“How long have you been a doctor?” Allison asked.
“Oh dear, let’s see.” He wrapped a blood pressure cuff around her arm and hit the button to start the test. “About 32 years now,” he said.
The cuff squeezed Allison’s arm as it inflated. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. When the cuff deflated she let out a sigh of relief. The doctor chuckled.
“I know it can be a little uncomfortable. Thank you for being an exemplary patient,” he said before unwrapping the cuff from her arm and setting it next to her on the exam table. Lines appeared on his forehead as he adjusted his glasses. “Turn your head please, Allison.” He gently guided her head in the direction he wanted.
“What is it?”
“You have a fresh scar behind your ear. What happened?” he asked. He ran his finger across the raised line of scar tissue.
“I don’t know. I’ve been through a lot of thorny brush in the woods. I was probably scratched.” Allison turned her head, blocking Dr. Dryanski’s view of her injury.
He nodded and walked back over to his bag, placed his equipment inside, then glanced down at the computer screen. His brow furrowed. He clicked a few buttons. Then he frowned.
“Are you feeling okay, Allison?”
“Yes,” she replied. A bead of sweat formed across her forehead. She leaned back into the couch and felt her gun press into her hip.
“Were you scanned at the gate?” he asked.
“Yeah, it’s the first thing they did. They said I was good to go,” she reassured him.
Dr. Dryanski tapped away on the keyboard, keeping his eyes locked on the screen. Allison looked around the room and made a mental note of all the exits. She slipped her hand over to her pocket and felt her keys. Maybe I shouldn’t have come here. Allison’s heart quickened, her muscles tensed, ready to flee at any moment.
“Ah yes,” he said. “You were scanned, and it was very normal. No infection. I must say, you have a clean bill of health.” He walked over to her and removed the electrodes from her head.
“That’s great,” she chirped. She sighed and her body relaxed.
Dr. Dryanski loaded his remaining items into his bag. Before he zipped it, he pulled out a handful of lollipops and a piece of paper. He quickly scribbled something on the bottom of the paper, then folded it up. He handed Allison the candies and paper.
“For being such a good patient. That paper has directions to my house on it. In case you ever needed me,” he said.
Allison walked Dr. Dryanski to the door and waved him goodbye. She then firmly closed the door and locked it. She leaned against the door, letting out a sigh of relief, and popped a lollipop into her mouth. That was nerve-racking. She opened up the paper the doctor had given her. A crude map was drawn on it in black ink with a red star showing the doctor’s home. On the bottom, scribbled in blue ink, was, “Your secret is safe with me.” Allison’s hands trembled as she folded back up the paper and shoved it in her pocket. Can I trust him? He didn’t make her gut churn like Dr. Neff. He seemed kind. Allison remembered how his smile reached his eyes. Yeah, I can trust him.
Allison finished exploring the house. One room seemed occupied. It held two twin beds, so she assumed it held two people. One bed was neatly made with a small stuffed animal sitting on the pillow. The nightstand next to it held a glass of water and a few bobby pins. A girl sleeps here. The other bed was messy, barely made, and the drool-stained pillow was haphazardly hanging off the side. The nightstand near it was scattered with wrappers, and a camo print backpack leaned against it. And a boy sleeps here. Interesting. The remaining two rooms were void of any personal belongings. She picked the room near the front door of the house in case she needed a quick escape. The room was pretty basic, with tan walls and the same dark wood floors that ran through most of the house. A single picture of a flower in a vase on the wall above the bed was the only piece of decoration. Allison sat on the edge of the bed with her feet dangling off and let herself fall back into the soft comforter. She closed her eyes, intending only to rest them, but quickly fell asleep.
Chapter Sixteen Allison
Allison felt a tap on her arm and heard some murmuring voices but couldn’t make out the words. Her mind immediately raced to Nurse Catherine and the Collectors. She startled, jumping up to face the intruders, jerking the comforter off the bed onto the floor. A boy, maybe about sixteen with sandy blonde hair and shamrock-green eyes, stumbled backward, tangling his feet in the comforter and falling right on his backside. A girl with light brown hair to her shoulders and the same green eyes was standing in the doorway to Allison’s room and snickered as the boy fell to the ground. Oh, shit. These are my roommates. Allison breathed a sigh of relief.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I thought you were someone else,” Allison said, as she reached her hand down to help the boy up. “My name is Allison.”
“I’m Matt and this is my twin sister, Morgan. We are in the room down the hall. We saw your welcome bag by the door and just wanted to say hi. I swear I didn’t mean to scare you. But man, are you fast. I’ve never seen anyone awaken from a dead sleep and move so fucking fast before! It’s like you’re the Flash,” Matt took Allison’s hand and heaved himself to his feet.
He was definitely younger than her, but he still towered over her small frame. He had to be six feet tall. Morgan took a step forward and extended her hand to Allison.
