Amnesia Service

The sound from the TV echoed around the room as Beth tapped on her phone. She had lost track of the movie several hours ago but she didn't really mind, it wasn't very good.

Suddenly, a knock on her door shook her from her thoughts. "Weird," she mumbled. She hadn't ordered anything and it was too late in the evening for it to be the mailman.

Beth pressed her nose against the cold wooden door and did her best to peer through the peephole. On the other side of the door was a very professionally dressed woman with short blonde hair. She was wearing a company jacket, however, the logo was too small to make out.

The woman was rocking from foot to foot, checking her phone every few minutes. Beth was unsure if she could be bothered to open the door, but she didn't want the woman to be waiting there all night as she was likely trying to deliver take-out and had come to the wrong door.

As she slowly opened the door, Beth poked her head out into the corridor and smiled at the woman. "Can I help you?" She asked politely.

"Amnesia service! We typeset, you forget!" Grinned the woman, only to quickly shake her head.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"We're trying to find a good catchphrase. It is amazing that so few good words rhyme with forget," replied the girl with a shrug.

"No, no, that's not the part I'm confused about." Interjected Beth.

"Oh? Which bit is confusing?"

"The amnesia service bit. I think you have the wrong house."

"Nope!" Grinned the woman as she lifted her phone. "You're Beth Amalise, correct?"

"I am," gasped Beth, growing slightly concerned that this woman somehow knew her name.

"Then you're my client! You've been with us for six months, now!" Replied the woman.

"I'm sorry, this isn't funny," said Beth firmly. "Please leave me alone before I call the police."

She closed the door with a loud thud before locking the door and going back to her movie. She felt slightly on edge but was doing her best to brush it off as a weird scam. The person had likely got her name from the building directory, it wasn't likely she actually knew anything about Beth.

The soft click of a lock made Beth jump. She quickly dived out off of her couch and peered into her hall, only to see the blonde woman closing the door behind her.

"How did you?" yelled Beth, her fists clenching into balls as she glared at the figure.

"You gave us a copy of your key when you signed up," smiled the woman as she slipped something into her pocket and looked at her phone again.

"Give that to me right now!" Shouted Beth, her fear bubbling over into anger.

"Now, don't get worked up," smiled the girl, seemingly unphased by Beth's rage.

"Don't get worked up? You come to my door! You know my name! And now you break into my house?!"

"This is all covered in the contact!" smiled the woman as she stepped forward. Beth quickly yanked a bat out of the hall cupboard before brandishing it towards the woman.

"I won't hesitate!" shouted Beth.

"This is the downside of the company," sighed the woman as she rubbed the side of her head. "But like head office says, a confused and angry customer is a happy customer!"

"Get out of my house, right now!" Screamed Beth.

"Relax Beth," smiled the woman.

"I am not going to relax!" Beth roared. "Get out! Get out now!" She added as she moved forward and started to wildly swing the bat.

"Not that one," gasped the woman as she tapped on her phone. "Oh!" She shouted as the bat missed her by a few inches. "Beth calm!"

Suddenly a wave of heavy lethargy washed over Beth's muscles. She felt her arms drop to her sides as she started to stumble. It was so hard to move, it was like she had just finished a seven-day workout and hadn't slept for months.

"What?" Slurred Beth as the bat slipped out of her hands and clattered to the floor.

"Beth calm! They really need to stop changing SOP," sighed the woman as Beth leaned against the wall. Her head felt like it was made of lead, she could hardly keep standing.

"What," slurred Beth as she slowly slid down the wall.

"Don't worry about it!" Chuckled the woman as she walked forward and slowly removed the bat from Bath's limp hands. "We just need to do our bi-weekly update, nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about," slurred Beth as darkness encroached upon her mind.

Beth hammered the buttons quickly, this area had bested her at least four times already, but she was determined to beat it. "Come on, stop blocking!" She mumbled to herself as she continued to mash the keys.

Suddenly, a knock echoed through her apartment. "Ugh," sighed Beth as she paused the game and got up. She wasn't expecting anyone. If it was another door-to-door salesman, she was going to be angry.

Beth marched to the door and pulled it open, only to see a blonde woman stood there. "Amnesia service!" Sang the girl. "We sweat, you forget!" she added before shaking her head. "That sounds overly gross..."

"What?" Blinked Beth. "I think you have the wrong house."

"Nope!" giggled the girl. "I'm right!"

"I didn't order anything," said Beth firmly. "I'm sort of busy right now, anyway."

"Well, I won't be long," grinned the woman as she walked past Beth and into the apartment.

"Excuse me!" shouted Beth, utterly shocked by the woman's actions. "Get out, right this minute! I didn't ask you to come in!"

"It is in the contract," sighed the woman. "It is like you don't even remember our... Oh wait, no, of course, you don't remember the contract," chuckled the woman as she facepalmed.

"I said, get out," growled Beth.

"Calm Beth," replied the girl. Instantly Beth's knees buckled and she let out a loud yawn.

"Huh?" Mumbled Beth as she started to crawl towards the door, her vision swirling and blurring.

"Don't mind me," added the girl as she hooked her arms under Beth's shoulders and started to drag the dazed girl into the living room.

"No," whined Beth as she weakly kicked her legs, her vision slowly growing hazier.

"Come on now, let's get you comfy," chuckled the girl, putting on an almost motherly voice as she continued to move Beth.

After a few minutes of fiddling, the woman was able to prop Beth up on the couch. Once she was sure that Beth wasn't going to fall, she pulled a small bit of plastic out of her pocket and started to fiddle with her phone.

"Why do they have to make the app so hard to use?" Mumbled the woman as she placed the bit of plastic onto the coffee table in front of Beth. She then leaned the phone against the plastic and spent several minutes trying to make it balance.

Once she had the phone stable, the woman pressed a button on the screen and took a step back. Instantly the screen burst into a myriad of flashing and strobing colors.

Beth let out a groan as her shoulder twitched. The woman sat down next to Beth and started to rub her shoulders. "It's okay," she cooed as the colors radiated from the small screen. "We've done this before, this is just your regular checkup, don't you worry about a thing."

Some small part of Beth could tell something was wrong, but she was unsure to put her finger on it. She tried to think but whenever she started to form a thought, the flashing light caused it to crumble into dust.

"Now," muttered the woman as she leaned in close to Beth. "We just need to work through our checklist, so I'll open that," she explained before letting out a sigh. "Check-list is on my phone, we'll do the checklist in a bit."

Beth felt her head swaying. It felt like she was fighting against sleep and losing. As her head rocked from side to side her vision blurred and twisted, the whole world just becoming hazy shapes of light as her brain fogged over totally.

Beth dried herself off as she watched the water drops trickle down the misted mirror. It felt nice to be clean after a long day, and the heat had really helped her aching muscles.

However, Beth's drying was interrupted by a knock on her door. "What is it?" shouted Beth as she increased the speed of her towel rubbing. Another knock echoed through the hall as Beth let out a sigh and quickly put a robe on before poking her head around the door.

"Sorry, I'm a little busy," mumbled Beth as she looked at the woman.

"Amnesia service!" Shouted the woman. "We upset! You forget!"

"I'm sorry, I'm just out of the shower," muttered Beth. "Is this important?"

"Just our bi-weekly update!" Smiled the woman.

"Oh, but I'm busy."

"You can be busy after our update!"

"I guess."

"Can I come in?" Asked the woman with a knowing smirk.

"Of course you can," blurted Beth as she backed up a little. The woman quickly walked into the apartment and closed the door behind her.

Beth pondered for a few seconds. She wasn't exactly sure what to do. She hadn't been expecting guests so she hadn't really prepared anything.

"Come sit with me, Beth!" Shouted the woman. Beth started to walk across to the couch, doing her best to think of how to entertain her unexpected guest.

"Umm, do you want to watch a film?" Asked Beth shyly.

"We have some business to do, silly!" Chuckled the woman as she gently rubbed Beth's shoulders.

"I'm sorry," moaned Beth. "I don't remember what we're meant to do."

"Of course not," replied the woman. "We didn't get that far."

"Get that far?"

"Don't you worry your cute little head about it," said the woman as she pulled out her phone and started to tap on it.

"Oh okay," replied Beth shyly. She was very confused. She didn't fully understand what this woman was talking about. Even though she had been told not to worry, she couldn't help but be curious exactly what was going on.

The woman held her phone out in front of Beth, pulling her from her mental monologue. The screen depicted a strange pattern, almost like a screensaver from an old computer. It made Beth feel strange, almost like she had seen it somewhere before.

Suddenly, the screen flashed. Beth felt a shudder run through her body as a faint tingle washed over her brain. Something about this was so very off and yet she couldn't seem to care about it, no matter how hard she tried.

"Wonderful, just keep your eyes on this." Cooed the woman as the flashing grew more intense. Beth's head spun. Something about the colors was bugging her. It was like some part of her knew she was looking at something she shouldn't be looking at.

"I," gurgled Beth as her mouth dropped open.

"We'll deal with that later, focus please," smiled the woman as she tapped on her phone. The colors grew brighter and more intricate as Beth's brain continued to twist and turn. The more Beth stared, the messier her brain became.

It felt like she was going to collapse forward at any moment. Like her brain was slowly turning to stone and dragging her head towards the floor. However, she couldn't take her eyes off the screen and its patterns no matter how much gravity wanted her to.

"Okay," said the woman, her voice somehow cutting through the strange haze that was engulfing Beth's mind. It was almost like her brain had tuned out everything aside from the woman.

She couldn't work out what was going on, but she couldn't seem to care. She felt so relaxed, it was like an artificial calm was wrapping around every part of her being and smothering it.

"Yes," continued the woman. "Now you know exactly how this works. We'll start the procedure now. Don't you agree?"

"I agree," replied Beth automatically.

"You have no need to remember what you asked to forget, don't you agree?"

"I agree," said Beth again, her lips moving without the consent of her brain. She was so lost in the pattern that she didn't realize that the woman was gazing at her body, obviously checking her out.

"Actually," grinned the woman. "Take the robe off. We don't need it right now, don't you agree?"

"I agree," moaned Beth as her heavy arms slowly raised up off the couch and worked to clumsily pull the robe off of her shoulders.

"I meant," sighed the woman as she reached forward and fully removed the robe before throwing it towards the bedroom. "Much better," she grinned as her eyes looked over Beth's body.

Beth was too enraptured by the colors to care about the cold breeze. She felt so calm and relaxed. She would never usually dream of being naked in front of a houseguest, especially one whose name she didn't know, but Beth's brain seemed incapable of thinking about anything beyond the screen in front of her.

"Now we're more comfortable, you understand the need to forget the things you're told to forget. Don't you agree?"

"I agree," echoed Beth.

"And you know to forget this, you need to forget more. That all routes and roads must be forgotten and that to forget one fact all its connections must also be forgotten. Don't you agree?"

"I agree," said Beth softly. She wasn't sure what she was agreeing to, but the statement kept pushing out of her mouth. It was almost like a sneeze, she couldn't help but make the noise. It wasn't under the control of her conscious mind.

"All things must be forgotten, all strings must be cut, and you understand that to forget, you need to allow me to help. Don't you agree?"

"I agree."

"I am here to help, don't you agree?"

"I agree."

"To let me help, you must follow my commands and understand that I will have to do things you don't understand. Don't you agree?"

"I agree," mumbled Beth.

"And that is okay. In fact, not understanding what I'm doing is a mark of it being successful, of this being money well spent. Don't you agree?"

"I agree," replied Beth as her brain slowly dissolved. It made perfect sense; she had no idea what was going on. She didn't know this woman or this strange pattern. She didn't know why she was naked or what had put her in this situation. And each of these unknowns made her brain dissolve deeper into the multi-colored fugue that was currently assaulting her brain.

"And you understand that accepting this and forgetting everything, even our conversations is proper and right. Don't you agree?"

"I agree."

"So you'll forget this, like everything else. Don't you agree?"

"I agree," moaned Beth as she felt darkness wrap around her mind and her body entered freefall.

Beth let out a sigh. She knew she was procrastinating, but she really couldn't motivate herself to do anything. She had e-mails to reply to and presentations to work on, but she just couldn't be bothered.

A knock on the door shook Beth from her laziness. She jumped up and quickly dashed over to the door. She wasn't expecting anything but she just had to see who was calling at this time of the evening.

As Beth pulled the door open, she saw Kim stood outside. "Amnesia service! I'm wet, you forget!"

Beth stared at Kim for a few moments. She was trying to work out just how she knew this girl. She didn't recognize her, yet she somehow knew her name was Kim. Beth racked her brains trying to recall how she knew that. Had she met this girl at a party? Did she work in a different department, or did she live on another floor?

"That isn't right," chuckled Kim. "Well, I am wet, but that isn't company policy. Would be a weird policy to have."

"I'm sorry," interrupted Beth, doing her best to sound polite. "But, do I know you?"

"Yes!" grinned Kim. "Well you do, but you don't know you do... which is a good thing!"

"That doesn't sound like a good thing," replied Beth with confusion.

"I think it is, don't you agree?"

"I agree," nodded Beth. She wasn't exactly sure what she was agreeing with, but it seemed easier to agree with the woman than argue with her.

"I think I should come in." Giggled Kim.

"Well I don't know you, but sure!" smiled Beth as she pulled the door open and stepped back. As she watched Kim walk inside, Beth felt suddenly uneasy. She couldn't understand why she had let someone she didn't know inside her house.

It wasn't like this girl seemed normal. Something about her was off and it seemed that she knew something Beth didn't, almost like there was a private joke that Beth wasn't in on.

"Um," mumbled Beth as she closed the door behind Kim.

"Yes?" chuckled Kim as she removed her jacket, only to reveal she had nothing on underneath.

"Excuse me!" Beth gasped as she covered her eyes. "Put some clothes on!" she shouted as her brain started to spin with confusion.

"Why?"

"Because you can't just wander around my house nude! I don't know who you are!"

"This is perfectly fine."

"It is not!" Shouted Beth as she turned away from the naked woman.

"It is only not fine because you're clothed. It is awkward because you are being a prude. This would be much more comfortable if you took off your clothes, don't you agree?"

"I agree!" shouted Beth as her arms instantly started to yank her clothes off. She was unsure why she was doing this, but this situation was so painfully awkward and she would do anything to make it better.

Kim's eyes roamed Beth's body as she smirked. "You look wonderful," she purred. "This is wonderful, why don't you come here?" she said as she crooked her finger towards Beth.

Beth didn't know what to say or do. Something about all of this was bothering her, but she couldn't work out what it was. They were both naked now, so that couldn't be the issue, but something about Kim put her on edge.

Before Beth knew it she was right next to Kim, gazing deeply into the other girl's eyes. "I," she started, hoping to think up something that would easily vocalize the current confusion that infested her brain, but before she could get it out, Kim put her finger over Beth's lips.

"I think this is wonderful." grinned Kim as she slowly took Beth by the arm and guided her towards the couch and gently pushed her down into the cushions. "You look wonderful," she added as she quickly sat down next to the bemused Beth.

"Thank you, I guess?" stuttered Beth. "What did you say you did again, I forgot?"

"Amnesia service!" Smiled Kim.

"What is that?"

"Well, we help you forget things," explained Kim. "We help you forget things you don't want to remember."

"But I don't remember asking you."

"Of course not!" Chuckled Kim. "Because you need to forget everything, you can't forget if there are hints about forgetting all around you!"

"I guess that makes," started Beth, only for Kim to cut her off.

"Don't you agree?"

"I agree," said Beth, her thoughts totally vanishing as she slowly nodded her head.

"And it is good you bring this up because we need you to sign a new contract to cover our new privacy policy."

"But how can I sign if," started Beth, only for Kim to quickly cut her off.

"You want to sign, don't you agree?"

"I agree," nodded Beth, her mouth dropping over as she stared forward, her brain totally giving up trying to question what was going on.

"Perfect," chuckled Kim as she walked over to her discarded clothes and pulled a wedge of paper out of her jacket pocket and made her way back to the couch.

Kim gently ran her hand over Beth's breast as she put the paper on the coffee table and grabbed a pen. "So take the pen and sign where I tell you to sign, don't you agree?"

"I agree," nodded Beth as she grasped the pen.

"The Amnesia service can take control of your life, it is necessary for us to change certain elements of your thinking to make your amnesia possible. Don't you agree?" Explained Kim as she tapped a blank line on the document.

"I agree," moaned Beth as her hand automatically signed on the line.

"And you trust your handler to make these changes and do whatever she feels is best to prevent you from remembering your event. Thus, she needs access to all of you. Don't you agree?"

"I agree," nodded Beth as her eyes fluttered and her hand quickly signed the next line.

"Forgetting is important and thus I can do whatever is necessary to make sure it remains forgotten. Don't you agree?"