The Settler

Chapter 4

Bright lights sting my eyes. I am shook into consciences by rough hands that clench my shoulders. Opening my sore eyes I see the clean cut face of Dr A, the doctor from my nightmares.

"Whats going on? Why am I here?"

He carefully helps me into a sitting position and smooths down my hair in a patronising way. A wiry finger touch's my lips, signaling me to stop talking.

"Kari, you need to come with me." He replies bluntly.

Dr A's hand slips into mine effortlessly. He oozes unsettling confidence, like he does this everyday.  Even as I think this I am blasted by a sense of de va ju. A memory, a memory of a nightmare.

He takes my hand and I slip off the fake leather recliner and  break his unsettling gaze to look at it for a moment. It is a dirty white dentist like chair with unusual brown red stains on the arms. I gasp as I realise that it's blood. Both old blood and, unsettling, fresh blood. I look down at my arm...

"Come along now Kari, don't linger. We have places to be."

Slowly, I raise my head to look at him. The metallic smell of my own blood fills my nostrils and I feel suffocated by it. 

"Why is my arm cut you pig?!"

I am shocked by my capability to be so angry with a person I only know from my dreams. It might have not been him who cut my arm, I could have done it myself when I fell. But as soon as look at his face I know this isn't true.

The calm composure of Dr A disappears and is replaced by a cold solemn look. His cobra like grip on my hand gets tighter as he pierces me with his gaze. I know he will tell me. And he does.

"You're not perfect Kari. What more do you want me to say? You were becoming a problem, with all your panic attacks and medical issues. We can't afford to deal with imperfects anymore. So we're going to dispose of you. Your arm is cut so you're weaker and  less likely to put up a fight.We don't want you to be anymore trouble then you have already been."

My anger increases with every despicable word that escapes his lips.

"What makes you think that will stop me fighting you?"

He smirks grimly.

"It worked with all the others..."

He signals to the old blood stains and grins at my appalled face.  So this has been going on for months, years probably. When someone isn't perfect everyone thought they just moved to the lower class town but...they all get sent here to be 'disposed of'.

Shaking my head, I yank my hand away from his.

"No! This is wrong! You can't just-" before I finish, he smothers my mouth with his hand and shakes his head pitifully.

"So much firey spirit, so much hope..." he lets his head drop to one side as if studying me, "But don't worry my dear...we will soon sort that out."

My eyes widen as I realise that this is exactly like my nightmare. Soon he will plunge a needle into my arm and I will black out, just like all the other times. But this time I won't wake up.

The fighter in me refuses to accept this fate, this isn't the dream Kari anymore, this is real life Kari and this Kari isn't going down without a fight.