Chapter Text
The wind whipped through the yellow grass as though it would blow forever. A lone automobile weaved through the fields in the direction of a solitary building on the horizon, a white box-like building which gave off a bleak atmosphere. The driver parked his car in the large parking lot before the building and stepped out into the bright Arizona sunlight. He was dressed in a stark white lab coat, black skinny jeans, and retro wingtip shoes. The lively wind blew his lengthy brown curls behind his thick square glasses. He strode confidently across the parking lot, the gravel crackling under his feet. He stopped before a large sign in front of the door:
The Wickenburg Establishment For The Nurturing of The Mentally Unstable.
"I guess that's the nicest way to put 'asylum'," the man chuckled to himself. He looked the building up and down; there were many windows and all the curtains were drawn, someone had planted some tulips in front probably so that it would not seem so dismal. But it was. It was a mental institute full of psychopaths and schizophrenics, it was made to be dismal. He gave one last look and stopped. On the top floor there was an open window, just a crack and looking through the curtains was a face just barely noticeable. It stared down at the man in the lab coat for only a minute and was gone. Chills went down his spine.
"No matter how many times I transfer these places give me the creeps." He hurried inside to the reception desk where a young woman with ebony skin and an excess of frizzy hair sat at her computer. She had dark eyes that sparkled, soft hands, and an interesting assortment of 70's jewelry. Altogether she seemed as though she was working in the wrong place. She looked up from her computer and smiled at the man in the lab coat.
"May I help you, sir?" She asked cheerily.
"Yes, my name is Carlos. I'm the new doctor, I'm terribly sorry I'm late." Said the man in the lab coat. He ran his fingers through his hair revealing a slight graying at the temples.
"Oh good," the young lady smiled,"I've been waiting for you. My name is Dana." She leaned forward over the desk to shake Carlos' hand, "I'll be showing you around the place, helping you get settled in." She continued to flash her white smile, it was almost nerve wracking how happy she seemed. She walked around the desk with a clipboard in hand. Carlos looked her up and down, she was approximately five foot two and beneath her lab coat were vibrant purple scrubs.
"We'll start here with the easier cases, Alzheimer's, dementia, and a few Erotomanics. Patients who pose no threat, mostly the elderly and generally lovely people." She began leading Carlos down the hall, "Here we generally sort our patients by the threat the pose to their fellow patients. The second level houses more dangerous diseases, and so on."
"And where will I be stationed?" questioned the doctor.
"You," began Dana as she flipped through the abundance of papers on her clipboard. She raised an eyebrow as she continued to flip through the papers, unable to find what she was looking for. The smile started fading from her face.
"That's rather worrying," Carlos thought to himself, "maybe it was a mistake to apply for this job."
"Oh," Dana muttered as she stopped and stared at the last page. "You're the new specialist," she looked at Carlos and bit her lip. "Well, you needn't worry about that right now. I still have yet to introduce you to the other doctors." She smiled, but something was different this time. She began rushing down the halls with Carlos in tow. The head doctor here on the first floor is Dr. Carlsberg." They rounded the corner into a rustic looking room where two men sat at a table, each with a book in their hands. "Good morning, Steve," Dana smiled.
"Morning, Dana," he grumbled. He seemed like the kind who belonged working in a place like this. He looked about 38, with moderate frown lines, and a bit of a slouch. He sat at the table with another middle-aged man dressed in a mock native american headdress. "Who's this?" Steve turned to Carlos.
"This is Dr. Carlos," Dana replied.
"Nice to meet you," Carlos offered his hand. Steve shook it reluctantly.
"Where will he be working?"
"Well... he's the new-" Dana stopped as the hospital intercom came alive with a crackle and a pop. Steve's eyes widened and Dana looked down at her shoes smirking slightly.
"And now, today's broadcast from the top floor." Carlos looked up at the speakers installed in the ceiling, his eyes were wide.
"A friendly dessert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep."
Carlos turned to his companions, "What is that?" Steve glanced at Dana, was that fear in his eyes? "I asked, what is that?"
Dana bit her lip and looked up at Carlos.
"Your patient."
"Welcome, to Night Vale."