Welcome to the Phobia Group
by Greg Beatty

"Whatcha here for, new boy?"

Sully had whispered, but Doctor Brett heard him anyway. "Sullivan, you know the rules. No one has to expose anything about his past until he chooses to."

"Yeah, yeah," Sully said. He whispered, "I'll get you later."

The pale kid sank back in his chair and shuddered. Doctor Brett raised a hand. "Now, why don't you tell Jeremy what we do here."

"Bite me."

"Sullivan. Do you want consequences?"

"No." Calming his voice, Sully said, "Itza phobia group. Everybody here's afraid of something. Doctor Brett works with us. We face our fears a little at a time, and eventually we get desensitized."

Jeremy spoke for the first time. "W-what are you afraid of?"

Sully looked down. "Spiders. I hate the way they walk. Doctor Brett--what!"

Jeremy was laughing. "Spiders? You wuss."

"Screw you! What the hell--"

"Sullivan."

"Sorry, Doctor B. What the heck are you scared of?"

Jeremy was quiet again. "Demons." He sneered at Doctor Brett. "How you going to help me there?"

"Well, we'll start you off small, and--"

"You mean you believe me?"

Rather than answering directly, Doctor Brett said, "Sullivan."

Jeremy didn't start screaming until Sully had pulled his skin most of the way off his face, and he didn't pass out until Doctor Brett said, "--and eventually we'll work you up to larger demons."

Greg Beatty attended Clarion West in the summer of 2000. He's had a number of short stories accepted since then. (For more information on his writing, visit his website.) He supports his writing habit by teaching for the University of Phoenix Online. When he's not at his computer, he enjoys cooking, practicing martial arts, and spending time with his girlfriend Kathleen.