Short Horror Stories

Happy oblivious prisoner

I, like many of my team, are conducting an experiment.

Our subject, a young man who is unaware that he's being held against his will here.

He seems content with life, not knowing of his imprisonment, that if he were willing to go outside, he couldn't.

He 'works', these are but simple tasks disguised as work. His food gets delivered at specific times and whenever he's free, he's just sitting behind his computer gaming.

My colleagues and I watch him day and night, carefully noting down every movement he makes.

It's going quite well, if I do say so myself. The subject has yet to notice the truth.

How oblivious, just how is he able to seem so happy all the time even though he has absolutely nothing?

His computer isn't even connected to anything else, the people he's playing with are either the people who work here or simply artificial intelligence.

In order for this experiment to be done right, some of us have rooms ourselves in this building in order to sleep when we have to.

Sometimes we can be here for a full week, but hey, the pay is great.

Today is somehow different from others, as a colleague of mine noticed something strange.

"Wasn't Tuesday yesterday?" He asked.

I shrugged: "I think you're imagining it, yesterday was Monday."

"Ah... I guess you might be right..."

He hesitates, but then asks me again, in a tone I haven't heard from him again.

This time I'm unsure how to answer.

But then: "It was Monday yesterday. I'm certain." I answer, trying not to have him hear the slight tremble I'm desperately trying to hide in a certain tone.

I go to work in my usual routine, entering the white inspection room, with notepad in hand.

I had my coffee, so I should be good to go.

The four walls of the experiment's room are all see through on our side, a bit like a one-way mirror, but slightly different. The man only sees walls, no reflection.

Carefully I look into the room of our subject.

He's sleeping out like usual on days like these.

I note down any movement he makes.

After a good long hour he finally decides to get out of bed, lazily walking towards his computer.

He presses the 'on' button with his right index finger and the screen turns on.

The subject sits down and starts playing his games.

Even these games have special psychological tests hidden in them and have the ability to change his behaviour.

I watch him for a couple more hours, until it's finally time for a break.

Someone else takes my place and I leave for the cafeteria.