The Last Colony

Part 33

Mark rubbed his reddened skin, anxiously saying. "You're very thorough here." The doctor smirked behind his mask, writing things on a clipboard as he told him nicely. "That's our job. The more we take precautions, the safer the Colony is. To start, I'm going to ask if you have any allergies or medical conditions?" Mark swallowed, answering truthfully. "Ya. I've had surgeries in the past for tumors and clogged arties. I have ALDH2. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2." The doctor looked over the chart with strange of eyes, before asking him curiously. "Nothing that needs insulin?" Mark shook his head, then stiffened. That was a weird question to ask... unless they went through his bag. The doctor confirmed it by saying softly. "The insulin in your bag. What's it for then?" Mark tried to stay still and calm as he defensively retorted. "I found them. I... I took them incase I ever came across someone that needed them. Thought I could barter them for supplies." The doctor scribbled something on the chart, then told him seriously. "You won't need to worry about that here. Plenty of supplies. We'll take them off your hands. We have people that can use them."

Mark's heart twisted in his chest. He didn't want to hurt people and yet he didn't want to lose Sean. He felt like the worst human alive. The doctor touched his neck, causing him to jerk out of his self-loathing. The doctor stilled, calmly telling him. "Sorry. I just want to get a look at it. You said a blow torch did this?" Mark swallowed, mumbling out slightly more honest. "Well... The branding iron was heated up by a blow torch... So, yes." The doctor shook his head, uttering out under his breath. "I don't understand some people. Looks like it was cared for... but it needs to be changed hourly for a few days." The doctor pulled a tube from a bag, squirting some gel onto his fingers to rub against his wound. The gel was soothing, and he welcomed it against his aching raw flesh. After it was bandaged up nicely, the doctor began the physical to check his overall health. He passed everything with flying colors. Even the prostate exam. He gave them a saliva swab, pissed in a cup, let them draw blood. By the time he was done, he just wanted to crash somewhere people wouldn't touch him.

Instead, he was taken to a glass room with beds and a toilet with a screen around it. Mark watched the lab people work, asking Kenny sternly. "How long are they going to treat us like lab rats?" Kenny laid back across a cot, answering completely relaxed. "That depends on what they find from the tests. Obviously, most of our lab work came back negative for infection, or we wouldn't be in here together. So, I'd say... roughly fourteen days. They'll keep us quarantined to see if symptoms show. When they don't, they'll let us out and give you the tour." Mark smacked the glass, shouting out in a panic. "Fourteen days?!" Mark felt like the whole world was spinning off kilter. He didn't have nearly that long! What would the Horsemen do to Sean in that time? Kenny sat up slowly, calmly telling him. "Easy. The doctors here are very skittish. You start throwing a fit and they'll sedate you and keep you longer. Just relax. What's your rush?" Mark lost his temper, storming up to Kenny to yell at him heatedly. "Those assholes still have my friend! THAT'S my rush! I came here to get help! Not sit in fucking quarantine!"

Kenny swung his legs down off the cot, informing Mark seriously. "I understand you're upset. But yelling at me isn't going to make this go faster for either of us. So do yourself a favor and-" Kenny stopped talking as Mari stepped into the room with a bright smile. Mari adjusted her hospital shirt, asking happily. "Well, that was fun. How was it for you guys?" Kenny cleared his throat awkwardly but told her in a casual voice. "Oh, you know... They cracked open cold beers and we got a whole new lease on life." Mari dropped onto a free cot, crossing her legs as she chuckled out. "They probed you, didn't they? This is Area 51, you know. I wouldn't be surprised if they put a little something up there. I hear the aliens like guys more than-" Kenny swatted her with his pillow and she burst into giggles. Mark didn't join them in their laughter, he just leaned against the glass with a distant look. A tall slender woman with shoulder length wavy hair approached the glass. She tapped the glass with a long nail and the laughter in the room died down.