Free The Sinister Mr. Corpse by Jeff Strand

about I come back later?"
    "How about you sit in the recliner before I
kill you?"
    Stanley gaped at him. "You didn't just...yes,
you did. You can't be serious."
    "Let me explain something to you. Your mental
health was not guaranteed upon your return. We were not one hundred
percent sure what we'd be dealing with. Yes, we were concerned with
protecting our investment, but we were more concerned with the
safety of our staff. Therefore, we set up a contingency plan in
case you went berserk."
    "What kind of contingency plan?"
    "An injection, deliverable by hypodermic
needle or, if necessary, a dart gun. It's the reverse of the
injections that keep you alive. If I were to inject it into your
system, you would feel a slight pinch. And then you would feel as
if your skin were boiling from the inside. It would feel that way
because that's exactly what would be happening. You would probably
start to scream. And then your burning, boiling, melting flesh
would start to rip itself from your bones, which would hurt about
as much as one might expect. Within five minutes of the initial
injection, The Amazing Mr. Corpse would be reduced to a pile of
bones and scraps of sizzling flesh. I have both the hypodermic
needle and the dart gun here in my desk. Would you like me to show
them to you?"
    He's totally
serious , thought Stanley. He was tempted to
jump up and make a run for it, but he'd never make it to the door.
"You've got too much invested in me," he said.
    "Indeed I do. It would be a terrible waste
and I would lose many weeks of sleep. So let's avoid that
particular lose-lose situation if at all possible."
    "Works for me."
    "Go sit on the recliner."
    Stanley sighed. "Okay, I get the message. The
clowning around got out of hand. I'll be a docile little zombie
from now on."
    "I will ask you one more time to sit in the
recliner. Please do not make me ask again."
    Stanley pushed back his chair and stood up.
"You've already proven everything you need to prove. I get that
you're the boss."
    "If I have to resort to the cliché of
counting down from ten, I will be very unhappy."
    "Okay! Jesus! " Stanley walked over and
plopped himself down on the recliner. "Are you happy
now?"
    "Put up the footrest."
    Stanley pulled the handle on the side and
raised the footrest. "It's very comfy."
    "I'm glad. I just don't want you to fall on
the floor and hurt yourself. Now, do I need to deliver this
injection by needle or dart gun?"
    "You're gonna sizzle me? I sat on the
freakin' recliner!"
    "No, I am not going to sizzle you. I'm going
to remind you what it was like to be dead."
    "I already said you won. Lesson learned."
    "The problem, Stanley, is that I don't
believe you. It's clear that you're terrified, but I don't know how
much of that will remain after you walk out of this room. You'll
start to convince yourself it was all a bluff, and then we'll be
right back where we started."
    "I don't think you're bluffing."
    "Unfortunately, I can't prove that, now can
I? So what is it going to be? Needle or dart?"
    "Shit, Brant..."
    "Needle or dart?"
    "Needle."
    "An excellent choice." Brant opened a drawer
and took out a hypodermic needle, wrapped in plastic. "I regret
that I'm forced to take these measures, but I think we'll have a
much better working relationship as a result."
    He stood up and removed the
needle from the plastic. Stanley's heart was racing. No, wait, it
couldn't be racing, since it didn't beat any more, but it
sure felt like it
was racing. Pounding. Bashing against his ribcage.
    What the hell was he supposed to do? Just let
Brant inject him? Try to overpower him? Start bawling and hope that
the whole scene became too pathetic for Brant to witness?
    "Don't move," said Brant. "Trust me when I
say that trying anything remotely clever will turn out badly for
you."
    "What if this completely messes me up?"
Stanley asked. "Do you want to risk that? Think how bad it'll look
to maliciously destroy your project."
    "Oh, I think you're plenty resilient."