He came up to the gate, covered in blood.
“Hardy day at work, hon?” His wife kissed his lips, the only clean spot on his face, her nose only slightly wrinkled.
“The showers were out and I just couldn’t stand there any longer,” he said, dropping his head to her shoulder. She tensed for a second.
“Your supervisor called me to say you had a hard day in the blood pit.”
“It was fine, Kitty.” His eyes were hollow.
“Take off your boots and your smock,” she coached him out of his protective gear, then opened the gate for him. “We can go home.”
This short story is a part of the illustrious Flash Fiction Friday. Read the other lovely stories, spun off the prompt: "A man, covered in blood, just walked up to the gate." at the links below!
This one's really sad, and definitely disturbing. I adore how sympathetic the characters are, in spite of the fact that we guess his job is not exactly admirable. There's just so much feeling in this.
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