry.
    “Max, you look terrible. Let me get you some water.” She stood to leave.
    “I went after the children.”
    She turned back to hear him.
    “The children. I would get them into the chair, alone. I asked the parents to wait outside. When I had their mouths propped open, and they couldn’t talk, I told them they needed braces now, today . I told them, if they didn’t get braces, all their teeth would fall out. Horribly disfigured, they wouldn’t have any friends. They’d wear dentures and leave them in cups like grandmothers.
    “Then I let them go. They pestered their mothers with fears. They blew it out of proportion. Kids… they have a persistence no parent can withstand. When the inevitable frantic call came, I would tell the mother, ‘Yes, I just took a look at the x-rays, and Junior’s teeth are in bad shape. If we don’t act right away, these teeth will erupt in freakish proportions.’ Vanity always appealed to my clientele. Most of the mothers already had plastic surgery themselves.
    “That could have been enough, but I got greedy. I drew them in. ‘Your child needs braces right away,’ I told them ‘but I’m afraid I can’t help. I’m leaving tomorrow for vacation, and I won’t be around. But I can refer you to another dentist.’ It was a small town. The only other dentist got his degree from the Bahamas. He didn’t use Invisalign. I told the mothers what kind of results they could expect from him.
    “’No!’ they begged. ‘Please, I’ll bring my child in today.’ ‘I’m so sorry,’ I said, ‘But I’m booked up today, and I already have my flight reserved in the morning.’ ‘Please, we’ll pay you double. We’ll make it worth your while. Delay the trip for one more day! Please!’
    “I didn’t take a vacation for four years. I made a fortune… until…” He wheezed. It seemed to go on forever. “Some of my patients banded together to sue me. What could I do? I ran. We have a house in Paris anyway. We were going to… we…”
    His voice broke. His eyes went tight, crow’s feet on the edge, lips pushed up in a grimace. He had no more moisture for tears. “I lost everything. My wife, my daughter, my life. I’m not going to make it.”
    “Of course you are.” She felt awkward. She didn’t know this man, wasn’t a priest. She didn’t want to hear his story. She didn’t want to think someone who cheated the system deserved a bad end.  “You’ll be fine.” Lauren gritted her teeth and patted his hand. “We’ll get you through this. You just hold tight.”
    A terrible raucous erupted outside. Paul must have been hitting every hut with an iron bar. She heard him shouting for everyone to wake up. It was time to start the day. “I have to go now. Paul will take good care of you, Max.”
    He gripped her. He had a surprisingly strong grip for a sick man. “Don’t go. Don’t leave me alone. I don’t want to be alone when I die.”
    She slipped free. “You won’t die, Max. I’ll come talk to you when I get back tonight. You hang tight.”
    She stepped into the bright sunlight. His dry, chapped hands reminded her of her boyfriend. She felt sorry for Max. He didn’t deserve to die for what he’d done.
    She had to believe that.
    She resolved to see him that night, but she would see him sooner.
     
    After a breakfast of hard, dried, salted fish and a cold potato, Paul separated the survivors into four groups and assigned work details. They were given small meals of fish to take with them throughout the day. Mason, Emily, Carter, and Lauren were allowed to stick together. “Today you’ll be working in our