Phase 43

Chapter 23 - Finn

            

We left the barn at about 9:30 am, piling into the car to drive to the Pristine. My heart rate had been fast when I woke up, but now it was either beating too fast to hear or not at all. The others seemed perfectly contempt, excited even, but Darren and I had been on edge all morning. As we pulled up to the large, fortified gates of what used to be the Mall of America, we were stopped.

            "Please leave your car here for inspection, along with all possessions," a guard said gruffly. Scott nodded quietly, the pulled the car into one of the many parking spots. We piled out. Knowing that this was the last time I would see this car, I slipped off my aviator jacket and tucked it into the back. I wanted my brothers to keep it for me.

            We followed the long line towards the doors, waiting patiently. We weren't the only people coming here in hopes to seek refuge. There were hundreds of families, people, and solo-ers. I kept turning my head, waiting for an attack. Something was going to go wrong.

            "Are you all together?" a young woman asked once we made it to the front of the line. Ashley, who was standing closest to the woman, nodded. Charlie glanced back at me, but I couldn't meet his eyes.

            "Okay, please follow the arrows 'till you reach the white room. You should know it when you see it," she said, pointing her hand behind her. She quickly took our names as we walked past, scribbling them down on a piece of paper. It was already filled with hundreds of names.

            I followed Darren through the hallways, my breath thin and shallow. There was a high pitched ringing in my hears that wouldn't go away. I felt the back of my neck subconsciously, my fingers tracing the small burns that had shown up a few days ago.

            We were shuffled into a small white room. There were two men and one woman standing there, in lab coats. Except, instead of being white, the lab coats were ash grey. I scowled at them.

            "Okay, so there are seven of you, if I'm correct?" the woman called, stepping forward. Darren nodded to confirm. "Great. We are just going to begin, if that's okay. We need to move through as many people as we can," she said. Her blond hair was tucked in a tight bun, not a piece falling out of place as she turned. Opening a compartment out of the wall, she pulled out a tray. I couldn't really see what was on it.

            We all shifted as the two men stepped forward. The woman smiled.

            "If you could please take off all outer layers of clothing. Jackets, flannels, socks, shoes - everything except your pants and shirts," the woman asked. Our entire group shared a glance, but then Elliot was shrugging off his flannel and Charlie was helping Lucas with his shoes. Scott had shed his jacket, and Ashley had just slipped off the cardigan she was wearing. I slid my feet out of their boots, my toes curling on the cool floor. We all placed our clothes on a bench in the corner of the room.

            "Okay, now if there are any electronics or metal pieces you have on you, they must be taken off. That means jewelry, watches, phones, glasses - you get the point," she said cooly. I immediately saw Elliot reach for his necklace, pinching the arrow head.

            "We'll get this stuff back, right?" he asked bravely. The woman gave him a sweet smile, but there were lines hidden deep within.

            "Of course - we're not savages." She turned back to her tray as we all unclasped our memorables. I hesitated taking off my mother's ring and my father's watch, but I knew they would be given back to my family. They slid off my thin wrist, clanking into the bin one of the gray-clad men held out.