7. Dr. Buntly’s Office

Berry stared around the small room. There was a single blue plastic chair, one of those tall, padded exam tables, and the door. Other than that, the room was clean and white and doctor-y.

It was a very different vibe than being in the woods outside.

Tentatively, Berry edged towards the door and listened. She heard nothing, and gently tried to turn the doorknob. She wasn’t planning on leaving; just peeking out of the room.

This idea was quickly foiled, as the knob refused to turn. A new, much more worrisome idea formed in her head: she’d been locked in.

What were they planning on doing to her?

Berry jumped nearly a foot in the air when the door opened. A small, rat-like man entered, dressed in an oversize lab coat and a crooked tie. (Berry generally didn’t describe people as animal-like, but his small eyes and large nose made him very…rodent-y.) His hair was thinning, and he was nondescriptly middle-aged.

“Berry. I am Dr. Buntly. We just have a few…precautionary procedures, and you’ll be joining the rest of the lodgers in no time.”

He had a thin-lipped smile.

“Jump up and take a seat,” he said. She didn’t like the way his eyes ate at her exposed fingers. She obeyed, and tucked her hands into her pockets.

“Excellent. Very quickly, we’re going to take a pulse. Hand?” He pushed up his sleeves, the excessive fabric bunching. He was holding a flesh-colored wristband, but Berry hadn’t seen where it had come from.

She held out her left hand, fingers curled up to look smaller.

“What’s that?” she asked as he took her wrist.

Two of his fingers took her pulse, while the other hand came suddenly down—prick! Berry tried to pull her hand back towards her, but Dr. Buntly kept a firm grip.

“Everyone gets a wristband, for safety,” he said, as if he hadn’t just stabbed her wrist. He was securing the wristband, which apparently had some sort of needle in it. “There. Easy, painless.”

His grip released, and Berry cradled her left hand. Her wrist stung, and when she moved her hand, she felt an unpleasant poking feeling. Kinda like there was a needle in her wrist.

Berry looked up at Dr. Buntly, feeling rather distressed. “What is this?” she demanded, though her voice sounded moderately weak.

The doctor was busy pulling a small device out of his lab coat and clicking buttons on it, but he replied colorlessly, “All lodgers are required to wear their wristbands. It keeps us informed about how you are doing and allows us to monitor your health to better help you.”

It sounded very rehearsed.

“Vitals look normal.” He was staring at his tiny screen, clicking again. Berry wondered for a moment what would happen if she jumped up and ran out of the room.

“You can…track me? All of us?” asked Berry.

Dr. Buntly pocketed his device and procured a swab from his coat pocket. He impatiently pushed up his sleeves, which had fallen over his hands. “We make sure you’re healthy with these wristbands. They’re very important. And innovative.” He held up the swab. “Say ‘ah’.”

Grudgingly, Berry opened her mouth and let him swab.

He enclosed her saliva swab in a little container. “You’re done. I’ll see you again soon, Berry.”

Berry hoped to not see that rat-man soon, and stood quickly, barely able to stop herself from bolting out the door. Relieved, she forced herself to walk at a normal pace past him, back into the little hallway. Outside sounded very good right now.

Upon exiting the medical cabin, Berry nearly ran over Kristee, who was standing literally right outside the door.

“Excellent! Come with me, Berry, I’m going to show you to your cabin!”

Berry looked around, and noted that most of the other lodgers were already gone. She saw no signs of Indigo, or Finn, or Peter. Three kids stood by a little drive-thru-style window, and Berry watched them receive pill cups from someone inside the cabin.

It really was med time.

With no other choice, and a very strong desire to sleep, Berry followed Kristee through the dense pines. It was dark now, probably around nine pm, but the air was still warm and buggy.

Berry walked, thinking and listening to the crickets and frogs.

“I don’t have to take any meds, right? I don’t need any,” Berry said to Kristee’s back.

The counselor looked back at her. “Well, you’ll have a chat with Dr. Dawn tomorrow, who will tell you more about the kinds of help we provide here. She’s super nice! Today was more of a relaxing, settling-in day. I hope it was fun!”

Berry smiled at Kristee, but the other girl hadn’t answered her question. This whole day was making her more and more confused.

She wanted to go home.

“Here it is! You only have two cabin mates right now, but you will love them!”

Berry stopped beside Kristee, who was grinning excitedly. Berry wondered if they were looking at the same cabin.

It was small, and brown, and had ivy growing up the sides. It looked like the rest of this place: well-worn and overrun by nature. Berry did notice, however, that it was near other cabins, some of which were lit and noisy. This set of cabins must be where all the lodgers stayed.

“Your luggage is inside already!” Krsitee said, tossing a blonde braid over her shoulder. “The only rule is that you must be nice to your cabinmates! You can come outside during the night, but don’t go too far. We’ll know!” Kristee punctuated her last sentence with a toothy smile and a downward flick of her eyes—the wristband.

Berry nodded, too tired to speak, and trudged up the wooden steps to her temporary home.