The sun glares into my eyes blinding me as it illuminates the wooden table. It feels warm and peaceful. My grey fabric chair comforts me as I brush my feet against the red carpet. Home.
"Here you go!" A tall figure says, their voice high pitched and distorted as they place a plate of scrambled eggs on the table. To make this much you would need to crack 3 eggs. The figure, I can't see them but they oddly feel familiar. Their face is a blur and their body is covered in a black mist. No matter how hard I try I can't focus on them, my eyes always wander off skimming past it. I look at my meal and widen my eyes. My scrambled eggs transfigured into a pile of 30 squirming worms. My fork clatters against the wood, I look up, my throat tightening, to the mysterious figure but they were no longer there.
"Looking forme?"
The high pitch, distorted voice startles me. I turn around to find the ominous figure glitching. 3 big red Xs appear on their head, also glitching from reality. Suddenly, my surroundings fade to black. I'm standing on nothing, I'm in the abyss. I try walking but it's hard. I take a step and the floor ripples like I'm standing on water.
"So You found me huh?"
It was a different voice this time but it was still distorted. The figure stood a couple of meters away from me. I couldn't see who it was though, it was a shadowy person.
"Who are you?" I call out in curiosity. The air feels cold, a silent breeze poking my skin.
"I'm _______________"
Huh? Why couldn't I hear that?
"Could you repeat that, I couldn't hear."
"_ ___ ___ _ ___ ___ _ ___ _ /
_ _ ___ _ ___ ___ _"
It sounds muffled. I can't hear anything. I'm blacking out. Everything is fading away.
_________________________________________
Beep
Beep
Beep
My eyelids slowly open. I stare coldly at the white ceiling. Where am I? My stiff body aches from laying on a hard mattress. It's as uncomfortable as sleeping on a rock bed. My hands feel numb so I try moving my fingers slowly. I take a few deep breaths and push my body up.
I'm in a large room with curtains at the side. A blue blanket was enveloped around me. I'm in the medical ward. I look at my feet and I see a brand new ankle monitor embedded. It has more digital bars on it now probably because of the punching bag assessment.
"Ah you're awake now Elara." A female doctor says. She is wearing a normal uniform. I notice she has her purple hair in a bun.
The doctor looks at her colleague
"Subject 402 will now be discharged." Her colleague nods. My eyes still havn't adjusted yet to my surroundings.
"You're three to go now," the colleague says,
"I will now escort you back to dorms." Her eyes are golden and her hair is red.
I get up from the bed and follow her out. I look behind me and I see other patients lying down but their skin are deteriorating and they didn't look human anymore.
I look up to scan for any security cameras and there are lots.
I stumble out of the door, a calculated lag in my step to project weakness. A long corridor stretches ahead. It still feels cold, rotting. The warmth of 'home' is a distant memory.
Following the colleague, my eyes locate every camera, every blind spot, every exit. There are 3 camera in this corridor which means there are 3 possible blind spots. The cameras are all diagonal which means there will be triangle like blind spots at the sides, but they will be small so I will have to squeeze my body.
The whole walk was almost silent. Except I keep on hearing some weird buzzing sound every 3 seconds. When I had entered the dorms, the colleague just waved and left. I check my surroundings. It's another clean and modern corridor but with doors that have a 3 meter gap in between. Each door has two people's names and a number to represent it. I scan the doors for my name 'Elara W'
It's on the left 3 doors down. I'm sharing with 'Sana I' I unlock the door with a red key I strangely found in my pocket.
Click.
I close the door behind me. The light is off so the room is dark. I stare at the blurry clock, its 3 am. Or atleast that's what I assume because the clock is too shadowy. Sana is sleeping soundly on her bed with her 3 teddy bears stuffed at the side. I walk towards my bed which is opposite to Sana's. It's dark. Way too dark.
My bed is an ordinary single bed with a grey duvet and a grey pillowcase. I tuck myself in and close eyes as my conscience slips with the dorm walls melting.
Darkness envelopes the atmosphere. I'm back in the abyss. I look down to see my body except it's not there? It's shrouded in a black mist. The same ominous figure appears before me. I try to speak but the words wouldn't come out of me. He turns around and points at me. I can't see his face or body.
Clocks chiming and people screaming echoes in my mind. But then -
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.