There was only one rule: don’t open the door.
The first morning, at least I assumed it was morning, I awoke in the sterile cell, vaguely remembering signing up for a study.
“You are participant number seven of ten. The door before you is unlocked. If you open the door, you will be free. If you open the door, the other nine participants will die,” the intercom above chirped robotically.
It had to be a test, I decided after a while, and placed my hand on the doorknob.
But if it isn’t…
I laid back down on the steel bed. That’s when I decided on my one rule, the decision that separated me from them. The thought of these sick bastards winning made me nauseous.
Then came the fear. There were plenty of murderers and worse out there, and all it took was one of them to be contestant six and it’d be over. I stayed awake until I collapsed, waiting…
When death never came, I tried to keep count of how many times the intercom chimed.
It could have been a day, or a week, but eventually I stopped counting. Not long after, the push ups stopped cutting it. I craved a book. I craved anything.
Then I began to pray.
First, unanswered prayers to god.
Afterwards, I prayed to violence. I prayed for the selfishness of others, and I blessed them with my absolution at the top of my lungs. Once the tears dried, I stupidly used my shirt to clean the bloody fist marks off the door.
“You are participant number seven…”
It was the height of cruelty that my captors rounded the edges of that steel bed.
“You are participant number…”
I broke.
I broke my rule.
Beyond, a blinding red light illuminated a desolate hallway.
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A/N:
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About the Creator
Matthew J. Fromm
Full-time nerd, history enthusiast, and proprietor of arcane knowledge.
Here there be dragons, knights, castles, and quests (plus the occasional dose of absurdity).
I can be reached at [email protected]
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